Patent Application
20110187503
This generally relates to information technology components in a data center, and more particularly to automatic location tracking of information technology components, such as servers, routers and switches, in a data center.
Data centers are buildings or rooms that house large numbers of information technology components such as computing equipment (e.g., servers, data processors, appliances), storage networking equipment (e.g., switches, routers, patch panels) and power equipment (e.g., UPS, power strips) or other computer components. Typically, the interior of a data center is filled with multiple rows of cabinet-like equipment called racks that are arranged in parallel to one another throughout the data center. Each rack houses multiple, vertically spaced components, and an aisle for service personnel is often provided between rows of racks. In this way, a large number of servers or other components can be placed in a data center. Alternatively, these components are also stored in computer rooms, IT equipment closets or other suitable environments.
The individual information technology (IT) components mounted inside the racks are supplied power by power distribution units (PDU) that typically mount to the rear columns of the rack. A standard rack typically includes front-mounting rails to which multiple units of equipment, such as servers and CPUs, are mounted and stacked vertically within the rack. The components stacked in a rack are each housed in a slot, and a rack may have many slots. A standard rack at any given time can be sparsely or densely populated with a variety of different IT components. Also, a single IT component may occupy more than one slot.
When tracking these IT components, data center technicians need to be sure of the existence and location of them. Sometimes during maintenance, data center technicians can add, change or remove an IT component, or move the component elsewhere within the data center. In these cases, if the database for tracking the location of these components is not updated, conventionally a manual process, the database will be outdated and contain inaccurate information. Furthermore, in many cases, manual record keeping is used instead of a database. A technician's reliance on this incorrect information can be greatly detrimental. For example, if a technician desires to locate a particular target component, the component may not be where the database or records indicate it is, or may not be part of the data center anymore. When planning a data center, the placement of components in various slots on racks throughout the data center takes careful planning and consideration of various factors such as power supply, ventilation, heating and cooling. These factors may change from time to time. For example, it may be desirable to move components in a rack due to a change in power conditions.
Many organizations use enterprise asset management solutions to help manage their valuable IT assets, but find that updating asset information, such as their physical location, still requires extensive manual effort. If an IT component is not properly accounted for, it is no longer visible, and increases the risk of underutilization of the component, or it being lost or stolen.
Conventional systems address physical asset management at the data center room level, or rely heavily on manual processes and periodic manual audits for information updates regarding the physical location of these components in the data center. Manual audits are an expensive and time-consuming process, and manually managing these assets significantly adds to IT costs. These systems do not give the users an automatic, instantaneous and cost effective way of knowing where a given IT component is located at any point in time within the data center. They do not provide a way for users to automatically have up-to-date physical location information for where an IT component is within a given data center room, on which rack they it resides, or in which slot within a rack.
Any changes in the infrastructure such as removing or changing the location of an IT component are not detected immediately by conventional systems. In these systems, technicians are relied upon to notify the changes through proper communications, and a person manually updates the database. These processes are often violated through human error, leaving the database with incorrect information. As a result, conventional systems do not allow users to be sure that when remotely managing location information of a given server or device the right server or device will be managed.
Some conventional RFID systems do not provide a cost-effective way of identifying IT components down to the slot-level in a rack.
Accordingly, there is a desire to address problems associated with of the management of location information of the physical location of IT components in a data center. It is desirable to have methods and systems to avoid these and other related problems.
In accordance with methods and systems consistent with the present invention, a method is provided in a data processing system for automatically tracking locations of IT components in a data center, comprising attaching a bracket comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the bracket to an IT component, and associating the bracket with the attached IT component. The method further comprises inserting the IT component into a slot in a rack, the slot comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket, automatically determining a presence of the bracket in the rack based on the ID chip, and automatically determining a position of the bracket in the slot in the rack.
In accordance with an implementation, a data processing system is provided for automatically tracking locations of IT components in a data center, comprising a bracket configured to attach to an IT component and comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the IT component. The data processing system further comprises a rack comprising one or more slots, the slots configured to store an IT component and comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket. Furthermore, the data processing system comprises a microcontroller configured to determine a presence of the bracket and a position of the bracket in one of the slots when inserted into the slot, and transmit information regarding the presence of the bracket and position of the bracket to a database.
In another implementation, a data processing system is provided for automatically tracking locations of IT components in a data center, comprising a bracket configured to attach to an IT component and comprising an ID chip uniquely identifying the IT component, and a rack comprising one or more slots, the slots configured to store an IT component and comprising one or more contacts configured to connect to the ID chip on the bracket wherein the slot includes a capacitor having a charge time uniquely identifying the slot. The data processing system further comprises a microcontroller configured to determine a presence of the bracket in the rack, determine a position of the bracket in one of the slots by charging the capacitor and measuring the charge time to uniquely identify the slot in which the capacitor is located, and transmit information regarding the presence of the bracket and position of the bracket to a database. The database is configured to store identification and location information of IT components in the data center, and update upon receipt of the information regarding the presence of the bracket and position of the bracket.
Methods and systems in accordance with the present invention provide the automatic tracking and management of the physical location of information technology components in a data center. These methods and systems automatically identify where a given IT component, such as a server, router, switch or other device, is located. In particular, they automatically identify which slot the IT component is located in a given rack in the data center. When a server, for example, is added or removed from a particular slot, the tracking database is automatically notified and updated, and users of the database have instantaneously accurate information about the location of each IT component in a data center. If the server is changed to a different slot or rack, the system immediately identifies that the given server or device is located in a different location. Users can confidently rely on the information in the database when remotely managing the data center's IT assets. These systems allow users to be sure that, when remotely managing a given server or device, the physical location of the server or device will be known down to the slot level. For example, these systems may automatically update a database with IT component data and timing of movements of IT components. This also avoids the need for costly manual audits of IT components in a data center.
Most equipment used in today's data centers such as servers, routers, UPS and rack managers are typically installed in racks or equipment cabinets. Depending on their size and type, typical racks used in data centers hold 1 to 48 separate IT components. Two brackets (one on each side of the equipment) are used to mount the IT components in the racks.
Methods and systems in accordance with the present invention identify which IT components are installed in each rack and in which slot the IT component is installed. Insertion and removal of an asset is automatically detected and communicated to the proper software layer responsible for asset management. In one implementation, methods and systems in accordance with the present invention include “smart” brackets containing small identification (“ID”) chips that are attached to the rack-based IT components and a “smart” rack rail. In one implementation, each smart bracket uniquely identifies the IT component to which it is attached. The smart rack rail identifies the slot of the rack in which the IT component resides and communicates with a microcontroller to relay the position information to a database.
During the position scan (deep scan), to determine the position of an IT component, the microcontroller 112 individually turns on the I/O pin (not shown) of the ID chip 302 of the bracket 106 attached to that IT component. By turning on the I/O pin, the individual transistor 406 of the connected slot drives the associated capacitor 404 to ground. This assures that only the grounded capacitor 404 accepts the charge. The microcontroller 112 sends a charge pulse to the capacitors 404 through a resistor and charging begins. Then, the microcontroller 112 uses a voltage comparator (not shown) to detect the present charging voltage, and the charge time is measured. The system may determine that it took a certain amount of time to charge the capacitor 404, so it determines that the bracket 106 and IT component are in the slot that corresponds to that individual capacitor 404. Any of the brackets 106 may be tested in this manner. In one implementation, since each capacitor 404 has a unique value, and only 1 of 48 devices needs to be detected, for, example, there is enough resolution available to determine to which IT component and slot the capacitor 404 corresponds.
The microcontroller 112 manages scanning and communication with management devices/appliances. In one implementation, the microcontroller 112 may be a single chip mounted in any appropriate location on the rack. It may connect to a database or software layer through USB 408 (which can also be used to extract power) or over a network such as a LAN 408. In one implementation, the microcontroller 112 connects to the database through an intermediate software layer. This software layer may include data center management software, such as DSView from Avocent, Inc, which may allow access to various IT components and provide remote management and remote configuration. The microcontroller 112 may be connected to the DSView application through a network, or may be plugged into another appliance (e.g., via the USB or serial port of an Avocent console server or KVM system) which is connected to the DSView through the network. The DSView may pass the information received from the microcontroller 112 to the database or other application that manages the IT components of the data center. The microcontroller 112 provides an interface, via USB and an IP connection, enabling management appliances installed in the rack 100 or higher-level software applications, such as AMIE (Avocent MergePoint Infrastructure Explorer) or ALM (Asset Lifecycle Manager), to get access to rack inventory and change alerts. Other implementations are possible.
The microcontroller 112 in the instrumented rack 100 detects the addition of a new piece of equipment (during the quick scan process) (step 508). The microcontroller 112 performs a position scan of the rack 100), collects the ID of the smart bracket 106 attached to the new piece of equipment and calculates the position (slot numbers) of the IT components within the rack 100 using the capacitor detection process discussed previously (step 510). The position and presence information is stored in the microcontroller 112 (step 512). The microcontroller 112 sends an alert to the systems management software that the configuration of the rack 100 has changed (step 514). The systems management software connects to the microcontroller 112 and retrieves the information to update the database (step 516).
The IT component is then installed in a new slot location in the rack 100 (step 712). The microcontroller 112 in the instrumented rack 100 detects the addition of a newly located IT component (during a quick scan) (step 714). The microcontroller 112 then does a position scan of the rack 100, collects the ID of the smart bracket 106 attached to the new IT component and calculates the position (slot numbers) of the equipment within the rack 100 (step 716). The information is stored in the microcontroller 112 (step 718). The microcontroller 112 sends an alert to the systems management software that the configuration of the rack 100 has changed (step 720). The systems management software connects to the microcontroller 112 and retrieves the information (step 722) to update the database.
The foregoing description of various embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice in accordance with the present invention. It is to be understood that the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
