Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Computer power control – Power conservation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-19
2001-11-13
Myers, Paul R. (Department: 2181)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Computer power control
Power conservation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317839
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of controlling the supply of electrical power to a peripheral device in a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The growth of computer use has created an increasing demand for flexible, high availability devices to store data for computers. Many enterprises have a multiplicity of host computers including personal computers, workstations, and servers that either function independently or are connected through a network. It is desirable for the multiple host computers to be able to access a common pool of data storage so that data can be accessed by all of the host computers. Such an arrangement increases the total amount of data available to any one host computer.
Data storage devices of these systems may be situated at remote locations to free up space near the computer hosts and/or to protect backup data. When not needed for use, however, the data storage devices are inconvenient to manually power down at the remote location.
Remote power control has been implemented, but with use of dedicated power control lines extending long distances from a host computer to the peripheral device. Remote power control has also been implemented using power up/down commands from the host, requiring complex software at the host and complex command interpreters at the peripheral.
Accordingly, there is an existing need for a remote and automatic power control apparatus for a computer system, and more particularly an apparatus that overcomes the deficiencies of conventional power control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a remote and automatic power control apparatus. A peripheral device, such as a data storage device, is utilized in a computer system having any number computers and communicative over a continuously clocked serial link. The continuously clocked serial link may be provided through a suitable interface architecture, such as Fibre channel or Serial Storage Architecture (SSA). A power supply and data storage components, such as disk drives, are carried in a housing. The data communication interfaces, each of which is adapted for coupling with a computer through conductors, are carried on the housing and coupled to the data storage components. The data storage components have a substantially powered up state and a substantially powered down state entered in response to a power down signal. Detector circuitry is operative to detect a clock signal loss at each one of the data communication interfaces and to produce the power down signal responsive to the detection. Thus, a data storage device may be automatically powered down in response to each one of the computers being powered down.
Preferably, the remote and automatic power control apparatus employs no special hardware or software at the host, no special software at the peripheral, and only a small amount of simple hardware at the peripheral.
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IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. No. 7, 12/88 Processor Power Control and Monitoring System.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. No. 9, 2/89 Remote Power-On Control/Power Fail Indication System.
Altera Law Group LLC
International Business Machines - Corporation
Myers Paul R.
LandOfFree
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