Power monitoring calibration to a target performance level

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10635146-B2
Application number	US-201615008558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2016
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing power monitoring calibration to a target performance level are described. In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) may include a plurality of Central Processing Units (CPUs) and a logic circuit coupled to the plurality of CPUs, the logic circuit configured to: measure an operating performance level for each of the plurality of CPUs under a controlled workload and, in response to a determination that the operating performance level of any given one of the CPUs does not match a target performance level for all of the CPUs, apply an offset to a voltage regulator measurement associated with the given CPU that causes the operating performance level of the given CPU to match the target performance level for all of the CPUs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:
a plurality of Central Processing Units (CPUs); and
a logic circuit coupled to the plurality of CPUs, the logic circuit configured to:
measure an operating frequency for each of the plurality of CPUs;
in response to a determination that the operating frequency of any given one of the CPUs does not match a target frequency for all of the CPUs, apply a value to a measurement of an output current of a voltage regulator associated with the given CPU, wherein the value is selected based upon a determination of whether the given CPU is operating in Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) mode or in non-AVX mode; and
report the measurement offset by the value without correcting the voltage regulator with respect to the offset, wherein the reporting causes a turbo circuit to match the operating frequency of the given CPU to the target frequency, and wherein the value is selected to maintain a power consumed by the given CPU within a reporting error band indicated by a manufacturer of the CPU for the operating frequency.

2. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).

3. The IHS of claim 2 , wherein the BIOS is configured to measure the operating performance in response to System Management Interrupt (SMI) issued by a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC).

4. The IHS of claim 2 , wherein to report the measurement, the BIOS is configured to subtract the offset from or add the offset to the measurement of a Power Management Bus (PMBUS)-enabled voltage regulator using a Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI)-to-PMBUS proxy.

5. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the offset compensates for the IHS's under reporting of the operating frequency of the given CPU.

6. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), and wherein to report the measurement, the BMC is configured to subtract the offset from or add the offset to the measurement of a Power Management Bus (PMBUS)-enabled voltage regulator using an Intelligent Platform Management Bus (IPMB)-to-PMBUS proxy.

7. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is further configured to provide the measurement associated with the given CPU without the offset in response to a user's request to report the operating frequency of the given CPU.

8. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the offset is selected based upon a reporting error band indicated by a manufacturer to the CPU for the operating frequency.

9. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the target frequency is an average of the operating frequencies of all of the CPUs.

10. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the target frequency is a highest of the operating frequencies of all of the CPUs.

11. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the target frequency further includes other CPUs of a plurality of other IHSs in a server cluster.

12. A memory device having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause an Information Handling System (IHS) having a plurality of Central Processing Units (CPUs) to:
measure an operating frequency for each of the plurality of CPUs;
in response to a determination that the operating frequency of any given one of the CPUs does not match a target frequency for all of the CPUs, apply a value to a measurement of an output current of a voltage regulator associated with the given CPU, wherein the value is selected based upon a determination of whether the given CPU is operating in Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) mode or in non-AVX mode; and
report the measurement offset by the value without correcting the voltage regulator with respect to the offset, wherein the reporting causes a turbo circuit to match the operating frequency of the given CPU to the target frequency, and wherein the value is selected to maintain a power consumed by the given CPU within a reporting error band indicated by a manufacturer of the CPU for the operating frequency.

13. The memory device of claim 12 , wherein the operating frequency of the given CPU is above the target frequency for all of the plurality of CPUs, and wherein the value is a positive value that compensates for the IHS's over reporting of the operating frequency of the given CPU.

14. In an Information Handling System (IHS) having a plurality of Central Processing Units (CPUs), a method comprising:
measuring an operating frequency for each of the plurality of CPUs;
in response to a determination that the operating frequency of any given one of the CPUs does not match a target frequency for all of the CPUs, applying a value to a measurement of an output current of a voltage regulator associated with the given CPU, wherein the value is selected as a first value in response to a determination that the given CPU is operating in Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) mode or as a second value different from the first value in response to a determination that the given CPU is operating in non-AVX mode; and
reporting the measurement offset by the value while abstaining from correcting the voltage regulator with respect to the offset, wherein the reporting causes a turbo circuit to match the operating frequency of the given CPU to the target frequency, and wherein the value is selected to maintain a power consumed by the given CPU within a reporting error band indicated by a manufacturer of the CPU for the operating frequency.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the operating frequency of the given CPU is below the target frequency, and wherein the value is a negative value that compensates for the IHS's under reporting of the operating frequency of the given CPU.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the operating frequency of the given CPU is above the target frequency, and wherein the value is a positive value that compensates for the IHS's over reporting of the operating frequency of the given CPU.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Jenne John Erven
• Khatri Mukund P

Classifications

• G06F1/26 Primary

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• G06F11/3024

  where the computing system component is a central processing unit [CPU] · CPC title

• G06F11/3409

  for performance assessment · CPC title