US 7,467,311 B2Granted

Distributed system and method for managing power usage among server data processing systems

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsSumanta K. Bahali, Warren D. Bailey, Jimmy G. Foster, Sr., Gregory D. Sellman

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Abstract

A distributed method and system for managing power usage among server data processing systems are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a server data processing system of a plurality of server data processing systems is provided, where the server data processing system comprises a power management communication port to communicatively couple the server data processing system to all other server data processing systems of the plurality of server data processing systems and a system management processor coupled to the power management communication port. In the described embodiment, the system management processor comprises communication logic configured to monitor power usage of all the other server data processing systems of the plurality, and power management logic configured to perform a power management operation on the server data processing system based upon the monitored power usage.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A server data processing system of a plurality of server data processing systems for managing power usage, said server data processing system comprising:

a power management communication port to communicatively couple said server data processing system to all other server data processing systems of said plurality of server data processing systems, wherein each server data processing system is a unit server rack separate from the other server data processing systems and each server data processing system may comprise multiple processors;
and
a system management processor coupled to said power management communication port comprising,
communication logic configured to;
monitor power usage of said all other server data processing systems, and
determine a total power usage of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said power usage data corresponding to said server data processing system and said power usage data corresponding to each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems;
receive, from each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems, corresponding power usage data;
and
transmit power usage data corresponding to said server data processing system to each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems, wherein each server data processing system of said plurality has a full complement of power usage data from all other server data processing systems;
and power management logic configured to;
perform a power management operation on said server data processing system based upon said power usage of said all other server data processing systems;
and
select said power management operation based upon said total power usage of said plurality of server data processing systems;
wherein said power management operation includes one or more of:
applying a cumulative power usage reduction factor, such as a cumulative weighted throttling time, for each server data processing system;
establishing a throttling level utilizing one of a plurality of available levels, which level is selected based on a current cumulative power usage;
adjusting the throttling level to enable increased power usage when the cumulative power usage falls below a pre-established threshold.

14 more elements

A method for managing power usage within a server data processing system of a plurality of server data processing systems, said method comprising:

communicatively coupling said server data processing system to all other server data processing systems of said plurality of server data processing systems, wherein each server data processing system is a unit server rack separate from the other server data processing systems and each server data processing system may comprise multiple processors;
monitoring power usage of said all other server data processing systems utilizing communication logic of a system management processor of said server data processing system;
receiving power usage data from each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said communication logic;
determining a total power usage of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said power usage data corresponding to said server data processing system and said power usage data corresponding to each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems;
transmitting power usage data corresponding to said server data processing system to each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said communication logic, wherein each server data processing system of said plurality has a full complement of power usage data from all other server data processing systems;
performing a power management operation on said server data processing system based upon said power usage of said all other server data processing systems utilizing power management logic of said system management processor;
and
selecting said power management operation based upon said total power usage of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said power management logic;
wherein said power management operation includes one or more of:
applying a cumulative power usage reduction factor, such as a cumulative weighted throttling time, for each server data processing system;
establishing a throttling level utilizing one of a plurality of available levels, which level is selected based on a current cumulative power usage;
adjusting the throttling level to enable increased power usage when the cumulative power usage falls below a pre-established threshold.

9 more elements

A machine-readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions executable by a machine embodied therein, wherein said plurality of instructions when executed cause said machine to perform a method for managing power usage within a server data processing system of a plurality of server data processing systems, said method comprising:

communicatively coupling said server data processing system to all other server data processing systems of said plurality of server data processing systems, wherein each server data processing system is a unit server rack separate from the other server data processing systems and each server data processing system may comprise multiple processors;
monitoring power usage of said all other server data processing systems utilizing communication logic of a system management processor of said server data processing system;
determining a total power usage of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said power usage data corresponding to said server data processing system and said power usage data corresponding to each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems;
receiving power usage data from each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said communication logic;
transmitting power usage data corresponding to said server data processing system to each of said all other server data processing system of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said communication logic, wherein each server data processing system of said plurality has a full complement of power usage data from all other server data processing systems;
performing a power management operation on said server data processing system based upon said power usage of said all other server data processing systems utilizing power management logic of said system management processor;
and
selecting said power management operation based upon said total power usage of said plurality of server data processing systems utilizing said power management logic;
wherein said power management operation includes one or more of:
applying a cumulative power usage reduction factor, such as a cumulative weighted throttling time, for each server data processing system;
establishing a throttling level utilizing one of a plurality of available levels, which level is selected based on a current cumulative power usage;
adjusting the throttling level to enable increased power usage when the cumulative power usage falls below a pre-established threshold.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.