U.S. patent application number 10/223938 was filed with the patent office on 2002-12-26 for high density packaging for multi-disk systems.
Invention is credited to Chong, Fay JR., Lee, Whay S., Rettberg, Randall D., Talagala, Nisha, Wu, Chia Y..
Application Number | 20020196601 10/223938 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24887868 |
Filed Date | 2002-12-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020196601 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee, Whay S. ; et
al. |
December 26, 2002 |
High density packaging for multi-disk systems
Abstract
A substrate for packaging a storage or server system may include
one or more sections of the substrate configured to hold a
two-dimensional array of disk drives. Another section of this
substrate may be configured to hold circuitry for accessing the
array of disk drives. This circuitry may include one or more
processors. The substrate also includes a first plurality of ribs
positioned in the first access of the substrate. The first
plurality of ribs separate the sections from one another. The
section configured to hold the control circuitry may also be
configured to hold one or more power supplies for supplying power
to the array of disk drives and control circuitry. This section, as
well as other sections, may be divided in two by one or more
additional ribs in a transverse direction. The substrate may be
configured to be mounted in a cage or rack and may include an edge
connector at one edge of the substrate to provide electrical
connectivity to a back plane in the cage or rack. A lateral
protrusion may extend along each parallel edge of the substrate for
mounting the substrate in the cage or rack by sliding the substrate
into the cage or rack.
Inventors: |
Lee, Whay S.; (Newark,
CA) ; Talagala, Nisha; (Fremont, CA) ; Wu,
Chia Y.; (Newark, CA) ; Chong, Fay JR.;
(Cupertino, CA) ; Rettberg, Randall D.; (Danville,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KONRAD RAYNES VICTOR & MANN, LLP
315 SOUTH BEVERLY DRIVE
SUITE 210
BEVERLY HILLS
CA
90212
US
|
Family ID: |
24887868 |
Appl. No.: |
10/223938 |
Filed: |
August 20, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10223938 |
Aug 20, 2002 |
|
|
|
09718866 |
Nov 21, 2000 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.33 ;
G9B/33.031 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 33/125
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/685 |
International
Class: |
H05K 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A substrate for packaging a system, comprising: first one or
more sections of the substrate configured to hold a two-dimensional
array of disk drives; a second section of the substrate configured
to hold circuitry for accessing said two-dimensional physical array
of disk drives, wherein said circuitry comprises on or more
processors; and a first plurality of ribs positioned in the
direction of a first axis of the substrate, wherein the first
plurality of ribs separate said first one or more sections from
each other and from said second section.
2. The substrate as recited in claim 1, wherein said second section
is further configured to hold one or more power supplies for
supplying power to said two-dimensional array of disk drives and
said circuitry.
3. The substrate as recited in claim 1, wherein said substrate is
configured to be mounted in a cage or rack.
4. The substrate as recited in claim 3, further comprising an edge
connector at one edge of the substrate configured to provide
electrical connectivity to a backplane in said cage or rack.
5. The substrate as recited in claim 3, wherein two of said first
plurality of ribs are each proximate a respective parallel edge of
said substrate, wherein the substrate further comprises a lateral
protrusion extending along each said respective parallel edge
configured for mounting the substrate in said cage or rack by
sliding the substrate into said cage or rack.
6. The substrate as recited in claim 1, further comprising a second
plurality of ribs positioned in the direction of a second axis of
the substrate perpendicular to said first axis.
7. The substrate as recited in claim 6, wherein said second section
is further configured to hold one or more power supplies for
supplying power to said two-dimensional array of disk drives and
said circuitry, wherein said one or more power supplies are
separated from said circuitry by one or more of said second
plurality of ribs.
8. The substrate as recited in claim 6, further comprising a third
section transverse to said first one or more sections and said
second section, wherein said third section is configured to hold a
row of fans.
9. The substrate as recited in claim 8, wherein said third section
is defined by two of said second plurality of ribs that are
perforated to facilitate air flow in the direction of said first
axis.
10. The substrate as recited in claim 6, wherein said second
plurality of ribs have a lower profile than said first plurality of
ribs.
11. The substrate as recited in claim 1, further comprising
protrusions on the bottom of the substrate aligned with said first
plurality of ribs, wherein said protrusions are configured to mate
with ribs of a second similar substrate mounted underneath the
substrate.
12. The substrate as recited in claim 1, wherein the substrate
comprises a printed circuit board, and wherein said two-dimensional
array of disk drives, said circuitry, and said first plurality of
ribs are mounted to said printed circuit board.
13. The substrate as recited in claim 1, wherein the substrate
including said first plurality of ribs is less than or equal to one
inch thick.
14. A system, comprising: a two-dimensional array of disk drives
mounted to a substrate, wherein said two-dimensional array of disk
drives extends across said substrate along a first axis and a
second axis of the substrate; circuitry for controlling said
two-dimensional array of disk drives, wherein said circuitry is
mounted to said substrate and comprises one or more processors; and
a first plurality of ribs positioned in the direction of said first
axis separating said two dimensional array of disk drives from said
circuitry.
15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said first plurality
of ribs separates said two-dimensional array of disk drives into
two sections.
16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said two sections
are separated by a third section comprising said circuitry.
17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein said third section
further comprises one or more power supplies for supplying power to
said two-dimensional array of hard drives and said circuitry.
18. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising one or
more power supplies mounted to said substrate, wherein said one or
more power supplies are configured to supply power to said
two-dimensional array of hard drives and said circuitry.
19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein said one or more
power supplies comprises a redundant power supply configured to
supply power to said two-dimensional array of hard drives and said
circuitry if another one of said power supplies fails.
20. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein said on or more
power supplies are configured to regulate a 48V DC input down to
voltages required by said two-dimensional array of disk drives and
said circuitry.
21. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein said one or more
power supplies comprises a back-up battery for memory comprised
within said circuitry.
22. The system as recited in claim 18, further comprising a second
plurality of ribs positioned in the direction of said second axis
of the substrate perpendicular to said first axis.
23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein one or more of said
first or second plurality of ribs are configured to serve as an
electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield for said one or more
power supplies.
24. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein one or more of said
first or second plurality of ribs are configured to serve as a heat
sink for said one or more power supplies.
25. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein one or more of said
first or second plurality of ribs separates said one or more power
supplies from said circuitry.
26. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising a second
plurality of ribs positioned in the direction of said second axis
of the substrate perpendicular to said first axis.
27. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein said second
plurality of ribs are perforated to facilitate air flow in the
direction of said first axis.
28. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein said second
plurality of ribs have a lower profile than said first plurality of
ribs.
29. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising a row of
fans positioned in the direction of said second axis.
30. The system as recited in claim 29, where said row of fans are
configured to be powered by a power supply independent from a power
supply for said two-dimensional array of disk drives.
31. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said two-dimensional
array of disk drives are configured as a RAID storage system.
32. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said two-dimensional
array of disk drives, said substrate, said circuitry, and said
first plurality of ribs are configured to be mounted in a cage or
rack.
33. The system as recited in claim 32, further comprising an edge
connector at one edge of the substrate configured to coupled said
two-dimensional array of disk drives to an I/O bus or network.
34. The system as recited in claim 32, further comprising an edge
connector at one edge of the substrate configured to coupled said
two-dimensional array of disk drives to a switched point-to-point
interconnect fabric.
35. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said substrate
comprises a printed circuit board, and wherein said two-dimensional
array of disk drives, said circuitry, and said first plurality of
ribs are mounted to said printed circuit board.
36. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein said two-dimensional
array of disk drives, said substrate, and said circuitry are
packaged as a single field replaceable unit (FRU) with no field
serviceable internal parts so that said two-dimensional array of
disk drives, said substrate, and said circuitry are configured not
to be individually field serviceable or field replaceable.
37. The system as recited in claim 36, wherein said single field
replaceable unit is less than or equal to one inch thick.
38. A cage mounted system comprising: a cage comprising a plurality
of slots; a plurality of trays each mounted in one of said slots;
and wherein one of said trays comprises: a two-dimensional array of
disk drives mounted to a substrate, wherein said two-dimensional
array of disk drives extends across said substrate along a first
axis and a second axis of the substrate; and circuitry for
controlling said two-dimensional array of disk drives, wherein said
circuitry is mounted to said substrate and comprises one or more
processors.
39. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein said plurality of
trays are mounted in said cage in a vertical stack, wherein each
one of said plurality of trays comprises a first plurality of ribs
positioned in the direction of a horizontal first axis.
40. The system as recited in claim 39, wherein bottom portions of
said first plurality of ribs on each tray are configured to rest
upon corresponding top portions of said first plurality of ribs for
an immediately lower tray.
41. The system as recited in claim 40, wherein one of said trays
comprises a dummy tray configured to provide mechanical support for
said tray comprising said two-dimensional array of hard drives and
said circuitry, wherein said dummy tray is positioned within said
cage in one of said slots immediately underneath said tray
comprising said two-dimensional array of hard drives and said
circuitry.
42. The system as recited in claim 38, further comprising a
backplane at the back of said cage, wherein said backplane is
configured to provide power and I/O signals to said trays.
43. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein said backplane is
configured to provide redundant power paths to each tray.
44. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein said backplane is
configured to provide connection to an I/O bus or network for one
or more of said trays.
45. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein said backplane is
configured to provide connection to a switched point-to-point I/O
interconnect fabric for one or more of said trays.
46. The system as recited in claim 42, further comprising one or
more fans at the back of said cage, wherein said one or more fans
are configured to provide air flow across said trays.
47. The system as recited in claim 46, wherein said backplane is
perforated to facilitate said air flow.
48. The system as recited in 38, wherein each said slot comprises
rails on opposed sides of said cage, and wherein each tray is
configured to slide into said cage on said rails.
49. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein one of said trays
comprises a power supply tray configured to convert an AC line
voltage to a DC voltage and supply said DC voltage to other ones of
said trays.
50. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein each tray is a
single field replaceable unit (FRU) with no field serviceable
internal parts.
51. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein each tray has a
maximum height of one inch.
52. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein slots of said cage
are configured to accommodate trays having a maximum height of one
inch or trays having a maximum height of 1.75 inches.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to the packaging of storage and/or
server equipment, and more particularly a low profile tray for
multi-disk storage or server systems and an enclosure for such
trays.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] One problem facing many office computing environments is how
to physically arrange and store office computing equipment in a
limited amount of space. Typically, an office may have a central
computing room in which most of the office server systems are
located. Naturally, it is desirable for such computer rooms to
require as little real estate as possible. Conventional server
systems are often packaged in tower type chassis that are often not
very space efficient. Such chassis are typically not stackable and
may require a large amount of clearance for fan airflow, etc. Some
computer environments employ racks to mount computer systems in a
more space efficient manner. A standard-industrial 19 inch rack is
often used. The current 19 inch industrial rack accommodates
equipment trays in height units of 1.75 inches. Multiple trays may
be stacked up in a single rack. However, an office may not be able
to readily obtain all of its server needs in this form factor, or
at the very least, its choice for file servers, email servers, web
servers, network servers, etc., may be restricted if they are
limited to this form factor. Furthermore, with the increasing
miniaturization of components, the 1.75 inch height unit of the
current industrial standard racks may be an inefficient use of
space. Therefore, a more compact solution to support the physical
installation of server systems may be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A ribbed tray or substrate may be provided for holding
computer or storage system components. The total height of the tray
and components may be less than or equal to one inch. A number of
such trays may be stacked inside of a cage which may be mounted
inside a standard 19 inch computer rack. Such a cage may be
designed to accommodate the one inch trays or larger 1.75 inch
(height) trays. Each tray may be based on a printed circuit board
reinforced with metal ribs in at least one direction and preferably
in both an x and y direction. A tray may be populated with low
profile components so that the height of the tray including the
printed circuit board thickness, ribs, components, and any
necessary clearance is less than or equal to one inch. The
structural ribs may be oriented to allow front to back airflow and
the trays may be configured to slide into the cage independently of
one another.
[0006] An edge connector at the rear of the tray printed circuit
board provides connectivity between trays in the cage and to a
power supply and external ports, such as a network port. In one
embodiment, to maximize useful space, trays are not individually
packaged inside their own metal case.
[0007] The tray may be mounted into the cage in much the same
fashion as in a bakery rack. Slots may be grooved out, or rails
provided in the internal sidewalls of the cages to accommodate the
tray substrate. Each tray slides into the cage from the front and
connects to a back plane at the rear of the cage via the printed
circuit board edge connector. For a high degree of compatibility
the back plane may provide a standard interconnect, such as a point
to point switched interconnect (e.g., as proposed by the Infiniband
Trade Association) or the PCI bus or high bandwidth variant of the
PCI bus.
[0008] The ribs on each tray provide enough strength such that the
tray does not collapse under its own weight. Also, to avoid sagging
in the middle section, heavier components ma be distributed such
that most of the weight is located near ribs or near sides that
slide into to the cage. Also, the ribs may be designed so that
vertically adjacent trays have their ribs rest on top of one
another to provide additional support. Dummy trays may be inserted
to maintain the support if a regular tray is removed or
uninstalled.
[0009] The trays may be powered by a Telco-standard 48 volt DC
supply. Local regulation may further be done on each tray to
convert 48V DC to the voltages required by the equipment on the
tray using "brick" or "half-brick" form factor integrated power
supply modules having a low profile. The cage back plane may
provide redundant power supply tracks so that multiple power supply
trays, or independent supplies on the same tray, may be used for
better fault tolerance. Cooling may be provided by a set of fans at
the back of the cage. To facilitate front to back airflow, the cage
back plane may be perforated or otherwise appropriately shaped. In
one embodiment, a row of smaller fans may be included across each
tray.
[0010] In one embodiment, a tray includes two ribs along the y axis
which delineate the tray into multiple regions. A plurality of disk
drives may be mounted in two of these regions. Power supplies and
control circuitry may be located in another region. In a preferred
embodiment, at least one additional rib exists along the x axis to
further divide the tray. The power supply may be located on one
side of this rib, and the control circuitry including one or more
drive array controllers and one or more CPU's may be located on the
other side of the rib. This transverse rib may also be perforated
or a low height rib to facilitate front to back airflow. In one
embodiment, the ribs are metal ribs and may serve as
electromagnetic barriers and/or heat sinks for the power supplies.
A memory backup battery may be included in the power supply section
as well.
[0011] One embodiment of the cage may be configured to hold three,
one inch height trays or two 1.75 inch trays. The one inch height
trays may include a plurality of low profile hard drives, such as
hard drives designed for laptop computers. In one embodiment, each
tray may be populated with 16 such drives so that a three tray cage
may include 48 low profile drives. For 25 gigabyte drives, the cage
would provide 1.2 terabytes of storage. In one embodiment this may
be configured to provide one terabyte of storage plus 200 gigabytes
of hot spare storage. In alternate designs, larger desktop type
disk drives may be used with 1.75 inch height trays. The same tray
substrate design may be employed with each larger drive occupying
the space allotted for two of the smaller drives. This alternate
design requires no change to the printed circuit board substrate
except for the possible addition of a flexible cable that connects
the larger drives to the substrate connector for the smaller
drives.
[0012] Thus, a substrate for packaging a storage or server system
may include one or more sections of the substrate configured to
hold a two-dimensional array of disk drives. Another section of
this substrate may be configured to hold circuitry for accessing
the array of disk drives. This circuitry may include one or more
processors. The substrate also includes a first plurality of ribs
positioned in the first access of the substrate. The first
plurality of ribs separate the sections from one another. The
section configured to hold the control circuitry may also be
configured to hold one or more power supplies for supplying power
to the array of disk drives and control circuitry. This section, as
well as other sections, may be divided in two by one or more
additional ribs in a transverse direction.
[0013] The substrate may be configured to be mounted in a cage or
rack and may include an edge connector at one edge of the substrate
to provide electrical connectivity to a back plane in the cage or
rack. A lateral protrusion may extend along each parallel edge of
the substrate for mounting the substrate in the cage or rack by
sliding the substrate into the cage or rack.
[0014] A storage or computing system may be provided including a
two-dimensional array of disk drives mounted to a substrate. The
two-dimensional array of disk drives may extend across the
substrate along a first axis and second axis. Circuitry for
controlling the two-dimensional array disk drives may also be
included. This circuit may be mounted to the substrate and may
include one or more processors. A first plurality of ribs may be
positioned in the direction of the first axis separating the
two-dimensional array of disk drives from the circuitry. A second
plurality of ribs may be positioned in the direction of a second
axis of the substrate perpendicular to the first axis. These ribs
may be perforated or low profile ribs to facilitate airflow in the
direction of the first axis.
[0015] A cage mounted storage or computing system may include a
cage having a plurality of slots and a plurality of trays each
mounted in one of the slots. Each tray may include a
two-dimensional array disk drives mounted to a substrate. The
two-dimensional array disk drives may extend across the substrate
along a first axis and a second axis of the substrate. Circuitry
for controlling the two-dimensional array of disk drives may be
mounted on the substrate and may include one or more processors.
The plurality of trays may be mounted in the cage in a vertical
stack. Each of the trays may include a first plurality of ribs
positioned in the direction of a horizontal first axis. These ribs
may be configured to rest upon corresponding top portions of ribs
for an immediately lower tray. One of the trays may be a dummy tray
configured to provide mechanical support via the ribs. A back plane
may be provided at the back of a cage configured to provide power
and I/O signals to each tray. The back plane may provide redundant
power paths and may provide connections to I/O ports, such as
network ports and may include an I/O interconnect fabric. One or
more fans may be included at the rear of the cage. Additionally,
each tray may be configured as an independent field replaceable
unit with no field serviceable internal parts. Thus, if a tray
fails, instead of field servicing its internal components, the
entire tray is replaced as a whole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a computer of storage system
including multiple hard drives and configured as a single field
replaceable unit, according to one embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a storage or computer system
that may be implemented as a single field replaceable unit,
according to one embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustration of a method for
providing a storage system as a single field replaceable unit,
according to one embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a network system in which a
single unit provides all of an office main compute services,
according to one embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of components for a
single unit that provides all of an office main compute services,
according to one embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 6A illustrates a top view of a low profile substrate or
tray for packaging a computer system, according to one
embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 6B illustrates a longitudinal side view of a low
profile substrate or tray for packaging a computer system,
according to one embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 6C illustrates a latitudinal side view of a low profile
substrate or tray for packaging a computer system, according to one
embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 6D is an illustration of how multiple trays 700 may be
mounted on top of one another within a cage, according to one
embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 6E illustrates a top view of a low profile substrate or
tray for packaging a computer system including a row of fans,
according to one embodiment;
[0026] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a low
profile substrate or tray for packaging a computer system;
[0027] FIG. 8A illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a
low profile substrate or tray for packaging a computer system;
[0028] FIG. 8B illustrates a longitudinal side view of another
embodiment of a low profile substrate or tray for packaging a
computer system;
[0029] FIG. 8C illustrates a latitudinal side view of another
embodiment of a low profile substrate or tray for packaging a
computer system;
[0030] FIG. 8D illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment
of a low profile substrate or tray for packaging a computer
system;
[0031] FIG. 8E illustrates a detail section of a corner of a
substrate or tray for packaging a computer system, according to one
embodiment;
[0032] FIG. 9A illustrates a partial frontal view of a cage or
enclosure for mounting multiple low profile substrates or trays for
packaging a computer or storage system(s), according to one
embodiment;
[0033] FIG. 9B illustrates a top view of a cage or enclosure for
mounting multiple low profile substrates or trays for packaging a
computer or storage system(s), according to one embodiment;
[0034] FIG. 9C illustrates a rear view of a cage or enclosure for
mounting multiple low profile substrates or trays for packaging a
computer or storage system(s), according to one embodiment;
[0035] FIG. 9D illustrates a front view of a cage or enclosure for
mounting multiple low profile substrates or trays for packaging a
computer or storage system(s), according to one embodiment;
[0036] FIG. 9E illustrates a side view of a cage or enclosure for
mounting multiple low profile substrates or trays for packaging a
computer or storage system(s), according to one embodiment; and
[0037] FIG. 9F illustrates a perspective view of a cage or
enclosure for mounting multiple low profile substrates or trays for
packaging a computer or storage system(s), according to one
embodiment.
[0038] While the invention is described herein by way of example
for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in
the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the
embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that
the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to
limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the
contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents
and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0039] Conventional storage systems are typically designed to allow
for replacement or hot swapping of most essential components, such
as disk drives, fans, power supplies, etc. In contrast, FIG. 1
illustrates a storage system 200 assembled as a field replaceable
unit, according to one embodiment. The entire system 200 may be a
single field replaceable unit (FRU). Storage system 200 may include
multiple individual disk drives to provide a large storage capacity
which is implemented as a single field replaceable unit. Since
there are no or a reduced number of field replaceable or hot
swappable internal parts, storage system 200 may have a storage
density that is not possible with storage systems that support
field or hot replacement of components, such as disk drives.
[0040] Storage system 200 includes a drive array 202. Drive array
202 may include multiple hard disk drives. Each hard disk drive is
configured within system 202 so as not to be individually
replaceable in the field. Thus, the drives of disk array 202 may be
packaged much more densely within system 200 than in conventional
systems supporting field replacement. In one embodiment, drive
array 202 include eight low profile ATA-type disk drives. The
drives may be attached to a PC motherboard. In other embodiments,
drive array 202 may include multiple hard drives designed for
interface to SCSI, fibre channel, or other interconnect
architectures. Drive array 202 may be coupled to one or more drive
array controllers 204. In one embodiment, drive array controller
204 includes four ATA drive controllers supporting two ATA-type
drives each. Alternatively, a fewer number of ATA controllers may
be used in conjunction with a switch that allows for more than two
ATA type drives to be connected to each ATA controller port.
Alternatively, drive array controller 204 may be one or more SCSI
drive array controllers or any other type of drive array controller
for controlling arrays of multiple disk drives. Drive array
controller 204 and drive array 202 may be configured as a RAID
drive array.
[0041] One or more CPU's 206 and system memory 208 may also be
included within the single field replaceable unit 200. CPU's 206
may operate to export or present drive array 202 as one or more
file systems through a network interface 210. The single field
replaceable unit 200 may also include a power supply 214 and one or
more fans 212. In one embodiment fans 212 may include a row of fans
positioned between drive array 202 and one or more CPU's 206. Power
supply 214 may be configured to supply power to CPU's 206, system
memory 208, network interface 210, drive controller 204 and drive
array 202. The power supply 214 is part of the single field
replaceable unit and configured not be individually field
serviceable or field replaceable. In one embodiment, the entire
single field replaceable unit 200 is configured to be rack mounted
and has a height less than or equal to 1.75 inches. In another
embodiment the height may be limited to only one inch.
[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates a field replaceable unit 200 according to
one embodiment. The system includes one or more CPU's 206. In one
embodiment, CPU's 206 may be one or more Sparc type processors.
Alternatively, Pentium.RTM. type, Power PC.RTM. type or other types
of processors may be employed. A host bridge 209 may be included to
interface CPU's 206 to system memory 208 and an interconnect bus
such as a PCI bus. A network interface 210 may be included to
provide an interface to a network, such as a LAN. Drive controllers
204 are coupled to the interconnect bus and may be ATA/IDE type
controllers in one embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2,
drive controllers 204 include four ATA/IDE controllers, each
controlling two ATA/IDE drives so that drive array 202 includes
eight ATA/IDE drives. In one embodiment, 34 gigabyte ATA/IDE drives
are used so that the single field replaceable unit provides
approximately 250 gigabytes of storage. ATA/IDE drives may be
preferable for their lower cost and availability. However, other
types of drives, such as SCSI, may be employed. Drive array 202
coupled to the one or more drive controllers 204 may be configured
to be organized into one or more RAID logical volumes and exported
or presented to client machines as one or more file systems through
network interface 210. The processor 206, system memory 208,
network interface 210, one or more drive controllers 204, and drive
array 202 are packaged or assembled as a single field replaceable
unit so that processor 206, system memory 208, network interface
210, one or more drive controllers 204, and the drives of drive
array 202 are configured not to be individually field serviceable
or field replaceable.
[0043] Software running on processor 206 exports or presents the
disk storage 202 as an NFS (Network File System) or CIFS (Common
Internet File System) file system to a network through network
interface 210 so that the file system may be mounted by client
machines connected to the network. In one implementation, a
Solaris.RTM. operating system is run using the DiskSuite software
to organize the disk drives into RAID logical volumes. File systems
are then built on these logical volumes and exported or presented
to clients using either NFS (for Unix clients) or a program such as
Samba (for exporting to Windows clients). In another embodiment,
system 200 runs the Linux operating system internally using the
Linux multi-device management software to configure RAID volumes.
These volumes are exported or presented to clients in the same way
as in the Solaris implementation.
[0044] Thus, a single field replaceable unit including all the
components necessary to provide for a large RAID storage system is
provided. The single field replaceable unit may include one or more
processors, a network interface coupled to the processors, and an
array of disk drives coupled to the processors and network
interface. The array of disk drives may be configured to be
provided as one or more file systems through the network interface.
The processor network interface and array of disk drives are
configured not to be individually field serviceable or field
replaceable. Such a single field replaceable unit may be coupled to
a network through the network interface so that one or more client
machines may be coupled to the network and configured to access
over the network the file systems provided by the single field
replaceable unit. The number of physical disk drives of drive array
202 in a single field replaceable unit may be fixed so that disk
drives may not be added or subtracted from the unit in the
field.
[0045] A large amount of storage configured as one or more network
file systems and as one or more RAID logical volumes, for example,
may be provided as a single field replaceable unit. All components
necessary to implement such a system including CPU, system memory,
and network interface, necessary for exporting or presenting the
file system to the network, the drive array controllers, and drive
array itself are provided within the single field replaceable unit.
In some embodiments, the single field replaceable unit is sealed so
that the internal components are not readily accessible in the
field. In some embodiments, these components are mounted or
configured within the single field replaceable unit so as not to be
individually field serviceable or field replaceable. The single
field replaceable unit 200 may also include fans and a power supply
which are also not field serviceable or replaceable. Thus, if a
critical component of the system 200 fails, then the entire field
replaceable unit is replaced for a new unit. In one embodiment, the
field replaceable unit may include a data siphon port to facilitate
the transfer of data from the drive array of the old unit to the
new unit. By not supporting any field replacement and/or
serviceability of internal parts, the system 200 may be designed
much more densely than other storage systems that provide and
equivalent amount of storage (e.g., at least a quarter of a
terabyte of storage). The single field replaceable unit 200 also
eliminates time spent having to trouble shoot individual components
in the field. Instead, the entire unit is replaceable.
[0046] Turning now to FIG. 3, a method is illustrated for providing
a storage system as a single field replaceable unit, according to
one embodiment. The method includes packaging or assembling the
components of the storage system, such as one or more processors, a
network interface, and a drive array, as a single field replaceable
unit, as indicated at 400. The single field replaceable unit may
have no field serviceable or replaceable internal parts. Software
may be preinstalled at the manufacturer on the field replaceable
unit to organize the drive array into one or more RAID logical
volumes to be exported or presented to client machines as one or
more file systems through the network interface. After assembling
the components as a single field replaceable unit and preinstalling
the RAID and file system software, the single field replaceable
unit is shipped to a user, as indicated at 404. If a failure
occurs, the entire field replaceable unit is replaced (e.g. by the
manufacturer) as a whole, as indicated at 406. Also, since the
single field replaceable unit cannot be individually upgraded by
installing additional internal components, the user may upgrade by
installing additional single field replaceable units.
[0047] Turning now to FIG. 4, a network system is shown including
one or more client computers 502 coupled to a network 504,
according to one embodiment. The client machines 502 may be desktop
PC's, workstations, terminal devices, etc., as may be found in
typical office environments. The network 504 may be a local area
network (LAN), for example, employing the Ethernet protocol. The
client computers 502 obtain multiple office computing services from
a single unit 500 also coupled to network 504. File services, email
services, web services, and network services, for example, are all
provided by the single unit 500. Thus, multiple or even all of an
office's main computing services are provided by the single unit
500.
[0048] Single unit 500 includes a large amount of local storage
508. This local storage may be an array of disk drives configured
to be supplied as one or more file systems to the clients 502 over
network 504. The drive array may be configured as one or more
logical RAID volumes. Single unit 500 performs file services,
making the storage 508 accessible to client machines 502 over
network 504. Single unit 500 also may perform network services for
an office environment. Network services may include the issuance of
IP (Internet Protocol) addresses for network clients. In one
embodiment, IP addresses may be issued dynamically through Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) services. The single unit 500
may also operate a web service that serve pages from storage 508.
Thus, single unit 500 may perform as a web server for an office in
which web pages and other web related data are stored on storage
508. The web service provided by single unit 500 may also be the
primary access point for administering single unit 500. The single
unit 500 may also operate mail services over network 504 for the
client machines 502. The software to implement the above described
services may be preinstalled on the single unit 500 before shipping
so that the end user may simply connect the single unit to its
network to obtain many or all of the office computing services on a
single unit. Thus, single unit 500 may be the central point for
most or all main office computing services to client machines 502.
Not all of the services illustrated in FIG. 4 may be required in
all offices. Also, additional services beyond those illustrated may
be provided by single unit 500.
[0049] Turning now to FIG. 5, a simplified block diagram of
components of the single unit 500 is illustrated. Single unit 500
may include one or more CPU's 202 coupled to system memory 604,
data network 606, and mass storage 508. Software to implement
various computer services, such as file services, email services,
web services, and network services may be executed by CPU 602 from
system memory 604 and storage 508. These services may be made
available to client machines through network interface 606.
[0050] Thus, a single computer system may include a network
connection 606 configured to be coupled to a network including a
plurality of client machines. The single unit 500 also may include
a mass storage array configured to be exported or presented to the
client machines as one or more file systems through the network
connection 606. One or more processors 602 may be included within
the single unit 500 and coupled to network connection 606 and mass
storage 508. The processors 602 are configured to execute a file
server configured to make the one or more file systems available to
the client machines through the network connection. Processors may
also execute a network server configured to assign network
addresses to the client machines, a web server configured to
deliver web pages stored on mass storage 508 through the network
connection 606, and an email server configured to provide email
services for the client machines. The network connection 606, mass
storage 508, one or more CPU's 602 configured to perform file
server, network server, web server, and email server functions are
all included within a single unit configured to be connected to a
network through a network connection or interface.
[0051] Also included within single unit 500 may be a print server
configured to be executed by CPU's 602 to provide printing services
for the client machines. A data base server may also be included in
the single unit 500 executed on CPU's 602 in order to provide
access to a data base stored on storage 508 for the client
machines. The one or more processor 602 may execute a
multiprocessing operating system. The file server provided by
single unit 500 may be configured to present the storage 508 as a
NFS (Network File System) or CIFS (Common Internet File System)
file system to the network through the network interface 606 so
that the file system may be mounted by client machines. The file
system may be configured to be accessible by Unix clients and/or
Windows clients.
[0052] In one embodiment, mass storage 508 may include multiple
ATA-type hard drives. Alternatively, SCSI or other types of hard
drives may be employed. In one embodiment, single unit 500
providing file services, email services, web services, and network
services is implemented as a single field replaceable unit, such as
described in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
[0053] Thus, a single system may be provided to provide many
computer services required in an office as opposed to employing
separate specialized systems for each computer service. For
example, file services, web services, email services, and network
services may all be preinstalled on a single unit and shipped to a
customer so that the customer only has to connect the single system
to a network in order to obtain the bulk of the computing services
required for a small office. Instead of computing services being
distributed across multiple machines, the services are preinstalled
and centralized on a single unit. The single unit may be designed
with multiple processors and employ a multiprocessing operating
system so that sufficient performance is available to provide the
plurality of computing services. Also, a large storage is included
with the single unit 500 to provide ample space for file, web and
email services. Other services, such as printer and database
services may be included in the single unit as well. In some
embodiments, the single unit may be a single field replaceable unit
with limited field serviceable or field replaceable internal parts,
as described above.
[0054] Turning now to FIGS. 6A-6C, a low profile substrate or tray
for packaging a computer system is illustrated. A computer system
packaged within the substrate or tray 700 may be a single field
replaceable unit such as described in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2,
and 3, and/or maybe a single unit system including various office
computing services, such as file services, web services, email
services, and network services, such as described in conjunction
with FIGS. 4 and 5. In a preferred embodiment the substrate 700 and
the components mounted on substrate 700 have a maximum height of
one inch. In one embodiment, the tray 700 is based on a 16 inch by
22 inch printed circuit board reinforced with ribs 702 and 704 in
both x and y dimensions. The substrate 700 is populated with low
profile components to implement a computer or storage system. The
maximum height for one embodiment of the tray 700, including the
PCB thickness, components and necessary clearance, is one inch. The
structural ribs 702 and 704 may be oriented to allow front to back
air flow and to allow the tray 700 to be slid into a rack or cage
independently of other trays 700.
[0055] As shown in the top view of FIG. 6A, the computer system
tray 700 includes a substrate, one or more longitudinal ribs 702,
and one or more latitudinal ribs 704. The number of ribs shown in
FIGS. 6A-6C is merely one example and other numbers of ribs may be
employed. The ribs divide the substrate into multiple sections. One
or more of the sections 710 are configured to hold a
two-dimensional array of disk drives. Another section of the
substrate, section 706, may be configured to hold circuitry for
accessing and managing the two-dimensional array of disk drives.
This circuitry may include one or more processors and/or disk array
controllers. The substrate 700 includes at least one set of either
longitudinal 702 or latitudinal 704 ribs positioned in the
direction of a first axis of the substrate. This set of ribs
separates the substrate into the different sections configured for
holding the drive array and control circuitry. Another section 708
may be included and configured for holding one or more power
supplies for supplying power to the drive array and control
circuitry.
[0056] The substrate may be configured to be mounted in a cage or
rack along with other such substrates. In one embodiment, the
substrate 700 is configured to be mounted inside a standard 19 inch
rack. An edge connector may be provided at the rear of the
substrate to provide connectivity to a back plane that
interconnects multiple such substrates and/or provides power to the
substrates.
[0057] The substrate or tray 700 may include a power supply section
708. The tray 700 may receive power (e.g., through an edge
connector) from a Telco-standard 48 volt DC supply. Local power
regulation may be provided in power supply section 700 to convert
the 48V DC signal to the voltages required by the components on the
tray 700. Brick and half brick form factor integrated power supply
modules (e.g., 0.5 inch.times.3 inch.times.5 inch) may be mounted
in section 708 to provide the local regulation. The AMPSS modules
(e.g., ALBOA, 240W) from ASTEC are examples of such modules. These
modules provide a low profile solution.
[0058] Turning now to FIG. 6D, an illustration of how multiple
trays 700 may be mounted on top of one another within a cage 750 is
illustrated. Tray 700 may be mounted in the cage 750 similar to how
trays are slid into a bakery rack. Slots may be grooved out in the
internal sidewalls in the cage to accommodate the tray, or rails
may be provided. Each tray 700 simply slides into the cage from the
front and connects to a back plane at the rear of the cage via an
edge connector. As mentioned above, the back plane may provide
electrical interconnect between the trays and may also provide
power connections for the trays. In one embodiment the back plane
provides a standard interconnect, such as the PCI bus or a high
bandwidth variant of the PCI bus, or a switched interconnect
fabric, such as that proposed by the Infiniband Trade
Association.
[0059] To maximize space, in one embodiment each tray is not
individually packaged inside its own metal case. The longitudinal
and/or latitudinal ribs provide structural support so that the
weight of the tray itself does not cause cracking or collapse once
installed in the cage 750. The ribs provide enough strength such
that the tray does not collapse under its own weight. To avoid
sagging in the middle, components may be mounted on a PCB such that
heavier components are distributed near ribs. Also, the ribs are
designed to rest on top of one another when mounted in the cage.
Dummy trays having ribs but no active components may be inserted in
place of trays that are removed or uninstalled. The ribs may extend
downward as shown in FIG. 6D to rest on the lower tray or cage
floor. Alternatively, the ribs may protrude both above and below
the substrate.
[0060] In one embodiment, the tray 700 may include a row of fans
across the tray, as shown in FIG. 6E for example. The fans may be
situated between two latitudinal ribs, for example. In this
embodiment the latitudinal ribs may be low profile ribs or may be
perforated to allow airflow. In addition to, or instead of,
providing small fans on the tray itself, the cage in which the
trays are mounted may include a set of fans (e.g., 3.5
inch.times.3.5 inch fans). The cage fans may be located at the back
of the cage. To facilitate front to back airflow, the cage back
plane may be perforate or otherwise appropriately shaped.
[0061] Turning now to FIG. 7, another example of a tray 700 is
shown. The tray includes a two-dimensional array of disk drives
(drives 1-16) mounted on a substrate. The two-dimensional array of
disk drives extends across the substrate along a first and second
axis of the substrate. Circuitry for controlling or managing the
two-dimensional array drives is also mounted to the substrate. The
control circuitry may include one or more processors, drive
controllers, and drive interconnect components. A first plurality
of ribs (e.g., longitudinal ribs 702) are positioned in the
direction of the first axis and separate the control circuitry from
the array of disk drives.
[0062] To provide for a low profile and low power design, hard
drives designed for laptop computers may be used for the drives of
the two-dimensional array of disk drives. These are typically 2.5
inch disk drives with a 0.7 inch height which do not give out much
heat and thus facilitate a high-density design. The embodiment of
FIG. 7 shows placing eight disk drives on each of a left and right
region. This prevents the substrate from sagging in the middle
section. In some embodiments the tray may be further divided by one
or more latitudinal ribs 704. The latitudinal ribs may be lower
profile ribs or may be perforated to allow for front to back
airflow. A latitudinal rib may divide the middle section into a
front and back section. The front section may include control
circuitry and the rear section may include power supplies. The ribs
may be metal ribs and may be fashioned to serve as electromagnetic
barriers and/or heat sinks for the power supplies. The power supply
section may also include a backup battery as well.
[0063] In one embodiment, three trays, such as illustrated in FIG.
7, may be mounted in a single cage or enclosure. Each tray may
include sixteen 2.5 inch laptop disk drives (0.7 inches height) for
a total of 48 drives providing one terabyte of storage plus 200
gigabytes of hot spare storage, for example. Alternatively,
standard 3.5 inch desktop disk drives may be used. The substrate
may be designed so that each desktop disk drive occupies the space
allotted for two of the smaller 2.5 inch disk drives. This
alternate design requires no changes to the substrate except for
possibly the addition of a flexible cable to connect 3.5 inch
drives to the 2.5 inch drive connector on the substrate. The cage
or enclosure may be designed to accept either two trays using the
taller 3.5 inch drives or three trays using the lower profile 2.5
inch drives. Each substrate, or alternatively the entire enclosure,
may be packaged as a single field replaceable unit as described in
regard to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. Also, multiple office computing
servers may be installed on a substrate as described in conjunction
with FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0064] Turning now to FIGS. 8A-8E, a somewhat more detailed example
of a substrate for mounting an array of drives and control
circuitry is illustrated. Note that the specific configuration of
components and the dimensions shown in FIGS. 8A-8E are merely given
as examples. Other dimensions and component placements may be
employed in other embodiments.
[0065] FIG. 8A shows a top view of the substrate. One or more
longitudinal ribs 702 and one or more latitudinal ribs 704 separate
the substrate into multiple sections. Drives 902 are mounted in one
or more of the sections to form an array of disk drives. Another
section is configured for control circuitry, such as shown on
controller board 920. The controller board may include one or more
CPU's and drive controllers. In one embodiment, the drives 902 are
ATA-type drives and controller board 920 includes an ATA switch
device to allow more than two ATA type drives to be connected to
each ATA port of an ATA controller. See co-pending U.S. application
Ser. No. ______, entitled "Switch for Selectively Forming a
Communication Channel Between a Processing Unit and Multiple
Devices, and Associated Data Exchange Methods", filed ______,
inventor Whay S. Lee, which is hereby incorporated by reference in
its entirety, for a description of such an ATA switch device.
Another section of the substrate is configured to hold one or more
power supplies 908. The power supplies provide the required
voltages for the disk drives and control circuitry. In one
embodiment, the power supplies convert from a 48-volt DC power
signal provided on edge connector 904. Edge connector 904 may
include redundant power supply tracks wherein the two power
supplies illustrated are redundant power supplies so that if one
supply fails or if the power supply connection to the edge
connector for one power track fails, power will still be available
on the redundant track or supply. Alternatively, or additionally,
the power supplies may include a memory battery backup power
supply. FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C show side views of the substrate in the
longitudinal and latitudinal directions respectively. FIG. 8D shows
a perspective view of the substrate.
[0066] Turning now to FIG. 8E, a detail section of a corner of the
substrate is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 8E, the longitudinal
ribs may include a top portion 930 and a bottom portion 932. The
bottom portion 932 may be configured to mate with a corresponding
top portion 930 of a lower tray when the trays are mounted in a
cage or enclosure. Thus, the longitudinal ribs and/or latitudinal
ribs of each tray may be configured to rest upon ribs of a lower
tray when mounted in a cage. Also, the substrate may include
protrusions 940 along the longitudinal edges for sliding into
grooves or rails in the internal sidewalls of a cage, rack or other
enclosure. Thus, the trays may be slid into a cage to form a
vertical stack of trays resting upon each other's ribs. If one tray
is removed, a dummy tray may be inserted to provide rib support so
that the trays do not have to be reconfigured within the cage.
[0067] The cage may include a back plane with connectors for edge
connectors on each tray. The back plane may provide I/O and/or
network connectivity. In one embodiment the back plane provides a
switched, point-to-point 1/0 interconnect fabric for the trays. The
cage may be configured with slots or rails to accept trays of
different height form factors, such as 1.75 inch trays and 1 inch
trays.
[0068] Turning now to FIGS. 9A-9F, an example of such a cage or
enclosure is illustrated in various views. FIG. 9A illustrates
three trays mounted in a single cage. FIG. 9A also illustrates how
each tray may rest upon the ribs of a lower tray or upon the floor
of the cage. As shown in FIG. 9B, the cage may include multiple
fans at the rear of the cage. The fans are configured to provide
cooling for all of the trays mounted in the cage. In one embodiment
the fans are behind the cage back plane and the cage back plane is
perforated or otherwise shaped to allow front to back airflow
through the cage. FIG. 9C shows a back view of the cage showing
multiple fans, and FIG. 9D shows a front view of the cage showing
three trays mounted within the cage with the fans at the rear. FIG.
9E is a side view of the cage and FIG. 9F is a perspective view of
the cage.
[0069] Various modifications and changes may be made as would be
obvious to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of this
disclosure. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted
to embrace all such modifications and changes and, accordingly, the
specifications and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative
rather than a restrictive sense.
* * * * *