Controlling the speed of cooling fans for multiple computer systems based on altitude/fluid density measurements from a centralized sensor
View Patent ↗The present invention can include an automated method controlling the fan speed of computer system cooling fans with altitude and/or fluid density data from a centralized sensor. Such a method can utilize a centralized sensor to determine the altitude/fluid density within an enclosed area. The centralized sensor can be positioned so as to be unaffected by extraneous activities within the enclosed area. The determined altitude/fluid density can be conveyed to a computer system containing one or more cooling fans. The computer system can be located within the enclosed area. Then, the computer system can determine the need for adjusting the speed of the cooling fans based on the altitude/fluid density. When the need for adjustment exists, the speed of the cooling fans can be adjusted in accordance with the altitude/fluid density.
1. An automated method for controlling the fan speed of computer system cooling fans with fluid density data from a centralized sensor comprising:
determining a fluid density by a centralized sensor within an enclosed area, said enclosed area comprising a plurality of computer systems, wherein said centralized sensor is external to each of the computer systems, wherein each computer system configured to house at least one computer subsystem;
conveying the determined fluid density to each of the computer systems which employs at least one cooling fan;
in response to the conveying step, each of the computer systems selectively determining a need for adjusting a speed of the at least one cooling fan based on the determined fluid density; and
when the need for an adjustment exists, each of the computer systems adjusting the speed of the at least one cooling fan in accordance with the fluid density.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enclosed area is a server room, wherein each of the computer systems is a rack, wherein each computer subsystem is a rack-mountable computing device, and wherein a fluid being measured is air.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said at least one subsystem comprises a plurality of subsystems per each of the computer systems.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each computer subsystem comprises a subsystem specific enclosure and at least one subsystem cooling fan included inside the subsystem specific enclosure, wherein said at least one cooling fan is located within an enclosure of the associated one of the computer systems and outside subsystem specific enclosures, said method further comprising:
conveying the determined fluid density to at least one computer subsystem;
in response to the conveying step, the at least one computer subsystem determining a need for adjusting a speed of at least one subsystem cooling fan based on the determined fluid density; and
when the need for an adjustment exists, adjusting the speed of at least one subsystem cooling fan in accordance with the fluid density.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the enclosed area is a server room, wherein each of the computer systems is a rack, wherein each computer subsystem is a rack-mountable computing device, wherein a fluid being measured is air.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said at least one subsystem comprises a plurality of subsystems per each computer system.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the computing systems adjust the speed of the at least one cooling fan based upon the fluid density of the centralized sensor, wherein no other fluid density reading such as one taken by another fluid density sensor is utilized by the computing system to adjust the speed of the at least one cooling fan.