Reversible fan direction control responsive to device enclosure orientation

Abstract

A computer program product is provided for controlling the airflow direction through a device enclosure. A first device enclosure is positioned adjacent a second device enclosure, wherein both enclosures have an airflow pathway extending from the front to the back, and a fan for moving air through the airflow pathway, wherein the fan of the first device enclosure is a reversible rotary fan. The computer program product automatically determines whether the first device enclosure is in a first orientation with its front facing in the same direction as the front of the adjacent second device enclosure or in a second orientation with the front facing in the same direction as the back of the adjacent second device enclosure. The airflow direction imparted by a reversible rotary fan is then controlled according to the determined orientation of the first device enclosure relative to the second device enclosure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer readable storage media having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to:
 cause a first transceiver positioned on a first device enclosure to transmit a first near-field communication signal to a second transceiver positioned on an adjacent second device enclosure at a first time, wherein the second transceiver transmits a second near-field communication signal to the first transceiver in response to receiving the first near-field communication signal, and wherein the first transceiver receives the second near-field communication signal from the second transceiver at a second time;   automatically determine whether a first device enclosure is oriented in a first orientation with a front of the first device enclosure facing in the same direction as a front of an adjacent second device enclosure or in a second orientation with the front of the first device enclosure facing in the same direction as a back of the adjacent second device enclosure, wherein the first device enclosure is determined to be oriented in the first orientation in response to the time delay between the first time and the second time being less than a predetermined amount of time, and wherein the first device enclosure is determined to be oriented in the second orientation in response to the time delay between the first time and the second time being greater than a predetermined amount of time;   operate a reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in a first rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in a first airflow direction from front to back through an airflow pathway extending through the first device enclosure in response to determining that the first device enclosure is in the first orientation; and   operate the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in a second rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in a second airflow direction from the back to the front through the airflow pathway in response to determining that the first device enclosure is in the second orientation.   
     
     
         2 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure maintains airflow through the first device enclosure from a cold aisle to a hot aisle flow regardless of whether the first device enclosure is in the first orientation or the second orientation. 
     
     
         3 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein the first device enclosure houses a network switch and the adjacent second device enclosure houses a server. 
     
     
         4 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein either the first transceiver is positioned at the front of the first device enclosure and the second transceiver is positioned at the front of the second device enclosure, or the first transceiver is positioned at the back of the first device enclosure and the second transceiver is positioned at the back of the second device enclosure. 
     
     
         5 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein each near-field communication signal includes a characteristic that identifies the position of a near-field communication transceiver that generated the near-field communication signal. 
     
     
         6 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein the first device enclosure includes one or more near-field communication transceiver along a top of the first device enclosure for transmitting and receiving near-field communication signals with a near-field transceiver on a device enclosure adjacent the top of the first device enclosure, and wherein the first device enclosure includes one or more near-field communication transceiver along a bottom of the first device enclosure for transmitting and receiving near-field communication signals with a near-field transceiver on a device enclosure adjacent the bottom of the first device enclosure. 
     
     
         7 . The computer program product of  claim 6 , wherein each device enclosure has a near-field communication transmitter located in four corners of the device enclosure. 
     
     
         8 . The computer program product of  claim 6 , wherein each device enclosure has a near-field communication transmitter located in front, rear, left side and right side of the device enclosure. 
     
     
         9 . A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer readable storage media having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to:
 measure the air temperature at a front and a back of an airflow pathway through a first device enclosure;   automatically determine whether the first device enclosure is oriented in a first orientation with a front of the first device enclosure facing in the same direction as a front of an adjacent second device enclosure or in a second orientation with the front of the first device enclosure facing in the same direction as a back of the adjacent second device enclosure, wherein the first device enclosure is determined to be oriented in the first orientation in response to the air temperature measured at the front of the first device enclosure being less than the air temperature measured at the back of the first device enclosure, and wherein the first device enclosure is determined to be oriented in the second orientation in response to the air temperature measured at the front of the first device enclosure being greater than the air temperature measured at the back of the first device enclosure;   operate a reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in a first rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in a first airflow direction from front to back through an airflow pathway extending through the first device enclosure in response to determining that the first device enclosure is in the first orientation; and   operate the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in a second rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in a second airflow direction from the back to the front through the airflow pathway in response to determining that the first device enclosure is in the second orientation.   
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , wherein the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure maintains airflow through the first device enclosure from a cold aisle to a hot aisle flow regardless of whether the first device enclosure is in the first orientation or the second orientation. 
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 9 , wherein the first device enclosure houses a network switch and the adjacent second device enclosure houses a server. 
     
     
         12 . A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer readable storage media having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to:
 run a reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in a first rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in a first airflow direction during a first test period and measure one or more temperatures within the first device enclosure during the first test period;   run the reversible rotary fan in a second rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in a second airflow direction during a second test period and measure one or more temperatures within the first device enclosure during the second test period;   automatically determine whether a first device enclosure is oriented in a first orientation with a front of the first device enclosure facing in the same direction as a front of an adjacent second device enclosure or in a second orientation with the front of the first device enclosure facing in the same direction as a back of the adjacent second device enclosure, wherein the first device enclosure is determined to be oriented in the first orientation in response to the one or more temperatures measured during the first test period being less than the one or more temperatures measured during the second test period, and wherein the first device enclosure is determined to be oriented in the second orientation in response to the one or more temperatures measured during the first test period being greater than the one or more temperatures measured during the second test period;   operate the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in the first rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in the first airflow direction from front to back through an airflow pathway extending through the first device enclosure in response to determining that the first device enclosure is in the first orientation; and   operate the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure in the second rotational direction to move air through the first device enclosure in the second airflow direction from the back to the front through the airflow pathway in response to determining that the first device enclosure is in the second orientation.   
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the reversible rotary fan of the first device enclosure maintains airflow through the first device enclosure from a cold aisle to a hot aisle flow regardless of whether the first device enclosure is in the first orientation or the second orientation. 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the first device enclosure houses a network switch and the adjacent second device enclosure houses a server.