Reversible fan direction control responsive to device enclosure orientation

Abstract

A computer program product is provided for controlling the airflow direction through a device enclosure. A first device enclosure is positioned adjacent a second device enclosure, wherein both enclosures have an airflow pathway extending from the front to the back, and a fan for moving air through the airflow pathway, wherein the fan of the first device enclosure is a reversible rotary fan. The computer program product automatically determines whether the first device enclosure is in a first orientation with its front facing in the same direction as the front of the adjacent second device enclosure or in a second orientation with the front facing in the same direction as the back of the adjacent second device enclosure. The airflow direction imparted by a reversible rotary fan is then controlled according to the determined orientation of the first device enclosure relative to the second device enclosure.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 050,741 filed on Oct. 10, 2013, which application is incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUNDField of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to methods, systems and computer program products for controlling the direction of airflow through a device enclosure that is part of a computer system.Background of the Related Art[0003]A data center is a facility where computer equipment and related infrastructure are consolidated for centralized operation and management. Computer equipment may be interconnected in a datacenter to produce large, powerful computer systems that are capable of meeting the computing requirements of entities that store and process large amounts of data, such as corporations, web hosting services, and Internet search engines. A data center may house any number of racks, with each rack capable of holding numerous modules of computer equip...

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