초록 ▼

Network architecture, computer system and/or server, circuit, device, apparatus, method, and computer program and control mechanism for managing power consumption and workload in computer system and data and information servers. Further provides power and energy consumption and workload management a

Network architecture, computer system and/or server, circuit, device, apparatus, method, and computer program and control mechanism for managing power consumption and workload in computer system and data and information servers. Further provides power and energy consumption and workload management and control systems and architectures for high-density and modular multi-server computer systems that maintain performance while conserving energy and method for power management and workload management. Dynamic server power management and optional dynamic workload management for multi-server environments is provided by aspects of the invention. Modular network devices and integrated server system, including modular servers, management units, switches and switching fabrics, modular power supplies and modular fans and a special backplane architecture are provided as well as dynamically reconfigurable multi-purpose modules and servers. Backplane architecture, structure, and method that has no active components and separate power supply lines and protection to provide high reliability in server environment.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor, wherein said activity monitor comprises a network layer activity monitor moni

I claim: 1. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor, wherein said activity monitor comprises a network layer activity monitor monitoring use of a TCP/IP protocol within said computers; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode. 2. The computer system in claim 1, wherein said network layer activity monitor monitors TCP/IP protocol data packets; and processor performance is incrementally lowered by said power manager using said mode control until data packets start dropping indicating that the processor performance is at the limit of adequacy and then increasing the processor performance by a specified increment to act as a safety margin to provide reliable communication of the packets. 3. The computer system in claim 1 wherein said power manager is a global power manager, and further wherein: each of said computers further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for said at least one processor of said respective computer selected from a subplurality of said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator; and each said local power manager configured to transition said computer between modes in said subplurality of operating modes, and said global power manager configured to transition each of said computers between said modes in said plurality of modes. 4. The computer system with claim 1 wherein said power manager is a global power, and further wherein each said computer includes a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator, said local power manager and said global power manager each configured to transition said computer between modes in said plurality of modes. 5. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; and wherein performance of a group of said computers configured as physical network devices forming a single logical device are power managed by reducing the performance and power consumption of each constituent physical device in predetermined equal increments or predetermined unequal increments. 6. The computer system in claim 5 wherein said power manager is a global power manager, and further wherein: each of said computers further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for said at least one processor of said respective computer selected from a subplurality of said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator; and each said local power manager configured to transition said computer between modes in said subplurality of operating modes, and said global power manager configured to transition each of said computers between said modes in said plurality of modes. 7. The computer system in claim 5 wherein said power manager is a global power, and further wherein each said computer includes a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator, said local power manager and said global power manager each configured to transition said computer between modes in said plurality of modes. 8. The computer system in claim 5 wherein said activity monitor comprises an activity monitor that monitors an activity selected from the set of activities consisting of a program application layer activity, a network layer activity, a physical layer activity, and combinations thereof; and further wherein: when said activity monitor comprises a physical layer activity monitor, at the physical level the number of processor idle threads executed within a predetermined period of time are measured to determine processor loading and the processor performance is adjusted by altering the operating mode to substantially match the level of processor loading; when said activity monitor comprises a network layer activity monitor monitoring TCP/IP protocol data packets, processor performance is incrementally lowered by said power manager using said mode control until data packets start dropping indicating that the processor performance is at the limit of adequacy and then increasing the processor performance by a specified increment to act as a safety margin to provide reliable communication of the packets; and when said activity monitor comprises an application layer activity monitor, said application layer activity monitor monitoring use of a port address within said computers, said monitoring including counting or measuring a number of times a specific port address is being requested within a predetermined period of time, and in response to that counting or measurement, placing a sufficient amount of computer performance to meet the performance requirement for each application requesting the port address. 9. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; and wherein network device loading and quality of service (QoS) are measured for a plurality of said computers configured as physical network devices organized as a single logical network device. 10. The computer system in claim 9 wherein said power manager is a global power manager, and further wherein: each of said computers further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for said at least one processor of said respective computer selected from a subplurality of said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator; and each said local power manager configured to transition said computer between modes in said subplurality of operating modes, and said global power manager configured to transition each of said computers between said modes in said plurality of modes. 11. The computer system in claim 9 wherein said power manager is a global power, and further wherein each said computer includes a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator, said local power manager and said global power manager each configured to transition said computer between modes in said plurality of modes. 12. The computer system in claim 9 wherein said activity monitor comprises an activity monitor that monitors an activity selected from the set of activities consisting of a program application layer activity, a network layer activity, a physical layer activity, and combinations thereof; and further wherein: when said activity monitor comprises a physical layer activity monitor, at the physical level the number of processor idle threads executed within a predetermined period of time are measured to determine processor loading and the processor performance is adjusted by altering the operating mode to substantially match the level of processor loading; when said activity monitor comprises a network layer activity monitor monitoring TCP/IP protocol data packets, processor performance is incrementally lowered by said power manager using said mode control until data packets start dropping indicating that the processor performance is at the limit of adequacy and then increasing the processor performance by a specified increment to act as a safety margin to provide reliable communication of the packets; and when said activity monitor comprises an application layer activity monitor, said application layer activity monitor monitoring use of a port address within said computers, said monitoring including counting or measuring a number of times a specific port address is being requested within a predetermined period of time, and in response to that counting or measurement, placing a sufficient amount of computer performance to meet the performance requirement for each application requesting the port address. 13. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor, an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate, said plurality of modes comprises: a first mode operation characterized by operating said processor at a first processor clock frequency and a first processor core voltage, a second mode operation characterized by operating said processor at a second processor clock frequency and a second processor core voltage, and a third mode operation characterized by operating said processor at a third processor clock frequency and a third processor core voltage; said second mode of operation being further characterized in that said second processor clock frequency and said second processor core voltage in combination consuming less power than said first processor clock frequency and said first processor core voltage in combination, and said third processor clock frequency and said third processor core voltage in combination consuming less power than said second processor clock frequency and said second processor core voltage in combination; and a global power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; wherein each said computer further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said first mode and said second mode based on said processor internal activity indicator; and further wherein a transition from said first mode to said second mode is controlled locally within each said computer; and a transition from either said first mode or said second mode to said third mode are controlled globally by said global power manager. 14. The computer system in claim 13, wherein a transition from said second mode to said first mode is controlled locally within each said computer; and a transition from said third mode to either said first mode or said second mode is controlled globally by said global power manager. 15. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; wherein said activity indicator comprises a network quality of service indicator, and wherein a quality-of-service (QoS) is first established, and a processor performance is established based on predetermined policies that select a processor clock frequency, and a minimum processor core voltage is selected to match said selected processor clock frequency; and wherein the established processor performance is used to control an operating mode. 16. The computer system in claim 15 wherein said power manager is a global power manager, and further wherein: each of said computers further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for said at least one processor of said respective computer selected from a subplurality of said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator; and each said local power manager configured to transition said computer between modes in said subplurality of operating modes, and said global power manager configured to transition each of said computers between said modes in said plurality of modes. 17. The computer system in claim 15 wherein said power manager is a global power, and further wherein each said computer includes a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator, said local power manager and said global power manager each configured to transition said computer between modes in said plurality of modes. 18. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; wherein when the system includes a plurality of network devices and there is a requirement that one network device be placed in a lower power consumption mode, the network device selected for such lower power consumption is selected according to predetermined policies such that different network devices are placed in lower power consumption mode each time such selection is required. 19. The computer system in claim 18, wherein said reduced power operation is determined according to a procedure for controlling power consumption by said system, said system having a plurality of computers operating as said network devices, each computer including at least one processor, and each computer being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and a maximum power consumption rate; said procedure comprising: monitoring, by a power manager coupled to each computer, activity within said computers and identifying a level of activity for said at least one processor within said computers; analyzing, by said power manager, said plurality of level of activity indicators; determining, by said power manager, an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators; and generating, by said power manager, commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode. 20. The system in claim 19 wherein said plurality of modes comprises a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode, each mode having a different maximum performance level and a different maximum power consumption rate from the others, said determining an operating mode further comprising determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said first mode, said second mode, and said third mode based on said analyzed activity indicators; a transition from said first mode to said second mode is controlled locally within each said computer; and a transition from either said first mode or said second mode to said third mode are controlled globally by said power manager; and a transition from said second mode to said first mode is controlled locally within each said computer; and a transition from said third mode to either said first mode or said second mode is controlled globally by said power manager. 21. The computer system in claim 18 wherein said power manager is a global power manager, and further wherein: each of said computers further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for said at least one processor of said respective computer selected from a subplurality of said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator; and each said local power manager configured to transition said computer between modes in said subplurality of operating modes, and said global power manager configured to transition each of said computers between said modes in said plurality of modes. 22. The computer system in claim 18 wherein said power manager is a global power, and further wherein each said computer includes a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said plurality of modes based on said processor internal activity indicator, said local power manager and said global power manager each configured to transition said computer between modes in said plurality of modes. 23. A computer server system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor, said activity monitor comprises an activity monitor that monitors an activity selected from the set of activities consisting of: a program application layer activity, a network layer activity, a physical layer activity, and combinations thereof; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and a respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicators from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; wherein when said activity monitor comprises a physical layer activity monitor, at the physical level the number of processor idle threads executed within a predetermined period of time are measured to determine processor loading and the processor performance is adjusted to by altering the operating mode to substantially match the level of processor loading; wherein when said activity monitor comprises a network layer activity monitor monitoring TCP/IP protocol data packets, processor performance is incrementally lowered by said power manager using said mode control until data packets start dropping indicating that the processor performance is at the limit of adequacy and then increasing the processor performance by a specified increment to act as a safety margin to provide reliable communication of the packets; wherein when said activity monitor comprises an application layer activity monitor, said application layer activity monitor monitoring use of a port address within said computers, said monitoring including counting or measuring a number of times a specific port address is being requested within a predetermined period of time, and in response to that counting or measurement, placing a sufficient amount of computer performance to meet the performance requirement for each application requesting the port address; wherein said plurality of modes comprises a first mode operating said processor at a first processor clock frequency and a first processor core voltage, a second mode operating said processor at a second processor clock frequency and a second processor core voltage, and a third mode operating said processor at a third processor clock frequency and a third processor core voltage said second mode being further characterized in that said second processor clock frequency and said second processor core voltage in combination consuming less power than said first processor clock frequency and said first processor core voltage in combination, and said third mode being further characterized in that said third processor clock frequency and said third processor core voltage in combination consuming less power than said second processor clock frequency and said second processor core voltage in combination; said third processor clock frequency is less than said second processor clock frequency which is less than said first processor clock frequency; said second processor core voltage is less than said first processor core voltage; said third processor core voltage is less than said second processor core voltage; each said computer including a local power manager determining an operating mode for itself selected from said first mode and said second mode based on said processor internal activity indicator including idle thread execution information; a transition from said first mode to said second mode is controlled locally within each said computer; and a transition from either said first mode or said second mode to said third mode are controlled globally by said power manager; and a transition from said second mode to said first mode is controlled locally within each said computer; and a transition from said third mode to either said first mode or said second mode is controlled globally by said power manager. 24. A computer system comprising: a plurality of computers operating as servers each having at least one processor and an activity monitor identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor; each of said computers being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and respective maximum power consumption rate; and a power manager (i) coupled to each of said computers and receiving said level of activity indicator from each of said plurality of computers; (ii) analyzing said plurality of received level of activity indicators; (iii) determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators and predetermined policies; and (iv) generating commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; wherein said plurality of modes comprises a first, a second, and a third mode, each of said modes having a respective maximum performance level and a respective maximum power consumption rate; and further wherein each of said server computers further including a local power manager determining an operating mode for said at least one processor of said respective server computer selected from said first and said second modes based on said processor internal activity indicator; each said local power manager configured to transition said computer from said first to said second mode and from said second to said first mode, and said power manager of said system configured to transition said computer from said first or second mode to said third mode and from said third mode to said first or second mode. 25. In a computer system comprising multiple computers operating as servers, and a power manager that is coupled to each of said computers, a method of operating said servers, each server computer including at least one processor, and each server computer being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and a maximum power consumption rate, said method comprising: monitoring, by said power manager, activity within each said server computer and identifying a level of activity for said at least one processor within said server computer; analyzing, by said power manager, said plurality of level of activity indicator for each of said server computers; determining, by said power manager, an operating mode for each server computer selected from said plurality of operating modes based on said analyzed activity indicators; generating, by said power manager, commands to each of said plurality of computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; and wherein each of said computers further includes a local power manager coupled thereto, and further wherein said plurality of modes includes a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode, said determining step includes determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said first, second, and third modes, said method further comprising: for each computer transitioning from said first mode to said second mode, or from said second mode to said first mode, generating commands from said local power manager to said respective computer directing said computer to operate in said determined operating modes; and for each computer transitioning from said first or second modes to said third mode, or from said third mode to said first or second modes, generating commands from said power manager of said system to each said computer directing said computer to operate in said determined operating mode. 26. In a server farm comprising a multiplicity of computer systems operating as content servers, and a power manager coupled to each of said server computers, a method of operating said servers, each server computer including at least one processor, and each computer being operable in a plurality of modes wherein each mode has a respective maximum performance level and a respective maximum power consumption rate; said method comprising: monitoring, by said power manager, activity within each said computer server and identifying a level of activity indicator for said at least one processor within said server computer; analyzing, by said power manager, said plurality of level of activity indicators and predetermined policies taking into account performance of a combination of said servers and power conservation; determining, by said power manager, an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said plurality of modes based on said analyzed activity indicators; and generating commands to each of said multiplicity of server computers directing each of said plurality of computers to operate in said determined operating mode; wherein each of said computers further includes a local power manager coupled thereto, and further wherein said plurality of modes includes a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode, said determining step includes determining an operating mode for each of said computers selected from said first, second, and third modes, said method further comprising: for each computer transitioning from said first mode to said second mode, or from said second mode to said first mode, generating commands from said local power manager to said respective computer directing said computer to operate in said determined operating modes; and for each computer transitioning from said first or second modes to said third mode, or from said third mode to said first or second modes, generating commands from said power manager of said system to each said computer directing said computer to operate in said determined operating mode.