Cached field replaceable unit EEPROM data
View Patent ↗A rack mounted computer system comprises a plurality of hot replaceable servers and power supplies that are mounted in chassis and assemblies which are coupled together and in which component specific data is stored in cache memory. The cache memory preferably is implemented on a communication module contained in each chassis/assembly. Some, or all, of the rack mounted components include ROM which contains component specific data. Such data includes one or more values specific to that component. The data may include any or all of the following: serial number, part name, manufacturing information, reorder information and physical dimensions of the associated component. By storing the component specific data in cache, less traffic is necessary on the rack's inter-chassis/assembly communication link(s) the chassis/assembly communication module snoops its cache and, if the data present in cache, provides the requested data from cache to the component.
1. A computer system, comprising:
a plurality of hot replaceable devices coupled to one another via a plurality of chassis communication modules, said plurality of hot replaceable devices comprising at least a first hot replaceable device and a second hot replaceable device, and each of said plurality of chassis communication modules comprising a cache memory; and
said second hot replaceable device includes a read only memory (“ROM”) in which second device specific data is stored;
wherein said second hot replaceable device receives a request from said first hot replaceable device for said second device specific data, said second hot replaceable device broadcasts said requested second device specific data to at least one of said plurality of chassis communication modules, and said second device specific data is stored within the cache memory corresponding to each of the at least one of said plurality of chassis communication modules; and
wherein at least one of said plurality of chassis communication modules receives subsequent requests from said first hot replaceable device for said second device specific data, retrieves said second device specific data from the corresponding cache memory, and transmits said second device data to the first hot replaceable device.
2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said first hot replaceable device comprises a server.
3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said second hot replaceable device comprises a power supply.
4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said first hot replaceable device comprises a server and said second hot replaceable device comprises a power supply.
5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said second device specific data includes a serial number of said second device.
6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said second device specific data includes a part number of said second device.
7. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said second device specific data includes at least one value pertaining to said second device selected from the group consisting of serial number, part number, manufacturing information, reorder information, and physical dimension of said second device.
8. The computer system of claim 1 wherein upon disabling said second device, an alert message is sent to the cache memory corresponding to the at least one of said plurality of chassis communication modules, and wherein the alert message invalidates the second device specific data contained therein.
9. A computer system, comprising:
a plurality of servers, each server having ROM in which server specific data is stored;
a plurality of chassis, each chassis including one or more of the plurality of servers and including a chassis communication module containing a memory accessible to the servers of that chassis;
a power supply which couples to and supplies power to said servers, said power supply includes ROM in which power supply specific data is stored;
a first cache memory within the memory coupled to said plurality of servers in which said power supply specific data is stored; and
a second cache memory within the memory coupled to said power supply in which server specific data of at least one server is stored;
wherein a request by a server of said plurality of servers for the power supply specific data causes said power supply to broadcast the requested data to a plurality of said chassis communication modules; and
wherein, once stored in the first cache memory, said server requests said cached power supply specific data and said requested data is retrieved from cache and provided to said server requesting the data.
10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said server specific data includes at least one value specific to the server selected from the group consisting of serial number, part number, manufacturing information, reorder information, and physical dimension of said server.
11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said power supply specific data includes at least one value specific to the power supply selected from the group consisting of serial number, part number, manufacturing information, reorder information, and physical dimension of said power supply.
12. The computer system of claim 9 further including at least one additional power supply, each power supply having a ROM in which power supply specific data is stored.
13. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said one or more of the plurality of servers are mounted in a chassis and said chassis and said power supply mount in a rack, said chassis including a chassis communication module comprising said first cache memory accessible by all of the servers in said chassis.
14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein said chassis communication module couples to the power supply by way of a serial communication link.
15. The computer system of claim 9 further including a power supply communication module on which said second cache memory is provided, said power supply communication module coupled to said servers by way of a serial communication link.
16. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the chassis communication modules that receive the power supply specific data store the power supply specific data in their cache memories.
17. A method of managing a rack containing a plurality of servers and power supplies in communication with each other via a plurality of chassis communication modules, each server and power supply being hot replaceable and including ROM on which data specific to the associated server or power supply is stored, comprising:
(a) a server of the plurality of servers requesting the ROM data of a power supply;
(b) said power supply retrieving the requested ROM data;
(c) said power supply broadcasting the requested ROM data to each of the plurality of chassis communication modules;
(d) storing the requested ROM data in at least one cache memory;
(e) a chassis communication module of the plurality of chassis communication modules retrieving the requested ROM data from the cache memory; and
(f) the chassis communication module transmitting to the server the requested ROM data retrieved from the cache memory.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein each of the chassis communication modules includes a cache memory of the at least one cache memory and wherein storing the requested ROM data comprises storing the requested ROM data in each cache memory of the chassis communication modules.