Power Management for Information Handling Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information handling systems face challenges in managing power supply units, leading to potential shutdowns and data loss due to insufficient power, as existing technologies fail to efficiently prioritize and conserve power across multiple systems within a chassis.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that determines the number of operational power supply units and initiates data transfers from volatile to non-volatile memory, powers down non-essential systems, and throttles power consumption based on configured thresholds to maintain operation and prevent data loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If power is distributed equally across all information handling systems in the chassis, then all systems can operate, but power supply reliability decreases when power supply units fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements differential power management where different information handling systems within the same chassis receive different power allocation priorities. Essential systems are designated to receive power first and are protected from shutdown, while non-essential systems are allowed to be powered down when power becomes insufficient. This local differentiation of power quality ensures that critical functions maintain reliability while overall power consumption is optimized according to available power supply capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification and classification of information handling systems into essential and non-essential categories before power failure occurs. This preliminary action establishes a power management hierarchy in advance, allowing the system to rapidly respond to power failures by shutting down only non-essential systems. The preliminary classification enables the system to maintain essential operations without interruption while gracefully handling power losses.
2Reliability
If power is conserved by shutting down non-essential systems, then power supply reliability improves, but system functionality decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the population of information handling systems within the chassis into distinct groups based on essentiality. By dividing systems into essential and non-essential categories, the patent enables selective power management where only the non-essential segment is subject to shutdown during power failures. This segmentation preserves overall system functionality by ensuring essential systems continue to operate while still achieving power conservation through controlled shutdown of non-essential systems.
3Reliability
If data is transferred from volatile to non-volatile memory, then data loss prevention improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary data protection by transferring data from volatile to non-volatile memory in essential information handling systems before power failure occurs. This preliminary action ensures that critical data is preserved even if power is subsequently lost. The system performs this data protection operation in advance when power is still available, allowing the systems to enter a lower-power state afterward while maintaining data integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies data protection measures selectively rather than universally. Data transfer from volatile to non-volatile memory is performed only in essential information handling systems that are designated to remain operational during power failures. Non-essential systems may be powered down without data protection measures since they are not critical to system operation. This local application of data protection optimizes the balance between data loss prevention and power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may determine that a number of operational power supply units is below a first threshold; may determine a first amount of power consumed by multiple information handling systems (IHSs); may determine that the first amount of power meets a second threshold; may initiate a first transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a first information handling system (IHS) of the multiple IHSs to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the first IHS; may determine a second amount of power consumed by the multiple IHSs; and may determine that the second amount of power meets a third threshold; and may initiate a second transfer of data from at least one volatile memory medium of a second IHS of the multiple IHSs to at least one non-volatile memory medium of the IHS.