Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Computer power control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-29
2004-09-07
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2115)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Computer power control
C200S314000, C116S279000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06789206
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to computers, such as desktop PCs, small and mid-range pedestal computers and large rack mounted computer servers, and more particularly to computers which include a power switch.
Computers, or compute elements, are often connected to a communication network, such as the internet, so as to enable information (i.e., data or files) to be passed from one computer to another computer. When large amounts of information are shared by multiple computers, a network server, or server, is often connected to the communication network to provide information to numerous network clients, or clients.
A network server enables many individual clients to access information that is stored within the single server. For example, servers are commonly used to host web sites which can be accessed by many individual computers through the internet.
The establishment of a client-server computer network creates numerous advantages. For example, a client-server relationship enables multiple clients to concurrently access information stored on a single server. In addition, a client-server relationship enables information to be added or modified to the single server rather than to each of the individual clients, thereby reducing the overall cost to maintain the system.
Pluralities of individual servers are often disposed within a rack console, or cabinet, in a stacked relationship. Rack consoles are generally rectangular in shape and are constructed to enable individual compute elements, such as computer servers or disc array subsystems, to be slidably disposed therewithin. Rack consoles are typically constructed to house components which have a width which complies with industry NEMA standards (i.e., 19 inches). Rack consoles are also typically constructed to house components which have a height which complies with industry NEMA standards (i.e., a 3-U height of approximately 5.25 inches).
Individual servers are typically manufactured to include a rectangular chassis, or housing, constructed of a hard and durable material. The chassis commonly comprises a front control panel which serves as the user interface for the server. The front control panel includes, inter alia, various indicators, such as different colored light emitting diodes (LEDs), for identifying the various power and operational states of the machine and a separate control button, such as a power button, for regulating the power state of the machine, as will be described further in detail below.
Traditional computer servers are designed to operate at a variety of different power states. Specifically, in order to be compliant with industry promulgated, advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) specification guidelines, the operating system of a compliant computer server is required to operate between at least the following power states: a full, or working, power state; a reduced, or sleeping, power state; a limited, or soft off, power state; and a full, or mechanical, off power state.
Because traditional servers are required to operate at a variety of different operational and power states, the front control panel for common compute elements often includes, inter alia, a power button for switching the power state of the compute element between the working power state and the soft-off power state, a green LED power indicator light which, when solidly lit, notifies the user that the compute element is operating at its working power state and an orange LED indicator light which, when lit, notifies the user that the compute element is experiencing a fault condition. The user interface front control panel is also commonly provided with reset/sleep means for switching the power state of the compute element from the working power state to the sleeping power state. The reset/sleep means is required by industry standards to be provided either through the implementation of a separate sleep button or through the integration of the power button and the sleep button into a single power/sleep button. An LED sleep power indicator light functions in conjunction with the reset sleep means. Specifically, the LED sleep power indicator light, which can be any color (i.e., green), blinks slowly at 1 Hz to notify that the computer is in its sleeping state. The front control panel often additionally includes a nonmaskable interrupt (NMI) for providing an interrupt that cannot be overruled by another service request and additional LED indicator lights for indicating further machine function status, i.e., local area network (LAN) or disk activity.
It should be noted that the particular colors of the indicators are selected in order to comply with international standards for indicator colors (i.e., IEC standard 73). Specifically, international standards associate a particular implied meaning with each indicator color. For example, the indicator color red is a danger condition which implies that a severe hazard is likely if the warning is ignored. As another example, the indicator color orange is a warning condition which implies that a severe hazard can occur if the warning is ignored. As another example, the indicator color yellow is a caution condition which implies that a minor hazard will or can occur if the warning is ignored.
As can be appreciated, the implementation of numerous different indicator lights and buttons on the front control panel tends to greatly complicate the user interface of the compute element. The increased complexity of the user interface creates a few notable disadvantages. As a first example, the increased number of lights and buttons renders the compute element more expensive to manufacture. As a second example, the increased number of lights and buttons significantly complicates the user interface, thereby providing the user with a less intuitive means of recognizing the various power and operational states of the compute element.
The configuration of the front panel user interface for computer servers, such as small or large rack mounted servers, which use a MICROSOFT CORPORATION operating system and/or an INTEL CORPORATION microprocessor is required to be in compliance with the Hardware Design Guide published by MICROSOFT CORPORATION and INTEL CORPORATION. Specifically, version 3.0 of the Hardware Design Guide, which was published on Jun. 30, 2000 by INTEL CORPORATION and MICROSOFT CORPORATION, provides a reference for designing servers and peripherals which run the MICROSOFT WINDOWS 2000 server family of operating systems.
As an example, version 3.0 of the Hardware Design Guide requires that the server operating system be capable of operating between, inter alia, a working power state, a sleeping power state, a soft off power state, and a full off power state.
As another example, version 3.0 of the Hardware Design Guide requires that one or more indicators, such as in the form of a light emitting diode (LED), display, inter alia, a solid green light to notify that the compute element is operating at its working power state, a light flashing at 1 Hertz in any solid color, such as green, to notify that the compute element is operating at its low power, or sleep, state and a solid orange light to notify that the compute element is experiencing a fault condition.
As another example, version 3.0 of the Hardware Design Guide requires that the compute element include a power button over-ride mechanism. Specifically, the compute element is required to provide an over-ride mechanism which transitions the compute element from the working power state to the soft-off power state through the depression of the power button for more than four seconds. It should be noted that the power button over-ride mechanism is required to power down the compute element even when the machine experiences hardware/software failure (i.e., system hangs).
Industry promulgated compute element design guidelines have increased the total number of functions which the front panel user interface is required to perform. In addition, advancements in the complexity of compute element operating systems
Lazar Gregory William
Malenfant Paul O.
Valois Maurice Edward
Wierzbicki Robert P.
Connolly Mark
EMC Corporation
Kriegsman & Kriegsman
Lee Thomas
LandOfFree
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