WO2009144817A1

WO2009144817A1 - Power supply controller and method for controlling power supply

Info

Publication number: WO2009144817A1
Application number: PCT/JP2008/060039
Authority: WO
Inventors: 大介高橋; 秀治西野
Original assignee: 富士通株式会社
Priority date: 2008-05-30
Filing date: 2008-05-30
Publication date: 2009-12-03

Abstract

A power supply controller controls the number of operating activities of a plurality of power supply units provided on an information processing unit depending on mounting status of component parts such as a system board and an I/O board for composing the information processing unit. For the information processing unit on which mounting or dismounting of a functional section is available, a controller detects identification information of the functional section mounted on the information processing unit as mounting status of the functional section. Referring to a management table registering the number of operating activities of power supply units corresponding to mounting status of the functional section, the controller determines the number of operating activities of the power supply units corresponding to mounting status based on the detected identification information for controlling to run the power supply units with the determined number of operating activities.

Description

Power supply control device and control method

This case relates to a technology for controlling a plurality of power supply devices.

The following documents are known as conventional techniques for controlling a power supply in connection with a computer.
In a plurality of loads, a method of supplying necessary power by providing a switch in a path for supplying power and opening / closing the switch according to an operation mode (Patent Document 1).

A method of saving power by dividing the power supplied to each printed board unit into functional units and providing a switch for each function (Patent Document 2).

Communicating between devices and turning on / off the power for each device based on the power consumption data for each device (Patent Document 3).

Further, as a prior art related to the present invention, for example, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Documents 1-3 below.
JP 2001-69666 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-134415 JP 2004-106456 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-30357

In the above prior art, there is one power supply device on the power supply side with respect to components on the power reception side such as a printed board unit that is a load for the power supply device.

In addition, even when a plurality of power supply devices are provided, all the power supply devices are integrally controlled, and all the power supply devices are in operation when the computer is in an operating state.

Of the computers, especially a large-scale device such as a server that requires high reliability often includes a plurality of power supply devices based on power consumption and redundancy.

However, in general, power supply devices tend to have poor power efficiency during operation when the load is low. Therefore, when there are few components such as system boards mounted on the server, if all of the power supply devices are used, There was a problem that consumed more than necessary.

Therefore, a technique is provided for controlling the number of operating power supply devices provided in the apparatus according to the mounting status of the components constituting the apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, the control device of the present case is
A detection unit for detecting a mounting state of the functional unit with respect to a device capable of mounting or removing the functional unit;
An operation control unit that controls the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the apparatus according to the mounting state.

In the control device, the detection unit detects identification information of the functional unit mounted on the device,
The operation control unit may control the number of operation of the power source based on identification information of a function unit mounted on the device.

In order to solve the above problem, the control method of this case is:
Detecting a mounting state of the functional unit for a device capable of mounting or removing the functional unit;
Controlling the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the device according to the mounting state;
Is executed by the control device.

In the control method,
Detecting identification information of the functional unit mounted on the device as the mounting state,
The number of operating power supplies may be controlled based on identification information of functional units installed in the device.

In the control method,
The number of operating power supplies may be controlled with reference to a table in which the number of operating power supplies corresponding to the identification information is registered.

In order to solve the above problem, the information processing apparatus of the present case is
A plurality of power supplies for supplying power to the functional units that can be mounted or removed; and
A detection unit for detecting the mounting state of the functional unit;
An operation control unit that controls the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the apparatus according to the mounting state.

In the information processing apparatus, the detection unit detects identification information of the functional unit mounted,
The number of operations of the power source may be controlled based on identification information of the function unit on which the operation control unit is mounted.

The operation control unit may control the number of operating power supplies with reference to a table in which the number of operating power supplies according to the identification information is registered.

Also, the control program of this case causes the computer to execute the above control method. Further, the recording medium of the present case is a recording medium in which this control program is recorded by a computer. The function can be provided by causing the computer to read and execute the program of the recording medium.

Here, the computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that accumulates information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read from the computer. . Examples of such a recording medium that can be removed from the computer include a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R / W, a DVD, a DAT, an 8 mm tape, and a memory card.

Also, there are a hard disk, ROM (read only memory), etc. as recording media fixed to the computer.

According to the apparatus or method disclosed in the present case, it is possible to provide a technique for controlling the number of operations of a plurality of power supply devices provided in the information processing apparatus according to the mounting status of the components constituting the information processing apparatus.

1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. Schematic diagram of power supply control device Illustration of management table Explanatory drawing of the control method of the power supply when starting a non-operation information processor Explanatory drawing of the control method of the power supply when the functional unit is mounted / removed in the information processing apparatus in the operating state Explanatory drawing when the power supply unit has a redundant configuration Schematic diagram of information processing apparatus of Embodiment 2 Schematic diagram of information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 3

<Example 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.
The information processing apparatus 10 of this example includes a system board 12, a crossbar board 13, an input / output (I / O) board 14, a control board (power supply control device) 15, a power supply device 16 and the like in a housing 11. Computer.

The chassis 11 is provided with x slots for inserting system boards 12, and system boards 12 from # 1 to #x can be mounted.

Each system board 12 is equipped with a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Unit) and main memory.

Also, the housing 11 is provided with y slots for inserting the I / O boards 14, and the I / O boards 14 from # 1 to #y can be mounted.

The I / O board 14 includes an interface with peripheral devices such as PCI Express and SCSI, and a storage device such as a hard disk. The interface is connected to a network card (communication control unit) for performing communication with other computers. The storage device stores data and software for arithmetic processing.

The crossbar board 13 connects the CPUs and the I / O board 14.
When the power button (not shown) on the operator panel is pressed, the power supply device 16 executes a command to turn on the power by remote operation from an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer connected to the management device 15 via a LAN cable. In the case where it is done, power is supplied to each unit 12-15 in the information processing apparatus 10. A plurality of power supply devices 16 in the information processing apparatus 10 are connected in parallel under the same conditions. Each power supply device 16 receives a power supply control signal from the management device 15 and is controlled to stop or start supplying power.
In this example, z power supply devices 16 having identification information # 1 to #z are connected to the information processing device 10.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a control board 15 as a power supply control device in this embodiment. The control board 15 includes a bus IC 51, a system control CPU 52, a memory (FMEM) 53, and a bus IC 54. Here, the buses of the bus IC 51 and the bus IC 54 refer to the entire system control interface.

The FMEM 53 stores firmware including the control program of this example, and is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory so that data is not lost even when the computer is turned off. The FMEM 53 also stores a management table. Note that the FMEM 53 unit may have a volatile memory for developing the control program.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table stored in the FMEM 53. The management table stores information indicating a correspondence relationship between the number of system boards and I / O boards mounted on the information processing apparatus 10 and the number of power supply apparatuses to be operated. More specifically, in the present embodiment, a maximum x system board and a maximum y I / O board can be mounted on the information processing apparatus, and the power supply apparatus that can mount a maximum z within this range in the management table. Information indicating how many of the power supply devices are to be operated is stored.

The bus IC 51 is an interface that is connected to functional units such as the system board 12 and the I / O board 14 and obtains mounting identification information of each functional unit. The bus IC 51 monitors each slot, holds the mounting identification information recorded on the

boards

12 and 14 connected to the slots in a register built in the bus IC 51, and does not mount the slots not connected to the

boards

12 and 14. Is stored in a register. For example, the mounting identification signal can be set to 1 when the board is mounted and 0 when not mounted. When the register value is changed by mounting or removing the

boards

12 and 14 as described above, the bus IC 51 notifies the CPU 52 of an interrupt signal.

The bus IC 54 is an interface that is connected to a plurality of power supply devices 16, transmits a power control signal to each power supply device 16, and acquires status information from each power supply device 16. As status information of the power supply device 16, the value of the mounting identification information of the connected power supply device 16 is held in a register built in the bus IC 54. Further, the bus IC 54 may be held in a register as status information of each power supply device 16 based on, for example, a signal indicating whether the power supply device 16 is in a normal state or an abnormal state.

The system control CPU 52 also functions as a detection unit and an operation control unit by reading firmware as a control program from the FMEM 53 and executing it.

As a function of the detection unit, when receiving an interrupt signal from the bus IC 51, the CPU 52 reads the mounting identification signal from the register of the bus IC 51 and detects the mounting state of the functional unit in the computer device 10. In this example, the number of

boards

12 and 14 mounted is identified by the value of the mounting identification signal registered in the register of the bus IC 51. Further, the types of functional units such as system boards and I / O boards can be identified by the connection relationship between the registers of the bus IC 51 and the mounting identification signals of various boards.

The control board 15 is supplied with power even when the information processing apparatus is not operating, and monitors the number of boards mounted in the slot.

Further, as a function of the operation control unit, the CPU 52 transmits a control signal to the power supply device 16 via the bus IC 54 in accordance with the detected mounting state of the functional unit, and controls the number of operations of the power supply device 16. For example, the power supply device 16 has a large number of function units mounted and the computer device 10 has a high load, and the power supply device 16 has a large number of operations. Control the number less.

In the present embodiment, examples of the functional unit include various printed board units such as the system board 11, the I / O board 12, and the graphic board (not shown). The functional unit is not limited to the printed board unit, and may be any unit that functions with power from the power supply device 16.

In the information processing apparatus 10 configured as described above, a power supply control method executed in accordance with a control program (firmware) will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a method of controlling the power supply when starting the non-operating information processing apparatus 10.
First, when the power supply device 16 is connected to a commercial power outlet by the operator, power supply to the control board 15 is started (S1), the bus IC 51 starts monitoring the slot, and the

boards

12 and 14 are mounted / not mounted. The register value is updated according to the mounting (S2).

The detection unit reads the mounting identification information from the register of the bus IC 51 and recognizes the number of

boards

12 and 14 mounted (S3).

Here, when the operator presses the power button of the computer, the information processing apparatus 10 starts operating (S4), and the operation control unit of the control board 15 refers to the management table shown in FIG. The required number of power supply devices corresponding to the number of boards mounted on 10 is obtained (S5). Then, the operation control unit transmits a power control signal instructing start of power supply (power ON) to the required number of power supply devices 16 (S6).

The information processing apparatus 10 enters an operating state after performing a predetermined start-up process with the power from the power supply apparatus 16 that is turned on in response to the power control signal (S7).

Furthermore, in FIG. 5, a method of controlling the power supply when the

boards

12 and 14 are mounted / removed by the information processing apparatus 10 in the operating state will be described.

When the operator inserts (mounts) the

boards

12 and 14 or removes (removes) the boards in the operating state after S7 (S11), the control board 15 is changed according to the change in the board mounting state. The register value of the bus IC 51 is changed (S12). If the register value is changed, the bus IC 51 raises an interrupt signal to the system control CPU 52 and notifies the change (S12).

In response to this notification, the detection unit reads the value of the register of the bus IC 51 that raised the interrupt signal, and recognizes the number of

boards

12 and 14 after the change (S13).

Based on the recognized number of installed units, the operation control unit refers to the management table and obtains the required number of power supply units corresponding to the number of boards mounted (S14).

Here, if the number of power supply devices 16 that are already in operation is less than the required number obtained in S14, the operation control unit supplies power to the power supply devices 16 that satisfy the amount that is not sufficient. A power control signal instructing start (power ON) is transmitted (S15).

If the number of power supply devices 16 already operating exceeds the required number obtained in S14, the operation control unit stops supplying power to the power supply devices 16 exceeding the required number (power OFF). ) Is transmitted (S15). If the number of power supply devices 16 that are already in operation is the same as the required number obtained in S14, the power supply control signal need not be transmitted.

Then, the information processing apparatus 10 continues the operation state with the power from the required number of power supply devices 16 obtained in S14 (S16).

An example of a management table for obtaining the required number of power supply devices 16 in the above control method is shown in FIG.
In the management table of this example, when one system board 12 and one I / O board 14 are mounted, the number of operating power supply units is two, and one system board 12 and the I / O board 14. When three are installed, the operation number of the corresponding power supply device is stored for all combinations of the system board 12 and the I / O board 14 such that the operation number of the power supply device is three.

Note that the management table is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to indicate the number of operating power supply devices 16 according to the mounting state of the functional unit.

For example, the power consumption for each functional unit and the required number of power supply devices 16 corresponding to the power consumption of the entire information processing apparatus are stored in the management table. Then, the operation control unit reads the power consumption corresponding to the type of the functional unit detected by the detection unit from the management table, obtains the total power consumption by multiplying the number of mounted units, and the power supply device 16 corresponding to the total power consumption The required number is obtained from the management table.

3 shows an example in which all the power supply devices 16 operate when the maximum number of

system boards

12 and 14 are mounted and the power consumption is maximized. The information processing apparatus may include more power devices 16 than are necessary when the power consumption is maximum.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram when the power supply apparatus has a redundant configuration.
When the maximum number x of system boards 12 is mounted and the maximum number of I / O boards 14 is mounted y and the power consumption is maximized, the required number of power devices 16 is z. In the example, the computer apparatus 10 includes z + α power devices 16.

For example, when predetermined power is not output from a power supply device 16 due to a failure, the bus IC 54 determines that the power supply device is abnormal based on a signal or power output from the failed power supply device 16 and records it in a register. The status information of the power supply device 16 is updated. When the value of the register corresponding to the failed power supply device is updated, the bus IC 54 raises an interrupt to the CPU 52 and notifies the status information change.

In response to the change of the status information, the operation control unit (not shown) sends a power supply control signal instructing the power supply device 16 in an abnormal state to stop supplying output, and also to the power supply device 16 stopped in the normal state. A power control signal is sent to instruct the start of power supply.

Thus, the failed power supply device or the failed power supply device 16 can be excluded, and the alternative power supply device 16 can be operated, and the fault tolerance is increased. In particular, with the configuration of FIG. 6, up to α power supply devices can be tolerated even when the power consumption is maximum.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the physical configuration of the entire apparatus such as how many types of

boards

12 and 14 are mounted on the information processing apparatus 10 and when the board is inserted or removed. A configuration change is instantly detected in response to an interrupt signal. The number of operating power supply devices 16 can be controlled to the minimum necessary according to the detected board mounting status.

Accordingly, it is not necessary to operate the power supply device 16 in vain and the power supply efficiency is improved, so that the computer can be operated with the minimum necessary power consumption.

Furthermore, reducing the number of operating power supply devices 16 leads to a reduction in the rate of hardware failure in the entire computer device.

<Example 2>
FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the second embodiment.
The second embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in the configuration for detecting the change of the functional unit, and the other configurations are the same. For this reason, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a switch unit 21 is provided in each slot. When the

boards

12 and 14 are inserted into the slots and connected to the connectors, the outer edges of the

boards

12 and 14 are switched. Press part 21. That is, the insertion state of the

boards

12 and 14 can be determined by the ON / OFF signal of the switch unit 21.

The detection unit recognizes the board inserted in the slot by inputting an ON or OFF signal of the switch unit 21 to the CPU 52.

Here, the signal from the switch unit 21 may be input directly to the CPU 52 or may be input via a bus IC. For example, the bus IC stores the value of the signal from the switch 21 in each slot in a register, and gives an interrupt signal to the CPU 52 when the register value is changed. The CPU 52 reads the register value of the bus IC according to the interrupt signal and recognizes the configuration change of the

boards

12 and 14.

The switch unit 21 of the present embodiment is composed of a plurality of switches, and detects the types of the

boards

12 and 14 inserted into the slots in addition to the presence or absence of the

boards

12 and 14.

For example, the switch unit 21 has four switches 21A to 21D arranged on the same plane, the switch 21A is inserted / not inserted into the

boards

12 and 14, the

switches

21B and 21C are the types of the

boards

12 and 14, and the switch 21D is a parity. Takes a value according to the bit.

In addition, a cutout having a shape corresponding to the type of the

board

12 or 14 is provided at a position corresponding to the

switch

21B or 21C on the

board

12 or 14 side.

That is, when the

boards

12 and 14 are inserted and the switch 21A is pressed, the

switches

21B and 21C are pressed if the

boards

12 and 14 are not cut, and at least one of the

switches

21B and 21C is pressed if there is a cut. The structure is not pushed.

This allows the

switches

21B and 21C to detect 2 bits and 4 types of boards. In addition, what is necessary is just to provide the number of switches which detect the kind of board as needed.

Further, a notch having a shape corresponding to the parity bit is provided at a position corresponding to the parity bit switch 21D on the

boards

12 and 14 side.

For example, when the value when each of the switches 21A to 21D is pressed is 1 and the value when the switches 21A to 21D are not pressed is 0, notches are provided so that the sum of the values of the switches 21A to 21D becomes an odd number.

If there are no cutouts on the

boards

12 and 14 at the positions corresponding to the

switches

21B and 21C, cutouts are provided at the positions corresponding to the switches 21D on the

boards

12 and 14 so that the values of the switches 21A to 21D are 1, 1, 1, and 0. Provide.

If there is a notch at a position corresponding to one of the

switches

21B and 21C on the

boards

12 and 14, the switch 21D is set so that the values of the switches 21A to 21D are 1, 1, 0, 1 or 1, 0, 1, 1. No notch is provided at the position corresponding to.

If there is a notch at a position corresponding to both of the

switches

21B and 21C, a notch is provided at a position corresponding to the switch 21D of the

boards

12 and 14 so that the values of the switches 21A to 21D become 1, 0, 0, 0.

Thus, even if the mounting state of the

boards

12 and 14 is detected by the switch unit 21, the number of operating power supply devices can be controlled in the same manner as described above.

<Example 3>
FIG. 8 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the third embodiment.
The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in the configuration for detecting the change of the functional unit, and the other configurations are the same. For this reason, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the voltage state of the connectors connected to the

boards

12 and 14 in each slot is monitored, and the

boards

12 and 14 are changed according to the load change when the

boards

12 and 14 are connected. Detect the installation status of.

That is, when the

boards

12 and 14 to be mounted are inserted into the slots, the circuit on the

boards

12 and 14 becomes a load and the voltage value rises. Conversely, when the

boards

12 and 14 are removed, the load disappears and the voltage value is increased. Will decline. For this reason, a voltage monitor IC 22 functioning as a voltage monitoring unit is connected to a connector connected to the

boards

12 and 14, and the voltage value is monitored.

When the voltage value detected by the voltage monitor IC 22 exceeds a predetermined value, the voltage monitor IC 22 issues an interrupt to the CPU 52, and the CPU 52 as the detection unit detects the voltage value from the voltage monitor IC 22, or the CPU 52 performs a predetermined time. A voltage value change is detected by periodically referring to the voltage monitor IC 22 at intervals. As a result, the insertion / removal of the

boards

12 and 14 is instantly recognized, and information for controlling the number of operating power supply devices 16 is acquired.

Here, the signal from the voltage monitor IC 22 may be directly input to the CPU 52 or may be input via the bus IC. For example, the bus IC stores the value of the signal from the voltage monitor IC 22 of each slot in a register, and gives an interrupt signal to the CPU 52 when the register value is changed. The CPU 52 reads the register value of the bus IC according to the interrupt signal and recognizes the configuration change of the

boards

12 and 14. Alternatively, the bus IC stores the value of the signal from the voltage monitor IC 22 of each slot in the register, and the CPU 52 reads the register value of the bus IC periodically at a predetermined time interval to change the configuration of the

boards

12 and 14. recognize.

In this embodiment, it is also possible to monitor an existing signal, for example, a voltage of a power supply line, without separately preparing a mounting identification signal to be monitored by a bus IC.

As described above, even if the mounting status of the

boards

12 and 14 is detected by the voltage monitor IC 22, the number of operating the plurality of power supply devices can be controlled in the same manner as described above.

Claims

In an apparatus in which one or more functional units are detachably mounted,
Multiple power supplies,
A detection unit for detecting the mounting state of the functional unit for the device;
A storage unit that stores information indicating a relationship between the mounting state of the functional unit and the number of power supplies that supply power to the functional unit corresponding to the mounting state;
An operation control unit that controls the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the device according to the mounting state detected by the detection unit and the information stored in the storage unit;
A control device comprising:
The detection unit detects identification information of the functional unit mounted on the device;
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit controls the number of operations of the power supply based on identification information of a function unit mounted on the device.
3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the operation control unit controls the number of operating power supplies with reference to a table in which the number of operating power supplies according to the identification information is registered.
Detecting a mounting state of the functional unit for a device capable of mounting or removing the functional unit;
Controlling the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the device according to the mounting state;
A control method in which the control device executes the control.
Detecting identification information of the functional unit mounted on the device as the mounting state,
The control method according to claim 4, wherein the number of operating power supplies is controlled based on identification information of functional units mounted on the device.
The control method according to claim 5, wherein the number of operating power supplies is controlled with reference to a table in which the number of operating power supplies corresponding to the identification information is registered.
In an information processing apparatus equipped with a plurality of functional units,
A connection part to which the functional part is connected;
A plurality of power supplies for supplying power to the functional unit;
A detection unit for detecting the mounting state of the functional unit;
A storage unit that stores a correspondence relationship between the number of function units mounted in the information processing apparatus and the required number of operating power supplies;
An operation control unit that controls the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the device according to the mounting state of the functional unit detected by the detection unit and the information stored in the storage unit;
An information processing apparatus comprising:
The detection unit detects identification information of the functional unit mounted;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the number of operations of the power source is controlled based on identification information of the function unit on which the operation control unit is mounted.
The control device according to claim 8, wherein the operation control unit controls the number of operating power supplies with reference to a table in which the number of operating power supplies according to the identification information is registered.
Detecting a mounting state of the functional unit for a device capable of mounting or removing the functional unit;
Controlling the number of operations of a plurality of power supplies provided in the device according to the mounting state;
A control program that causes a computer to execute.