Information handling system including cooling devices and methods of use thereof

1. A method comprising:

providing an information handling system with cooling devices that are organized into overlapping zones, wherein;

each zone includes at least one cooling device;

each cooling device belongs to at least two zones; and

the each zone is associated with thermal regions within the information handling system;

determining a cooling demand for each thermal region;

for the each zone, determining a first cooling level corresponding to a higher cooling demand from the thermal regions associated with the each zone; and

for the each cooling device, determining a second cooling level corresponding to a higher first cooling level from the zones to which the each cooling device belongs.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising setting each cooling device to the second cooling level for the each cooling device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cooling devices are organized into rows and columns.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

each row defines a particular zone; and

each column defines a different zone.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information handling system comprises a blade server.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the blade server comprises a thermal region.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cooling devices comprise fans.

8. Machine-executable code for an information handling system, wherein the machine-executable code is embedded within a tangible medium and includes instructions for carrying out a method comprising:

associating zones and cooling devices in the information handling system, wherein;

each zone is associated with at least one cooling device; and

each cooling device is associated with at least two zones;

determining a first cooling level for the each zone;

for the each cooling device, determining a second cooling level by comparing the first cooling level for the each zone that is associated with the each cooling device; and

for the each cooling device, driving an output that corresponds to the second cooling level for the each cooling device.

9. The machine-executable code of claim 8 , wherein, for the each cooling device, the second cooling level is substantially equal to a higher of the first cooling levels for the each zone that is associated with the each cooling device.

10. The machine-executable code of claim 8 , wherein:

the cooling devices are physically arranged in rows and columns; and wherein

each row is associated into a particular zone; and

each column is associate into a different zone.

11. The machine-executable code of claim 8 , wherein:

the information handling system comprises thermal sensors; and

determining the first cooling level for the each zone further comprises:

associating zones and thermal sensors;

receiving data from the thermal sensors; and

for the each zone, determining the first cooling level by comparing the data from the thermal sensors that are associated with the each zone.

12. The machine-executable code of claim 11 , wherein:

the thermal sensors communicate thermal data; and

for the each zone, the first cooling level corresponds to a higher thermal data communicated from the thermal sensors that are associated with the each zone.

13. The machine-executable code of claim 11 , wherein the information handling system comprises a blade server.

14. The machine-executable code of claim 13 , wherein the blade server provides a particular thermal sensor of the thermal sensors.

15. An information handling system comprising:

an electrical sub-assembly operable to generate thermal energy;

a first cooling device associated with a first cooling zone and a second cooling zone;

a second cooling device associated with the first cooling zone and a third cooling zone;

a third cooling device associated with the second cooling zone and a fourth cooling zone;

a fourth cooling device associated with the third cooling zone and the fourth cooling zone; and

a processor operable to:

receive information regarding thermal energy generated by the electrical sub-assembly;

for the first cooling zone, determine a first cooling demand in response to receiving a first portion of the information;

for the second cooling zone, determine a second cooling demand in response to receiving a second portion of the information; and

for the first cooling device, set a first cooling level based upon a higher of the cooling demands of the first cooling zone and the second cooling zone.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further operable to:

for the third cooling zone, determine a third cooling demand in response to receiving a third portion of the information; and

for the second cooling device, set a second cooling level based upon a higher of the cooling demands of the second cooling zone and the third cooling zone.

17. The information handling system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further operable to:

for the fourth cooling zone, determine a fourth cooling demand in response to receiving a fourth portion of the information; and

for the third cooling device, set a third cooling level based upon a higher of the cooling demands of the third cooling zone and the fourth cooling zone.

18. The information handling system of claim 17 , wherein for the fourth cooling device, the processor is further operable to set a fourth cooling level based upon a higher of the cooling demands of the first cooling zone and the fourth cooling zone.

19. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the processor comprises a chassis management controller.

20. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein:

the cooling devices are organized in rows and columns;

each row is associated with a particular cooling zone; and

each column is associated with a different cooling zone.