International Business Machines Corporation

Colin Ian Holyoake

Richard Postlethwaite

James Hewitt

Caroline Jane Thomas

Sarah M Drewery

John A Owen

Julian D Williams

David J Tolley

Maurice Francis Gray

Graham Jon Eames

Michael James Bettle-Shaffer

Andrew S Feltham

Elizabeth Jane Maple

James Stuart Taylor

Mark J Lawrence

Matthew J Kockott

Abdul Baki

Joanne E Woods

Keira Louise Hopkins

Michael John Fish

Barbara Sharon Bishop

Simon Salter

Method and system are provided for power path identification in a power distribution system. The method transmits a data signal through a power line infrastructure including adding an identifier value at multiple points of the infrastructure to the data signal to form a concatenated path identifier formed of the identifier values. The method reads the path identifier at a reading point of the infrastructure to obtain power path information to or from the reading point in the power line infrastructure. A system may include a plurality of path identification devices each provided at a connection point of the power distribution system to transmit connection point identifiers to form a concatenated path identifier with identifier values of other connection points.

Power path identification in a power distribution system

A computer apparatus is provided for determining one or more peripheral device positions. A primary display of the computer apparatus may be provided with two or more signal receivers disposed at different locations in relation to the primary display and may be configured to receive signals from a signal transmitter at a peripheral device. The computer apparatus may include a processor and a memory configured to provide computer program instructions to the processor to execute a method of: determining a distance from the signal transmitter to each of the two or more signal receivers based on a strength of the received signal; using positioning determination to determine a direction and/or distance to a position of the signal transmitter from the primary display; and configuring the peripheral device based on the determined direction and/or distance.

Determining peripheral device position relative to a primary display

A method includes: reading, by a tile lifter, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag within a floor tile that is locked to a support structure; comparing, by the tile lifter, a personal identification number (PIN) of the RFID tag to an access code within the tile lifter; determining, by the tile lifter, a match between the PIN of the RFID tag and the access code; and actuating, by the tile lifter and in response to the determining the match, an actuator in the floor tile.

Intelligent datacenter floor access

A standard server rack is modified to be able to detect if a blanking panel is missing from an unoccupied slot. Detection can be achieved electrically by providing switch elements in the holes on the rack siderails, whose switching state depends on whether a fastening pin is in the hole. A blanking panel, when fitted to a particular slot, thus switches the switch elements for that slot, which can be detected by a make/break circuit including the switch elements. Alternatively, detection of a missing blanking panel can be achieved optically by arranging a bank of forward pointing optical sensors at the back of the server rack, which point forward to detect the presence of a blanking panel. The optical sensors are distributed vertically so that at least one optical sensor covers each slot.

Server racks for hot aisle&#x2014;cold aisle server rooms

Concepts for determining a structural integrity of a raised floor comprising an array of stringers and stanchions are presented. Each stringer is supported at opposite ends by a respective pair of stanchions. One example comprises a system having a transmitter configured to transmit a signal between a pair of stanchions via a respective stringer and a receiver configured to receive the transmitted signal. The system further comprises a processing unit configured to determine a status of the stringer based on the received signal, then determine an indicator of a structural integrity of a raised floor based on the determined status.

Determining structural integrity of a raised floor

A system for a cooling control component for a computing device is provided. A computing device monitors weight distribution from data received from one or more sensors distributed on a base of the housing of the computing device. A computing device determines that the weight distribution is uneven for a defined period of time. A computing device executes a first overheating prevention measure that uses a hardware operation profile to reduce heat generation.

Cooling system control component

A method and related system are used for device management in a datacenter having multiple racks adapted to house multiple devices. The system may comprise an optical sensor and a reporting unit. The optical sensor may be provided at a position in a rack in a datacenter, the optical sensor configured to sense device identifying data of a device inserted in the rack. The reporting unit may transmit the sensed device identifying data and the position in a message to a central data processing system for the datacenter.

Electronic device management in a datacenter

A flooring element is provided for a raised floor including removable flooring panels and a supporting structure with a load bearing surface. The flooring element includes a warning element operable for moving between an inactive position in which the warning element is substantially concealed by the surface and an active position in which the warning element projects beyond the surface to form a visual hazard warning indicator. The flooring element may be for example a flooring panel, a stringer, a pedestal, an insert for a pedestal or an insert for inserting between a sub-floor void and a flooring panel.

Hazard warning system

A method and system. A first computer device sends to a second computer device, via a broadcast or multicast communication, an event notification of a notifiable management event, The first computer device may connect to a management network via only a first network switch, wherein the first computer device is unable to notify a management device of the notifiable management event via the management network because the first computer device is unable to connect to the management network via the first network switch. The first computer device receives, from the second computer device via a first unicast communication, an acknowledgment of the event notification, wherein the second computer device is able to connect to the management network via the second network switch. The broadcast or multicast communication and the first unicast communication each use a short-range wireless communications technology comprising visible light communication or data-over-audio communication.

Communication of event messages in computing systems

A datacenter rack for vertically stacking a plurality of electronic devices is provided. The rack has a frame assembly having two vertical support components and a plurality of removeable trays configured to be inserted between and supported by the vertical support components. Each tray has a pair of opposing sides extending parallel to a longitudinal axis and each of the pair of opposing sides has a tensioned adjustment mechanism to shorten a length of each side to compress the tray in the longitudinal axis, with the tensioned adjustment mechanisms providing a tensioning force against the compression. Each tray also has a top surface with a movement facilitating arrangement for facilitating movement of an electronic device along the tray in the longitudinal axis.

Datacenter rack and removable tray

An electrical power distribution unit for overload prevention is provided. The power distribution unit has a plurality of electrical power outlet sockets each for receiving a power plug and a power distribution system for supplying electrical power to each of the sockets. The power distribution unit includes an excess power detector for detecting an aggregate power drawn from the plurality of sockets and for actuating a disabling mechanism for disabling power supply for a subset of the sockets in response to the detected aggregate power exceeding a predetermined first threshold, wherein the subset of the sockets are sockets that are detected as currently not drawing power.

Overload prevention in a power distribution unit with electrical power outlet sockets

An electrical power distribution unit for overload prevention and a method for preventing overload of the electrical power distribution unit. The power distribution unit includes: (i) a plurality of sockets, each socket being an electrical power outlet socket, each socket having a plurality of receptacles for receiving corresponding pins of a power plug; (ii) a mechanical disabling mechanism configured to disable each socket that is unoccupied by a respective power plug; and (iii) an excess power detector configured to detect an aggregate power drawn from the sockets. The method includes: monitoring, by the excess power detector, a first aggregate power drawn from the sockets; and determining that the first aggregate power exceeds a predetermined first threshold and in response, actuating the mechanical disabling mechanism to disable each socket that is unoccupied by a respective power plug.

Disabling sockets in a power distribution unit in response to detection of excess power

A safety apparatus for an electrical equipment rack includes a retractable safety device for preventing, when in an operational position, the extending of an extendable rail and an electrical equipment unit mounted thereon from a position internal to the rack to a position external to the rack, and for allowing the same when in a non-operational position. The position of the retractable safety device is linked to the position of a retractable rack support such that when the retractable rack support is lowered in its operative position the retractable safety device is in a non-operational position, and when it is raised in a raised inoperative position the retractable safety device is in an operational position preventing the extending of the extendable rail and an electrical equipment unit mounted thereon to a position external to the rack.

Safety apparatus for electrical equipment rack

A method and related electronic apparatus for providing a user access to a computer system, the method comprising: determining at least one object in contact with a surface; generating at least one pulse sequence; actuating the surface based on the at least one pulse sequence; determining an absence of the at least one object from the surface; determining at least one character of a password input based on the at least one pulse sequence.

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Braishfield, United Kingdom

Colin Ian Holyoake