# US 12,112,194 B2 · Application aware graceful over current protection for multi-socket platforms > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,112,194 B2 - Document ID: US12112194B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/122,693 - Filed: 2020-12-15 - Published: 2021-05-13 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-15 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Rajesh Poornachandran; Rajendrakumar Chinnaiyan; Vincent Zimmer; Ravikiran Chukka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112194B2 ## CPC - G06F 9/4856: {resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration (G06F9/5088 takes precedence)} - G05F 1/625: wherein it is irrelevant whether the variable actually regulated is AC or DC - G06F 1/28: Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision - G06F 1/30: Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) - G06F 1/305: {in the event of power-supply fluctuations} - G06F 1/3206: Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality - G06F 1/3237: by disabling clock generation or distribution - G06F 1/324: by lowering clock frequency - G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system - G06F 1/329: by task scheduling - G06F 9/45533: {Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors} - H02H 1/0007: {concerning the detecting means (in general G01R or other subclasses of G01; reed switches H01H71/2445)} - H02H 1/0092: {concerning the data processing means, e.g. expert systems, neural networks} - G06F 9/442: {Shutdown} - G06F 9/4881: {Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES - H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H) ## Abstract Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that detects an over current condition associated with a voltage regulator in a computing system, identifies a configurable over current protection policy associated with the voltage regulator, and automatically takes a protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy. In one example, the protective action includes one or more of a frequency throttle of a processor coupled to the voltage regulator in isolation from one or more additional processors in the computing system, a deactivation of the processor in isolation from the one or more additional processors, an issuance of a virtual machine monitor notification, an issuance of a data center fleet manager notification, or an initiation of a migration of a workload from the processor to at least one of the additional processor(s). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computing system comprising: a plurality of circuit boards, each of the plurality of circuit boards including a voltage regulator and a processor coupled to the voltage regulator, wherein the plurality of circuit boards includes a primary circuit board and a secondary circuit board, the primary circuit board having a baseboard management controller (BMC); and logic coupled to one or more substrates, wherein the logic is arranged on the primary circuit board, the logic to: receive an indication of a detected over current condition associated with a first voltage regulator on the secondary circuit board, wherein the indication is to be received while bypassing the BMC, identify a configurable over current protection policy associated with the first voltage regulator, automatically take a first protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the first protective action includes one or more of a frequency throttle of a first processor on the secondary circuit board in isolation from one or more additional processors in the computing system, or a deactivation of the first processor in isolation from the one or more additional processors, wherein the first protective action is to be communicated to the secondary circuit board while bypassing the BMC, and initiate, via a communication from the BMC to a remote administrator, a second protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the second protective action includes one or more of a data center fleet manager notification or a migration of a workload from the first processor to at least one of the other processors, wherein the first protective action and the second protective action are each responsive to the indication of the detected over current condition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates is to bypass a power down of the one or more circuit boards. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the configurable over current protection policy is to include one or more telemetry thresholds and corresponding system management interrupt (SMI) capabilities. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computing system of claim 3, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates is to provision the BMC with the corresponding SMI capabilities via an out-of-band channel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The computing system of claim 3, further including an SMI transfer monitor (STM) to collect telemetry information associated with the over current condition, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates is to provision the STM with the one or more telemetry thresholds, wherein the data center fleet manager notification includes the telemetry information, and wherein the data center fleet manager notification is issued to a scalability component of a hyper-scale data center. ### Claim 6 A semiconductor apparatus comprising: one or more substrates; and logic coupled to the one or more substrates, wherein the logic is arranged on a primary circuit board and is implemented at least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality hardware logic, the logic coupled to the one or more substrates to: receive an indication of a detected over current condition associated with a first voltage regulator on a secondary circuit board in a computing system, wherein the computing system comprises a plurality of circuit boards, each of the plurality of circuit boards including a voltage regulator and a processor coupled to the voltage regulator, wherein the plurality of circuit boards includes the primary circuit board and the secondary circuit board, the primary circuit board having a baseboard management controller (BMC), and wherein the indication is to be received while bypassing the BMC; identify a configurable over current protection policy associated with the first voltage regulator; automatically take a first protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the first protective action includes one or more of a frequency throttle of a first processor on the secondary circuit board in isolation from one or more additional processors in the computing system, or a deactivation of the first processor in isolation from the one or more additional processors, wherein the first protective action is to be communicated to the secondary circuit board while bypassing the BMC, and initiate, via a communication from the BMC to a remote administrator, a second protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the second protective action includes one or more of a data center fleet manager notification or a migration of a workload from the first processor to at least one of the other processors, wherein the first protective action and the second protective action are each responsive to the indication of the detected over current condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates is to bypass a power down of one or more circuit boards in the computing system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the configurable over current protection policy is to include one or more telemetry thresholds and corresponding system management interrupt (SMI) capabilities. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates is to provision the BMC with the corresponding SMI capabilities via an out-of-band channel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates is to provision an SMI transfer monitor (STM) with the one or more telemetry thresholds, and wherein the STM is to collect telemetry information associated with the over current condition, wherein the data center fleet manager notification includes the telemetry information, and wherein the data center fleet manager notification is issued to a scalability component of a hyper-scale data center. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the logic coupled to the one or more substrates includes transistor channel regions that are positioned within the one or more substrates. ### Claim 12 At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of executable program instructions, which when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to: receive at a primary circuit board an indication of a detected over current condition associated with a first voltage regulator on a secondary circuit board in the computing system, wherein the computing system comprises a plurality of circuit boards, each of the plurality of circuit boards including a voltage regulator and a processor coupled to the voltage regulator, wherein the plurality of circuit boards includes the primary circuit board and the secondary circuit board, the primary circuit board having a baseboard management controller (BMC), and wherein the indication is to be received while bypassing the BMC; identify a configurable over current protection policy associated with the first voltage regulator; automatically take a first protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the first protective action includes one or more of a frequency throttle of a first processor on the secondary circuit board in isolation from one or more additional processors in the computing system, or a deactivation of the first processor in isolation from the one or more additional processors, wherein the first protective action is to be communicated to the secondary circuit board while bypassing the BMC, and initiate, via a communication from the BMC to a remote administrator, a second protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the second protective action includes one or more of a data center fleet manager notification or a migration of a workload from the first processor to at least one of the other processors, wherein the first protective action and the second protective action are each responsive to the indication of the detected over current condition. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing system to bypass a power down of one or more circuit boards in the computing system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the configurable over current protection policy is to include one or more telemetry thresholds and corresponding system management interrupt (SMI) capabilities. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing system to provision the BMC with the corresponding SMI capabilities via an out-of-band channel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing system to provision an SMI transfer monitor (STM) with the one or more telemetry thresholds, and wherein the STM is to collect telemetry information associated with the over current condition, wherein the data center fleet manager notification includes the telemetry information, and wherein the data center fleet manager notification is issued to a scalability component of a hyper-scale data center. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: receiving at a primary circuit board an indication of a detected over current condition associated with a first voltage regulator on a secondary circuit board in a computing system, wherein the computing system comprises a plurality of circuit boards, each of the plurality of circuit boards including a voltage regulator and a processor coupled to the voltage regulator, wherein the plurality of circuit boards includes the primary circuit board and the secondary circuit board, the primary circuit board having a baseboard management controller (BMC), and wherein the indication is received while bypassing the BMC; identifying a configurable over current protection policy associated with the first voltage regulator; automatically taking a first protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the first protective action includes one or more of a frequency throttle of a first processor on the secondary circuit board in isolation from one or more additional processors in the computing system, or a deactivation of the first processor in isolation from the one or more additional processors, wherein the first protective action is to be communicated to the secondary circuit board while bypassing the BMC, and initiating, via a communication from the BMC to a remote administrator, a second protective action based on the configurable over current protection policy, wherein the second protective action includes one or more of a data center fleet manager notification or a migration of a workload from the first processor to at least one of the other processors, wherein the first protective action and the second protective action are each responsive to the indication of the detected over current condition. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further including bypassing a power down of one or more circuit boards in the computing system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the configurable over current protection policy includes one or more telemetry thresholds and corresponding system management interrupt (SMI) capabilities. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further including provisioning the BMC with the corresponding SMI capabilities via an out-of-band channel. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further including provisioning an SMI transfer monitor (STM) with the one or more telemetry thresholds, and wherein the STM collects telemetry information associated with the over current condition, wherein the data center fleet manager notification includes the telemetry information, and wherein the data center fleet manager notification is issued to a scalability component of a hyper-scale data center.