Data center automatic inventory and location data population and recovery using mesh network
A mechanism is provided for utilizing location services of a mesh network to aid in tracking the presence and location of information handling systems in an environment having a large number of systems installed. In one embodiment, each information handling system joins a mesh network to form localized clusters. Mesh network location services aid the new system in finding a vertically-closest node in the cluster or a neighboring cluster. With this information, the new system can determine in which rack the system is installed. This information can then be provided to an inventory management system for inclusion of the information handling system in an inventory tracking database. Embodiments are also configured to determine when an information handling system is removed from the mesh network and can inform the inventory management system of the removal in order to determine whether additional steps need to be taken in response.
1. A computer-implementable method for locating a first node in a data center, the method comprising:
joining, by the first node, a mesh network in the data center, said joining the mesh network comprising
requesting, by the first node, to join a cluster of one or more nodes within the mesh network, wherein
the request is transmitted to a lead node of the cluster if the lead node responds to the request to join the mesh network, and
the mesh network comprises one or more clusters each having a corresponding lead node;
determining, by the first node, a physical location of the first node within the data center using information provided by the mesh network, said determining the physical location comprising
finding a second node that is positioned physically approximately vertical to the first node, said finding the second node comprising
requesting a list of cluster members from the lead node;
finding, by the first node, a physically closest cluster member to the first node; and
determining whether the physically closest cluster member is positioned approximately physically vertical to the first node; and
requesting location information associated with the second node wherein the location information comprises a server rack identifier; and
informing a data center management system of the location of the first node.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lead node of the cluster is a physically closest lead node to the first node.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
using a mesh network location protocol to perform said finding the physically closest cluster member and said determining whether the physically closest cluster member is positioned approximately physically vertical to the first node.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising if the physically closest cluster member is not positioned approximately physically vertical to the first node:
requesting a list of neighbor cluster members from a neighbor cluster to the cluster;
finding a physically closest neighbor cluster member to the first node; and
determining whether the physically closest neighbor cluster member is positioned approximately physically vertical to the first node.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said requesting the list of neighbor cluster members comprises requesting the lead node to request the list of neighbor cluster members from a neighbor lead node of the neighbor cluster.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining the physical location of the first node further comprises:
requesting, by the first node, identification of filled slots in the server rack identified by the server rack identifier;
determining a distance from the second node to the first node; and
determining a slot occupied by the first node in the server rack using the distance and the information associated with filled slots in the server rack.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information regarding filled slots is provided by one of the lead node or the data center management system.
8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
using the mesh network location protocol to perform said determining the distance from the second node to the first node.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein, if a lead node does not respond to the request to join the mesh network, said joining the mesh network further comprises creating a new cluster having the first node as the lead node.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said determining the physical location of the first node comprises:
requesting, by the first node, the physical location information from the data center management system; and
storing the physical location information at the first node.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
removing the first node from the mesh network; and
informing, by the lead node, the data center management system of the removal of the first node.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the location of the first node comprises identifiers for one or more of building, room, aisle, server rack, and slot.
13. An information handling system comprising:
a processor;
a first network interface, coupled to the processor and a first network, and configured to communicate with a data center management system coupled to the first network;
a wireless network interface, coupled to the processor, and configured to communicate with a wireless mesh network in a data center, and
determine a relative location of the information handling system to one or more wireless mesh network member nodes; and
a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium being coupled to the processor, the computer program code interacting with a plurality of computer operations and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured to cause the processor to:
join the wireless mesh network, the instructions to cause the processor to join the wireless mesh network further comprise instructions configured to cause the processor to:
request to join a cluster of one or more nodes within the mesh network, wherein
the request is transmitted, by the wireless network interface, to a lead node of the cluster if the lead node responds to the request to join the mesh network, and
the mesh network comprises one or more clusters each having a corresponding lead node,
determine a physical location of the information handling system within the data center using information provided by the mesh network, the instructions to determine the physical location of the information handling system further comprise instructions configured to cause the processor to:
find a second node that is positioned approximately physically vertical to the information handling system, the instructions to find the second node further comprise instructions configured to cause the processor to:
request a list of cluster members from the lead node;
find a physically closest cluster member to the information handling system; and
determine whether the physically closest cluster member is positioned approximately physically vertical to the information handing system; and
request location information associated with the second node wherein the location information comprises a server rack identifier, and
inform a data center management system of the physical location of the information handling system.
14. The information handling system of claim 13 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor are further configured to cause the processor to, if the physically closest cluster member is not positioned approximately physically vertical to the information handling system:
request a list of neighbor cluster members from a neighbor cluster to the cluster;
find a physically closest neighbor cluster member to the information handling system; and
determine whether the physically closest neighbor cluster member is positioned approximately physically vertical to the information handling system.