Patent Application
20140018972
An enclosure for housing computer system or other electronic components, such as secondary storage devices, server modules, etc., may include a temperature control system to manage the temperature of the enclosure interior. Manufacturers of the computer system components housed in the enclosure specify the temperature ranges at which the components are operable. Because operation of the components at temperatures beyond those specified by the manufacturers may detrimentally affect component life, the temperature control system may be designed to maintain the housed components within the operational temperature ranges specified by the component's manufacturers.
For a detailed description of various illustrative examples, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, computer companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect, direct, optical or wireless connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, through an indirect connection via other devices and connection. The recitation “based on” is intended to mean “based at least in part on.” Therefore, if X is based on Y, X may be based on Y and any number of other factors. An “enclosure” is a housing for computer or other electronic components that provides thermal management for the components.
The following discussion is directed to various implementations of temperature control for a computing device enclosure. Although one or more of these implementations may be preferred, the implementations disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any implementation is illustrative and is not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that implementation.
A conventional temperature control system included in a computing system enclosure is intended to maintain the interior of the enclosure within a predetermined temperature range. Unfortunately, the temperature range maintained by the temperature control system may be undesirable or unacceptable for use in a given datacenter or application of the enclosure. For example, a datacenter operator may desire that the interior of the enclosure be maintained at a temperature lower than predetermined temperature in an attempt to increase component life, or that the interior of the enclosure be maintained at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature in an attempt to decrease cooling costs.
The enclosures and temperature control systems disclosed herein allow datacenter operators to specify the temperature control processes performed by the temperature control system after delivery of the enclosure to the datacenter. The enclosure temperature control systems of the present disclosure include a temperature control script interpreter that can execute temperature control scripts created by an end user of an enclosure. The temperature control scripts include statements that are interpretively executed via the temperature control script interpreter to provide the custom enclosure interior temperatures, air flow rate changes, etc. required to meet the specifications of a particular datacenter or application.
The temperature control processor 106 controls the fan(s) 104 to manage the airflow within the enclosure 102. The temperature control processor 106 may be embodied in an enclosure processor that controls various functions associated with the enclosure 102, or may be dedicated to temperature control. The temperature control processor 106 is coupled to the temperature sensor(s) 204 and the fan(s) 104. The processor 106 retrieves temperature measurement values from the temperature sensor(s) 204 and adjusts the rate of air movement within the enclosure 102 by adjusting the speed of the fan(s) 104 based on the temperature measurements.
The temperature control processor 106 may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor, digital signal processor, microcontrollers, or other device configured to execute instructions for performing operations disclosed herein. Processor architectures generally include execution units (e.g., fixed point, floating point, integer, etc.), storage (e.g., registers, memory, etc.), instruction decoding, peripherals (e.g., interrupt controllers, timers, direct memory access controllers, etc.), input/output systems (e.g., serial ports, parallel ports, etc.) and various other components and sub-systems.
The storage 202 stores software programming (i.e., processor executable instructions) that the temperature control processor 106 executes to perform the enclosure temperature control functions disclosed herein. The storage 202 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may include volatile storage such as random access memory, non-volatile storage (e.g., a hard drive, an optical storage device (e.g., CD or DVD), FLASH storage, read-only-memory), or combinations thereof. Processors execute software instructions. Software instructions alone are incapable of performing a function. Therefore, in the present disclosure, any reference to a function performed by software instructions, or to software instructions performing a function is simply a shorthand means for stating that the function is performed by a processor executing the instructions.
The storage 202 includes a temperature control script interpreter module 108. The temperature control script interpreter 108, when executed by the temperature control processor 106, translates the textual statements of a temperature control script 110 included in the storage 202 into instructions executable by the processor 106, and executes the instructions to manage the internal temperature of the enclosure 102. Inclusion of the temperature control script interpreter 108 in the enclosure 102 allows a datacenter operator or other user of the enclosure 102 to create and implement a temperature control script 110 that includes textual statements defining how the temperature of the interior of the enclosure 102 is to be controlled. For example, the temperature control script 110 may include statements that are interpretively executed to cause the temperature control processor 106 to retrieve temperature measurements from the temperature sensor(s) 204, and adjust the speed of the fan(s) 104 based on the measured temperatures. The temperature control script 110 may also include statements that control the rate of fan speed change, set a temperature warning level, and issue a warning when the interior temperature of the enclosure exceeds the temperature warning level, etc.
The temperature control script interpreter 108 includes syntax checking logic 206 and script interpretation logic 208. The script interpretation logic 208 includes instructions executable by the temperature control processor 106 to translate the textual statements of the temperature control script 110 and execute the instructions generated by the translation. The script interpretation logic 208 may also include instructions that override the statements of the temperature control script 110 if execution of the temperature control script results in inadequate cooling of the enclosure 102. For example, if the temperature of the enclosure 102 exceeds a predefined temperature, then the script interpretation logic 208 may increase the speed of the fan(s) 104 at a higher rate and/or to a higher speed than that specified by the temperature control script 110. In some implementations of the enclosure 102, the script override functionality may be provided via instructions separate from the temperature control script interpreter 108.
The syntax checking logic 206 includes instructions executable by the temperature control processor 106 to parse the statements of the temperature control script 110 and verify that the statements comply with the rules of the temperature control scripting language interpretively executed by the temperature control script interpreter 108. The syntax checking may include generating an error indicator if the temperature control script fails to comply with the rules of the temperature control scripting language. The syntax checking may also include comparing a temperature warning level value defined by the temperature control script 110 to a predetermined maximum temperature warning level value, and generating an error indication if the defined warning temperature exceeds the predefined maximum temperature.
An example of a user created temperature control script 110 that can be interpreted by the temperature control script interpreter 108 to provide custom management of the interior temperature of the enclosure 102 is shown below. The illustrative script provides custom user defined temperature trigger values, fan speed change rates, and temperature warning levels. The temperature control scripting language may provide various built-in functions through which a temperature control script can access temperature control resources of the enclosure 102, such as temperature sensor(s) 204, fan(s) 104, etc. For example, the script below accesses built-in functions temp_sensor_xx( ) getFanRPM( ) setFanRPM( ) temp_backplane_sensor_warning—01( ) minFanRPM( ) and maxFanRPM( )
The storage 202 may also contain a default temperature control script or temperature control program that the temperature control processor 106 executes to control the temperature within the enclosure 102 if a user created temperature control script 110 has not been loaded or cannot be interpretively executed, e.g., due to syntax errors.
In block 402, a user of the enclosure 102 creates a custom temperature control script 110 for managing the internal temperature of the enclosure 102 as required in the user's unique location or application. For example, the user may enter statements in the temperature control scripting language using text editor executing on a computer workstation. The temperature control script 110 includes a set of textual statements written in a temperature control scripting language that is interpretively executable by the enclosure 102. The user created temperature control script 110 is uploaded (e.g., transferred, copied, etc.) to the enclosure 102 (via a network, attachment of a memory device, etc.) and stored in the storage 202. In some implementations, the user may enter the temperature control script 110 via a terminal coupled to the enclosure 102.
In block 404, the temperature control processor 106 of the enclosure 102 executes the temperature control script interpreter 108. The temperature control script interpreter 108 includes 1) instructions executable by the temperature control processor 106 to translate textual statements written in the temperature control scripting language to instructions executable by the temperature control processor 106, and 2) instructions to cause the temperature control processor 106 to execute the instructions generated by the translation.
The temperature control processor 106 executes, via the temperature control script interpreter 108, the temperature control script 110 uploaded to the enclosure 102. With execution of the temperature control script 110, the temperature control processor 106 controls the temperature of the interior of the enclosure 102 in accordance with the custom temperature control parameters defined in the temperature control script 110 in block 406.
In block 502, a user of the enclosure 102 creates a custom temperature control script 110 for managing the internal temperature of the enclosure 102 as required in the user's unique location or application. The temperature control script 110 includes a set of textual statements written in a temperature control scripting language that is interpretively executable by the enclosure 102. The user created temperature control script 110 is uploaded to the enclosure 102 and stored in the storage 202.
In block 504, the temperature control processor 106 of the enclosure 102 executes the temperature control script interpreter 108. The temperature control script interpreter 108 includes instructions executable by the temperature control processor 106 to check the syntax of textual statements written in the temperature control scripting language. If syntax errors are detected, an error indication may be generated, and/or the temperature control script 110 may not be executed. The syntax checking may also include analysis of script statements to ensure that the script 110 operates the enclosure 102 within predetermined limits. For example, if the script 110 defines an excessively high warning temperature value (e.g., 100° Celsius), then the syntax checking may deem the script 110 to be in error.
The temperature control script interpreter 108 also includes instructions executable by the temperature control processor 106 to translate textual statements written in the temperature control scripting language to instructions executable by the temperature control 106, and instructions to cause the temperature control processor 106 to execute the instructions generated by the translation. In block 506, the temperature control processor 106 executes the temperature control script 110 via the temperature control script interpreter 108, thereby implementing the user created temperature control process in the enclosure 102.
In block 508, responsive to execution of the temperature control script 110, the temperature control processor 106 retrieves temperature measurement values from temperature sensors 204 disposed in the enclosure 102. The temperature control processor 106 compares the temperature measurements to a predetermined maximum temperature value in block 508. The predetermined maximum temperature value may not be changeable via the temperature control script 110.
If the measured temperature values exceed the predetermined maximum temperature value, then the temperature control processor 106 overrides the custom temperature control process defined in the temperature control script 110, and adjusts the speed of the fan(s) 104 to reduce the internal temperature of the enclosure 102 in block 512. The temperature control processor 106 may issue an over temperature warning in block 518.
If the measured temperature values do not exceed the predetermined maximum temperature value, then the temperature control processor 106 adjusts the speed of the fan(s) 104 based on the temperature measurements in accordance with the temperature control script 110 in block 514.
In block 516, responsive to execution of the temperature control script 110, the temperature control processor 106 determines whether the measured temperature values exceed a warning level defined in the temperature control script 110. If the measured temperature values exceed the warning level defined in the temperature control script 110, then the temperature control processor 106 issues an over-temperature warning in block 518.
The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various implementations of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.
