Power supply power allocation adjustment in information processing system

Abstract

The invention relates to power supply power allocation adjustment in an information processing system. An information processing system may include: an electronic circuit including a main circuit board of the information processing system; at least two power sources providing electrical energy to the electronic circuit according to a power sharing ratio, where each power source is cooled by a set of fans; and a controller coupled to the set of power supplies and the set of fans. The controller detects whether one of the fans has failed and adjusts a power allocation ratio from a default ratio to an adjusted ratio in response to detecting that one of the fans has failed.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Many information processing systems, such as servers, network switches, and other networking devices, typically include processing circuits for performing various operations, power supplies for supplying electrical energy to the processing circuits, and cooling mechanisms (such as cooling fans for cooling the power supplies and, in many cases, the ambient air temperature around the processing circuits). In some of these systems, multiple power supplies are provided (usually two, but occasionally more), and these power supplies are configured to operate in a redundant power supply configuration, meaning that if one of the power supplies fails, the remaining one (or more) functional power supplies are still able to supply all the power required by the system despite the loss of the failed power supply. Thus, the redundant configuration can allow the system to continue to operate even after a power supply fails. In addition, in some information processing systems, fans are also provided in a redundant configuration, meaning that more fans than are strictly required are provided so that the system can continue to operate even after a fan fails. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Alone or with Figure 1 The present disclosure can be understood from the following detailed description. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more examples of the present teachings and together with the description explain certain principles and operations. In the drawings:

[0003] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example information processing system.

[0004] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a system chassis constituting the information processing system in a first arrangement.

[0005] Figure 3A Shows Figure 2 The operational status of the system chassis in .

[0006] Figure 3B Shows Figure 2 Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0007] Figure 3C Shows Figure 2 Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0008] Figure 4 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a system chassis including an information system in a second arrangement, the information system including the system chassis.

[0009] Figure 5is a block diagram conceptually illustrating a system chassis including an information system in a third arrangement, the information system including the system chassis.

[0010] Fig. 6A is a block diagram conceptually illustrating another system chassis including an information handling system, the information handling system being in an operational state.

[0011] Figure 6B The information processing system is shown Fig. 6A Another operating state of the system chassis in the information handling system, the information handling system is in another operating state.

[0012] Fig. 7A is a block diagram conceptually illustrating another system chassis including an information handling system, the information handling system being in an operational state.

[0013] Figure 7B Shows Fig. 7A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0014] Figure 7C Shows Fig. 7A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0015] Fig.7D Shows Fig. 7A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0016] Fig. 8A is a block diagram conceptually illustrating another system chassis including an information handling system, the information handling system being in an operational state.

[0017] Figure 8B Shows Fig. 8A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0018] Figure 8C Shows Fig. 8A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0019] Fig. 9A is a block diagram conceptually illustrating another system chassis including an information handling system, the information handling system being in an operational state.

[0020] Fig. 9B Shows Fig. 9A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0021] Fig. 9C Shows Fig. 9A Another operating state of the system chassis in.

[0022] Fig.10is a process flow diagram illustrating an example process for performing power share adjustments in an information handling system.

[0023] Fig.11 is a process flow diagram illustrating another example process for performing power share adjustments in an information handling system.

[0024] Fig.12 An example non-transitory machine-readable medium storing example power control instructions is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In some information processing systems such as servers, network switches, and other networking devices that utilize redundant power supply configurations, the power supplies are configured so that during normal operation each of the power supplies provides a portion of the power required by the system. This may be referred to hereinafter as a redundant configuration with power sharing. Typically, in such a system, the power demand is shared equally among all power supplies.

[0026] Additionally, in some systems with redundant power supplies, the fans are also arranged with a certain degree of redundancy so that despite the failure of any given fan, each of the power supplies will continue to receive cooling from at least one fan. For example, the fans may be arranged so that each power supply can receive cooling from two or more fans.

[0027] Typically, redundant information handling systems are not typically designed to operate for a long period of time after a component fails. On the contrary, many redundant information handling systems are designed to continue operating for a limited time after a failure, which is typically long enough to allow the failed component to be replaced. In particular, if a fan fails, the amount of cooling provided to one or more of the power supplies may be significantly reduced, and although the power supply may be able to operate under this reduced cooling in a short period of time (because the fan is in a redundant configuration), long-term operation in this case may increase the risk of power failure and / or cause system performance to decline. Therefore, even in a redundant system, long-term operation is typically not feasible with a failed fan, and on the contrary, it is typically desirable to replace the failed fan relatively quickly. In some information handling systems, this replacement of a failed fan is relatively easy, because the cooling fan is installed to a chassis for enclosing an electronic system in a manner that makes the cooling fan removable and replaceable, and such a system is referred to as a removable modular redundant system. In addition, a failed cooling fan can typically be replaced in a short period of time while the electronic system remains operational.

[0028] However, in some information processing systems, since the cooling fans are mounted to the chassis in a fixed manner that prevents them from being easily removed and replaced, the replacement of the failed fan may be more difficult. Such systems become more common as electronic systems become more space- and cost-constrained, and can be referred to as fixed redundant systems. In such systems, when a cooling fan fails, it may be necessary to replace the entire electronic system rather than remove and replace the failed component. Unlike replacing a single fan (which is usually done while the system remains operational or with only a relatively short downtime), replacing the entire system usually requires more significant downtime. In addition, since the system is not intended to operate for a long period of time in redundant mode, the user may not be able to wait for a convenient time (such as scheduled downtime) to perform the replacement. Therefore, even if there is redundancy, unplanned downtime is more likely to occur. Fixed redundant systems will therefore benefit from a mechanism that can extend the amount of time so that the system can continue to operate safely after a fan failure and otherwise improve the operational reliability of the power supply, and therefore provide an opportunity to more easily schedule downtime at a less disruptive time.

[0029] Therefore, the present disclosure introduces a failover procedure for an information handling system, the information handling system including power supplies operating in a redundant configuration with power sharing, wherein the failover procedure is executed in response to a fan failure and includes adjusting the power sharing ratio between the power supplies based on the fan failure. The power sharing ratio reflects the proportional amount of electrical energy supplied to the information handling system by the power supplies. For example, if there are two power supplies, each supplying half of the total power to the system, the power sharing ratio is 50:50. The power sharing ratio can be adjusted from the default ratio based on the fan failure. In particular, the adjusted power sharing ratio can be a power sharing ratio in which the power supply associated with the failed fan has a lower proportional contribution to the overall power supply, while the other one (or more) power supplies that still receive sufficient cooling have (more) higher proportional contributions to the overall power supply. For example, if there are two power supplies and a fan failure occurs, the adjusted power sharing ratio can be approximately 33:67, wherein the power supply associated with the failed fan supplies 33% of the total power and the other power supply supplies the remaining 67%.

[0030] More specifically, as part of normal operation of the electronic system, cooling is provided to a group of two or more power supplies in the electronic assembly, wherein each of the power supplies supplies a default proportional amount of electrical energy to the electronic processing circuit. In some examples, the default proportional amount of the power supplies includes an equal power distribution. Cooling is provided to the power supplies by a group of multiple fans, the group of fans being arranged so that each of the power supplies receives cooling from two or more cooling fans. The operation of the cooling fans is monitored to determine whether the cooling fans are operating normally. If one of the cooling fans is not operating normally, it is considered that the fan has failed and the proportional amount of electrical energy supplied to the system from each of the power supplies is adjusted to take into account the cooling fan that is not operating normally. For example, if one of the cooling fans that provide cooling to the first power supply is not operating normally, the amount of electrical energy supplied by the first power supply is reduced, while the amount supplied by the remaining power supplies is increased.

[0031] Due to this adjustment of the power sharing ratio, the power supply that receives less cooling (due to the fan failure) will generate less heat (due to the assumed load reduction), and therefore, despite the fan failure, the power supply is more likely to remain within the desired temperature limit. In addition, although the other power supply may generate more heat (due to the assumed heavier load), it receives sufficient cooling and therefore should also be able to remain within the desired temperature limit. Typically, one of the reasons why a traditional system needs to be replaced relatively quickly after a fan failure is that the power supply may be able to operate outside the temperature limit for a limited amount of time, but when operating in this way for an extended period of time, it may be damaged or lose reliability. However, since the present invention allows all power supplies to remain within the desired temperature limit after a fan failure, such damage or loss of reliability may not occur or may occur after a longer time than in a traditional system. Accordingly, the system may be able to operate for a longer period of time after a fan failure without the risk of damage or loss of reliability than would otherwise be achieved in a traditional system. In some cases, the system may even be able to continue operating in this state indefinitely, thereby avoiding the need to replace the entire system. Furthermore, even if replacement is required, replacement does not need to occur as quickly as in conventional systems because the system can continue to operate safely for longer periods of time, and therefore replacement can be more easily scheduled at a convenient time and with less disruption.

[0032] Turning now to the drawings, various apparatus, systems, and methods in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure will be described.

[0033] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example information processing system 100. It should be understood that Figure 1 It is not intended to illustrate a specific implementation of the illustrated components, and implementations of information handling system 100 may have a different number and arrangement of the illustrated components and may also include other elements not illustrated.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 100 includes: N power supplies 110, where N is any integer equal to or greater than two (in Figure 1 , power supplies 110a and 110b are shown as examples); M fans 120, where M is any integer equal to or greater than four (in Figure 1 , fans 120a to 120d are shown as examples); a controller 130; and an information processing element 140. The power supply 110 is electrically coupled (shown as a dashed line) to each of the fans 120, the controller 130, and the information processing element 140 to supply electrical energy. The fans 120, the controller 130, and the information processing element 140 constitute an electrical load 190 (shown as a dashed box) to which the power supply 110 provides electrical energy. The controller 130 is communicatively coupled to the information processing element 140 and each of the fans 120 and each of the power supplies 110. In one example embodiment, the information processing system 100 includes two power supplies 110 (i.e., N=2) and four fans 120 (i.e., M=4). In other embodiments, additional fans 120 and / or additional power supplies 110 may be used.

[0035] The power supply 110 is configured to operate as a redundant power supply with power sharing, wherein each of the power supplies 110 provides a portion of the electrical energy required to operate the information processing system 100 based on a power sharing ratio determined, for example, by the controller 130. The power sharing ratio may vary depending on different operating conditions. For example, during normal operation, the power sharing ratio of the two power supplies 110-a and 110-b may be 50:50 (with respect to the order of the reference numerals). In other words, each of the two power supplies provides 50% of the electrical energy to the system. The power sharing ratio used during normal operation may be referred to as a default ratio. In some examples, based on, for example, the performance characteristics of the power supply, a different power sharing ratio other than 50:50 may be used as a default ratio. Examples of power supplies that can be used as redundant power supplies with power sharing include, but are not limited to, switch mode power supplies (SMPS), series regulated linear power supplies, parallel regulated linear power supplies, and the like.

[0036] As in Figure 1As shown in , as part of supplying electrical energy, the power supply 110 is configured to provide a single direct current (DC) voltage, such as 12 volts, to each of the fan 120, the controller 130, and the information processing element 140. In some examples, the power supply 110 can be configured to provide more than one DC voltage through an additional power connection. For example, the power supply 110 can be configured to provide 12 volts and 5 volts to the information processing element 140. In some examples, one or more groups of additional power supplies can be included in the information processing system 100, and each group of power supplies is configured to use different DC voltages to provide electrical energy. For example, three groups of independent power supplies supplying 12 volts, 5 volts, and 3.3 volts can be included. It is worth noting that, in order to simplify the drawings, only one group of power supplies 110 is shown here. In addition, although the various illustrated components are shown as being connected to the same power connection, this is only for ease of illustration and these components do not necessarily all have to be connected to the same power connection.

[0037] In some examples, power supply 110 can provide power to other components outside information processing system 100, such as Figure 1 . For example, power supply 110 may provide power to devices that communicate with information system 100 using a network protocol, such as Power over Ethernet (PoE). Power supply 110 may also provide power to one or more removable devices, such as a hard drive or a network interface, that are electrically coupled to information handling system 100 and mechanically coupled to a housing or chassis for information handling system 100. Although not shown, if such additional devices are present and draw power from power supply 110, they may be considered part of load 190.

[0038] The fan 120 is configured to provide cooling to other electrical and electronic components (including information processing element 140, controller 130 and power supply 110) used in the information handling system 100. The fan 120 provides cooling by generating air flow on and around the electrical and electronic components. The air flow is generated by sucking or drawing air in one side of the fan and exhaling or pushing out air on the other side of the fan. Various mechanical configurations of the fan 120 can be used. For example, the air flow can enter the fan first side in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the blades of the fan and leave on the side opposite to the first side. Further, the fan 120 can be horizontally or vertically oriented relative to the housing or chassis for the information handling system 100, wherein the air flow moves parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the blades.

[0039] The operation of the fan 120 can be controlled and / or monitored by the controller 130, depending on the type of fan used. For example, the fan 120 can be a two-wire fan (i.e., power and ground wires) that operates at one or more speeds depending on the power (i.e., voltage) applied. The controller 130 controls these fans by providing voltage to the fans via the power wires, and monitors the fans by measuring the amount of current provided in the power wires when the fans are operating. The two-wire fans can be single-speed, with only one voltage value that can be provided, or can be multi-speed, with a range of voltage values ​​that can be provided. In another example, the fan 120 can be a three-wire fan including power and ground wires and a tachometer signal wire that provides a signal proportional to the frequency and speed back to the controller 130. The controller 130 controls these fans in the same manner as the two-wire fans above, but can monitor the operation of the fans by comparing the value from the tachometer signal with the expected speed of the fan. In another example, the fan 120 can be a four-wire fan including power and ground wires, a tachometer signal wire, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal drive wire to allow the controller 130 to control the speed of the fan. In another example, the fan 120 can be a four-wire fan including power and ground wires and a two-wire data communication bus. The controller 130 controls the fans by providing data inputs to the fans using the communication bus, and can monitor the operation of the fans by, for example, requesting and / or receiving operating status or error messages from the fans via the communication bus.

[0040] The information processing element 140 may include any information processing and / or networking components configured to operate as an information processing device and / or networking device in an information processing system, such as a processor, a memory device, a network interface device, etc. Examples of information processing and / or networking devices include, but are not limited to, servers, network switches, network routers, and storage nodes or arrays.

[0041] The controller 130 includes fan control logic 132 and power supply power sharing logic control 135. The fan control logic 132 is configured to control the operation of the fan 120 in a manner similar to that described above so as to provide cooling to the power supply 110 as well as the controller 130 and the information processing element 140. The power supply power sharing logic control 135 is configured to control the operation of the power supply 110 based on the operating state of the information processing system 100, including controlling the power sharing ratio as described above. The power supply power sharing logic control 135 includes fan fault detection logic 136 configured to detect whether one of the fans 120 fails. In some embodiments, the fan fault detection logic can detect a fault by: determining whether current flows to the fan 120 when power is on; and / or determining whether the rotational speed of the fan 120 is not equal to the rotational speed set by the fan control logic 132.

[0042] The power supply power sharing logic control 135 also includes power supply power sharing adjustment logic 137, which is configured to: as part of normal operation, adjust the power sharing ratio of each of the power supplies 110 from a default ratio to an adjusted ratio in response to detecting that one of the fans 120 has failed. In some embodiments, the power supply power sharing adjustment logic can be configured to identify the power supply 110 that is associated with or otherwise primarily cooled by one of the fans 120 that has failed. The power supply power sharing adjustment logic can be further configured to adjust the power sharing ratio to adjust the power provided by the identified power supply to be less than the power supplied by each of the remaining parts of the power supply.

[0043] For example, in an embodiment in which M=4 fans 120 are provided and N=2 power supplies 110 are provided and the information handling system 100 is operated using a default power sharing ratio of 50:50, the fan failure detection logic 136 uses the monitoring technique described above to detect whether the fan 120a fails. Therefore, the power supply power sharing adjustment logic 137 adjusts the power sharing ratio so that the power supply 110a affected by the failure of the fan 120a provides 33% of the power and the power supply 110b provides the remaining 67% of the power, resulting in an adjusted power sharing ratio of 33:67. In other words, the default power sharing ratio includes an equal share of each of the power supplies, and the adjusted power sharing ratio corresponds to the proportional distribution of the fans that have not failed among the power supplies. Other embodiments (such as embodiments including more fans 120 and / or more power supplies 110) may use different power sharing ratios.

[0044] For example, the controller 130 may be configured to access a list of entries (e.g., in the form of a table) that provides adjusted ratios for each combination of fan 120 failures for one or more arrangements of power supplies 110 and fans 120. The list may be generated and / or programmed into the controller when the information system is assembled.

[0045] For example, if two or more fans 120 provide cooling to each of the power supplies 110, the default ratio may remain at 50:50. In some examples, the adjusted ratio may be determined as follows:

[0046] Adjusted power sharing ratio = (A / C): (B / C) (Equation 1)

[0047] in:

[0048] A is the number of surviving fans cooling the power supply associated with the failed fan;

[0049] B is the number of surviving fans cooling the other of the two power supplies;

[0050] C is the total number of fans that have not failed;

[0051] (A and B may include fractional parts of the fan).

[0052] The controller 130 adjusts the power sharing ratio by changing the load balance point between the power supplies 110. The load balance point is an operating point established for each of the power supplies 110 based on characteristics to ensure that each power supply 110 provides the correct amount of power without one or more of the power supplies 110 attempting to provide power back into one of the other power supplies 110. The load balance point may be changed by introducing an offset to one of the characteristics of the power supplies 110.

[0053] For example, the load balance point can be changed by applying an offset signal to the droop curve characteristic of one or more of the power supplies 110. The droop curve characteristic (also referred to as a load line) reflects the tendency of the power supplies 110 to output a lower voltage as the load current provided to the load 190 (e.g., the fan 120, the controller 130, and the information processing element 140) increases. The droop curve characteristic of each of the power supplies 110 is used to maintain load balance by applying feedback (usually in the form of a resistor) to compensate for the different droop curve characteristics of the power supplies 110 during normal operating conditions. The offset signal, which is a voltage or current, can be applied to the feedback to change the resistance value used to maintain load balance, thereby effectively changing the load balance point between the power supplies 110.

[0054] In some examples using an active shift load balancing mechanism for power supplies 110, the load balancing point may be changed by applying an offset current to an operational amplifier that is used to maintain uniform power sharing between power supplies 110. The additional offset current may be used to shift the power sharing ratio in proportion to the amount of the offset current.

[0055] In some examples, the power supplies 110 may include data communication circuitry to allow the controller 130 to program and monitor the operation of the power supplies. These power supplies 110, referred to as smart power supplies, may include sensors and adjustment mechanisms to adjust and control the amount of electrical energy (e.g., one or both of current and voltage) that may be supplied as part of a redundant power supply system. The controller 130 may adjust the power sharing ratio by providing communication signals to each of the power supplies 110 to adjust the amount of electrical energy supplied.

[0056] Controller 130 can be implemented using any combination of hardware and / or software. For example, controller 130 can be implemented using a dedicated processing device (such as a microprocessor) that is configured to implement operations included in fan control logic 132 and power supply power sharing logic control 135. Although controller 130 is shown as being separate from power supply 110, fan 120, and information processing element 140, in some embodiments, the controller can be incorporated into one of these elements. For example, controller 130 can be incorporated as part of one of information processing elements 140. In another example, controller 130 can be incorporated as part of one of power supplies 110. In another example, controller 130 can be incorporated as part of one of fans 120. In other examples (not shown), controller 130 can be part of an independent device, such as a chassis or system controller that controls various aspects of multiple servers installed therein, or a network controller that controls multiple networked devices, etc.

[0057] The following will refer to FIG. 3A to FIG. 9C Various information handling systems are described that are example configurations or implementations of system 110. In these figures, air flow paths or patterns through various example information handling systems are illustrated by arrows. These illustrations are schematic in nature and conceptually illustrate the general direction of blocked air flow, but they are not intended to depict the precise path that the air will follow.

[0058] Now go to Figures 2 to 5 , depicts a block diagram conceptually illustrating an information processing system 200 including a system chassis 270 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The system chassis 270 further includes power supplies 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively referred to as power supplies 210), fans 220-1a, 220-1b, 220-2c, and 220-2d (collectively referred to as fans 220), and information processing circuit components 260. It should be understood that Figures 2 to 5 The particular shapes, sizes, or other structural details are not intended to be illustrated accurately or to scale, and implementations of the information handling system 200 and system chassis 200 may have a different number and arrangement of the components illustrated, and may also include other portions not illustrated.

[0059] Information handling system 200 may represent a configuration of information handling system 100 described above. Therefore, various components of information handling system 200 may be similar to the components of information handling system 100 described above. The above description of the components of information handling system 100 is applicable to similar components of information handling system 200, and therefore, repeated descriptions are omitted below to improve clarity. Similar components of information handling systems 100 and 200 are given reference numerals with the same last two main digits, such as 110 and 210. Although information handling system 200 may be a configuration of information handling system 100, information handling system 100 is not limited to the configuration of information handling system 200.

[0060] In the various figures, various elements of the information handling system 200 are illustrated in various arrangements. Further, in the various figures, various elements of the information handling system 200 are illustrated in various operating states. In addition, it should be understood that when certain figures are referred to with respect to specific elements, other figures other than the identified figure may also illustrate the same part in other arrangements or operating states.

[0061] Figure 2 The information handling system 200 is shown without any power applied (also known as a non-operating state). The information handling system 200 includes two power supplies 210-1 and 210-2. The system chassis 270 can be in the general shape of a hollow cube or a hollow cuboid, having a base 272, two sides 274 and 276, a front side 278, a rear side 280, and a top (not shown). One or more of the base 272, the sides 274 and 276, the front side 278, the rear side 279, and the top can be omitted or can be discontinuous and / or can have openings formed therein. The system chassis 270 has a height, width, and depth that can accommodate the power supply 210, the fan 220, and the information processing circuit assembly 260. In Figure 2 The width and depth dimensions are indicated in the figure, while the height dimension is perpendicular to the width and height dimensions (i.e., extends to Figure 2 ). The server chassis 270 can be formed of a suitable structural material. Suitable structural materials include, but are not limited to, metals (such as steel, copper, brass, aluminum) or other relatively rigid materials (such as plastic). In one example, the server chassis 270 is formed of steel having a thickness of 1.0 millimeters (mm) and a height of 4.45 centimeters (cm), a width of 22.50 cm, and a depth of 53.30 cm.

[0062] The system chassis 270 is described herein as being in an orientation where the base of the system chassis 270 is generally horizontal, and directional terms such as "sideways," "top," "bottom," and the like are used herein relative to this illustrated orientation. For example, the base is described herein as being coupled to the side of the system chassis 270. This may be referred to herein as a horizontal configuration. However, it should be understood that the system chassis 270 may be oriented differently, such as with the "base" extending vertically. This may be accomplished, for example, by rotating the entire system chassis 270 90 degrees. Regardless of the orientation of the system chassis 270, the principles of the present disclosure may apply equally, with the "base" being oriented in a vertical direction, which is referred to as a vertical configuration. In such embodiments where the system chassis 270 has an orientation different from that illustrated, it should be understood that the directional terms used herein will be converted accordingly, for example, being described as being relative to Figure 1 Something that is shown on the "side" of the system chassis 270 in a horizontal configuration may be located on the "top" or "bottom" side of the system chassis 270 in a vertical configuration.

[0063] The power supply 210, fan 220 and information processing circuit assembly 260 are attached to the inner surface of the base 272 of the system chassis 270 using any well-known fastening mechanism (not shown) such as screws, rivets, push pin fasteners, etc.

[0064] The information processing circuit assembly 260 includes a Figure 1 The information processing circuit assembly also includes an electronic circuit of the information processing component 240 similar to the information processing element 140 described in , such as a processor, memory, networking circuit, and printed circuit board. The information processing circuit assembly also includes a controller 230 similar to the controller 130. In other examples, the controller can be included with one of the power supplies 210, one of the fans 220, or can be a separate circuit assembly and attached to the system chassis 270 in a manner similar to that described above.

[0065] One or more of the base 272, sides 274 and 276, front side 278, back side 280, and top of the system chassis 270 may have perforated portions for ventilation. The perforated portions allow air flow to enter and leave the interior of the system chassis 270, and provide cooling to electrical components (including power supply 210) in conjunction with the fan 220. The perforated portions may include a plurality of openings of various sizes and / or shapes that allow air to pass but prevent unintentional intrusion of other objects. In some examples, these perforated portions may also help prevent electromagnetic interference. As described below, the front side 278 and the back side 280 include perforations arranged along the width of the system chassis 270. In other embodiments, different arrangements of perforated portions may be used. In addition to air entering the system chassis 270 through the perforated portions, air can also enter the system chassis 270 through other gaps or openings; for example, in some systems, one or more panels of the system chassis 270 have an array of brackets to receive pluggable modules (e.g., pluggable solid-state drives), and air can enter the chassis 270 through gaps between and around these pluggable modules.

[0066] As described above, information handling system 200 includes controller 230. Controller may be configured to detect fan failures and in response thereto perform power supply power sharing adjustment operations, as described above with respect to controller 130. More specifically, if one of fans 220 fails, then in response, controller 230 may adjust the power sharing ratio from a default ratio to an adjusted ratio, wherein in the adjusted ratio, the power supply 210 associated with the failed fan has a lower proportional share of the total amount of power. For example, if fan 220-1a fails, the amount of power supplied by power supply 210-1 is reduced because the failed fan 220-1a is associated with power supply 210-1 (i.e., provides cooling to the power supply). In some examples, for the purpose of power sharing ratio adjustment, all fans associated with a given power supply are treated the same - for example, the same adjustment occurs regardless of whether fan 220-1a or fan 220-1b fails. In other examples, different adjustments may be made depending on which specific fan fails, even between fans associated with the same power supply—for example, if fan 220-1a fails, one adjustment may occur, while if fan 220-1b fails, a different adjustment may occur. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C Examples of the foregoing are described in more detail.

[0067] Figure 3AThe information handling system 200 in a normal operating state is shown. In the normal operating state, all elements operate normally, wherein the power supply 210 operates at a default power sharing ratio and all fans 220 provide cooling to the power supply 210 and the information handling circuit assembly. The power supply 220 provides power to the information handling circuit assembly 260 and the fans 220 in parallel based on the default power sharing ratio (e.g., 50:50). The fans 220 provide cooling to the electrical and electronic components and processing circuit assemblies included on the power supply 210. Typically, the cooling provided by the fans 220 reduces the ambient air temperature around the electrical and electronic components (which generate heat as part of their operation) to reduce thermal stress and maintain operational reliability. The air flow lines shown with arrows indicate the flow direction of air entering and leaving the fans 220 to provide an exemplary air flow pattern. External air enters the system chassis 270 through a set of openings at the front side 278 and flows through the information handling circuit assembly 260 to the fans 220. Air flows from the fan 220 , passes through the power supply 210 , and exits the system chassis 270 through a set of openings at the rear side 280 .

[0068] As in Figure 3A As shown in FIG. 1 , all four fans 220 provide cooling to information processing circuit assembly 260, while fans 220-1a and 220-1b provide cooling primarily to power supply 210-1, and fans 220-2c and 220-2d provide cooling primarily to power supply 210-2. In this way, each of the two power supplies 210 is cooled by and associated with two of the four fans 220.

[0069] Figure 3B The information handling system 200 is shown operating in an abnormal operating state. Figure 3B In an abnormal operating state of FIG. 2 , fan 220-2d has failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fan 220-2d. Thus, power supply 210-2 has less air flow over its components, and therefore less cooling, than power supply 210-1. Notably, the lack of air flow from fan 220-2d may alter the air flow pattern produced by fan 220-2c over power supply 220-2, as in FIG. Figure 3B However, due to the location of fan 220-2d relative to power supply 220-1, the air flow pattern over power supply 210-1 may vary little or not.

[0070] To account for the lower air flow on power supply 220-2, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 210-1 and 210-2 is adjusted. More specifically, the adjustment is made in response to detecting that fan 220-2d has failed. In some examples, power supply 210-2 can be identified as being associated with power supply 220-2d and the power sharing ratio can be adjusted from a default ratio of 50:50 to a ratio of 67:33. Notably, similar adjustments can be made if fan 220-1a, but not fan 220-2c, has failed.

[0071] Figure 3C The information processing system 200 is shown operating in another abnormal operating state. Figure 3C In the abnormal operating state, fan 220-1b has failed or otherwise ceased to operate normally. Figure 3C Air flow lines are shown in , indicating that there is no air flow into or out of fan 220-1b. Thus, power supply 210-1 has less air flow over its components than power supply 210-1.

[0072] To account for the lower air flow on power supply 220-1, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 220-1 and 220-2 is adjusted. More specifically, the adjustment is made in response to detecting that fan 220-2b has failed. In some examples, power supply 210-1 can be identified as being associated with power supply 220-1b and the power sharing ratio can be adjusted from a default ratio of 50:50 to a ratio in which power supply 210-1 supplies a smaller proportional share. For example, in some cases, the adjusted ratio can be a ratio of 33:67 in a manner as described above.

[0073] In some examples, in addition to determining which power supply 210 is associated with the failed fan 220, determining which specific fan 220 has failed or its location does not affect what the adjusted power share ratio is. In some of these examples, the adjusted power share ratio is a 33:67 ratio, and the same ratio will be used regardless of whether fan 220-1b or 220-1a has failed (the same ratio will also be used if fan 220-2c or 220-2d has failed, but in this case, power supply 210-2 will be used as described above with respect to Figure 3B The described method provides smaller shares).

[0074] In some other examples, different power sharing ratios may be used based on which fan 220 has failed. Specifically, in some examples, when a fan located far from the relative power source fails, the adjustment to the power sharing ratio may be greater than when a fan located close to the relative power source fails. Figure 3CIn the case of , this means that the adjustment is greater when one of fans 220-1a or 220-2d fails than when one of fans 220-1b or 220-2c fails. The reason for this different treatment based on fan location is that different amounts of air can be supplied to the respective power supplies depending on the location of the failed fan 220. In particular, when the failed fan is adjacent to the opposing fan, the low pressure area behind the failed fan 220 can draw in some air that would have been allocated to the other power supply under normal conditions, while when the failed fan is different from the opposing power supply, less air (if any) will be drawn away from the flow allocated to the other power supply. For example, as in Figure 3C As shown in , due to the failure of fan 220-1b, some of the air from fan 220-2c that would have previously flowed through power supply 210-2 can instead be drawn away to flow through power supply 210-1. Accordingly, in order to account for the difference in air flow received by the power supply depending on the location of the failed fan, different adjusted ratios are used depending on the fan location. The air flow drawn out in this way is smaller, and therefore power supply 210-1 (the power supply associated with the failed fan) is still allocated a lower proportional share, but the amount by which its share is reduced can be less than in other cases in order to account for the change in air flow over power supply 220-2. For example, the adjusted ratio can be 40:60 instead of 33:67. Notably, similar adjustments can be made if fan 220-2c but not fan 220-1b has failed.

[0075] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C Information handling system 200 is shown having power supply 210, fan 220, and information handling circuit assembly 260 in a particular arrangement, namely, wherein fan 220 is positioned between power supply 210 (closest to the back) and information handling circuit assembly 260 (closest to the front) on system chassis 270. Other arrangements and orientations may be used.

[0076] For example, Figure 4 The information handling system 200 is shown in another arrangement and operating in a normal operating state. Figure 4 , the power supply 210 is positioned between the fan 220 (positioned closest to the rear side) and the information processing circuit assembly 260 (closest to the front side) on the system chassis 270. In this arrangement, outside air enters the system chassis 270 from the front side 278 and flows through the information processing circuit assembly 260 and through the power supply 210 to the fan 220. The air flows out of the fan 220 and exits at the rear side 280 of the system chassis 270. As described above, the air flow direction can be reversed based on the operation of the fan 220. In Figure 4 In the example above, you can execute Figures 2 to 3C The same power sharing ratio adjustment procedure as described above.

[0077] For example, Figure 5 The information handling system 200 is shown in another arrangement and operating in a normal operating state. Figure 5 , the information processing circuit assembly 260 is positioned between the power supply (closest to the back side) and the fan 220 (positioned closest to the front side) on the system chassis 270. In this arrangement, outside air enters the system chassis 270 from the front side 278 and flows toward the fan 220. Air flows from the fan 220, passes through the information processing circuit assembly 260, passes through the power supply 210, and exits from the back side 280 of the system chassis 270. As described above, the air flow direction can be reversed based on the operation of the fan 220. In Figure 4 In the example above, you can execute Figures 2 to 3C The same power sharing ratio adjustment procedure as described above.

[0078] It is worth noting that in Figures 3 to Figure 5 The air flow pattern shown in 270 indicates air flow from the front side 278 toward the back side 280 of the system chassis 270. In other examples, the air flow pattern may indicate air flow from the back side 380 to the front side of the system chassis 270. This air flow pattern may be generated by, for example, reversing the direction of air flow through the fan 220.

[0079] Turning now to FIGS. 6-9 , block diagrams are described that conceptually illustrate information processing systems in various additional configurations in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Various components of the information processing systems in FIGS. 6-9 may be similar to components of information processing system 200 described above. The above description of components of information processing system 200 applies to similar components of the information processing systems described in FIGS. 6-9 , and therefore, repeated descriptions are omitted below to improve clarity. Further, the components used in FIGS. 6-9 are similar to those used in the information processing systems described above. Figure 2 Similar manners as described in the foregoing are given similar reference numerals.

[0080] Fig. 6A Information handling system 600 is shown operating in a normal operating state. Fig. 6A 6, five fans 620 provide cooling to information processing circuit assembly 660, while fans 620-1a and 620-1b provide cooling primarily to power supply 610-1, and fans 620-2d and 620-2e provide cooling primarily to power supply 610-2. Fan 620-c provides cooling to both power supply 610-1 and power supply 610-2, and the arrangement and orientation as shown allow substantially equal amounts of cooling to be provided to both. In this way, each of the two power supplies 610 is cooled by two of the five fans 620, while the remaining fans provide cooling to both power supplies 610.

[0081] Figure 6B The information handling system 600 is shown operating in an abnormal operating state. Figure 6B In an abnormal operating state, fan 620-1a has failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fan 620-1a. Therefore, there is less air flow over the components of power supply 610-1 compared to power supply 610-2, and therefore less cooling. In response to detecting that fan 620-1a has failed, in order to account for the lower air flow on power supply 610-1, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 610-1 and 610-2 is adjusted. The adjusted power sharing ratio can be determined using one of the techniques described above. For example, in some examples, the power sharing ratio can be determined as 37.5:62.5 using the formula in Equation 1 described above.

[0082] Notably, similar adjustments to the power sharing ratios may be made when the controller detects that fan 620-1b, fan 620-2d, or fan 620-2e, but not fan 620-1a, has failed. Further, no adjustments may be made when the controller detects that fan 620-c, but not fan 620-1a, has failed, based on substantially equally shared cooling (i.e., the failed fan 620-c previously provided air flow equally to both power supplies 610-1 and 610-2, and therefore, after the failure of fan 620-c, no one power supply 610 received more cooling than the other).

[0083] Fig. 7A Information handling system 700 is shown operating in a normal operating state. Fig. 7A In FIG. 7 , all six fans 720 provide cooling to information processing circuit assembly 760, while fans 720-1a, 720-1b, and 720-1c provide cooling primarily to power supply 710-1, and fans 720-2d, 720-2e, and 720-2f provide cooling primarily to power supply 710-2. In this way, each of the two power supplies 710 is cooled by three of the six fans 720.

[0084] Figure 7B The information handling system 700 is shown operating in an abnormal operating state. Figure 7BIn an abnormal operating state, fan 720-1b has failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fan 720-1b. Therefore, there is less air flow over the components of power supply 710-1 compared to power supply 710-2, and therefore less cooling. In response, and to account for the lower air flow over power supply 710-1, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 710-1 and 710-2 is adjusted. The adjusted power sharing ratio can be determined using one of the techniques described above. For example, the formula in equation 1 described above can be used to determine that the power sharing ratio is 40:60.

[0085] Notably, similar adjustments may be made if the controller detects that fan 720-1a, 720-1c, fan 720-2d, 720-2e, or fan 720-2f, but not fan 720-1b, has failed.

[0086] In some examples, in some examples, as described above with respect to Figure 3C As described, the amount of adjustment may differ depending on the location of the failed fan. Thus, in some examples, if the controller detects that fan 720-1c or fan 720-2d has failed, but not fan 720-1b, a different power sharing ratio may be used than when any of the other fans 720 have failed, in order to account for some of the air flow previously allocated to one power supply 710 to be shared with the other power supply 710. Figure 3C The possibility of being sucked out to another power supply in a manner similar to that described.

[0087] Figure 7C The information handling system 700 is shown operating in another abnormal operating state. Figure 7CIn an abnormal operating state, both fans 720-1a and 720-1b have failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. However, although less likely, it is still possible that a failure of a second fan in the information processing system occurs simultaneously with a failure of the first fan. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fans 720-1a or 720-1b, resulting in a further reduction in air flow and, therefore, even less cooling provided to power supply 710-1. In response to the additional fan failure, in order to account for the further reduction in air flow provided to power supply 710-1, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 710-1 and 710-2 is further adjusted (from the first adjusted power sharing ratio implemented in response to the first fan failure to the second adjusted power sharing ratio). The second adjusted power sharing ratio can be determined using one of the techniques described above. For example, the formula described above can be used to determine that the second adjusted power sharing ratio is 25:75. Notably, similar adjustments may be made if the controller detects that any two of fans 720-1a, 720-1b, 720-1c, or 720-2d, 720-2e, and 720-2f have failed.

[0088] Fig.7D The information handling system 700 is shown operating in another abnormal operating state. Fig.7D In the abnormal operating state of , both fan 720-1b and fan 720-2f have failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fan 720-1b or 720-2f. Therefore, power supply 710-2 has less air flow over its components, and therefore has less cooling, but the air flow and cooling amount are now similar to power supply 710-1.

[0089] To account for the reduction in air flow provided to power supply 720-2 due to the failure of fan 720-2f, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 720-1 and 720-2 is further adjusted (from Figure 7B The adjusted power sharing ratio can be determined using one of the techniques described above. For example, the power sharing ratio can be determined to be 50:50 using the formula described above. Notably, similar adjustments can be made if the controller detects that any one of fans 720-1a, 720-1b, 720-1c and any one of fans 720-2d, 720-2e, and 720-2f has failed.

[0090] Fig. 8A The information handling system 800 is shown operating in a normal operating state. Fig. 8A8, all six fans 820 provide cooling to the information processing circuit assembly 860, while fans 820-1a, 820-1b provide cooling primarily to the power supply 810-1, and fans 820-2e and 820-2f provide cooling primarily to the power supply 810-2. Fan 820-1c is associated with the power supply 810-1 based on its proximity to the power supply 810-1, but little or no air flow passes through its components. Similarly, fan 820-2d is associated with the power supply 810-2 for the same reason. In this way, each of the two power supplies 810 is associated with three fans, but is primarily cooled by only two of the six fans 820.

[0091] Figure 8B The information handling system 800 is shown operating in an abnormal operating state. Figure 8B 1, fan 820-1b has failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow into or out of fan 820-1b. Thus, there is less air flow over the components of power supply 820-1, and therefore less cooling, than power supply 820-2. Further, as shown by the air flow pattern, a portion of the air flow from fan 820-1c (which may not normally provide cooling to power supply 810-1) may flow through power supply 810-1, thereby providing some cooling.

[0092] In response to detecting a fan failure, and to account for the lower air flow on power supply 810-1, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 810-1 and 810-2 is adjusted. The adjusted power sharing ratio can be determined using one of the techniques described above. For example, the power sharing ratio can be determined to be 33:67 using the formula described above. In some examples, in order to account for the additional air flow provided by fan 820-1c on power supply 810-1, a different power sharing ratio (e.g., 40:60 instead of 33:67) can be used. Notably, similar adjustments can be made if fan 820-2e but not fan 820-1b has failed.

[0093] Figure 8C The information handling system 800 is shown operating in another abnormal operating state. Figure 8C1a or 820-1b. In an abnormal operating state, fan 820-1c has failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fan 820-1c. Fan 820-1c does not provide cooling to any of the power supplies 810 in a normal operating state, or supplies a lesser amount of cooling to one of the power supplies 810 than to the other fans associated with that power supply 810. Therefore, the adjustments (if any) made in response to the failure of fan 820-1c may be different from the adjustments that would be made if fans 820-1a or 820-1b failed. In some examples, the adjustments (if any) made may vary based on how much air flow the failed fan normally provides to the power supplies; for example, if the failed fan provides some, but not all, of the amount of air provided by other fans 820 to the power supplies, the adjustment to the ratio may be less than if another fan 820 fails, such as 45:55 instead of 40:60. If the failed fan provides very little or no air flow to either power supply 810, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 810-1 and 810-2 may not be adjusted and a default power sharing ratio (e.g., 50:50) may be used. However, as shown by the air flow diagram, some air flow from fan 820-1b is directed away from power supply 810-1, resulting in less cooling for power supply 810-1 than for power supply 810-2. In some examples, to account for changes in air flow patterns, a different power sharing ratio (e.g., 45:55 instead of 50:50) may be used. Notably, similar adjustments may be made if fan 820-2d but not fan 820-1c has failed.

[0094] The presence of fans in information handling system 800 that may not provide cooling to the power supplies in normal operating conditions but may provide cooling or remove cooling to one of the power supplies in abnormal operating conditions (such as fans 820-1c and 820-2d) may require a different formula than that described above or may require the use of a specific set of power sharing ratios depending on which fan has failed.

[0095] Fig. 9A Information handling system 900 is shown operating in a normal operating state. Fig. 9A , all six fans 920 provide cooling to information processing circuit assembly 960, while fan 920-1a primarily provides cooling to power supply 910-1, fan 920-2c primarily provides cooling to power supply 910-2, fan 920-3d primarily provides cooling to power supply 910-3, and fan 920-4f primarily provides cooling to power supply 910-4. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6B, fan 920-b provides cooling to both power supplies 910-1 and 910-2, while fan 920-d provides cooling to both power supplies 910-3 and 910-4. In this way, each of the four power supplies 910 is cooled by one of the six fans 920, while one of the remaining fans 920 provides cooling to two of the power supplies 910, and another of the remaining fans 920 provides cooling to two of the remaining power supplies 910. In other words, each power supply is cooled by two fans 920, but receives all of the air flow from only one of the fans 920 and only a portion of the air flow from the other fan 920. Accordingly, some of the fans 920 may be "associated" with multiple power supplies 910.

[0096] exist Fig. 9A The four power supplies 910 shown in FIG. 1 are operated using a power sharing ratio that includes four values ​​rather than two values ​​as described above. For example, the power sharing ratio for power supplies 910 may have a default ratio of 25:25:25:25, which indicates that each of the power supplies 910 provides 25% of the total power, which is provided to the rest of the information system 900.

[0097] Fig. 9B The information handling system 900 is shown operating in an abnormal operating state. Fig. 9B 910-4.

[0098] To account for the lower air flow on power supply 910-1, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 910-1, 910-2, 910-3, and 910-4 is adjusted. The adjusted power sharing ratio can be determined using one of the techniques described above. For example, a power sharing ratio of 10:30:30:30 can be determined using a formula similar to the formula described above. In some examples, in order to account for the air flow changes that have also occurred on power supply 920-2, a different power sharing ratio (e.g., 15:25:30:30 instead of 10:30:30:30) can be used. Notably, similar adjustments can be made if any of fans 920-2c, 920-3d, or 920-4f has failed instead of fan 920-1a.

[0099] Fig. 9C The information processing system 900 is shown operating in another abnormal operating state. Fig. 9C In an abnormal operating state, fan 920-b has failed or otherwise ceased normal operation. The air flow lines indicate that there is no air flow entering or leaving fan 920-b. Therefore, both power supplies 920-1 and 920-2 have less air flow over their components, and therefore less cooling, than power supplies 920-3 and 920-4.

[0100] In response to the fan failure, the power sharing ratio between power supplies 910-1, 910-2, 910-3, 910-4 is adjusted to account for the lower air flow on power supplies 910-1 and 910-2. The adjusted power sharing ratio may be determined using one of the techniques described above. Fig. 9B In contrast to the situation in FIG. 1 , in this case, the failed fan 920-b is associated with two power supplies 910-1 and 910-2, and therefore, in the adjusted ratio, the proportional share of these two power supplies 910-1 and 910-2 is reduced relative to the other power supplies 910-3 and 910-4. Fig. 9B Another difference between the scenes in Fig. 9C , the failed fan 920-b does not supply its entire air flow to either power supply 910-1 or 910-2, but rather supplies a smaller amount. Therefore, although these power supplies 910-1 and 910-2 receive less cooling due to the failure of fan 920-b, the reduction in cooling experienced by each power supply is less than the reduction in cooling experienced by power supply 910-1 when fan 920-1a fails. Accordingly, the proportional shares of the two power supplies 910-1 and 910-2 are adjusted, but to a lesser extent than when fan 920-1a fails. For example, a formula similar to that described above can be used to determine a power sharing ratio of 20:20:30:30. Notably, similar adjustments can be made if fan 920-e fails instead of fan 920-c.

[0101] Fig.10 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating an example process 1000 for power supply power sharing adjustment in an information handling system. In block 1010, cooling is provided to elements of an information handling system, including a group of power supplies 110 for providing electrical energy to electrical components for the information handling system. The power supplies 110 operate as redundant power supplies with power sharing. The power sharing ratio between the power supplies 110 is set to a default ratio (e.g., 50:50) during a normal operating state. Cooling is provided by a group of fans. For example, the group of fans can provide cooling to each of the power supplies by generating air flow over electrical and electronic components included in each of the power supplies.

[0102] In block 1020, it is detected whether a fan used to cool an element of the information handling system has failed. The detection may be performed by the controller 130. For example, the controller 130 may detect the failure by determining whether the rotational speed of the fan is substantially different from the programmed rotational speed of the fan, such as when the rotational speed is less than the programmed rotational speed by more than 10% or some other threshold. For example, the controller 130 may detect the failure by determining whether one of the fans returns an error signal or alternatively does not return an expected signal. For example, the controller 130 may detect the failure by determining whether one of the fans does not draw current when voltage is applied.

[0103] In block 1030, the power sharing ratio for the group of power supplies is adjusted in response to detecting a fan failure in block 120. The power sharing ratio is adjusted by a controller 130, which adjusts the power sharing ratio from the default ratio in block 110 to an adjusted ratio. For example, the adjusted ratio may correspond to the proportional distribution of fans that have not failed among the power supplies. The adjusted ratio may be determined using a list of specific ratios corresponding to a specific fan failure or may be adjusted using one or more formulas. In a specific example using two power supplies 110, each of which is cooled by two fans, the default ratio may be 50:50 and the adjusted ratio may be 33:67.

[0104] The controller 130 may adjust the power sharing ratio of the power supplies by applying an offset to a characteristic of one or more of the power supplies 110. For example, the controller 130 may apply an offset signal to a droop curve characteristic of one or more of the power supplies 110. In another example, the controller 130 may apply an offset current to a circuit that is used to maintain uniform power sharing between the power supplies 110. In another example, the controller 130 may reprogram one or more of the power supplies 110 to change the amount of power that can be provided as part of a redundant power system.

[0105] Fig.11 An example process 1100 is described for power sharing adjustments in an information handling system that includes the ability to identify a fan when a failed fan is detected. The process 1100 may be used in Fig.10 1000 or a portion of a different process for power sharing of power supplies. In block 1110, a fan in the set of fans 120 that has failed is identified (e.g., in block 110 of process 1000). The fan can be identified based on a specific fan identification number included with data for the fan. For example, a position value relative to other components in information handling system 1100 (e.g., one or more of power supplies 110) can be used to identify the fan.

[0106] In block 1120, one or more power supplies that are cooled by the failed fan identified in block 1110 are identified. The power supplies may be identified based on a list or table of entries that associates each of the power supplies 110 with one or more of the fans 120. In another example, the power supplies may additionally or alternatively be identified by determining one or more power supplies to which the failed fan provides cooling in a normal operating state. This determination may use location information or a list or table of entries similar to the list or table of entries described above.

[0107] In block 1130, the power supplied by the one or more power supplies identified in block 1120 is adjusted to be less than the power supplied by each of the remaining portions of the power supplies. The adjustment may be determined based on a particular list or table of power sharing ratios for the identified fans and the identified power supplies associated with the identified fans. In some examples, a formula may be used to determine the power sharing ratios, where the identified power supplies are listed as the first or left entry in the ratio. An example formula is shown as:

[0108] Adjusted power sharing ratio = ((P-1) / (N-1)): (P / (N-1)) (Equation 2)

[0109] in:

[0110] N is the total number of fans

[0111] P is the number of fans used to cool each of the power supplies in normal operating mode

[0112] N>P>2

[0113] Fig.12 Illustrated are example processor executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium 12000. In particular, power supply power control instructions 1210 associated with the controller 130 in the information handling system 100 are stored on the medium 12000.

[0114] The power control instructions 1210 may include instructions that, when executed, instantiate the controller 130 information handling system 100. In particular, the power control 1210 may include instructions for performing any or all of the operations described above as performed by the information handling system 100 (including, for example, Figure 10 to Figure 11 any example operations illustrated in ).

[0115] For example, the power control instruction 1210 may include a fan cooling instruction 1220 and a power distribution control instruction 1230 to perform Fig.10The power distribution control instruction 1230 may include a fan fault detection instruction 1240 and a power distribution adjustment instruction 1270 to perform Fig.11 Operations in .

[0116] For example, fan failure detection instructions 1240 may include fan failure identification instructions 1250 and power supply identification instructions 1260. Power supply power share adjustment instructions 1240 may include instructions for identifying one or more power supplies cooled by the fan identified in fan failure instructions 1230. Power supply power share adjustment instructions 1240 may further include instructions for adjusting the power supplied by one or more power supplies to be less than the power supplied by the remaining power supplies.

[0117] In the above description, various types of electronic circuits are described. As used herein, "electronic" is intended to be broadly understood as including all types of circuits utilizing electric power, including digital and analog circuits, direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) circuits, and circuits for converting electric power into another form of energy, and circuits for performing other functions using electric power. In other words, as used herein, there is no difference between "electronic" circuits and "electrical" circuits. In some cases, some electronic circuits may include processing circuits. A processor or processing circuit includes a circuit configured with logic for performing various operations. The logic of the processing circuit may include dedicated hardware for performing various operations, software (machine-readable and / or processor-executable instructions) for performing various operations, or any combination thereof. In an example where logic includes software, the processing circuit may include a processor for executing software instructions and a memory device for storing the software. The processor may include one or more processing devices capable of executing machine-readable instructions, such as a processor, a processor core, a central processing unit (CPU), a controller, a microcontroller, a system on a chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. Where the processing circuitry includes dedicated hardware, in addition to or in lieu of a processor, the dedicated hardware may include any electronic device configured to perform specific operations, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), discrete logic circuits, hardware accelerators, hardware encoders, etc. The processing circuitry may also include any combination of dedicated hardware and a processor plus software.

[0118] It should be understood that both the general description and the detailed description provide examples that are illustrative in nature and are intended to provide an understanding of the present disclosure without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Various mechanical, compositional, structural, electronic and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present specification and claims. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring these examples. In two or more drawings, the same number represents the same or similar element.

[0119] Further, the spatial terms, positional terms, and relational terms used in this article are selected to help the reader understand the examples of the embodiments, but are not intended to limit the embodiments to a specific reference system, orientation, or positional relationship. For example, spatial terms, positional terms, and relational terms, such as "up", "down", "lateral", "below", "below", "lower", "above", "upper", "near", "far", etc., can be used in this article to describe directions or to describe the spatial relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature as shown in the figure. These spatial terms are used relative to the reference system in the figure and are not limited to a specific reference system in the real world. Therefore, for example, the "up" direction in the figure does not necessarily correspond to "up" in the world reference system (e.g., away from the surface of the earth). In addition, if a different reference system than that shown in the figure is considered, the spatial terms used herein may need to be interpreted differently in the different reference system. For example, a direction referred to as "up" with respect to one of the accompanying drawings may correspond to a direction referred to as "down" with respect to a different reference system rotated 180 degrees from the reference system of the accompanying drawing. As another example, an item described herein as "above" or "higher than" a second item with respect to a drawing would be "below" or "lower than" the second item with respect to the world reference system if the device is flipped 180 degrees in the world reference system compared to the device shown in the figure. Furthermore, the poses of the items shown in the figures are selected for ease of illustration and description, but in actual implementations, the poses of the items may be different.

[0120] In addition, unless the context indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well. In addition, the terms "comprises / comprising / includes" and the like specify the presence of the described features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, components described as coupled may be directly electrically or mechanically coupled, or may be indirectly coupled via one or more intermediate components. Unless the context of the specification indicates otherwise, mathematical and geometric terms do not necessarily have to be used in accordance with their strict definitions, as one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that, for example, substantially similar elements that function in a substantially similar manner may easily fall within the scope of a descriptive term even if the term also has a strict definition.

[0121] Providing: As used herein, "providing" an item means taking possession and / or control of an item. This may include, for example, forming (or assembling) some or all of the item from its constituent materials and / or obtaining possession and / or control of an already formed item.

[0122] And / or: Occasionally, the phrase "and / or" is used herein in conjunction with a list of enumerated items. This phrase is meant to include any combination of the items in the list - from a single item to all items, and any permutations in between. Thus, for example, "A, B, and / or C" means "one of {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {C, B}, and {A, C, B}."

[0123] Elements and related aspects described in detail with reference to one example may be included in other examples where they are not specifically shown or described when feasible. For example, if an element is described in detail with reference to one example and is not described with reference to a second example, the element may still be claimed to be included in the second example.

[0124] In addition, unless otherwise stated herein or the context implies otherwise, when approximate terms such as "substantially," "approximately," "about," "around," "roughly," and the like are used, this should be understood to mean that mathematical precision is not required, but rather refers to a range of variation that includes but is not strictly limited to the stated value, characteristic, or relationship. In particular, in addition to any ranges (if any) explicitly recited herein, the range of variation implied by the use of such approximate terms includes at least any insignificant variations and those variations that are typical for items of the type in question due to manufacturing tolerances or other tolerances in the relevant art. In any case, unless otherwise indicated, the range of variation may at least include values ​​within the range of ±1% of the recited value, characteristic, or relationship.

[0125] In view of the disclosure herein, many modifications and variations will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the apparatus and method may include additional components or steps omitted from the diagram and description for operational clarity. Accordingly, this description is only interpreted as illustrative and is to teach those skilled in the art the general manner of performing this teaching. It should be understood that the various examples shown and described herein will be considered exemplary. Elements and materials, and the arrangement of these elements and materials may be used to replace those shown and described herein, components and processes may be reversed, and certain features of this teaching may be utilized independently, all of which will be clear to those skilled in the art after benefiting from the description herein. Without departing from the scope of this teaching and the appended claims, the elements described herein may be changed.

[0126] It is to be understood that the specific examples set forth herein are non-limiting and that modifications in structure, dimensions, materials, and methods may be made without departing from the scope of the present teachings.

[0127] Other examples from this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered exemplary only, and that the following claims be given their fullest breadth, including equivalents under applicable law.

Claims

1. A method comprising: providing cooling to at least two power supplies in an information handling system, the cooling being provided by a set of fans to each of the at least two power supplies, the power supplies supplying electrical energy to electronic circuits according to a power sharing ratio, the electronic circuits comprising circuit components of the information handling system; detecting whether one of the fans fails; as well as The power sharing ratio is adjusted from a default ratio to an adjusted ratio in response to detecting a failure of one of the fans.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: Adjusting the power sharing ratio includes applying an offset to a characteristic of the power source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The characteristic is a droop curve associated with the power supply.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: The power supplies are intelligent power supplies, and wherein adjusting the power sharing ratio includes providing a communication signal to each of the power supplies to adjust the amount of electrical energy supplied.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein: The default ratio includes an equal share of each of the power supplies, and the adjusted ratio corresponds to a proportional distribution of non-failed fans among the power supplies.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein: Adjusting the power sharing ratio includes identifying a given power supply associated with one of the fans that has failed, and adjusting power supplied by the given power supply to be less than power supplied by each of the remaining ones of the power supplies.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein: The power supplies are two power supplies, wherein the set of fans is four fans, wherein each of the two power supplies is cooled by two of the four fans, and wherein the default ratio is 50:50 and the adjusted ratio is 33:

67.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein: The power supplies are two power supplies, the default ratio is 50:50, and the adjusted ratio is A / C:B / C, where A is the number of non-failed fans cooling the given power supply, B is the number of non-failed fans cooling the other of the two power supplies, and C is the total number of non-failed fans.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein: The fan provides cooling to each of the power supplies by generating air flow over components included in each of the power supplies.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein: Adjusting the proportion of electrical energy supplied by each of the power sources is performed by a control circuit coupled to the main circuit assembly.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein: Detecting whether one of the fans providing cooling to the power supply has failed includes at least one of: determining whether the rotational speed of one of the fans is less than a programmed rotational speed by more than a threshold; determining whether one of the fans returns an error signal; determining whether one of the fans does return an expected status signal; and determining whether one of the fans does not draw current when voltage is applied.

12. An information processing system comprising: an electronic circuit, the electronic circuit comprising a main circuit board of the information processing system; at least two power supplies, each power supply providing electrical energy to the electronic circuit according to a power sharing ratio, each power supply being cooled by a set of fans; as well as A controller is coupled to the set of power supplies and the set of fans, the controller detecting whether one of the fans fails, and adjusting the power sharing ratio from a default ratio to an adjusted ratio in response to detecting the failure of one of the fans.

13. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein: The controller adjusts the power sharing ratio by applying an offset to characteristics of the at least two power sources.

14. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein: The controller further identifies a given power supply associated with one of the fans that has failed and adjusts the power provided by the given power supply to be less than the power supplied by each of the remaining ones of the power supplies.

15. The information processing system according to claim 14, wherein: The power supplies are two power supplies, wherein the set of fans is four fans, wherein each of the two power supplies is cooled by two of the four fans, and wherein the default ratio is 50:50 and the adjusted ratio is 33:

67.

16. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein: The fan provides cooling to each of the power supplies by generating air flow over components included in each of the power supplies.

17. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein: The information processing system includes at least one of a network switch and a server.

18. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein: The controller detects whether one of the fans providing cooling to the power supply has failed by at least one of: determining whether the rotational speed of one of the fans is less than a programmed rotational speed by a threshold; determining whether one of the fans returns an error signal; determining whether one of the fans does return an expected status signal; and determining whether one of the fans is not drawing current.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing an operation image comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor in an information processing system, cause the system to: detecting whether one of a group of fans that provide cooling for at least two power supplies that supply power to electronic circuits including a main circuit for the information processing system fails according to a power sharing ratio; and The power sharing ratio is adjusted from a default ratio to an adjusted ratio in response to detecting a failure of one of the fans.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein: Adjusting the power sharing ratio includes identifying a given one of the at least two power supplies associated with one of the fans that has failed, and adjusting power supplied by the given power supply to be less than power supplied by each of the remaining ones of the at least two power supplies.

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