Systems and methods for dynamic power allocation in an information handling system environment

1. A system comprising:

a group of multiple information handling system nodes pooled together in a common credit/debit power pool;

one or more common sources of power coupled to provide power to each node of the group of information handling system nodes; and

at least one processing device coupled to each given one of the group of multiple information handling system nodes and configured to:

limit the power provided to the given node of the group of information handling system nodes by an assigned power cap for that given information handling system node, the total of all the assigned power caps of the group of information handling system nodes being equal to a total group power limit such that the total power provided to all of the information handling system nodes at any given time never exceeds the total group power limit, and

monitor in real time the power consumption amount of the given node of the group of information handling system nodes and an available amount of power in the power pool; and

where the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes are configured to communicate among themselves to dynamically allocate and reallocate power between the individual nodes of the group of information handling system nodes in a distributed peer-to-peer manner based on the real time monitored power consumption and available amount of power in the power pool such that the total power provided to all of the information handling system nodes never exceeds the group power limit by temporarily decreasing by a given amount the assigned power cap of at least one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a lower real time monitored power amount than its assigned power cap, and by temporarily increasing by at least a portion of the decreased given amount the assigned power cap of at least one other one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap such that the total of the assigned power caps for all of the information handling system nodes never exceeds the assigned total group power limit.

2. The system of claim 1 , where a first one of the processing devices is coupled to a first one of the information handling system nodes and is configured to determine an available power credit as a difference between the monitored real time power consumption of the first one of the information handling system nodes and the assigned power cap of the first information handling system node;

where a second one of the processing devices is coupled to a second one of the information handling system nodes and is configured to determine a power need for the second one of the information handling system nodes that is consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap;

where the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes are configured to communicate among themselves in a distributed peer-to-peer manner to:

track the total of all determined real time available power credits in the power pool from all of the information handling system nodes of the group,

transfer at least a portion of the tracked total available real time power credits in the power pool from the first one of the information handling system nodes of the group to at least a second one of the information handling system nodes and at the same time temporarily increasing the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes for a given period of time by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits, and

at the same time temporarily decrease the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes for the given period of time by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

3. The system of claim 2 , where the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes are configured to communicate among themselves in a distributed peer-to-peer manner to:

then return the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits in the power pool from the second one of the information handling system nodes back to the first one of the information handling system nodes and at the same time decrease the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits; and

at the same time increase the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

4. The system of claim 1 , where the processing device of each of the information handling system nodes is communicatively coupled to each of the other processing devices of the other information handling system nodes to allow the processing devices of each of the information handling system nodes to communicate among themselves in a distributed peer-to-peer manner; and where the at least one processing device of each given information handling system node is further configured to:

monitor in real time the power consumption amount of the given information handling system node;

determine a difference between the monitored real time power consumption of the given information handling system node and the assigned power cap of the given information handling system node;

communicate the determined difference between the monitored real time power consumption of the given information handling system node and the assigned power cap of the given information handling system node to the at least one processing device of each of the other information handling system nodes as an available power credit in the power pool; and

track the total of all real time available power credits in the power pool from all of the information handling system nodes of the group.

5. The system of claim 4 , where at least one processing device of at least a second one of the information handling system nodes is configured to:

determine a power need for the second one of the information handling system nodes when the second one of the information handling system nodes is consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap, and to claim at least a portion of the tracked total available real time power credits in the power pool from at least a first one of the information handling system nodes of the group and to temporarily increase the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes for a given period of time by the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits; and

at the same time to temporarily decrease the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes for the given period of time by at least part of the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

6. The system of claim 5 , where the at least one processing device of the second one of the information handling system nodes is configured to release the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits to the power pool and to decrease the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes after expiration of the same given period of time by the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits; and where at least one processing device of the first one of the information handling system nodes is configured at the same time to reclaim at least a portion of the tracked total available real time power credits from the power pool and to increase the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes after expiration of the same given period of time by at least the reclaimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

7. The system of claim 6 , where the information handling system group comprises a server rack system; where each of the information handling system nodes comprises a blade server; and where the at least one processing device of each information handling system nodes comprises an out-of-band processing device.

8. The system of claim 1 , where each of the information handling system nodes of the group of multiple information handling system nodes itself comprises multiple information handling system nodes.

9. The system of claim 1 , where the group of multiple information handling system nodes comprises at least two information handling system nodes, each given one of the information handling system nodes comprising:

a system load having a variable power consumption capability, and

at least one processing device, the processing device being coupled to monitor the real time power consumption of at least one component of the system load and to control the power consumption of the at least one component of the system load in real time relative to an assigned power cap for the one or more components of the system load such that the power cap is not exceeded by the power consumption of the at least one component of the system load, the total of the assigned power caps for the at least two information handling system nodes being equal to an assigned total group power limit;

where at least one processing device of a first one of the information handling system nodes is further configured to:

determine the difference between the real time power consumption of the at least one component of the system load and the assigned power cap of the given one of the information handling system nodes, and

make available a power credit to the power pool when the determined real time power consumption of the at least one component of the system load of the first information handling system node is less than the assigned power cap of the first information handling system node;

where at least one processing device of a second one of the information handling system nodes is further configured to request a power debit from the power pool when the determined real time power consumption of the at least one component of the system load of the second information handling system node is equal to the assigned power cap of the second information handling system node;

where at least one processing device of the first one of the information handling system nodes is further configured to then transfer the available power credit in the power pool from the at least one component of the system load of the first information handling system to the power pool by temporarily decreasing the assigned power cap of the at least one component of the system load of the first information handling system by a power value equal to the transferred power credit; and

where at least one processing device of the second one of the information handling system nodes is further configured to claim the available power credit in the power poll by temporarily increasing the assigned power cap of the at least one component of the system load of the second information handling system by a power value equal to the transferred power credit from the power pool such that the total of the assigned power caps for the information handling system nodes never exceeds the assigned total group power limit.

10. The system of claim 1 , where the processing device of each of the group of information handling system nodes is configured to update a total available amount of power credits in the credit/debit power pool by broadcasting its power credits and its power debits to the processing devices of each of the other information handling system nodes in the group of information handling system nodes.

11. The system of claim 1 , where the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes are configured to communicate among themselves to dynamically allocate and reallocate power between the individual nodes of the group of information handling system nodes in a distributed peer-to-peer manner based on the real time monitored power consumption and available amount of power in the power pool such that the total power provided to all of the information handling system nodes never exceeds the group power limit by temporarily decreasing by a given amount the assigned power cap of at least one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a lower real time monitored power amount than its assigned power cap for a maximum specified decremented power consumption time; and by temporarily increasing by at least a portion of the decreased given amount the assigned power cap of at least one other one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap by a maximum specified incremented power consumption time.

12. The system of claim 1 , where the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes are configured to communicate among themselves to dynamically allocate and reallocate power between the individual nodes of the group of information handling system nodes in a distributed peer-to-peer manner using a peer-to-peer acknowledgement for power credit/debit changes on a first come-first serve bases from information handling system node to information handling system node.

13. A method of dynamically allocating relative power consumption between a group of multiple information handling system nodes, comprising:

providing power to each node of the group of information handling system nodes pooled together in a common credit/debit power pool, each of the given information handling system including at least one processing device;

using the at least one processing device of each given one of the information handling system nodes to:

limit the power provided to the given information handling system node by an assigned power cap for that given information handling system node, the total of all the assigned power caps of the group of information handling system nodes being equal to a total group power limit such that the total power provided to all of the information handling system nodes at any given time never exceeds the total group power limit, and

monitor in real time the power consumption amount of the given one of the information handling system nodes; and

allocating power between the individual nodes of the group of information handling system nodes in a distributed peer-to-peer manner based on the real time monitored power consumption and available amount of power in the power pool such that the total power provided to all of the information handling system nodes never exceeds the group power limit by:

using the at least one processing device of each given one of the information handling system nodes to temporarily decrease by a given amount the assigned power cap of the given information handling system node when it has been consuming a lower real time monitored power amount than its assigned power cap, and

using the at least one processing device of each given one of the information handling system nodes to temporarily increase by at least a portion of the decreased given amount that the assigned power cap of at least one other one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap such that the total of the assigned power caps for all of the information handling system nodes never exceeds the assigned total group power limit.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

using at least one processing device of at least a first one of the information handling system nodes to determine an available power credit as a difference between the monitored real time power consumption of the first one of the information handling system nodes and the assigned power cap of the first information handling system node;

using at least one processing device of at least a second one of the information handling system nodes to determine a power need for the second one of the information handling system nodes that is consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap;

using the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes to communicate among themselves in a distributed peer-to-peer manner to:

track the total of all determined real time available power credits from all of the information handling system nodes of the group,

transfer at least a portion of the tracked total available real time power credits in the power pool from the first one of the information handling system nodes of the group to at least a second one of the information handling system nodes and at the same time temporarily increasing the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes for a given period of time by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits, and

at the same time temporarily decreasing the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes for the given period of time by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising using the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes to communicate among themselves in a distributed peer-to-peer manner to:

then return the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits in the power pool from the second one of the information handling system nodes back to the first one of the information handling system nodes and at the same time decreasing the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits; and

at the same time increase the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes by the transferred portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

16. The method of claim 13 , where the processing device of each of the information handling system nodes is communicatively coupled to each of the other processing devices of the other information handling system nodes to allow the processing devices of each of the information handling system nodes to communicate among themselves in a distributed peer-to-peer manner; and further comprising using the at least one processing device of each given information handling system node to:

monitor in real time the power consumption amount of the given information handling system node;

determine a difference between the monitored real time power consumption of the given information handling system node and the assigned power cap of the given information handling system node;

communicate the determined difference between the monitored real time power consumption of the given information handling system node and the assigned power cap of the given information handling system node to the at least one processing device of each of the other information handling system nodes as an available power credit in the power pool; and

track the total of all real time available power credits in the power pool from all of the information handling system nodes of the group.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

using the at least one processing device of at least a second one of the information handling system nodes to determine a power need for the second one of the information handling system nodes that is consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap;

using the at least one processing device of the second one of the information handling system nodes to claim at least a portion of the tracked total available real time power credits in the power pool from at least a first one of the information handling system nodes of the group and to temporarily increase the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes for a given period of time by the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits; and

at the same time using the at least one processing device of the first one of the information handling system nodes to temporarily decrease the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes for the given period of time by at least part of the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

using the at least one processing device of the second one of the information handling system nodes to release the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits to the power pool and to decrease the assigned power cap of the second one of the information handling system nodes after expiration of the same given period of time by the claimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits; and

at the same time using the at least one processing device of the first one of the information handling system nodes to reclaim at least a portion of the tracked total available real time power credits from the power pool and to increase the assigned power cap of the first one of the information handling system nodes after expiration of the same given period of time by at least the reclaimed portion of the tracked total available real time power credits.

19. The method of claim 18 , where the information handling system group comprises a server rack system; where each of the information handling system nodes comprises a blade server; and where the at least one processing device of each information handling system nodes comprises an out-of-band processing device.

20. The method of claim 13 , where each of the information handling system nodes of the group of multiple information handling system nodes itself comprises multiple information handling system nodes.

21. The method of claim 13 , further comprising using the processing device of each of the group of information handling system nodes to update a total available amount of power credits in the credit/debit power pool by broadcasting its power credits and its power debits to the processing devices of each of the other information handling system nodes in the group of information handling system nodes.

22. The method of claim 13 , further comprising using the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes to communicate among themselves to dynamically allocate and reallocate power between the individual nodes of the group of information handling system nodes in a distributed peer-to-peer manner based on the real time monitored power consumption and available amount of power in the power pool such that the total power provided to all of the information handling system nodes never exceeds the group power limit by temporarily decreasing by a given amount the assigned power cap of at least one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a lower real time monitored power amount than its assigned power cap for a maximum specified decremented power consumption time; and by temporarily increasing by at least a portion of the decreased given amount the assigned power cap of at least one other one of the information handling system nodes that has been consuming a real time monitored power amount that is equal to its assigned power cap by a maximum specified incremented power consumption time.

23. The method of claim 13 , further comprising using the processing devices of the group of information handling system nodes to communicate among themselves to dynamically allocate and reallocate power between the individual nodes of the group of information handling system nodes in a distributed peer-to-peer manner using a peer-to-peer acknowledgement for power credit/debit changes on a first come-first serve bases from information handling system node to information handling system node.