Abstract: Methods and systems for securing data processing systems are disclosed. A data processing system may be operably connected to other devices via ports. When operably connected, some devices connected via the ports may cause undesired actions to be performed. To limit physical access to the ports, a security apparatus may be used to lock the ports. The security apparatus may transition between states where it may be inserted into openings for the ports and may be locked to the openings for the ports. When so locked, physical access to the ports may be limited.

Abstract: An information handling system includes a USB-C port, first and second processors, and a USB-C power delivery controller. The first processor couples to the USB-C port utilizing a first connection type. The second processor couples to the USB-C port utilizing a second connection type. The USB-C power delivery controller includes first registers associated with the first processor and second registers associated with the second processor. The first processor utilizes the first registers to communicate with the USB-C port. The second processor utilizes the second registers to communicate with the USB-C port.

Abstract: In IHSs (Information Handling Systems), cooling is provided by increasing the airflow generated by cooling fans. However, unnecessary airflow cooling results in noise and wasted energy. An IHS processor may support faster operating frequencies when cooled below an upper threshold, but these operating frequencies drop at temperatures below a lower threshold. Embodiments provide techniques for calibrating the cooling of an IHS to the thermal characteristics of a specific processor since manufacturing variances result in processors having differing responses to cooling. A turbo frequency supported by a processor is measured at a series of temperature margins that are progressively lower than the processor's specification temperature. A rate of increase in the measured turbo frequencies is determined at each of the temperature margins. A first temperature margin is identified at which the rate of increase in turbo frequencies falls below a threshold. This margin is used in providing airflow cooling.

Abstract: An information handling system may include an information handling resource and an air mover configured to drive a flow of air. The air mover may have one or more air mover components for driving the flow of air and a coil configured to heat the one or more air mover components.

Abstract: A circuit board may include a traditional via electrically coupled to a first layer of the circuit board and coupled to a second layer of the circuit board and a slotted via formed within the circuit board proximate to the traditional via, the slotted via comprising an opening through a first surface and a second surface of the circuit board and a layer of conductive material formed on interior walls of the opening.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a clip pin of a secondary printed circuit board removably coupled to a primary printed circuit board and a backplate in an information handling system includes: an open end configured to receive a guide pin of the backplate within a clip pin hole of the primary printed circuit board, the guide pin configured to removably couple to the clip pin via the open end; a bulbous portion disposed proximate to the open end, the guide pin causing the bulbous portion to apply an outward force on an inner wall of the clip pin hole; and a plurality of signal pins disposed within the bulbous portion, the outward force causing the plurality of signal pins to communicably couple to the inner wall to transmit a signal from the secondary printed circuit board to the primary printed circuit board.

Abstract: In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, one or more methods, and/or one or more processes may determine multiple voltage values associated with a rechargeable battery over a period of time; store the multiple voltage values with respect to multiple clock values over the period of time; determine a voltage drop rate from the multiple voltage values and the multiple clock values; determine a threshold voltage value associated with a predicted energy capacity of the rechargeable battery for a mobile information handling system (IHS) to perform a power state transition; determine a voltage value associated with the rechargeable battery; determine that the voltage value has reached the threshold voltage value; provide a notification to an operating system executed by the mobile IHS; store data from a volatile memory medium to a non-volatile memory medium; and transition the mobile IHS from an operational state to a power conservation state.

Abstract: An inhomogeneous dielectric medium high-speed signal trace system includes a first and second ground layer. A first dielectric layer is located adjacent the first ground layer. A second dielectric layer has a different dielectric constant and a greater thickness than the first dielectric layer, and is located between the first dielectric layer and the second ground layer. A first differential trace pair is located between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, and includes a trace spacing that is less than or equal to a thickness of the first dielectric layer. The first different trace pair transmit signals and, in response, produces a magnetic field, and the trace spacing prevents a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field from exceeding a magnetic field strength threshold at a second differential trace pair that is located adjacent the first differential trace pair.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and processor-readable storage media for automatically detecting data offloading methods using data bucketing and machine learning techniques are provided herein. An example computer-implemented method includes obtaining operations data and configuration data for one or more storage objects in a database; determining one or more times at which data offloading is to be carried out for at least one of the storage objects in the database, wherein determining the one or more times includes processing at least a portion of the operations data using one or more machine learning techniques; generating at least one data offloading protocol, comprising one or more data offloading methods, by processing at least a portion of the configuration data; and automatically executing, in accordance with the one or more determined times, the at least one generated data offloading protocol for at least a portion of the one or more storage objects in the database.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer-readable medium are disclosed for performing a data center monitoring and management operation. The data center monitoring and management operation includes: monitoring data center assets within a data center; identifying an issue within the data center, the issue being associated with an operational situation associated with a particular component of the data center; determining whether data associated with the issue corresponds to predefined conditional criteria; and, triggering an autonomous widget operation in response to a determination of the data associated with the issue corresponding to the predefined conditional criteria, the autonomous widget operation executing a particular autonomous widget.

Abstract: A cabling-based airflow routing system includes a chassis that defines a chassis housing. A first heat producing component is located in the chassis housing. A first cabling connector is located in the chassis housing. A second cabling connector that is located in the chassis housing. A first ribbon cable that extends through the chassis housing between the first cabling connector and the second cabling connector. The first ribbon cable includes a first cabling airflow routing portion that is oriented in the chassis housing in an airflow path and that is configured to redirect a first portion of an airflow provided in the airflow path towards the first heat producing component.

Abstract: System and methods are provided for detecting and suggesting breaks in activity by a user of an Information Handling System (IHS). I/O operations by the user of the IHS are monitored, without use of a camera and thus within privacy restrictions. Upon initiating the activity monitoring, a timer is initialized. Using the timer, intervals are identified with no activity by the user, thus indicating the user has taken a break from operating the IHS. Based on the monitored user activity, intervals are also identified with uninterrupted operation of the IHS by the user, such as monitored activity by the user without identifying an interval of inactivity that indicates the user has taken a break. Upon detection of an interval with uninterrupted operation of the IHS, the user is presented with a suggestion to take a break from operation of the IHS.

Abstract: An information handling system includes first and second lines of a differential pair. A baseboard management controller (BMC) periodically determines a resistance of the first line and a resistance of the second line. If the first resistance is substantially equal to the second resistance, then the BMC provides a corrosion signal to a remote diagnostic system.

Abstract: An Information Handling System (IHS) includes multiple hardware devices, and a baseboard Management Controller (BMC) in communication with multiple hardware devices of the IHS. The BMC includes executable instructions for monitoring a parameter of one or more of the hardware devices when a custom BMC firmware stack is executed on the BMC. The instructions that monitor the parameter are separate and distinct from the instructions of the custom BMC firmware stack. The instructions also control the BMC to perform one or more operations to remediate an excessive parameter when the parameter exceeds a specified threshold.

Abstract: An information handling system includes a high-speed data communication link and a processor. The link includes lanes that each includes a transmitter with an equalization setting and a receiver. The processor initiates a training of the high-speed data communication interface to determine a setting value for the equalization setting for each lane, determines a lane quality value for each lane based upon the associated setting value, determines a link score based on the lane quality values, and determines that the lane quality score is outside a threshold range. In response to determining that the lane quality score is outside the threshold range, the processor selects a lane that has a lane quality value that has a greater magnitude than the lane quality values of all other lanes, increases the equalization setting of the first lane, and initiates a retraining of the other lanes.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamically switching power supply in a dual battery system to minimize unbalanced wear levels in the primary and secondary batteries. If the operating temperature of the primary battery reaches a reliability temperature threshold but the operating temperature of the secondary battery is less than the reliability temperature threshold, the controller switches a primary battery indicator to designate the secondary battery as the primary battery. If the operating temperature of the primary battery reaches a pre-shutdown temperature but the operating temperature of the secondary battery is less than the pre-shutdown temperature, the controller switches a primary battery indicator to designate the secondary battery as the primary battery. If a difference between the wear levels of the batteries exceeds a wear level difference threshold, the controller switches a primary battery indicator to designate the secondary battery as the primary battery.

Abstract: A technique of identifying hosts suspected of being sources of ransomware infection includes initiating a tracking interval in response to a data storage system detecting a suspected ransomware attack. During the tracking interval, write requests received by the data storage system are analyzed and ransomware attributes for those write requests are generated. The ransomware attributes of the write requests indicate risks of ransomware infection and are associated with hosts from which the respective write requests originate. A particular host is identified as a suspected source of ransomware infection based at least in part on the ransomware attributes associated with that host.

Abstract: A power/workload management system includes a power system that is coupled to a first computing device that is configured to perform a first workload, as well as to a second computing device. A management subsystem is coupled to the first computing device and the second computing device, and operates to identify a reduced power event associated with the power system and, in response, determine that the first computing device is associated with a higher power consumption than the second computing device. In response to determining that the first computing device is associated with the higher power consumption than the second computing device, the management subsystem moves the first workload to the second computing device such that the second computing device performs the first workload, and configures the first computing device in a reduced power consumption state.

Abstract: An information handling system includes a power supply unit (PSU) and a motherboard. The PSU provides power to components of the information handling system, and includes power monitoring circuitry and digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry. The power monitoring circuitry of the PSU determines whether the provided power exceeds one of a plurality of thresholds during a respective one of a plurality of time periods, and provides a digital value on one of a plurality of pins based on one of the threshold voltages being exceeded during the corresponding time period. The D/A circuitry of the PSU detects the digital value on one of the pins, and provides one of a plurality of quantized voltages. Each of quantized voltages corresponds to a different one of the pins. The motherboard receives the one of quantized voltages, and activates a throttling operation based on the received one of quantized voltages.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a grounding structure for a printed circuit board (PCB) of an information handling system includes: a first ground via electrically coupled to a ground layer of the PCB; a second ground via electrically coupled to the ground layer of the PCB; and a conductive strip electrically coupling the first ground via to the second ground via, the conductive strip providing a vertical ground reference for a signal transferred from a first surface of the PCB to a second surface of the PCB through a signal via disposed on the PCB.