International Business Machines Corporation

Marc D Boegner

Dario D'Angelo

Nikolay Tzankov Markov

Debra L Mayhew

Daina Pupons Wickham

Maria Teresa De Jesus Stoll

Eileen Felicia Kopp

Gordon Andrew Davison

Julie Anne Santilli

A vortex-producing fan controller uses a variable-speed vortex-producing fan to create a helical airflow within a server rack that couples with cooled air entering a data center through a floor opening situated near a bottom of the server rack and that draws the cooled air up through the server rack in a helical pattern. An input air temperature of air entering the variable-speed vortex-producing fan is measured using readings from a fan input air temperature sensor positioned above the server rack. A speed of the variable-speed vortex-producing fan and a flow rate of the cooled air coupled within the helical airflow up through the server rack are adjusted responsive to changes in the input air temperature of the air entering the variable-speed vortex-producing fan.

Server rack-dedicated vertical vortex airflow server cooling

A vortex-producing fan controller uses a variable-speed vortex-producing fan positioned above a server rack to create a helical airflow within the server rack that couples with cooled air entering a data center through a floor opening situated near a bottom of the server rack. A speed of the variable-speed vortex-producing fan and a flow rate of the cooled air coupled within the helical airflow up through the server rack are adjusted responsive to changes in input air temperature of air entering the variable-speed vortex-producing fan detected using a fan input air temperature sensor positioned above the server rack.

A method for interfacing with a plurality of wizards in a computer system. The method includes providing the plurality of wizards organized into groups; providing a launch button on a launch pad, wherein the launch button is associated with at least one wizard, wherein selection of the launch button executes the at least one wizard; providing information pertaining to the at least one wizard when a pointer is positioned over the launch button. The method further includes providing a high-level visual overview of a process corresponding to the plurality of wizards to assist a user when the user may not be familiar with the process before the user selects the launch button to execute the at least one wizard, wherein the high-level overview comprises a relationship between the at least one wizard and other wizards on the computer system.

Visual wizard launch pad

A method for interfacing with a plurality of wizards in a computer system includes providing the plurality of wizards; providing a launch button on a launch pad, the launch button associated with a wizard, where selection of the launch button executes the wizard; and providing information pertaining to the wizard on the launch pad. The information includes a relationship between the wizard and other wizards on the computer system, elements of the computer system affected by the wizard, and/or how to information showing how to use a user interface of an application on the computer system to accomplish a task. The launch pads are interactive interfaces between a user of a computer system and wizards which exist on the computer system. The information is provided in the form of text and/or visual objects. The user has an overview of the complete process before the execution of each wizard.

Growing community of inventors

Morgan Hill, CA, United States of America

Marc D Boegner