Automated infrastructure management systems and methods for enabling real time energy management
Automated infrastructure management systems and methods document infrastructure elements within a facility, provide a comprehensive record of all network-connected equipment within a facility, and facilitate trouble shooting of network-connected equipment. An automated infrastructure management system includes a plurality of intelligent patch panels, each comprising a plurality of connector ports connected to individual communication channels of a network, a controller in communication with at least some of the intelligent patch panels that obtains connectivity information for the intelligent patch panel's ports, and management software in communication with the controller. The management software performs various functions including correlating the interconnection information for the intelligent patch panels with the physical location information for telecommunications in its database, applying energy management policies to a respective communication channel, providing real time physical location information for devices connected to communication channels to a network switch, and displaying real time physical location information of the devices.
1. An automated infrastructure management system, comprising:
a plurality of intelligent patch panels, each comprising a plurality of connector ports connected to individual communication channels, wherein a telecommunications outlet is located at the end of at least some of the communication channels;
a plurality of patch cords configured to selectively interconnect respective connector ports of the at least one intelligent patch panel with ports of at least one network switch;
a processor in communication with at least some of the intelligent patch panels that obtains real time physical location information for the communication channels;
memory coupled to the processor; and
computer program code residing in the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to turn Power over Ethernet (PoE) on at a corresponding network switch port according to an energy management policy assigned to a telecommunications outlet in response to connection of a powered device to the telecommunications outlet.
2. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 1 , wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to:
automatically identify a network switch port that is connected to the telecommunications outlet; and
apply an energy management policy assigned to the telecommunications outlet to the network switch port.
3. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 1 , further comprising an access card reader connected to the network and located at a facility access point, and wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to:
detect an access card read by the card reader and determine that a person associated with the access card is entering the facility;
identify a physical location within the facility utilized by the person;
identify a network switch port connected to the physical location; and
turn PoE on for the identified network switch port.
4. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 1 , further comprising an access card reader connected to the network and located at a facility access point, and wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to:
detect an access card read by the card reader and determine that a person associated with the access card is leaving the facility;
identify a physical location within the facility utilized by the person;
identify a network switch port connected to the physical location; and
turn PoE off for the identified network switch port.
5. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 1 , wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to display a user interface that illustrates powered devices connected to the network in real time, and wherein an energy management policy can be defined and assigned to each powered device via the user interface.
6. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 1 , further comprising a lighting controller connected to the network, wherein the lighting controller is configured to provide power to a plurality of lighting fixtures, and wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to display a user interface that illustrates the physical location of each lighting fixture, and to apply an energy management policy to each lighting fixture based on physical location.
7. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 6 , wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to display a user interface that illustrates each lighting fixture connected to the network in real time, and wherein an energy management policy can be defined and assigned to each lighting fixture via the user interface.
8. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical power management device connected to the network that is configured to manage and monitor electrical power to a plurality of power outlets, and wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to identify an electrical power management device port connected to a corresponding power outlet.
9. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 8 , wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to display a user interface that illustrates the physical location of each power outlet.
10. The automated infrastructure management system of claim 9 , wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to define and assign an energy management policy to each power outlet via the user interface based on physical location.
11. A method of operating an automated infrastructure management system, wherein the system includes a plurality of patch panels having a plurality of connector ports connected to individual communication channels, wherein at least some of the communication channels terminate at a respective telecommunications outlet, a network switch that provides access to upstream network devices via a plurality of switch ports, a processor that monitors interconnections between the patch panels and the network switch, and a plurality of patch cords configured to selectively interconnect respective connector ports of the patch panel with the network switch ports, the method comprising:
automatically detecting connection of a powered device to the network via a respective telecommunications outlet;
automatically identifying a network switch port connected to the telecommunications outlet in real time; and
turning Power over Ethernet (PoE) on or off at the network switch port according to an energy management policy assigned to the telecommunications outlet and/or telecommunications outlet location.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising displaying a user interface that illustrates the powered device and identifies an energy management policy assigned to the powered device.
13. A method of operating an automated infrastructure management system, wherein the system includes a plurality of patch panels having a plurality of connector ports connected to individual communication channels, wherein at least some of the communication channels terminate at a respective telecommunications outlet, a network switch that provides access to upstream network devices via a plurality of switch ports, a processor that monitors interconnections between the patch panels and the network switch, a plurality of patch cords configured to selectively interconnect respective connector ports of the patch panel with the network switch ports, and an access card reader or a smart phone detection device connected to the network and located relative to a facility access point, the method comprising:
detecting an access card read by the card reader or detecting a smart phone by the smart phone detection device;
determining whether a person associated with the access card or smart phone is entering or leaving the facility;
identifying a physical location within the facility utilized by the person;
identifying a network switch port connected to the physical location; and
turning PoE on for the identified network switch port if the person is entering the facility or turning PoE off for the identified network switch port if the person is leaving the facility.