Server node shutdown

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10788872-B2
Application number	US-201515760617-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Sep 21, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

Example implementations relate to a server node shutdown. For example, a system includes a control module and a secondary power supply. The control module includes a detect engine to detect an even that triggers a sequenced shutdown of a server node and prevent execution of the sequenced shutdown and execution of a data transfer. The control module also includes an initiate engine to initiate a data backup process, by a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the server node, to write data from a volatile memory location of the server node to a non-volatile memory location of the server node. The secondary power supply is to support the data backup process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a processing resource to execute computer instructions;
a control module, comprising:
a detect engine comprising a set of computer instructions running on the processing resource to:
detect an event that triggers a sequenced shutdown of a server node; and
prevent execution of the sequenced shutdown and access to memory locations of the server node;

an initiate engine comprising a set of computer instructions running on the processing resource to initiate a data backup process, by a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the server node, to write data from a volatile memory location of the server node to a nonvolatile memory location of the server node; and

a secondary power supply to support the data backup process.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the trigger event includes an expected or unexpected shutdown of the server node comprising at least one of a system error, a scheduled shutdown, a user initiated shutdown, and an operating system (OS) initiated shutdown.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the initiate engine is to:
determine if the data backup process has been completed; and
initiate the sequenced shutdown of the server node upon completion of the data backup process.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the determination is based on a checksum process to verify that the data backup process is successfully completed.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary power supply is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control module is a complex programmable logic device (CPLD) and wherein the sequenced shutdown of the server node includes activation of reset and power down processes of the server node.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the CPLD is to:
assert the reset and power down processes at a first portion of the server node, wherein the first portion comprises subsystems of the server node that are not included in the data backup process; and
de-assert the reset and power down processes at a second portion of the server node, wherein the second portion comprises subsystems of the server node that are included in the data backup process.

8. A method, executable by a control module of a server node, comprising:
detecting an event that results in a sequenced shutdown of the server node;
preventing execution of the sequenced shutdown and access to memory locations of the server node; and
initiating a write of data from a volatile memory location of the server node to a non-volatile memory location of the server node, wherein the write is performed by a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the server node and wherein the write is supported by a secondary power supply of the server node.

9. The method of claim 8 , comprising:
verifying a successful completion of the write; and initiating the sequenced shutdown of the server node in response to determining the write was successful.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein verifying the successful completing of the write includes performing a checksum process on the data.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the power down event includes an interruption of primary power supply to the server node and wherein the secondary power supply includes an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein initiating the write includes activating the secondary power supply to provide backup power to the server node to write the data from the volatile memory location to the non-volatile memory location.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processing resource of a server node to:
detect a trigger event that causes the server node to initiate a sequenced shutdown, wherein the sequenced shutdown includes reset and power down processes;
prevent initiation of the sequenced shutdown and access to data stored in memory locations of the server node; and
initiate a data backup process by a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the server node to copy data from a volatile memory location to a nonvolatile memory location of the server node, using power supplied by a secondary power supply of the server node.

14. The medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
verify that the data backup process has been successfully completed; and
initiate the sequenced shutdown of the server node upon successful completion of the data backup process.

15. The medium of claim 14 , the instructions executable to verify that the data backup process has been successfully completed include instructions executable to perform a checksum operation on the copied data.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Heinrich David F
• Engler David W
• Raymond Patrick
• Hallowell William C

Classifications

• G06F1/26

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

• G06F11/14

  Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operations (error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16) · CPC title

• G06F11/1441

  Resetting or repowering · CPC title

• G06F1/30

  Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) · CPC title

• G06F1/263 Primary

  Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence) · CPC title