Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.p.

Brooks, Robert C

Durham, Michael R

Piwonka, Mark a

Ziarnik, Gregory P

Mark A Piwonka

Michael R Durham

Louis B Hobson

Nam H Nguyen

Robert C Brooks

Randall L Hess

Gregory P Ziarnik

Patrick L Gibbons

Paul James Broyles

Don R James, Jr

Bernard D Desselle

Jeffrey D Kane

Paul J Broyles

Rahul Patel

Chi Wai So

Binh T Truong

Jeffrey C Stevens

Gregory C Franke

Robert J Volentine

Robin T Tran

Jason Spottswood

Stanley Hyojun Park

Edward M Reynolds

Scotty M Wiginton

Ted T Nguy

Scott B Marcak

Jose Sancho-Dominguez

David J DeLisle

Greg Franke

Chun Lok Ng

José A Sancho-Dominguez

Mark W Shutt

Kevin K Wong

Daniel G Parsons

Cuong V Nguyen

An example non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions to monitor a time-averaged power consumption of a computing device that includes a plurality of power-consuming components including a processor, and compare the time-averaged power consumption to a first threshold to detect if the time-averaged power consumption exceeds the first threshold. In response to detecting that the time-averaged power consumption of the computing device exceeds the first threshold, the instructions are to decrease an operational power of the processor from a normal operating power, and start monitoring an instantaneous power consumption of the computing device to determine whether to make a further decrease or an increase to the operational power of the processor.

Surge recovery with processor power control

An example non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing machine-readable instructions which when executed cause a processor to obtain stored bits stored on a flash memory, each of the stored bits in a set state or an unset state. The processor further obtains target bits, each of the target bits in the set state or the unset state, wherein each target bit corresponds to a stored bit to update the stored bit. The processor further determines whether, for one stored bit in the set state, the corresponding target bit is in the unset state. When the determination is positive, the processor sets the stored bits to the unset state and, after setting the stored bits to the unset state, updates the stored bits to match the corresponding target bits. When the determination is negative, the processor updates the stored bits to match the corresponding target bits.

Updates to flash memory based on determinations of bits to erase

An example of an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a power supply to connect to a power source. The power supply is to receive and to distribute a total power from the power source. The apparatus further includes a first device to receive a first portion of the total power from the power supply. The apparatus further includes a second device to receive a second portion of the total power from the power supply. A sum of the first portion and the second portion is the total power. In addition, the apparatus includes a controller to control the second device, wherein the controller is to determine the total power demanded by the first device and the second device. The controller is to reduce the second portion of the total power and to restore the second portion of the total power.

Power management systems

A circuit for identifying a power supply may include a voltage divider to divide an identification voltage from the power supply. The output of the voltage divider is electrically coupled to an adapter identification pin of a controller to identify the power supply.

Power supply identification

Example systems relate to power monitoring and reduction processes. An example system may include a modular computing device including a plurality of universal serial bus (USB) ports and a power supply unit coupled to the modular computing device. The example system may further include an embedded controller coupled to the power supply unit and to the plurality of USB port. The embedded controller may monitor a level of power consumed by the system and determine whether a surge event has occurred in the system. In response to the determination that the surge event has occurred, the embedded controller may determine whether an agency event has occurred in the system and initiate a power reduction process in response to the determination.

Power monitoring and reduction

An apparatus may include a basic input/output system (BIOS) coupled to a controller. A communication port may be coupled to the controller. The controller may determine that the communication port has entered a locked state, send a first signal to the communication port to power off a bus associated with the communication port for a threshold period of time, and send a second signal to the communication port to power on the bus associated with the communication port in response to expiration of the threshold period of time.

Communication port recovery

Example implementations relate to balancing a power load among USB ports. For example, an apparatus according to the present disclosure, may include a plurality of USB ports, and an embedded controller coupled to the plurality of USB ports. The embedded controller may determine that a first device is coupled to a USB port of the plurality of USB ports, and determine a power draw of the first device relative to a type of the USB port. The embedded controller may balance a power load among a remainder of the plurality of USB ports based on the power draw of the first device relative to the type of the USB port.

Balancing a power load among USB ports

In some examples, a protected memory area inaccessible to an operating system stores information relating to instructions, where the protected memory area includes an indication settable to a first value to indicate that the instructions are allowed to access a memory external of the protected memory area, and a second value to indicate that the instructions are not allowed to access the memory external of the protected memory area. The indication is modified from the first value to the second value to restrict the instructions when executed from accessing the memory external of the protected memory area. In response to modifying the indication, code in the computing device is launched, the launched code comprising the operating system or firmware.

Protected memory area

According to examples, an apparatus may include a power circuit to transmit standby power to a device, a memory associated with the device to maintain first configuration data and second configuration data and a battery to provide backup power to the device. The device may, following a loss and a recovery of the standby power to the device, determine whether the backup power was lost during the loss of the standby power. The device may also, based on a determination that the backup power was lost during the loss of the standby power, read the first configuration data or may, based on a determination that the backup power was not lost during the loss of the standby power, read the second configuration data. The device may further apply the read one of the first configuration data or the second configuration data to configure the device.

Backup power supply based configuration data application

An example system includes a processor. The system also includes a peripheral interface that includes a controller communicatively coupled to the processor. The controller is to request information from a plurality of devices connected to the peripheral interface prior to the processor requesting the information. The controller is to provide the information to the processor.

Connected devices information

Examples of an apparatus, method, and instructions included on a machine-readable non-transitory storage medium are disclosed herein. In an example of the method, a first state is provided to enable a camera to record an image, a second state is provided to disable the camera, and a third state is provided to permit the camera to be enabled and disabled. Also in this example of the method, a button is actuated in the third state to an on position to enable the camera to record an image or an off position to disable the camera. Additionally in this example of the method, a signal is generated via an input device in the on position of the button to enable the camera to record an image or disable the camera.

Enablement and disablement of cameras

Examples disclose a method, system, and computer readable media to configure a device within a computing system. The examples process configuration data when standby power is applied to the device. Additionally, the examples configure the device based on the configuration data, wherein the device is configured prior to initialization of the computing system.

Device configuration prior to initialization of a system

In some examples, in response to a computing device powering on, a protected memory area inaccessible to an operating system is created, where the protected memory area includes information relating to instructions and an indication settable to a first value to indicate that the instructions are allowed to access a memory external of the protected memory area, and a second value to indicate that the instructions are not allowed to access the memory external of the protected memory area. In response to creating the protected memory area, the indication is modified from the first value to the second value to restrict the instructions when executed from accessing the memory external of the protected memory area. In response to modifying the indication, code in the computing device is launched, the launched code comprising the operating system or firmware.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a computing device is provided. The computing device includes an interface module and a power management module. The interface module is to provide a user interface that facilitates enabling and disabling of an always on feature, and further facilitates configuration of a permissible advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) S3 state period. The power management module to receive a request to enter an ACPI S3 state, determine whether the always on feature is enabled, and in response to determining that the always on feature is enabled, determine whether the computing device is within a user-defined permissible ACPI S3 state period. In response to determining that the computing device is within the user-defined permissible ACPI S3 state period, the power management module is to set a wake event and cause the computing device to enter the ACPI S3 state.

Growing community of inventors

Tomball, TX, United States of America

Mark A Piwonka