Rack mounting adapter and server monitoring system

Abstract

The present invention provides a rack mounting adapter for storing a server for saving labor and improving efficiency in monitoring of the server in a data center. The present invention pertains to a rack mounting adapter for storing a server in a rack that accommodates a plurality of servers and mounting the server on the rack. The rack mounting adapter is provided with: a power supply connector unit that is connected to a rack-side power supply unit and supplies power to the server side; a signal connector unit that is connected to a rack-side signal supply unit and transmits and receives signals between the server side and the rack side; and a display unit for displaying stored server information to the outside of the rack mounting adapter.

Description

Rack Mounting Adapter and Server Monitoring System

[0001] The present invention relates to a rack mounting adapter and a server monitoring system.

[0002] Conventionally, a component replacement system that automatically replaces components of a server housed in a rack has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-170416

[0004] The rack mounting adapter according to an embodiment is a rack mounting adapter for storing and mounting a server in a rack that houses a plurality of servers. The rack mounting adapter is connected to a power supply unit on the rack side and supplies power to the server side, and is connected to a signal supply unit on the rack side and transmits and receives signals between the server side and the rack side. And a display unit for displaying information of the stored server outside the rack adapter.

[0005] The rack mounting adapter according to an embodiment includes a control unit. After a server is stored in the rack mounting adapter and power is supplied to the server via the power connector unit, the control unit receives a signal transmitted from the server to the rack mounting adapter via the signal connector unit, and controls the display mode of the display unit. It may be.

[0006] The rack mounting adapter according to an embodiment includes a control unit. After a server is stored in the rack mounting adapter and power is supplied to the server via the power connector unit, the control unit may start monitoring the state of the server.

[0007] The rack mounting adapter according to an embodiment includes a control unit. After a server is stored in the rack mounting adapter and power is supplied to the server via the power connector unit, the control unit may acquire information on the operation of the server.

[0008] The rack-mount adapter of the embodiment includes a control unit, and the control unit may be configured such that the server is housed within the rack-mount adapter, power is supplied to the server via a power connector, and then the server receives information in a predetermined format in response to a request from the control unit.

[0009] In the rack-mount adapter of this embodiment, the display unit may be positioned on the front side in the direction in which the rack-mount adapter is removed from the rack.

[0010] In the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment, the display unit may include a first display unit that displays identification information for identifying the server, and a second display unit that displays information about the operating status of the server.

[0011] In the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment, at least one of the first display unit or the second display unit is electronic paper, and may display two or more of characters, one-dimensional codes, or two-dimensional codes that indicate at least one of identification information or the operating status of the server.

[0012] In the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment, the second display unit is one or more lamps, and may change at least one of the light emission color, light emission pattern, or combination of lamps emitting light according to the operating status of the server.

[0013] The rack-mount adapter of this embodiment may also include a cooling connector that connects to the refrigerant piping on the rack side, supplies refrigerant from the rack side to the server side, and discharges it back to the rack side.

[0014] The server monitoring system of this embodiment comprises a rack equipped with a rack-mounting adapter and a monitoring robot that patrols around the rack, wherein the monitoring robot captures an image of the display unit of the rack-mounting adapter and monitors the display contents of the display unit. Furthermore, in the server monitoring system of this embodiment, the rack-mounting adapter may further include a communication unit that transmits data containing server information using radio waves for short-range wireless communication, and the monitoring robot may receive the radio waves and monitor the server information.

[0015] (A) Overall perspective view of the rear side and (B) Enlarged view of a portion of the rear side of the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment. (A) Overall perspective view of the front side and (B) Overall perspective view of the front side of the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment. (A) Schematic diagram of the front side and (B) Schematic diagram of the rear side of the rack in which the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment is housed. Block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment. (A) Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the server monitoring system of the embodiment and (B) Schematic diagram of the captured image.

[0016] Hereafter, an embodiment of the invention described herein (also referred to as the present invention) will be explained with reference to the figures. Note that the figures are examples only, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated forms. For example, the illustrated rack-mount adapter, rack, cables, monitoring robot, etc., are examples only, and the present invention is not limited to these.

[0017] In data centers and similar facilities, multiple computers, such as servers, operate, and these servers perform various calculations. Servers are flattened rectangular prisms, and multiple servers are housed in a single rack. Multiple racks are installed. Each server is connected to the rack to receive power, and signals and data are transmitted and received. If necessary, refrigerant for liquid cooling (water cooling) is supplied from the rack to the servers.

[0018] Servers and racks have size standards, and companies that manufacture servers or racks produce products based on these standards. For example, in addition to the EIA standards set by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), there are also Open Compute Project (OCP) standards promoted by the Open Compute Project Foundation. For instance, servers and racks based on EIA standards are designed with a width of 19 inches (482.6 mm), while the Open Rack V3 (ORV3), one of the OCP standards, is designed with a width of 21 inches (537 mm).

[0019] Since servers are mechanical products, variations in manufacturing quality and deterioration over time are unavoidable. Therefore, in data centers where multiple servers are in operation, servers are constantly patrolled and monitored for any abnormalities. Servers with abnormalities or malfunctions are replaced as needed. The server replacement work itself inevitably relies on manual labor. However, monitoring the operational status of servers is necessary 24 hours a day. For this reason, data center operators view server abnormality monitoring as a task that relies mainly on manual labor, and recently, the burden of labor costs has become a concern. Therefore, there is a strong demand for labor-saving and efficiency improvements in server monitoring.

[0020] To address these problems, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when mounting a server in a rack, the rack mounting adapter that houses the server is equipped with a function to display the server's status, etc. That is, by using products that comply with different standards for the server and the rack, such as using a product that complies with the EIA standard for the server and a product that complies with the ORV3 standard for the rack, an adapter can be installed between the rack and the server by utilizing the size difference between the server and the rack. This makes it possible to easily monitor the status of the server via the rack mounting adapter and reduces the burden of monitoring multiple servers.

[0021] <Configuration of the rack-mount adapter> Figure 1 shows the rear view of the rack-mount adapter of the embodiment, where Figure 1(A) is an overall rear perspective view and (B) is an enlarged view of the rear portion. The illustrated rack-mount adapter 10 has a flat rectangular frame structure, and the server 1 is housed inside the rack-mount adapter 10. The server 1 is, for example, an EIA standard (19-inch) device. The rack-mount adapter 10 housing the server 1 is then mounted in the server rack 2 shown in Figure 3, which will be described next.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1(A) and (B), the rack-mount adapter 10 of the embodiment is equipped with a power connector section 13, a signal connector section 14, and a cooling connector section 15 on the frame section 12. The power connector section 13 is connected to the power supply section 3 on the rack 2 side, which will be described later, and serves as a relay component for supplying power from the power supply section 3 to the server 1 side. The signal connector section 14 is connected to the signal supply section 4 on the rack 2 side and transmits and receives signals between the server 1 side and the rack 2 side. The terminal shape and specifications of the power connector section 13 and the signal connector section 14 are as appropriate and can be either a general-purpose shape or a dedicated shape. In addition, multiple types may be provided to match the specifications of the server 1 side that will be housed in the rack-mount adapter 10.

[0023] In this embodiment, the server 1 is cooled by a liquid cooling system, and water (water-cooled) is used as the refrigerant for cooling. Of course, other liquid refrigerants such as ethylene glycol may also be used. The rack 2 is equipped with a refrigerant pipe 5a for the refrigerant (water) and a recovery pipe 5b for the refrigerant used to cool the server 1 and whose water temperature has risen. Therefore, the rack mounting adapter 10 is separately provided with an inlet connector 15a as a cooling connector section 15 for supply and an outlet connector 15b as a cooling connector section 15 for discharge. Note that if the server 1 is cooled by an air cooling system (wind cooling), the supply pipe and recovery pipe of the rack 2 are omitted.

[0024] After the server 1 is placed in the rack-mount adapter 10 and fixed in a predetermined position, the internal wiring (not shown) connected to the power connector 13 and signal connector 14 of the rack-mount adapter 10 is connected to a predetermined location on the server 1. In this way, the rack-mount adapter 10 and the server 1 are electrically connected. At the same time, the internal piping (not shown) of the cooling connector 15 of the rack-mount adapter 10, which supplies and recovers a coolant such as water from the server 1, is connected to a predetermined location on the server 1.

[0025] Figure 2 shows the front view of the rack-mount adapter 10 of the embodiment, where Figure 2(A) is an overall front perspective view and Figure 2(B) is an enlarged view of the front portion thereof. As shown in the figure, the rack-mount adapter 10 of the embodiment is equipped with a display unit 30. The display unit 30 is a device or component for displaying information of the server 1 stored inside the rack-mount adapter 10 to the outside of the rack-mount adapter 10.

[0026] When mounting Server 1 to Rack 2 (see Figure 3), the use of the rack mounting adapter 10 allows for compatibility with a variety of Server 1 types, even if they differ in size, specifications, etc., as long as they can be stored and connected within the rack mounting adapter 10. Therefore, when migrating to new specifications for Server 1 as its performance improves, flexible adaptation is possible as long as the connection terminals are common. Furthermore, if the display of operating status and identification information differs for each Server 1, the displays can become mixed and cumbersome. By standardizing the display unit 30 of the rack mounting adapter 10, improvements in the efficiency of visual and robotic monitoring by supervisors are expected.

[0027] In the rack-mount adapter 10, the display unit 30 is equipped with two types of display units: a first display unit 31 and a second display unit 32. In the display unit 30, the first display unit 31 displays identification information that identifies the server 1 housed within it. The second display unit 32 displays information about the operating status of the server. Thus, in this embodiment, the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 each display different content.

[0028] The identification information displayed on the first display unit 31 to identify the server 1 is information specific to the server 1 stored in the rack-mount adapter 10, such as a serial number, device identification information, device recognition information, MAC address, hostname, etc. This information may be identification information held by the server itself, or it may be information that the data center subsequently assigns to each server in order to identify each server. The first display unit 31 is equipped with electronic paper. Electronic paper is preferable because it reduces power consumption. Other known display devices such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays may also be used.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2(B), the electronic paper of the first display unit 31 displays characters and numbers (text) such as the server's hostname and MAC address as identification information. Simultaneously, a one-dimensional code (barcode), a two-dimensional code (QR code®) corresponding to the characters and numbers of the identification information, as well as characters indicating the server's operating status, are displayed in parallel. The server's operating status can be normal, faulty, stopped, waiting for replacement, or poor cooling, and the characters indicating this operating status are, for example, normal, malfunctioning, stopped, waiting for replacement, or poor cooling. The characters and numbers displayed on the first display unit 31 are used by inspectors to visually check the server's operation. In addition, the two-dimensional codes, etc., displayed on the first display unit 31 are used for mechanical monitoring via the camera (see Figure 5) of the monitoring robot 50 of the server monitoring system, which will be described later. In this way, the first display unit 31 supports both manual (visual) and robotic mechanical monitoring.

[0030] The information displayed on the second display unit 32 regarding the operating status of Server 1 indicates whether Server 1 is operating normally after power is supplied, whether it is operating abnormally (unstable operation or failure to stop), or whether it is a warning that its service life has expired. In other words, it is a notification that Server 1, which is stored in the rack-mount adapter 10, needs to be replaced.

[0031] In the second display unit 32 of the embodiment, as shown in Figure 2(B), it is composed of three types (i.e., one or more) of lamps such as LEDs 32a, 32b, and 32c. For example, lamp 32a is assigned the role of indicating normal operation, lamp 32b is assigned the role of indicating a malfunction, and lamp 32c is assigned the role of indicating that it is time for replacement. Furthermore, each of the lamps 32a, 32b, and 32c is also provided with a one-dimensional code (barcode) and a two-dimensional code (QR code®) indicating their respective roles.

[0032] In the second display unit 32, at least one of the following changes occurs: the color of the light emitted by these lamps, the light emission pattern, or the combination of lamps that are emitting light. For example, when server 1 is operating normally, lamp 32a is always lit in green, and when there is a malfunction, lamp 32b flashes red. Also, when it is time to notify that it is time to replace a lamp, lamp 32c flashes yellow. In addition, as single-color emitting lamps, it is possible to have all lamps lit, all lamps turned off, or only one lamp at a predetermined position lit. In this way, the second display unit 32 also allows for both manual (visual) monitoring and robotic machine monitoring based on the light emission patterns of each lamp.

[0033] The embodiment includes both a first display unit 31 and a second display unit 32, which have different display modes. Alternatively, the first display unit 31 itself may also have a function to notify whether the operation of the server 1 it stores is normal or abnormal. In that case, the electronic paper of the first display unit 31 is extended.

[0034] The front of the rack-mount adapter 10 is equipped with a first display unit 31 and a second display unit 32, which form the display unit 30, as well as an unmount button 35, a front panel button 36, and other features as appropriate. The unmount button 35 is used when removing the rack-mount adapter 10 from the rack 2. The front panel button 36 is used when removing the stored server 1. Unmount hooks 37 are also provided at both ends of the rack-mount adapter 10 to serve as handles.

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of rack 2. Figure 3(A) is a schematic diagram of a magnified portion of the front side of rack 2. As shown in the figure, rack mounting adapters 10, each containing a server 1, are mounted along the rails 6 of rack 2 within the multiple (multi-tiered) storage compartments 7 provided in rack 2. As shown in the figure, the display unit 30 is positioned on the front side of rack 2, in the direction from which the rack mounting adapter 10 is removed. As a result, the identification information and operating status of the server 1 are not obscured by the rack mounting adapter 10, and are consolidated on the front side of the rack mounting adapter 10, improving monitoring efficiency.

[0036] Figure 3(B) is a schematic diagram of a magnified portion of the rear side of rack 2. In rack 2, the wiring of the power supply unit 3 and the wiring of the signal supply unit 4 are routed to individual housing units 7. Rack 2 is also equipped with a refrigerant pipe 5a that supplies water as a coolant and a recovery pipe 5b for water used to cool the server 1 and whose temperature has risen. The refrigerant pipe 5a and the recovery pipe 5b are also routed to individual housing units 7 so that they can be connected via conduit. Appropriate standard connectors are used for the wiring connections between the power supply unit 3 and the signal supply unit 4 and the rack mounting adapter 10. Appropriate standard couplers are used for the conduit connections between the refrigerant pipe 5a and the recovery pipe 5b and the rack mounting adapter 10.

[0037] <Configuration of the control unit of the rack-mount adapter> Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 20 of the rack-mount adapter 10. The control unit 20 appropriately implements an input / output unit 21 (I / O: input / output interface), an arithmetic unit 22, a storage unit 23, a communication unit 24, etc. The aforementioned display unit 30 (first display unit 31 and second display unit 32) is connected to the input / output unit 21.

[0038] The input / output unit 21 distributes power supplied from the power supply unit 3 of the rack 2 through the power connector unit 13 to the rack-mount adapter 10 itself and to the server 1 where it is housed, and distributes signals transmitted and received from the signal supply unit 4 of the rack 2 through the signal connector unit 14 to the rack-mount adapter 10 itself and to the server 1 where it is housed. The input / output unit 21 also acts as a buffer for transmission and reception of information transmitted from the server 1 to the rack-mount adapter 10 and from the rack-mount adapter 10 to the server 1. In addition, control signals for the display mode to the aforementioned display unit 30 (first display unit 31 and second display unit 32) are transmitted from the control unit 20 through the input / output unit 21.

[0039] The arithmetic unit 22 is a processor and may be implemented by a central processing unit (CPU), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The arithmetic unit 22 reads the program stored in the storage unit 23 and executes the code or instructions contained in the program.

[0040] The storage unit 23 stores various programs and data necessary for the operation of the arithmetic unit 22. The storage unit 23 may include, for example, flash memory. The storage unit 23 may also include memory (such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory)) that provides a working area for the arithmetic unit 22.

[0041] The communication unit 24 may be implemented as hardware such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), a network adapter, communication software, or a combination thereof. It also performs signal control for various types of near-field communication (NFC) and radio frequency identification (RFID). The communication unit 24 may relay signals between the rack 2 and the server 1, control signals between the rack-mount adapter 10 and the server 1, and wirelessly transmit information from the server 1 to a monitoring robot. If the communication unit 24 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may be referred to as a communication circuit.

[0042] The rack-mount adapter 10 is equipped with a control unit 20, which enables the transmission and reception of signals with the server 1 and the control of the display mode of the display unit 30. Specifically, first, the server 1 is placed inside the rack-mount adapter 10, and power is supplied to the server 1 via the power connector unit 13. After this, the control unit 20 receives signals transmitted from the server 1 to the rack-mount adapter 10 via the signal connector unit 14 and controls the display mode of the display unit 30 (first display unit 31 and second display unit 32).

[0043] The power supply for the server 1 and the rack-mounted adapter 10 depends on the supply from the rack 2. Therefore, after the power supply to the server 1 and the rack-mounted adapter 10 is completed, in order to notify the current state of the server 1, the operating state and the like of the server 1 are transmitted from the server 1 to the rack-mounted adapter 10. Then, based on the received signal, the arithmetic unit 22 generates information (display information) for display on the display unit 30 (the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32). The arithmetic unit 22 outputs the display information to the display unit 30 (the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32) through the input / output unit 21. The display unit 30 (the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32) that has received the display information performs display according to the display information. In this way, the integration of the server 1 and the rack-mounted adapter 10 is achieved.

[0044] Furthermore, the control unit 20 can execute the following control. (1) After the server 1 is stored in the rack-mounted adapter 10 and power is supplied to the server 1 via the power connector unit 13, the control unit 20 starts monitoring the state of the server 1. By equipping the control unit 20 side with the function of monitoring the state of the server 1, when a problem occurs in the function related to the self-monitoring of the server 1 and normal monitoring cannot be performed, the server 1 can be monitored through the rack-mounted adapter 10, and the safety of monitoring the server 1 is enhanced. If the rack-mounted adapter 10 detects an abnormality, malfunction, etc. of the server 1, the display unit 30 (the first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32) performs a predetermined display.

[0045] Furthermore, (2) after the server 1 is stored in the rack-mount adapter 10 and power is supplied to the server 1 via the power connector 13, the control unit 20 acquires information about the operation of the server 1. Acquiring information about the operation of the server 1 involves controlling the display mode of the aforementioned display unit 30 (first display unit 31 and second display unit 32), and in addition to monitoring the server 1, information related to the operation is acquired, such as the operating status of the server 1's arithmetic unit 22 (processor), the usage status of the storage unit 23 (memory, etc.), and the measured value of the internal temperature of the server. In addition to being displayed on the display unit 30, this information is also transmitted to the rack 2 side (data center side) via the rack-mount adapter 10. Therefore, the rack-mount adapter 10 relays information about the operation of the server 1 through the control unit 20, and plays a role in assisting the safe operation of the server 1.

[0046] Furthermore, (3) after the server 1 is stored in the rack-mount adapter 10 and power is supplied to the server 1 via the power connector 13, the control unit 20 receives information in a predetermined format in response to a request from the control unit 20 to the server 1. Through the transmission and reception of signals between the rack-mount adapter 10 and the server 1, for example, the control unit 20 periodically sends signals such as status monitoring to the server 1. Upon receiving such signals, the server 1 sends information in a predetermined format, such as "no abnormalities," to the rack-mount adapter 10 in response to the signals, and the rack-mount adapter 10 receives the information in the predetermined format. In this regard, the rack-mount adapter 10 itself can replace the function of monitoring the safe operation of the server 1.

[0047] <Configuration of Server Monitoring System>The server monitoring system 1S that employs the rack-mounted adapter 10 described in detail above will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 5. In the schematic diagram of FIG. 5(A), the rack 2 and the monitoring robot 50 are shown. A plurality of rack-mounted adapters 10 are mounted on the rack 2, and servers are stored in each rack-mounted adapter 10. For the sake of convenience, only one rack 2 is shown in the illustration. The monitoring robot 50 is provided with a main body 51 (housing) and wheels 54 for self-running. And a camera 52 is provided on the main body 51. The camera 52 is a device that images the display unit 30 (see FIG. 2) of the rack-mounted adapter 10. A pole 53 is installed on the main body 51, and the camera 52 is connected to the pole 53 so as to be able to move up and down. A plurality of rack-mounted adapters 10 are accommodated in the rack 2 in the height direction. Therefore, the vertical position of the camera 52 can be adjusted so as to accurately image from the lower side (the side closer to the floor) to the upper side (the side closer to the ceiling) of the rack 2.

[0048] The monitoring robot 50 travels around while self-running around a plurality of racks 2 in the data center, and the camera 52 of the monitoring robot 50 images the display unit 30 of the rack-mounted adapter 10. The schematic diagram of FIG. 5(B) is an image captured by the camera 52. Two rack-mounted adapters 10 are reflected. Therefore, the display content of the display unit 30 is monitored through the camera 52 of the monitoring robot 50. The first display unit 31 and the second display unit 32 of the display unit 30 are provided with displays for visual monitoring by the monitor and displays corresponding to mechanical monitoring by the robot such as one-dimensional and two-dimensional codes. Therefore, in the server monitoring system 1S, labor saving of the monitoring work by mechanical monitoring is achieved, and the human burden is reduced.

[0049] In addition, the rack-mounted adapter 10 can transmit data including information of the server 1 using radio waves for short-range wireless communication via the communication unit 24 of its control unit 20. The monitoring robot 50 during patrol monitoring can receive the radio wave and monitor the information of the server 1. In this case, in the server monitoring system 1S, the monitoring robot 50 can complementarily confirm the display content of the display unit 30 and the received radio wave signal to improve the monitoring accuracy for detecting abnormalities of the server 1.

[0050] According to each aspect of this disclosure described above, by providing a more user-friendly environment for data center users, we can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and inclusive, safe

[0051] 1 Server 1S Server monitoring system 2 Rack 3 Power supply unit 4 Signal supply unit 5a Refrigerant piping 5b Recovery piping 10 Rack mounting adapter 13 Power connector unit 14 Signal connector unit 15 Cooling connector unit 20 Control unit 21 Input / output unit 22 Calculation unit 23 Memory unit 24 Communication unit 30 Display unit 31 First display unit 32 Second display unit 50 Monitoring robot 52 Camera

Claims

1. A rack-mount adapter for housing and mounting servers in a rack that accommodates multiple servers, the rack-mount adapter comprising: a power connector unit connected to a power supply unit on the rack side for supplying power to the servers; a signal connector unit connected to a signal supply unit on the rack side for sending and receiving signals between the servers and the rack side; and a display unit for displaying information about the stored servers on the outside of the rack-mount adapter.

2. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the rack-mount adapter comprises a control unit, the control unit receives a signal transmitted from the server to the rack-mount adapter via the signal connector unit after the server is housed in the rack-mount adapter and power is supplied to the server via the power connector unit, and controls the display mode of the display unit.

3. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the rack-mount adapter comprises a control unit, and the control unit starts monitoring the status of the server after the server is housed in the rack-mount adapter and power is supplied to the server via the power connector.

4. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the rack-mount adapter comprises a control unit, and the control unit acquires information on the operation of the server after the server is housed in the rack-mount adapter and power is supplied to the server via the power connector.

5. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the rack-mount adapter comprises a control unit, the control unit houses the server, power is supplied to the server via the power connector, and the server receives information in a predetermined format in response to a request from the control unit to the server.

6. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is positioned on the front side in the direction in which the rack-mount adapter is removed from the rack.

7. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a first display unit that displays identification information for identifying the server and a second display unit that displays information on the operating status of the server.

8. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the first display unit or the second display unit is electronic paper and displays two or more characters, one-dimensional codes, or two-dimensional codes indicating at least one of the identification information or the operating status of the server.

9. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 7, wherein the second display unit is one or more lamps, and at least one of the light emission color, light emission pattern, or combination of lamps that emit light is changed according to the operating status of the server.

10. The rack-mount adapter according to claim 1, wherein the rack-mount adapter is connected to the refrigerant piping on the rack side and comprises a cooling connector portion that supplies refrigerant from the rack side to the server side and discharges it back to the rack side.

11. A server monitoring system comprising a rack equipped with the rack mounting adapter described in claim 1, and a monitoring robot that patrols around the rack, wherein the monitoring robot captures an image of the display unit of the rack mounting adapter and monitors the display content of the display unit.

12. A server monitoring system comprising: a rack equipped with a rack-mounting adapter as described in claim 1; and a monitoring robot that patrols around the rack, wherein the rack-mounting adapter further comprises a communication unit that transmits data including information about the server using radio waves for short-range wireless communication; and the monitoring robot receives the radio waves and monitors the information about the server.

Images