Power capping feedback normalization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9811141-B2
Application number	US-201514812460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2015
Priority date	Mar 24, 2010
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A power capping system ( 10 ) and method ( 200 ) are provided. In one embodiment, a power capping system ( 10 ) includes a power controller ( 16 ) configured to calculate an error between a predefined maximum desired power and a power feedback signal associated with actual power consumption of a server ( 12 ) and to provide a power capping signal that substantially limits the power consumption of the server ( 12 ) based on a predetermined gain constant and the error. The system also includes a management interface ( 18 ) configured to generate a normalization factor based on the power feedback signal. The normalization factor can be implemented to normalize the error.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a power controller to:
calculate an error between a predefined maximum desired power and a power feedback signal associated with a server;
provide a power capping signal based on the calculated error, the power capping signal characterizing a limit of power consumption of the server; and

a management interface to adjust a control percentage associated with the power capping signal to calculate a difference in the power feedback signal between the control percentage set at a predetermined maximum and set at a predetermined minimum.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined maximum is set at approximately 100% and the predetermined minimum is set at approximately 0 %.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the management interface is further to initiate a calibration process to instruct the server to run a processing intense program to set a magnitude of the power feedback signal to a substantially maximum value independently of the control percentage of the power capping signal.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the processing intense program comprises a predetermined series of processing operations to substantially maximize power consumption of the server.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power controller and the management interface are configured as separate processors.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the power controller and the management interface are implemented on an integrated circuit (IC) chip.

7. A method comprising:
adjusting a control percentage associated with a power capping signal that characterizes a limit of the power consumption of a server;
instructing the server to run a processing intense program to substantially maximize power consumption of the server independently of the power capping signal;
calculating a difference in a power feedback signal between the control percentage set at a predetermined maximum and set at a predetermined minimum; and
setting the control percentage of the power capping signal based on the difference.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a magnitude of the power feedback signal is set to a substantially maximum value in response to the processing intense program.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined maximum is set at approximately 100% and the predetermined minimum is set at approximately 0%.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising monitoring the actual power consumption of the server via the power feedback signal.

11. A system comprising:
a plurality of power controllers that are each to:
calculate an error between a predefined maximum desired power and a power feedback signal associated with one of a respective plurality of servers that each comprise at least one processor; and
provide a power capping signal to the respective one of the plurality of servers based on the calculated error, the power capping signal characterizing a limit of the power consumption of a server; and

a plurality of management interfaces that are each to calculate the difference between the respective power feedback signal in response to a control percentage associated with the respective power capping signal is set at a predetermined maximum and set at a predetermined minimum.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of management interfaces is further to calculate a difference in the respective power feedback signal between the control percentage set at approximately 100% and set at approximately 0%.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of management interfaces is further to instruct the respective one of the plurality of servers to run a processing intense program to set a magnitude of the respective power feedback signal to a substantially maximum value independently of the respective power capping signal.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of power controllers are configured to operate on a given processor and the plurality of management interfaces are configured to operate on another processor.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Goodrum Alan
• Wang Zhikui

Classifications

• G06F1/3203 Primary

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• G06F1/26

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

• G06F1/3234

  Power saving characterised by the action undertaken · CPC title

• G06F1/3206

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• G06F1/28

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title