HP ProLiant BL660c ISS Technology Focus, Number 13

ISS Technology Focus

Number 13

In this issue:

»

Outlet Control in HP

Intelligent Power

Discovery

»

HP EcoPOD 240a

Environment Control

System

»

Meet the Expert

—

Bill

Whiteman

»

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Outlet Control in HP Intelligent Power Discovery

This article describes the Outlet Control feature of HP Intelligent Power Discovery

(IPD). IPD solves major power distribution challenges: provisioning power to IT devices;

monitoring and managing servers’ real

-time power use; and verifying power

connections to critical servers. This article involves the latter. A common cause of

server failure is human error when connecting power to serv

ers’ redundant power

supplies.

How IPD works

Our IPD solution automatically discovers the rack installation of ProLiant G7 servers that

use HP Common Slot Platinum Power Supplies. IPD includes Intelligent Power

Distribution Unit (iPDU) cores with six monitored C-19 outlets, Intelligent Extension Bars

with five monitored C-13 outlets, and IPD power cords with embedded RS-232 data

lines. The iPDU core has an embedded management module that lets you access

power topology information locally through the HP Intelligent PDU Management GUI or

remotely using HP Insight Control software or SNMP.

When administrators connect ProLiant servers to the IPD components, the iPDU cores

immediately detect and communicate with each server’s iLO device before the server is

powered on. The iPDU cores and the iLO devices exchange identity data

—

hostname, IP

address, and unique universal identification number

—

through the IPD power cords. This

allows each iPDU to track the servers plugged into the Extension Bar outlets on each

load segment (iPDU outlet). IPD is the only solution in the server industry today that

automatically correlates server identity to power outlets.

Power Cycle Control

If you need to reset a server by cycling power to it, you must cycle the correct outlet(s)

or you can shut down the wrong server. Also, if a server uses redundant power supplies,

you have to cycle all power supplies simultaneously.

Using the HP Intelligent PDU Management GUI or Insight Control remotely, you can

view and control the status of all outlets on each load segment. The Control page of the

management GUI (Figure 1) shows the Redundancy Control option and Power Control

switch for each outlet.

The Power Cycle Control column includes a switch that allows you to turn power on or

off simultaneously to the redundant outlets for each server. By cycling redundant outlets

simultaneously, the switch prevents boot errors and power supply errors when the

server re-boots. The switch works similarly for a manually entered device, such as a

third-

party device, for which the device’s UUID is properly matched to its outlets. When

an iPDU running firmware v1.4 detects a non-IPD device on an outlet, an assisted