Managing power in a high performance computing system for resiliency and cooling

1. A method of thermally managing a computing system, the method comprising:

monitoring a temperature of at least one of a) an environment of the computing system and b) at least a portion of the computing system, the computing system having a plurality of nodes with microprocessors, wherein the computing system includes a coil selectively configured to convectively cool with a dry cooling system and selectively configured to conductively cool with a wet cooling system;

controlling a processing speed of at least one of the microprocessors on at least one of the plurality of nodes as a function of at least one of the monitored temperatures;

reducing the processing speed to a lower speed in response to the monitored temperature, and cooling the coil with the dry cooling system after the reducing; and

after the reducing, cooling the coil with the wet cooling system after the monitored temperature exceeds a prescribed amount, the processing speed being no greater than the lower speed when using the wet cooling system.

2. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the computing system is within a room having an air temperature, the environment comprising a region of the room, the temperature being the air temperature at the region of the room.

3. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes also includes memory and a power supply, the portion of the computing system comprising at least one of the microprocessors, memory, and power supplies.

4. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring the temperature of both a) the environment of the computing system and b) at least the portion of the computing system.

5. The method as defined by claim 4 wherein the controlling comprises controlling the processing speed of at least one of the microprocessors on at least one of the plurality of nodes as a function of both the monitored temperatures (a) and (b).

6. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the controlling comprises reducing the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors for a prescribed period of time, and then increasing the speed of the at least one of the microprocessors after the prescribed period of time has elapsed.

7. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the controlling comprises:

reducing the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors at least until the monitored temperature decreases to a prescribed temperature; and

increasing the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors after the monitored temperature has decreased to the prescribed temperature.

8. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the computing system includes the coil, operatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of nodes and cooled by a cooling system selectively configured to cool in any one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including a lower cooling mode and a higher cooling mode, the controlling comprising:

determining the cooling capacity of the lower cooling mode; and

controlling the processing speed of the at least one microprocessor of the microprocessors to maintain the cooling system in the lower cooling mode.

9. The method as defined by claim 8 wherein the determining comprises monitoring the temperature of the at least a portion of the computing system.

10. An apparatus for thermally managing a computing system, the apparatus comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of at least one of a) an environment of the computing system and b) at least a portion of the high computing system, the computing system having a plurality of nodes with microprocessors;

a processor controller operatively coupled with the temperature monitor and at least one of the processors, the processor controller being configured to control a processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors on at least one of the plurality of nodes as a function of at least one of the monitored temperatures; and

a coil operatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of nodes and cooled by a cooling system selectively configured to cool in any one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including a lower cooling mode and a higher cooling mode, the processor controller being configured to:

determine the cooling capacity of the lower cooling mode; and

control the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors to maintain the cooling system in the lower cooling mode.

11. The apparatus as defined by claim 10 further comprising the processor controller being operatively coupled with at least one of the microprocessors.

12. The apparatus as defined by claim 10 wherein the computing system is within a room having an air temperature, the environment comprising a region of the room, the temperature being the air temperature at the region of the room.

13. The apparatus as defined by claim 10 wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes also includes memory and a power supply, the portion of the computing system comprising at least one of the microprocessors, memory, and power supplies.

14. The apparatus as defined by claim 10 wherein the temperature sensor is configured to monitor the temperature of both a) the environment of the computing system and b) at least the portion of the computing system, the processor controller being configured to control the processing speed of at least one of the microprocessors on at least one of the plurality of nodes as a function of both the monitored temperatures (a) and (b).

15. A method of thermally managing a computing system, the method comprising:

monitoring a temperature of at least one of a) an environment of the computing system and b) at least a portion of the computing system, the computing system having a plurality of nodes with microprocessors, wherein the computing system includes a coil operatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of nodes and cooled by a cooling system selectively configured to cool in any one of a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including a lower cooling mode and a higher cooling mode; and

controlling a processing speed of at least one of the microprocessors on at least one of the plurality of nodes as a function of at least one of the monitored temperatures, the controlling comprising:

determining the cooling capacity of the lower cooling mode, and

controlling the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors to maintain the cooling system in the lower cooling mode.

16. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein the determining comprises monitoring the temperature of the at least a portion of the computing system.

17. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein the computing system is within a room having an air temperature, the environment comprising a region of the room, the temperature being the air temperature at the region of the room.

18. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes also includes memory and a power supply, the portion of the computing system comprising at least one of the microprocessors, memory, and power supplies.

19. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring the temperature of both a) the environment of the computing system and b) at least the portion of the computing system.

20. The method as defined by claim 19 wherein the controlling comprises controlling the processing speed of at least one of the microprocessors on at least one of the plurality of nodes as a function of both the monitored temperatures (a) and (b).

21. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein the controlling comprises reducing the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors for a prescribed period of time, and then increasing the speed of the at least one of the microprocessors after the prescribed period of time has elapsed.

22. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein the controlling comprises:

reducing the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors at least until the monitored temperature decreases to a prescribed temperature; and

increasing the processing speed of the at least one of the microprocessors after the monitored temperature has decreased to the prescribed temperature.