Patent ID: 8726045

Claim:
A system, comprising: a topology logic to automatically identify and describe a power topology in which a set of power distribution units (PDUs) and a set of computers (CEs) are arranged, where the topology logic is to describe the power topology using a set of PDU to CE (PDU/CE) associations, where each PDU/CE association includes a PDU identifier, a PDU port identifier, and a CE identifier, where the PDU port identifier identifies a port in a particular PDU identified by the PDU identifier to which a particular CE identified by the CE identifier is directly connected, where each CE is directly connected only to one PDU port; and a data store to receive data from the topology logic, where the data received from the topology logic is associated with the set of PDU/CE associations; where a CE includes a power supply and a CE communication circuit to communicate with a PDU communication circuit associated with a first PDU from which the CE receives power, where the CE communication circuit communicates with the PDU communication circuit through a power line through which the CE receives power, where the first PDU includes the PDU communication circuit to communicate with the CE communication circuit.