Power Policy Enforcement for Computing Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems fail to effectively manage power consumption in computing devices, leading to issues like 'PC insomnia' where machines remain awake unnecessarily, inability to remotely wake up machines out of network, and lack of historical power consumption reports for energy savings analysis.
Innovation Solution
A software solution that enforces and complies with predefined power policies by generating and deploying power policies, monitoring usage, and terminating suspicious processes to ensure machines enter power-saving modes, while providing remote wake-up capabilities and historical energy consumption reports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If computing devices are allowed to run freely without power policy enforcement, then user flexibility and ease of operation are improved, but power consumption increases and energy waste occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors device power state and process activity, comparing actual consumption against predefined policies. When deviations are detected (e.g., processes keeping devices awake during off-hours), the system provides feedback through alerts and automated enforcement actions, creating a closed-loop control system that balances user needs with energy conservation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through automated policy enforcement where the system itself identifies and terminates suspicious processes without requiring manual user intervention. The power management agent automatically executes termination commands based on policy violations, enabling the system to manage its own energy consumption autonomously
2Productivity
If remote wake-up capability is added to manage off-network devices, then power management effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a network-based intermediary component that acts as a mediator between administrators and off-network devices. This remote management agent communicates with centralized policy servers through standard network protocols, enabling wake-up commands to be sent to devices outside the local network without requiring direct physical access or complex peer-to-peer communication mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The remote wake-up functionality is integrated into the existing power management framework, allowing the same policy enforcement mechanism to handle both local and remote devices. The system uses universal network communication interfaces and standardized wake-up signals, enabling a single solution to manage diverse device states across different network configurations without requiring device-specific complex logic
3Loss of information
If historical power consumption tracking is implemented, then energy savings analysis capability is improved, but measurement and monitoring complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically collecting and storing power consumption data at the time it occurs, rather than attempting to measure and analyze it in real-time. The power management agent continuously logs device state, process activity, and energy usage metrics to historical databases, creating ready-to-analyze datasets that simplify subsequent energy savings calculations and policy optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex real-time measurement and analysis mechanisms with simpler historical data collection and stored-query systems. Instead of continuously calculating energy savings in real-time, the system collects raw consumption data, stores it in databases, and provides analysis through query functions that retrieve and process historical records, substituting complex live computation with simpler data retrieval and processing
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device configured for enforcing a computing device power policy is described. The computing device includes a processor and executable instructions stored in memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. The computing device generates a power policy. The computing device also sends the power policy. The computing device further receives a suspicious process alert. Additionally, the computing device determines whether to terminate a suspicious process. The computing device also sends a process termination command if it is determined to terminate the suspicious process.