Aux power controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10114436-B2
Application number	US-201314784874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2013
Priority date	May 29, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A computing device including an AUX (auxiliary) power controller connected to the expansion slot to supply aux power to the expansion slot intermittently based on instructions from a baseboard management controllers (BMC).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing device comprising:
a first expansion slot;
a second expansion slot;
a baseboard management controller (BMC) connected to the first expansion slot and connected to the second expansion slot;
a power supply to supply AUX power in a low power device state to the first expansion slot; and
an AUX power controller connected to the first expansion slot to supply AUX power to the first expansion slot intermittently based on instructions from the BMC, and connected to the second expansion slot to supply AUX power to the second expansion slot after discontinuing AUX power to the first expansion slot;
wherein the BMC is to:
identify a first expansion card coupled to the first expansion slot when AUX power is supplied to the first expansion slot by the AUX power controller based on instructions from the BMC;
receive topology information from the first expansion card; and
instruct the AUX power controller to discontinue AUX power to the first expansion slot in response to receiving the topology information.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the expansion card is a network interface card (NIC), and wherein the topology information is network topology information that is updated when the NIC is supplied with AUX power.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a timer to cause the AUX power controller to apply the power the first expansion slot intermittently.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the BMC controls the AUX power controller.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the BMC is to send instructions to perform a task to the first expansion card connected to the first expansion slot when the BMC causes the AUX power controller to supply power to the first expansion slot; and wherein the BMC is to instruct the AUX power controller to discontinue power to the first expansion slot after the first expansion card completes the task.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising system power, wherein system power supplies power for operation of the computing device and in a low power state AUX power is supplied and system power is discontinued.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the BMC is to maintain a topology table, send a command to the expansion card to provide topology information; and to update its topology table based on the topology information provided by the expansion card.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the BMC is connected to a plurality of expansion slots, and is to:
send instructions to the AUX power controller to supply AUX power to each expansion card sequentially,
send inventory instructions to each currently powered expansion card; and
update an inventory table and a topology table according responses to the inventory instructions.

9. A computing device comprising:
a BMC connected to a first expansion slot to send instructions to a first expansion card in the first expansion slot and connected to a second expansion slot to send instructions to a second expansion card in the second expansion slot; and
an AUX power controller connected to the first expansion slot to supply AUX power to the first expansion slot intermittently and connected to the second expansion slot to supply AUX power after discontinuing AUX power to the first expansion slot;
wherein the AUX power controller discontinues AUX power to the first expansion slot based on an instruction from the BMC triggered by receiving identification information from the first expansion card.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein a second event triggers a reapplication of AUX power to the first expansion slot after discontinuation of AUX power.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code that if executed by a BMC in a computing device causes the BMC to:
intermittently signal an AUX power controller connected to a first expansion slot to supply AUX power to the first expansion slot;
determine a type of expansion card;
send an instruction to the expansion card; and
in response to determining the type of expansion card and sending the instruction, discontinue power to the expansion slot before applying AUX power to a second expansion slot.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising code that if executed causes the BMC to instruct the expansion card to provide inventory and topology information and causes the BMC to update an inventory and topology table with the inventory and topology information.

13. A computing device comprising:
a first expansion slot;
a second expansion slot
a baseboard management controller (BMC) connected to the first expansion slot and the second expansion slot;
a power supply to supply AUX power in a low power device state;
an AUX power controller connected to the first expansion slot and the second expansion slot to supply AUX power to the first expansion slot and the second expansion slot intermittently based on instructions from the BMC; and
a timer to cause the AUX power controller to apply the power to the expansion slot intermittently;
wherein the BMC is to:
identify a first expansion card coupled to the first expansion slot when AUX power is supplied to the first expansion slot by the AUX power controller based on instructions from the BMC; and
instruct the AUX power controller to discontinue AUX power to the first expansion slot in response to identifying the first expansion card.

14. A computing device comprising:
a BMC connected to an expansion slot to send instructions to an expansion card in the expansion slot; and
an AUX power controller connected to the expansion slot to supply AUX power to the expansion slot intermittently;
wherein a response by an expansion card coupled to the expansion slot to an identification query from the BMC triggers a discontinuation of AUX power to the expansion slot, and a expiration of a time sufficient to draw less than a maximum AUX power over a period of time since a preceding application of AUX power triggers a reapplication of AUX power to the expansion slot after the discontinuation of AUX power.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• York Justin E

Classifications

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• Y02D10/151

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D10/171

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D10/172

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic