HK1169201B - Method and system for steady control of oob power source in remote managed computer system - Google Patents

Description

Method and system for controlling stable out-of-band power supply of remote management computer system

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to power supply (power) management, and more particularly, to remote graceful (graceful) power supply management.

Background

Existing managed client computer systems and their integrated management controllers typically comply with the alarm standard format ("ASF") specification with respect to management communications within the platform. The ASF specification defines non-stationary power control commands in which a management controller receives power control requests from a remote management console.

In the past, out-of-band management controllers integrated into managed client computer systems only allowed remote management consoles to perform non-stationary power operations (e.g., power up, power down, power reset, etc.). These power control operations occur at the hardware level so that the running host operating system will not be aware of the impending power state change. Thus, non-stationary power state changes may result in data loss due to possible file system corruption, which may result in delays associated with operating system integrity checks on subsequent boots.

For example, ASF power control is often used as the last means to restart a locked-up (locked-up) system due to potential damage associated with non-steady state power state changes. However, this limits the ability of the remote administrator to manage a fully functional system.

What is needed, therefore, is a mechanism by which to manage graceful power state changes.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the invention include a method comprising filtering a network data packet containing a graceful power control command, parsing the network data packet to obtain the graceful power control command, storing the graceful power control command in a shared memory, and notifying a power management agent to service the arrival of the graceful power control command.

Additional embodiments of the invention include a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising filtering a network packet containing a graceful power control command, parsing the network packet to obtain the graceful power control command, storing the graceful power control command in a shared memory, and notifying a power management agent to service the arrival of the graceful power control command.

Other embodiments of the invention include a system comprising a memory for storing modules and one or more processors for processing the modules, the modules including a filtering module for filtering network packets containing graceful power control commands, a parsing module for parsing the network packets to obtain the graceful power control commands, a storage module for storing the graceful power control commands in a shared memory, and a notification module for notifying a power management agent to service the arrival of the graceful power control commands.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method comprising:

filtering a network data packet containing a steady power control command;

analyzing the network data packet to obtain the steady power control command;

storing the graceful power supply control command in a shared memory; and

notifying a power management agent to service the arrival of the graceful power control command.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

determining an availability of the power management agent; and

sending a notification to a management console to advertise (advertise) available power management functions based on the availability of the power management agent.

Preferably, filtering the network data packet comprises:

identifying the network packet including the graceful power control command based on a destination port of the network packet.

Preferably, notifying the power management agent service comprises:

an interrupt is triggered.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

receiving a result notification (result notification) from the power management agent service; and

a notification is sent to a management console indicating the result of the execution of the graceful power command.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

receiving, by the power management agent service, a notification of arrival of the graceful power control command;

retrieving (retrieve) the graceful power supply control command from the shared memory; and

and calling the operating system function which accords with the steady power supply control command.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

receiving information regarding power management capabilities from the power management agent service.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

receiving information from the power management agent service regarding availability of the power management agent service.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, the computer performs operations comprising:

filtering a network data packet containing a steady power control command;

analyzing the network data packet to obtain the steady power control command;

storing the graceful power supply control command in a shared memory; and

notifying a power management agent to service the arrival of the graceful power control command.

Preferably, the operations further comprise:

determining an availability of the power management agent; and

sending a notification to a management console to advertise available power management functions based on the availability of the power management agent.

Preferably, the filtering the network data packet comprises:

identifying the network packet including the graceful power control command based on a destination port of the network packet.

Preferably, notifying the power management agent service comprises:

an interrupt is triggered.

Preferably, the operations further comprise:

receiving a result notification from the power management agent service; and

a notification is sent to a management console indicating the result of the execution of the graceful power command.

Preferably, the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the power management agent service, a notification of arrival of the graceful power control command;

retrieving the graceful power supply control command from the shared memory; and

and calling the operating system function which accords with the steady power supply control command.

Preferably, the operations further comprise:

receiving information regarding power management capabilities from the power management agent service.

Preferably, the operations further comprise:

receiving information from the power management agent service regarding availability of the power management agent service.

According to one aspect, there is provided a system comprising:

a memory for storing a module, the module comprising:

a filtering module for filtering network packets containing soft power control commands,

a parsing module for parsing the network data packet to obtain the graceful power control command,

a storage module for storing said graceful power control commands in a shared memory, an

A notification module for notifying a power management agent of the arrival of the graceful power control command; and

one or more processors for processing the modules.

Preferably, the system further comprises:

a determination module for determining availability of the power management agent; and

a sending module for sending a notification to a management console to advertise available power management functions based on the availability of the power management agent.

Preferably, the filtering module is further configured to identify the network data packet including the soft power control command based on a destination port of the network data packet.

Preferably, the notification module is further configured to trigger an interrupt.

Preferably, the system further comprises:

a receiving module for receiving a result notification from the power management agent service; and

a sending module for sending a notification to a management console indicating a result of the execution of the graceful power command.

Preferably, the system further comprises:

a receiving module for receiving a notification of arrival of the graceful power control command through the power management agent service;

a retrieval module for retrieving the graceful power control commands from the shared memory; and

and the calling module is used for calling the operating system function conforming to the steady power supply control command.

Preferably, the system further comprises:

a receiving module for receiving information about power management capabilities from the power management agent service.

Preferably, the system further comprises:

a receiving module for receiving availability information about the power management agent service from the power management agent service.

Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and manner of operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. These examples are used herein for illustrative purposes only. Additional embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remotely managed system environment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a remote management network with further details of a network controller, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the components of a managed client, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a detailed view of a remote management network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps for accomplishing remote monitoring of current network management capabilities, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating steps for a management controller to advertise available power control commands, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating steps by which a network controller processes a power command packet in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the steps for a management agent to respond to a graceful power command, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram depicting an example computer system in which embodiments of the invention may be implemented.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Generally, like reference numbers in the figures indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Generally additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears.

Detailed Description

Introduction I

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings that illustrate exemplary embodiments consistent with this invention. Other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention. The detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the present invention may be implemented in many different embodiments of software, hardware, firmware, and/or the entities illustrated in the figures. Any actual software code with the specialized control hardware to implement the present invention is not limiting of the present invention. Therefore, the operational behavior of the present invention will be understood in conjunction with the understanding that modifications and variations of the embodiments are possible, and are within the scope and spirit of the present invention

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remotely managed system environment 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The environment 100 includes a management console 102 that is used by a network manager to remotely issue power control commands, by way of non-limiting example. These power control commands are transmitted over network 104 to managed system 106. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that network 104 is typically an enterprise local area network ("LAN") that utilizes ethernet communications, although other configurations of network management console 102 and managed system 106 may alternatively be used.

Managed system 106 is configured to receive communications from network 104 through network controller 108. The network controller 108 interacts with other system hardware 112 through a host bus 110. In accordance with non-limiting exemplary embodiments, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that although the concepts described herein may be used in connection with different hardware configurations, the network controller 108 is a peripheral component interconnect express ("PCIe") network expansion card connected to a PCIe host bus 110.

The network controller 108 communicates power management commands to the system hardware 112, and thus to the system software 114 running thereon, via the host bus 110. The interaction of the aforementioned components in order to provide smooth power state management, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, is described in further detail below.

Although managed system 106 is described primarily in the context of a personal computer running a software operating system, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the techniques disclosed herein may be applied to remote power management of many other devices including embedded applications and servers.

Network controller operation

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a remote management network 200 with further details of the network controller 108, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The network controller 108 includes a physical layer interface ("PHY") 202 and a data link layer interface media access control ("MAC") 204, the operation of which is understood by those skilled in the relevant art. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the MAC204 includes a receive filter module 206 for filtering out power management packets. In accordance with a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the power management packet specifies a particular port of the network layer (e.g., a TCP port) that is directly understandable by the receive filter module 206.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the packet intercepted by the reception filtering module 206 is sent to the management controller 208. As with normal operation, the remaining packets are sent to the host bus interface 210, which in turn sends the packets for receipt by the software component to the host bus.

The management controller 208, alternatively referred to as an application processing engine ("APE"), is responsible for the processing of intercepted power management packets. When management controller 208 receives a power management packet, it may determine the type of power management operation requested and notify a managed system (e.g., managed network 106 of FIG. 1) of the requested power management operation.

Management controller and managed client operation

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the components of a managed client 300, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The managed client 300 includes a management controller 208 that communicates with a host system (e.g., a personal computer on which an expansion card including the network manager 108 is installed) that the device driver 320 faces, the management controller being part of the network controller 108 as described in fig. 2. According to additional embodiments of the present invention, management controller 208 includes read only memory ("ROM") 302, random access memory ("RAM") 304, processor 306, and shared memory space 308. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that other architectures may be used for management controller 208 and this particular architecture is provided by way of non-limiting example.

According to an embodiment of the invention, management controller 208 also includes management firmware 310. Management firmware 310 is executed by processor 306 and resides in RAM 304 during execution. Management firmware 310 includes parsing packets intercepted from network communications managed by network controller 108, such as intercepted power management packets. While those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the network stack utilized will vary, FIG. 3 shows a non-limiting example of utilizing TCP/IP data packets in which the power management service packet is included. In the preceding example, management firmware 310 includes a module that parses a network stack that includes TCP/IP318, HTTP 316, common information model ("CIM") data 314, and power management service data 312.

When the management controller 208 processes the intercepted power management packet (based on its destination TCP port filtering in an embodiment), the various network protocol layers in the packet are not deconstructed until the power management service data 312 is acquired. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, power management service data 312 includes both stationary and non-stationary power management service data, although one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that management controller 208 may be used to instead receive only stationary power management service data.

As will be described in further detail below, graceful power management service data is stored in shared memory 308 and notifies software components of managed client 300. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a region of shared memory 308 is reserved for storing one or more graceful power management service instructions received by management controller 208 for eventual retrieval by management agent 328. In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, shared access to the shared memory 308 is managed by one or more mutually exclusive (mutually exclusive) registers that prevent access when other components handle the shared memory 308 or the same portion of the shared memory 308.

According to embodiments of the invention, management controller 208 triggers an interrupt notification that causes execution of code in interrupt handler 322 of device driver 320. By way of non-limiting example embodiment, management controller 208 contains a register for asserting the interrupt to the host system. The device driver 320 is driver software installed on an operating system (e.g., operating system 326) that handles the software interface of the network controller 108 on which the management controller 208 resides on the network controller 108. When the management controller 208 asserts an interrupt, the code embodied in the interrupt handler 322 is triggered asynchronously or out-of-band (i.e., at the time of the interrupt notification).

When the interrupt handler (handler)322 is launched, the device driver 320 uses operations against the operating system 326 to asynchronously communicate a "command pending" state to the management agent 328. In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, operating system 326 is the Microsoft Windows operating system of Redmond, Washington, Inc., which uses the Windows management Specification service ("WMI") as the management Specification service 324 to notify the management agent 328 of the "command pending" status. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that other mechanisms can be used in other operating systems 326, the foregoing being by way of example and not limitation. Additionally, a query mechanism or other alternative mechanism may be used in place of the interrupt mechanism.

IV host capability notification

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a detailed view of a remote management network 400, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Remote management network 400 includes many of the elements previously discussed in the context of fig. 1-3. Additionally, FIG. 4 includes an advanced configuration and power interface ("ACPI") driver 402 and system firmware 404 including an ACPI interface 406, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. These components allow the host (including system hardware 112 and system software 114) to respond to standard power management commands including power down, power reset, sleep (ACPI SI/S2/S3) or hibernate (ACPI S4). In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the same ACPI protocol used for non-stationary power control is used for stationary out-of-band power control.

Not all systems may have these capabilities, and some may have additional capabilities due to standard evolution. Moreover, not all systems are able to process these power management commands in a smooth out-of-band manner. Thus, management controller 208 is notified of the available commands, and management console 102 is also notified of these commands in return.

Accordingly, FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 illustrating steps for accomplishing remote monitoring of current power management capabilities, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method begins at step 502 and proceeds to step 504 where the responsiveness of the managed system is determined at step 504. By way of non-limiting example, if the management agent 328 is suspended, it may not be possible to send a heartbeat (heartbeat) to the management controller 208 through the device driver 322. Management controller 208 may then interrupt this nonresponsiveness as a flag to suspend managed system 106. On the other hand, if a heartbeat (or other suitable mechanism) has been received, management controller 208 understands that managed system 106 is responsive.

This response status, along with the power management capabilities of managed system 106 (e.g., those provided by ACPI driver 402), allows management controller 208 to make a determination of which power management commands are available. In addition, a series of available commands may be sent to the management console 102 to limit the selection of those available commands by the remote controller. In accordance with an additional embodiment of the present invention, at step 506, no responsiveness determination is made unless managed system 106 is in power state S0 (i.e., the "ON" state as specified by the non-limiting ACPI system power state). As described below in fig. 6, management controller 208 may advertise an out-of-band non-graceful power control command that may be used to return managed system 106 to power state S0.

At step 506, if the managed system 106 is non-responsive (e.g., because the management agent 328 is non-responsive) and the managed system 106 is in a desired power state (e.g., power state S0, above), then the method proceeds to step 508 where only non-graceful power management commands are available to the management console 102 at said step 508. On the other hand, if managed system 106 is responsive, then the method proceeds to step 510, where a graceful out-of-band command is available at said step 510. At step 512, the resulting status information of any graceful out-of-band commands sent to managed system 106 for execution is received. The method then ends at step 514.

To inform the management console of the available commands, the management controller 208 may be used to advertise these commands and the responsiveness of the management agent 328. Fig. 6 is a flowchart 600 illustrating the steps of the management controller 208 advertising available power control commands, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method begins at step 602 and proceeds to step 604 where the responsiveness of the management agent 328 is determined at said step 604. As previously described, if no heartbeat is received from the management agent 328, it may be considered to be unresponsive after a period of time. Accordingly, if the management agent 328 is not available at step 606, only the non-graceful power control option is advertised as available at step 608. If, however, the management agent 328 is available, then a graceful power control option is annunciated as available at step 610. The method then ends at step 612.

Management controller operation

As shown in fig. 4, data packets sent from management console 102 over network 104 are received by network controller 108, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. At the receive filter module 206, the packet is checked for compliance with the power control command according to certain known characteristics of the network controller 108. As previously discussed, one such feature is the particular destination port associated with the packet. The network controller 208 parses and then processes these packets.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart 700 illustrating the steps of a network controller (e.g., network controller 108) processing a power command packet in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method begins at step 702 and proceeds to step 704 where a power control command is received at step 704. In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the power control command received at step 704 is contained in the form of a TCP/IP packet. At step 706, power control commands are filtered from the traffic flow for redirection to the management controller 208 (rather than proceeding to the host bus, such as the PCIe interface 210 of fig. 4).

Management controller firmware 310 then processes the power control command packet at step 708 in order to resolve communications made up of several network stack layers (e.g., the OSI reference model or the TCP/IP model). At step 710, a graceful power command (in one embodiment) processed at the application layer is obtained from the power control command packet. This smooth power command is in a form that is usable by the management agent 328 of fig. 4, thereby affecting the power state of the managed system.

To provide the graceful power command to the management agent 328, it is placed in a shared memory, such as shared memory 308 of FIG. 4, at step 712. Then, an interrupt notification processed by the interrupt handler 322 is triggered at step 714, informing the device driver 320 that a graceful power command is ready to be read from the shared memory 308. The method ends at step 714.

Management agent operation

When the device driver 320 receives an out-of-band (asynchronous) notification of a graceful power command available within the shared memory 308, it will in turn notify the management agent 328 of the availability of the graceful power command. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the management agent 328 registers the above-described notifications from the device driver 320 via the management specification service 324 (via callbacks or via interrupts), although one of ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate that many techniques may be utilized. Such notification may also be out-of-band, resulting in an out-of-band notification of a graceful power command to the management agent 328.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart 800 illustrating the steps of a management agent (e.g., management agent 328) responding to a graceful power command in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method begins at step 802 and proceeds to step 804 where the management agent 328 receives an out-of-band notification of the availability of the graceful power supply command at said step 804. The soft power command is retrieved from the shared memory 308. By way of non-limiting example, the graceful power commands include commands such as power down, power up, restart, sleep, and the like.

Accordingly, at step 808, the management agent 328 invokes the corresponding operating system 326 function that executes the graceful power command. Graceful power commands contain the functionality to prepare execution software (including the operating system 326 itself) for power commands, if necessary. The graceful power command also includes functionality to notify the hardware of the managed system 106 of the graceful power command. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the corresponding operating system 326 functionality notifies the hardware of the managed system 106 of graceful power commands through the ACPI driver 402 and system firmware 404 consistent with the ACPI standard (through ACPI interface 406), although one of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize other techniques for notifying the hardware of the managed system 106. For example, if the graceful power command is a graceful shutdown, operating system 326 prepares for the shutdown (e.g., writes out cached data, shuts down applications, unpins drivers, etc.) and, when ready, notifies ACPI interface 406 to execute the corresponding power command (e.g., power down) on the hardware of managed system 106.

According to other embodiments of the invention, the management agent 328 may provide any result information back to the management controller 208 at step 810. This may be accomplished by writing the result information into the shared memory 308, and providing a notification (or interrupt) to the management controller 208 indicating that the result information is available. As previously described, management controller 208 may provide such result information to management console 102. The method then ends at step 812.

VII example computer System embodiments

Aspects of the invention may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware or a combination thereof. FIG. 9 illustrates an example computer system 900 in which the present invention, or portions thereof, can be implemented as computer readable code. For example, the methods set forth in flowchart 500 of FIG. 5, flowchart 600 of FIG. 6, flowchart 700 of FIG. 7, and flowchart 800 of FIG. 8 may be implemented in system 900. Various embodiments of the invention are described in terms of this example computer system 900. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how to implement the invention using other computer systems and/or computer architectures.

Computer system 900 includes one or more processors, such as a processor 904. The processor 904 may be a special purpose or a general purpose processor. The processor 904 is connected to a communication infrastructure 906 (e.g., a bus or network).

Computer system 900 also includes a main memory 908, preferably Random Access Memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 910. For example, the secondary memory 910 may include a hard disk drive 912, a removable storage drive 914, and/or a memory storage. The removable storage drive 914 may comprise a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash memory, or the like. The removable storage drive 914 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 918 in a well known manner. Removable storage unit 918 may comprise a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc. which is read by and written to by removable storage drive 914. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art, removable storage unit 918 includes a computer usable storage medium having stored thereon computer software and/or data.

In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 910 may include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 900. Such means may include, for example, a removable storage unit 922 and an interface 920. Examples of such means may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM, or PROM) and associated socket, and other removable storage units 922 and interfaces 920 which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 922 to computer system 900.

Computer system 900 may also include a communications interface 924. Communications interface 924 allows software and data to be transferred between computer system 900 and external devices. Communications interface 924 may include a modem, a network interface (such as an ethernet card), a communications port, a PCMCIA slot and card, or similar communications interface. Software and data transferred via communications interface 924 are in the form of signals which can be electrical, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being received by communications interface 924. These signals are provided to communications interface 924 via a communications path 926. Communications path 926 carries these signals and may be implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RF link, or other communications channels.

In this document, the terms "computer program medium" and "computer usable medium" are used to generally refer to media such as removable storage unit 918, removable storage unit 922, and a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 912. Signals carried over communications path 926 may also be embedded in the logic described herein. Computer program medium and computer usable medium may also refer to memories, such as main memory 908 and secondary memory 910, which may be semiconductor memories (e.g., DRAMs, etc.). These computer program products are means for providing software to computer system 900.

Computer programs (also called computer control logic) are stored in main memory 908 and/or secondary memory 910. Computer programs may also be received via communications interface 924. Such computer programs, when executed, enable computer system 900 to implement the present invention as described herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, enable processor 904 to implement processes of the present invention, such as the steps in the methods set forth in flowchart 500 of FIG. 5, flowchart 600 of FIG. 6, flowchart 700 of FIG. 7, and flowchart 800 of FIG. 8, described above. Accordingly, such computer programs embody the controllers of computer system 900. When the present invention is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into a computer system using removable storage drive 914, interface 920, hard drive 912, or communications interface 924.

The present invention relates equally to a computer program product comprising software stored on any computer usable medium. When executed in one or more data processing devices, the software causes the data processing devices to operate as described above. Embodiments of the present invention employ any computer-usable or readable medium, known now or in the future. Examples of computer-usable media include, but are not limited to, primary storage devices (e.g., any type of random access memory), secondary storage devices (e.g., hard drives, floppy disks, CD ROMS, ZIP disks, tapes, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, MEMS, nanotechnology storage devices, etc.), and communication media (e.g., wired and wireless communication networks, local area networks, wide area networks, intranets, etc.).

Conclusion VIII

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be unduly limited to any of the embodiments set forth herein and should be determined with reference to the claims and their equivalents.

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application has priority to U.S. provisional patent application No.61/428,605, entitled "graceful out-of-band power control for remotely managed computer systems" filed 30.2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims (8)

1. A method for controlling a stationary out-of-band power supply, comprising:

filtering a network data packet containing a steady power control command;

analyzing the network data packet to obtain the steady power control command;

storing the graceful power supply control command in a shared memory;

notifying a power management agent of the arrival of the service graceful power control command;

determining an availability of the power management agent; and

sending a notification to a management console to advertise available power management functions based on the availability of the power management agent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the network packet comprises:

identifying the network packet including the graceful power control command based on a destination port of the network packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the power management agent service comprises: an interrupt is triggered.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a result notification from the power management agent service; and

a notification is sent to a management console indicating the result of the execution of the graceful power command.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the power management agent service, a notification of arrival of the graceful power control command;

retrieving the graceful power supply control command from the shared memory; and

and calling the operating system function which accords with the steady power supply control command.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information regarding power management capabilities from the power management agent service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the power management agent service regarding availability of the power management agent service.

8. A stationary out-of-band power control system, the system comprising:

a memory for storing a module, the module comprising:

a filtering module for filtering network packets containing soft power control commands,

a parsing module for parsing the network data packet to obtain the graceful power control command,

a storage module for storing the graceful power control commands in a shared memory,

a notification module for notifying a power management agent of the arrival of the graceful power control commands being serviced,

a determination module for determining the availability of the power management agent, an

An advertising module for sending a notification to a management console to advertise available power management functions based on the availability of the power management agent; and

one or more processors for processing the modules.