Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F11/00—Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
  • G06F11/07—Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
  • G06F11/16—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
  • G06F11/20—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
  • G06F11/2002—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant
  • G06F11/2007—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant using redundant communication media
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
  • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
  • G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
  • G06F1/189—Power distribution
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
  • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
  • G06F1/20—Cooling means
  • G06F1/206—Cooling means comprising thermal management
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
  • G06F1/26—Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F11/00—Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
  • G06F11/30—Monitoring
  • G06F11/3003—Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored
  • G06F11/3031—Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored where the computing system component is a motherboard or an expansion card
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F13/00—Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units
  • G06F13/38—Information transfer, e.g. on bus
  • G06F13/40—Bus structure
  • G06F13/4063—Device-to-bus coupling
  • G06F13/409—Mechanical coupling
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K7/00—Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus
  • H05K7/14—Mounting supporting structure in casing or on frame or rack
  • H05K7/1485—Servers; Data center rooms, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
  • H05K7/1488—Cabinets therefor, e.g. chassis or racks or mechanical interfaces between blades and support structures
  • H05K7/1492—Cabinets therefor, e.g. chassis or racks or mechanical interfaces between blades and support structures having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K7/00—Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus
  • H05K7/20—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating
  • H05K7/20709—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
  • H05K7/20718—Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant
  • H05K7/20727—Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant within server blades for removing heat from heat source
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F11/00—Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
  • G06F11/07—Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
  • G06F11/16—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
  • G06F11/20—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
  • G06F11/2002—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant
  • G06F11/2005—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant using redundant communication controllers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F11/00—Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
  • G06F11/07—Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
  • G06F11/16—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
  • G06F11/20—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
  • G06F11/202—Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements where processing functionality is redundant
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F11/00—Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
  • G06F11/30—Monitoring
  • G06F11/3058—Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations

Definitions

• One application for the present invention relates to high reliability systems, for example, computer server systems for telecommunications applications.
• high reliability systems for example, computer server systems for telecommunications applications.
• Various approaches have been taken to providing such high- performance, high reliability systems.
• Such systems are designed around providing redundant resources so that if one component of the system develops a fault, the system remains operational using the redundant resources. Redundant operation can be provided by means of special purpose lockstep-operating multiprocessor systems.
• Such systems are typically rack mountable, with each processor system typically occupying a shelf in the rack.
• the trend in recent times is to make the computers with shallower form factors. This means that more computers can be located in a rack. This has the advantage of increasing the processing density within the racks, and also the advantage of reducing the distance between the computer systems.
• An aspect of the invention provides an information processing module comprising a processor subsystem including a processor.
• the information processing module can be configured as a field replaceable unit removably receivable in a carrier and comprise redundant external connections for interconnection with the carrier.
• the information processing module can have external connections for information signals, management signals and power.
• the information processing module can be configured as a field replaceable blade server.
• the carrier can be configured as a rack mountable shelf.
• a computer server system for example a high density computer server system can be formed using at least one rack frame with, mounted in each rack frame, at least one such rack mountable shelf.
• the server blade comprising at least one processor.
• the server blade is configured as a field replaceable unit to be removably mounted in a blade server carrier with at least first and second information signal connections to provide redundancy for communicating information signals with the carrier.
• First and second management signal connections can be provided for redundant communication of management signals with the carrier.
• First and second power supply connections can be provided for redundant power from the carrier.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an architecture of a multiprocessor system for supporting a web site
• Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a racking system incorporating an example of a carrier in the form of a rack-mountable shelf according to a first example
• Figure 4 is a rear view of an example of the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figures 5A, 5B and 5C are schematic perspective views and a schematic exploded view respectively of an example of an information processing cartridge for mounting in the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 5D is a schematic perspective view of an example of an information processing cartridge for mounting in the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of an example of a combined switch and service processor module for mounting in the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of an example of a power supply module for mounting in the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figures 8A, 8B and 8C are a schematic plan view and schematic perspective views, respectively, of an example of the chassis and midplane of the shelf of Figure
• Figure 8D is a schematic perspective view of a part of a base member of the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figures 9A, 9B and 9C are schematic front, top and rear views, respectively, of an example of a midplane of the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 10 is a schematic cross section view through the shelf of Figure 2;
• FIG 11 is a functional block diagram of an example of an information processing subsystem for the information processing cartridge of Figure 5;
• Figure 12 is a functional block diagram of an example of an information processing subsystem for the combined switch and service processor module of Figure 6;
• Figure 13 is a functional block diagram of an example of a subsystem for the power supply unit of Figure 7;
• Figure 14 is a functional block diagram showing the connectivity between the components of the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 15 is a functional block diagram showing the external connectivity of the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 16 is a schematic representation of a shelf showing the external connections from the shelf of Figure 2;
• Figure 17 is a schematic representation of a rack mounted system comprising a plurality of such shelves
• FIGS 19A and 19B illustrated different examples of information protocol interfaces for an information processing cartridge.
• the web edge server group 15 can be further connected by a further firewall 17 to a plurality of application servers 19, which can be responsible for, for example, processing flight reservations.
• the application servers 19 can then be connected via a further firewall 21 to computer systems 23, 25, for example, e- commerce services including financial services for receiving and processing payment for airline reservations.
• Multiprocessor server systems have many different applications and the present system is not limited to being applicable for use in only one or a limited number of such applications, rather multiprocessor server systems as described herein are operable for use in many different applications.
• a non-exhaustive list of such alternative applications includes: e-commerce web server systems; telecommunications network server systems; LAN application and file server systems and remote vehicle control systems.
• FIG. 2 there is shown a schematic perspective representation of a rack system 31 as viewed from the front including left and right front uprights 32 and 33 and left and right rear uprights 34 and 35.
• the uprights can be formed with apertures for receiving shelf fixings (e.g., screws, bolts, clips, etc., for mounting brackets, slides, rails, etc.).
• shelf fixings e.g., screws, bolts, clips, etc., for mounting brackets, slides, rails, etc.
• shelf is used herein in a conventional way to describe a structure that is mountable in rack system 31 and is configured to carry one or more components to form at least a part of a rack-mountable system.
• the shelf 41 is three-dimensional, having a height (H), width (W) and depth (D).
• one dimension hereinafter described as the height, H
• the depth, D, and the width, W is smaller than the other dimensions (hereinafter described as the depth, D, and the width, W) to facilitate mounting of the shelf within the rack system 31.
• the width and depth are typically constrained by the dimensions of the racking system for which the shelf is designed, there is more freedom as regard the height, subject to taking account of any appropriate standards and packaging considerations.
• Each of the information processing cartridges contains at least one processor.
• Each information processing cartridge in the present example is operable as a server. In the described examples, the information processing cartridges are configured as robust enclosed modules.
• the information processing cartridges when aligned in the carrier shelf, look like rectangular slabs, or blades. Accordingly, an information processing cartridge can be described as a blade.
• the information processing cartridges 43 comprise information processing modules enclosed in an enclosure, or housing, so that the information processing modules have the form of cartridges. Also, as the information processing cartridges are to operate as computer servers in the example described in more detail presently, an information processing cartridge 43 can also be described as a server blade. Accordingly, in the context of this example, the terms module, cartridge and blade are used interchangeably.
• the shelf 41 comprises a three-dimensional, generally rectangular, enclosure, or housing, 47 that is suitable for mounting in generic racking systems including both 4-post and 2-post systems. It can be mounted on fixed rigid rack mounting ears and/or a simple slide/support system.
• the enclosure can be arranged with a height of up to about 130.5mm, a width of up to about 445 mm and a depth, including all hardware and fascias, but excluding cable management, of up to about 635mm, with the depth from the front-most point of a fascia to a rear I/O connector panel of a rear mounted Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) of about 610mm.
• FRU Field Replaceable Unit
• This example of a shelf 41 has a single enclosure, or housing, 47 that houses a number of modular units or subsystems, the majority of which are replaceable in the field and are therefore known as Field Replaceable Units (FRUs). These modular units include the information processing cartridges 43.
• FRUs Field Replaceable Units
• the shelf enclosure 47 can be fabricated from sheet material (e.g., from steel sheet) to form a chassis portion 49 that includes a base 51, two sides 53 and 55, a front 57 and a rear 59.
• the word "front” as used here is merely used as a label herein to refer to the face, or wall 57 of the enclosure that is located at the main access side of the rack system 31 in use when the shelf is mounted therein.
• the words “rear” and “side” are merely used as labels herein to refer to the faces, or walls 59, 53 and 55 that, in use, are located at those respective positions when the shelf is mounted in the rack system 31.
• Figure 3 is a front view of an example of a shelf 41 for a first example.
• a plastic front bezel 63 can be provided that fits on the front face 57 (shown in Figure 2) of the chassis 49 of the shelf enclosure 47.
• the front bezel 63 can be formed as a unitary removable part that spans the whole width and height of the front of the shelf enclosure 47.
• the front bezel 63 could alternatively include a number of separate components, or mouldings.
• the front bezel can include a peripheral portion 64 that can provide areas for corporate and product branding marks, for identification and numbering for the information processing cartridge and for a bar code label (all not shown).
• One or more apertures 65 can be formed in the peripheral portion 64 of the bezel 63.
• the apertures 65 in the bezel can be arranged to align with one or more apertures (e.g. a slot (not shown in Figure 3) in the front face of the chassis.
• air can pass through the apertures 65 to flow into the shelf enclosure 47 to reach FRUs that are mounted in the shelf enclosure 47 through the rear face 59 thereof.
• Air flowing through the aperture 65 flows into a plenum chamber 66 (not shown in Figure 3) to flow past the processing cartridges 43 to reach rear mounted FRUs.
• a central area 67 of the front bezel 63 can be open allowing access to the openings 45 in the front face 57 of the shelf enclosure 47 for insertion and removal of the information processing cartridges 43.
• a blanking panel, or filler panel, such as the blanking panel 44 can be located in that location.
• LED indicators 69 can be mounted on a system indicator printed circuit board (not shown) behind a designated area of the bezel to provide an indication of system status via light guides incorporated into the bezel.
• a further system indicator board (also not shown) carrying LED indicators can be provided inside the shelf enclosure to be visible from the rear thereof.
• up to sixteen information processing cartridges 43 can be installed in respective openings 45 in the front face 57 thereof. The number of information processing cartridges 43 actually installed in any installation is dependent upon the system configuration required. Narious features relating to the information processing cartridges 43 that are shown in Figure 3 will be described later.
• Figure 4 illustrates the rear of the shelf unit of Figures 2 and 3. This shows two different types of FRU 71 and 81 (4 units in total) that have been inserted into respective apertures 72 and 82 in the rear of the shelf enclosure 47.
• the FRUs shown in Figure 4 include two Combined Switch and Service Processors (CSSPs) 71 and two Power Supply Units (PSUs) 81. Narious features shown in Figure 4 will be described later.
• CSSPs Combined Switch and Service Processors
• PSUs Power Supply Units
• Figure 5 A provides a perspective view, partly from the rear, of an information processing cartridge 43.
• Figure 5B provides a perspective view, partly from the front of the same information processing cartridge 43.
• Figure 5C provides an exploded perspective view of the construction of the information processing cartridge 43.
• the term “rear” is applied in the context of the position, when installed, of the information processing cartridge, with respect to the shelf 41 (i.e. in this case the "rear” of the information processing cartridge 43 is the innermost part of the information processing cartridge when it is inserted in the shelf 41).
• “front” refers in the present context to the outermost part of the information processing cartridge when it is inserted in the shelf 41.
• information processing cartridges are three-dimensional, having a height (h), width (w) and depth (d). If, as in the present example, the information processing cartridges are to be arranged in a one-dimensional array (a row) across the shelf, then efficient packing for the information processing cartridges is achieved where one dimension (here the width, w) is smaller than the other dimensions (here the depth, d, and the height, h).
• the enclosure of a processing cartridge 43 has a height h, width w and depth d of 115mm, 26mm and 315mm, respectively, although of course, other examples may have different dimensions.
• an enclosure 101 of the present example of an information processing cartridge 43 has six, generally rectangular, faces.
• the face that is visible from the front of the racking when an information processing cartridge 43 is mounted in the shelf 41 is known as the front face 102.
• the opposite face is known as the rear face 103.
• these two faces, as well as top and bottom faces 104 and 105, and the side faces 106 and 107 have the shape of elongate rectangles.
• the information processing cartridges have six generally rectangular faces
• the side faces of another example of an information processing cartridge could have the general shape of a triangle (whereby the information processing cartridge may then only have five faces), a pentagon (whereby the information processing cartridge may then have seven faces), and so on. Indeed, one or more or all of the edges could be curved.
• the present configuration provides advantages for example, in terms of manufacturing, engineering and packing density within a shelf 41.
• the information processing cartridge enclosure 101 is fabricated from two housing portions.
• the first housing portion 109 can be fabricated from, for example, a metal (e.g., pressed steel) and can include one side face 107, the rear face 103 and part of the top face 104. The part of the top face formed by the metal portion 109 is given the reference 1041 in Figure 5 A.
• the second housing portion 110 can be fabricated from, for example, a plastics material and can include the other side face 108 and the front faces 102 and bottom face 105 and the remaining part 1042 of the top face 104.
• a plastics material used is PolyCarbonate Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PCABS), however many other plastics materials such as other ABSs and nylons may be used.
• PCABS PolyCarbonate Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
• the metal portion 109 also includes a part 1021 corresponding to the front face 102 and a part 1051 corresponding to a part of the bottom face 105.
• the parts are covered by the plastics portion 110 when enclosure 101 is fully assembled. These parts are visible in the exploded view of Figure 5C.
• the two housing portions 109 and 110 are secured to one another by fixings such as screws 118.
• a groove 108 runs along the length of the plastic top face portion 1042.
• This groove 108 is provided for interfacing with a guide member of the shelf chassis (not shown in Figure 5 A, but see Figures 8B and 8C).
• a similar groove 113 is formed in the bottom face 105 of the plastics portion 110 as shown in Figures 5B and 5C. This groove 113 is provided for interfacing with a guide member of the shelf chassis (not shown in Figures 5B and 5C, but see Figure 8D).
• the enclosure 101 means that the information processing cartridge 43 can safely be handled by an operator who is not a skilled technician. Also, through the use of the enclosure 101, the information processing cartridge is a robust unit that protects its inner workings from the outside environment and vice versa.
• a conductive enclosure e.g., a metal enclosure, can result in the information processing cartridge including its own electromagnetic shielding.
• the enclosure 101 can also be provided with an internal electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding member 116 as shown in Figure 5C.
• the EMI shielding member can be located between the internal components 112 of the information processing cartridge 43 (not described in detail with reference to Figures 5A to 5C, but see Figures 11 and 18 below) and the plastics portion 110.
• the EMI shielding member can be secured to the plastics portion 110, for example by heat bonding or an adhesive.
• the plastics portion could have a conductive layer deposited thereon, or conductive plastics material could be used.
• the EMI shielding member 116 is provided with electromagnetic interference (EMI) fingers 114 to ensure good contact with the shelf chassis and the adjacent components.
• EMI electromagnetic interference
• the information processing cartridge 43 incorporates an injector/ejector handle 111 on the front face 102 for facilitating insertion and latching of the information processing cartridge 43 within an aperture in the shelf 41.
• the handle 111 can be bowed out from the front face of the information processing cartridge to further facilitate grasping thereof and to reduce any masking effect with regard to the perforations.
• the handle 111 could have an open frame-like structure to further facilitate airflow.
• the information processing cartridge enclosure 101 is fabricated from pressed steel to form two chassis portions.
• the first portion 234 includes one side face 107, and part of each of the front and rear faces 102 and 103 and the top and bottom faces 104 and 105.
• the second portion 235 includes the other side face 108 and the remaining part of each of the front and rear faces 102 and 103 and the top and bottom faces 104 and 105.
• the two chassis portions 234 and 235 meet at a groove 236 and are secured to one another by fixings (e.g., one or more screws, not shown).
• Grooves 236 run along the top and bottom faces 104 and 105 of the enclosure 101 and are provided for interfacing with guide rails of the shelf chassis 49 (not shown in Figure 5, but see Figure 8C).
• a cover portion that is secured to the chassis portion forms the other side face 106.
• the chassis portions could be joined at a position other than the groove 108, with the groove 108 being formed entirely in one of the chassis portions.
• the enclosure 101 may be constructed from a number of sheets of steel, with each sheet forming one of the faces.
• FIG 6 provides a perspective view, partly from the front, of a Combined Switch and Service Processor (CSSP) cartridge (or CSSP) 71.
• CSSP Combined Switch and Service Processor
• front is applied in the context of the position, when installed, of the CSSP cartridge 71, with respect to the shelf 41 (i.e. in this case the "front” of the CSSP cartridge 71 is the innermost part of the CSSP cartridge 71 when it is inserted in the shelf 41).
• An enclosure 121 of present example of a CSSP cartridge 71 has six, generally rectangular, faces.
• the face that is visible from the rear of the racking when a CSSP cartridge 71 is mounted in the shelf 41 is known as the rear face 122.
• the opposite face is known as the front face 123.
• these two faces, as well as side faces 126 and 127 have the shape of elongate rectangles.
• the top and bottom faces 124 and 125 are also rectangular, but not elongate in the manner of the front, rear, top and bottom faces.
• the CSSP cartridges have six generally rectangular faces, as for the information processing cartridges 43 it will be appreciated that other examples could have other configurations.
• the CSSP cartridge 71 incorporates two D-shaped handles 132 to facilitate insertion and removal of the CSSP cartridge 71 with respect to an aperture 72 in the rear face of the shelf enclosure.
• a latch member 131 can be pivotably mounted on a plate that can be secured (e.g., using screws) to the rear face of the shelf enclosure. The latch member 131 is configured to engage one of the handles 132 and to secure the CSSP cartridge 71 in place.
• the CSSP cartridge 71 could be provided with an injector/ejector handle in a manner similar to the information processing cartridge.
• the front face 123 of the CSSP cartridge 71 has perforations 133 to allow for airflow into the CSSP cartridge 71.
• the rear face 122 of the CSSP cartridge 71 has perforations 135 to allow for air to be exhausted from the rear of the CSSP cartridge 71.
• At least one fan can be located, for example behind the perforated portion 135 of the rear face, in a CSSP cartridge 71 to channel cooling air through the CSSP cartridge 71 from the front to the rear.
• two fans are provided, one behind each set of perforations 135.
• LED indicators 137 can be provided on the rear face 122 of the CSSP enclosure 121 to indicate whether power is on, whether service intervention is required and whether the switch can be removed.
• Additional link status indicators can be provided integral to 2x4 stacked RJ-45 connectors 139, also shown in Figure 4.
• electrical connections 141 can be provided at the front face of the CSSP (i.e. on the face that in use is inside the shelf enclosure 47).
• Suitable connections for use in the present example include a connector for power connections, a connector for serial management data connections and a connector for information connections.
• information connections are implemented using an Ethernet information communication protocol, e.g. at 1 Gigabit (Gb).
• Gb 1 Gigabit
• the connector arrangement can include a guide pin arrangement to prevent module misalignment during insertion of the CSSP module into the receiving location.
• guide pin holes 142 can be provided on the front face 123 into which guide pins may pass to aid module alignment.
• up to two CSSPs 71 can be mounted at any one time at the rear of the shelf unit in corresponding apertures 72 in the rear face of the shelf enclosure 47.
• the number of CSSPs 71 provided in any particular implementation depends upon system configuration and the need, or otherwise, for redundancy.
• Figure 7 provides a perspective view, partly from the front, of a power supply unit (PSU) cartridge 81.
• PSU power supply unit
• front is applied in the context of the position, when installed, of the PSU cartridge 81, with respect to the shelf 41 (i.e. in this case the "front” of the PSU cartridge 81 is the innermost part of the PSU cartridge 81 when it is inserted in the shelf 41).
• An enclosure 145 of present example of a PSU cartridge 81 is of generally oblong shape, but has the "top” "front” edge cut away to form an additional "top” “front” sloping face.
• the enclosure 145 therefore has five, generally rectangular, faces and two faces of generally rectangular shape with one corner cut away.
• the face that is visible from the rear of the racking when the PSU cartridge 81 is mounted in the shelf 41 is known as the rear face 146.
• the opposite face is known as the front face 147.
• these two faces and the two side faces 150, 151 are of elongate, generally rectangular shape with one corner cut away, given that the width and depth of the PSU cartridge are similar, whereas the top and bottom faces 148, 149, although still rectangular, are not, in this example, notably elongate.
• a top front face 148a is present at the top front of the enclosure.
• the front of the enclosure is sloped at the top edge.
• the information processing cartridges 43 it will be appreciated that other examples could have other configurations.
• the PSU cartridge enclosure 145 is fabricated from steel sheet to form a housing portion that includes the bottom face 149, the side faces 150 and 151 and the front and rear faces 146 and 147. Cover portions that are secured to the housing portion form the top face 148 and top front face 148a. The cover portions are secured to the chassis portion by suitable fixings, for example one or more screws 152. It will be appreciated however, that in another example, other faces, or portions, of the enclosure could form the chassis and the cover portions.
• the provision of the enclosure 145 means that the PSU cartridge 81 can safely be handled by an operator who is not a skilled technician.
• the PSU cartridge 81 is a robust unit that protects its inner workings from the outside environment and vice versa.
• a conductive enclosure e.g., a metal enclosure
• the PSU cartridge includes its own electromagnetic shielding.
• the PSU enclosure 145 is provided with EMI fingers 153 to ensure good contact with the shelf chassis and the adjacent components.
• the PSU cartridge 81 incorporates two D-shaped handles 156 to facilitate insertion and removal of the PSU cartridge 81 with respect to an aperture 82 in the rear face of the shelf enclosure.
• a latch member 155 can be pivotably mounted on a plate that can be secured (e.g., using screws) to the rear face of the shelf enclosure. The latch member 155 is configured to engage one of the handles 156 and to secure the PSU 81 in place.
• the PSU 81 could be provided with an injector/ejector handle in a manner similar to the information processing cartridge.
• the front face 147 of the PSU cartridge 81 has perforations 157 to allow for airflow into the PSU cartridge 81.
• the rear face 146 of the PSU cartridge 81 also has perforations 159 to allow for air to be exhausted from the rear of the PSU cartridge 81.
• a pair of fans can be located behind the perforated portions 159 of the rear face of a PSU cartridge 81 to channel cooling air through the PSU cartridge from the front to the rear.
• LED indicators 161 can be provided on the rear face 146 of the PSU enclosure 81 to indicate whether input power is good, whether output power is good, whether service intervention is required and whether the PSU can be removed.
• Electrical connectors 163 can be provided at the front face of the PSU (i.e. on the face that in use is inside the shelf enclosure 47) for connection to the shelf.
• the PSU 81 of the present example may suitably employ an SSI-MPS (Server Systems Interface - Midrange Power Supply) compliant right angle connector at the front face 147 of the PSU 81 to connect to the shelf 41.
• the power inlet 83 for each PSU 81 can incorporate a cable/connector retention mechanism (not shown) on the rear face 146 of the PSU to prevent accidental or malicious removal of the power input cord from the PSU 81.
• blanking panels/modules e.g., the blanking panels 44 shown in Figure 3
• EMC electromagnetic compliance
• ESD electrostatic discharge
• each of the FRUs such as the information processing cartridges 43, is advantageously contained in its own robust enclosure to facilitate EMC containment, ESD containment, handling, storage and transportation.
• Each FRU can be configured as a 'sealed' unit in the sense that it can be configured not to have field or customer serviceable parts internally.
• the FRUs can be configured readily to plug into the shelf enclosure and to be hot swappable.
• the FRUs can be keyed to prevent incorrect positioning and insertion into the shelf enclosure and are arranged positively to be retained in the shelf by a latching/locking mechanism.
• the examples of FRUs described above are not provided with removable media.
• internal data storage is provided by 2.5" IDE 9.5mm or 12.7mm profile hard disk drive (HDD) devices mounted internally in each information processing cartridge 43 and in the CSSP cartridge 71.
• the drives are not considered as FRUs and are not hot-swappable disk drives in the present example, although they could be in other examples.
• the information processing cartridges can be configured without internal hard disk drives.
• Figure 8A is a schematic plan view showing the internal configuration of an example of a shelf 41 with the cover 61 removed.
• Figure 8B is a schematic perspective view from above the rear of the chassis portion 47 of the shelf enclosure with the field replaceable units removed.
• Figure 8C is a schematic perspective view from below the front of the chassis portion 47 of the shelf enclosure with the field replaceable units and the base 51 removed.
• Figure 8D is a schematic perspective view from the front and above a part of the base 51 of the shelf 41.
• Figures 9 A, 9B and 9C are, respectively, front, top and rear views of the midplane 171.
• the midplane is, in use, mounted vertically within the shelf 41 extending across the width W of the shelf 41 at a position approximately half way between the front and the rear of the shelf 41.
• the vertically mounted midplane 171 extends, in this example, across the shelf 41 and allows for the electrical interconnection of the FRUs.
• the various apertures in the front and rear faces 57 and 59 of the shelf 41, in combination with the midplane 171, can be provided with guides (e.g., rails 181) and keying e.g., offset connector positioning for the insertion of the FRUs into the enclosure and midplane 171.
• the midplane 171 can be a double-sided, or multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) assembly that can be mounted vertically in a rigid manner within the enclosure. It can carry connectors 175 on a front surface 172 for making electrical connection with corresponding connectors 120 on the information processing cartridges 43.
• PCB printed circuit board
• the midplane 171 can also carry connectors 177 and 179 on rear surface 173 for making electrical connection with corresponding connectors 141 and 163 on the CSSPs 71 and the PSUs 81, respectively.
• Conductive tracks (not shown) on and through the midplane 171 can be provided to interconnect the various connectors.
• the midplane can provide connectors for receiving corresponding connectors connected to first and second indicator boards 183 and 184 that each carry a respective set of LED indicators 69.
• the midplane 171 is not configured as a FRU and is not hot swappable. It is perforated to facilitate airflow through the shelf 41.
• the midplane 171 can include openings 185, which cooperate with openings in the enclosures of the FRUs 43 and 81, to provide a path for cooling air to pass from the front to the rear of the shelf 41, the cooling air being driven by fans in one or more of the FRUs, for example in the PSUs 81, possibly also in the information processing cartridges 43.
• a plenum chamber floor member 94 can extend horizontally from the front of the midplane 171 to the front face 57 of the shelf enclosure, or chassis 47.
• the member 94 provides a floor for a plenum chamber 66, which is supplied with air via the apertures 65 in the front bezel and, in the illustrated example, the slot shaped aperture 68 in the front face 57 of the shelf enclosure 47.
• a slot shaped aperture 68 is shown, a plurality of apertures 68 aligned with the blade receiving locations may be provided.
• the aperture or apertures 68 can serve both as air vents for a flow of air to the plenum chamber 66, and also as latching locations for latching portions at the top of the injector/ejector levers 111 for the blades shown in Figures 5B and 5C.
• the top and sides of the plenum chamber are provided by the top cover 61 and side faces 53 and 54 of the shelf enclosure 47.
• a plurality of cartridge guides 97 can be provided at the underside of the plenum chamber floor member 94.
• these guides comprise sprung wire members, e.g., of a resilient metal such as spring steel, that are attached to the top surface of the plenum chamber floor member 94 and extend through a plurality of apertures therethrough to result in a row of guides 97 at the underside of the plenum chamber floor member 94.
• This arrangement is shown in Figures 8B and 8C.
• the sprung wire members 98 are shown attached to the top surface of the plenum chamber floor member 94.
• the sprung wire members 98 are arranged in pairs, such that two guides 97 are provided by each spring clip 98.
• each guide 97 is advantageously positioned so as to interface with the groove 108 in the plastics material in the upper face 104 of a processing cartridge 43 as shown in Figures 5A-5C to aid correct alignment and to facilitate insertion of the processing cartridge during insertion of the cartridge into the shelf 41.
• the use of the spring clip as a guide 97 also serves to urge the processing cartridge downwards to provide a secure mounting of the processing cartridge 43, to take account of manufacturing and operational tolerances and to assist in insertion of the processing cartridge where an operator does not align this absolutely correctly.
• a further row of cartridge guides 99 can be provided at the upper surface of the base 51 of the shelf 41.
• these guides 99 have a rail like form, which can be achieved by punching or stamping through the base 51 of the shelf 41.
• each guide, or rail, 99 includes a pair of upstands separated by an aperture 100 through the base 51.
• the size of the aperture 100 can correspond to the width between the upstands.
• the separation of the upstands is selected so that the overall width of the resulting rails is slightly less than the width of a groove formed in the lower face of an information processing cartridge 43.
• each guide 97 is advantageously arranged so as to interface with the groove 1113 in the plastics material in the lower face 104 of a processing cartridge 43 as shown in Figures 5A-5C to aid correct alignment and to facilitate insertion of the processing cartridge during insertion of the cartridge into the shelf 41.
• each information processing cartridge 43 results in a combination of metal and plastics materials that can provide a low friction interaction, facilitating insertion of the information processing cartridges.
• the information processing cartridge enclosure is made of a metal
• PTFE polytetrafluoroethene
• Plastics rails could be attached to the underside of the plenum chamber floor member 94 and/or on the upper surface of the base 51 of the shelf 41. In such an example, grooves on the upper and lower faces of the information processing cartridges 43 could then be formed of metal or plastics and still result in a low friction arrangement.
• a CSSP/PSU divider 96 can be provided to the rear of the midplane 171 and can extend horizontally to the rear face 59 of the shelf enclosure 47.
• the CSSPs 71 when inserted, are supported by the divider 96. To aid the correct insertion of the
• the midplane 171 connects all the elements of a shelf together, including, in the present example, up to sixteen information processing cartridges 43, up to two CSSPs 71, two PSUs 81 and the two indicator boards 183 and 184.
• the midplane 171 due to its location within the shelf enclosure, the midplane 171 is not configured to be swappable. Accordingly, to maximize the system reliability, the midplane is configured to provide as a high level of reliability as possible. To this end, the midplane is advantageously configured without active devices and to include the minimum number of decoupling capacitors consistent with good design practice (ideally zero).
• the midplane supports a number of paths for various power and signal lines to interconnect the FRUs.
• each information processing cartridge 43 has a high speed information signal connection (e.g., a Gigabit (Gb) Ethernet SERializer/DESerializer (SERDES) connection) to each of the CSSPs 71, each connection consisting of two pairs of differential signals.
• SERDES Gigabit
• each information processing cartridge 43 has a serial console connection to the CSSP cartridge 71.
• Each connection consists of two TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) level signals that make a transmit and return (TX and RX) pair.
• each PSU 81 has a management signal connection (e.g., a serial I2C
• the I2C bus comprises of two signals SCL and SDL (serial clock line and serial data line).
• SCL serial clock line and serial data line
• I2C address programming pin is provided for the PSUs 81.
• Each information processing cartridge 43 and PSU 81 can signal to the CSSP cartridge 71 that it is inserted by pulling to ground (GND) a respective Inserted_L signal (i.e., an active low signal). These signals are fed to the CSSP cartridge 71 via the midplane 171.
• GND ground
• a respective Inserted_L signal i.e., an active low signal
• the midplane 171 is provided with appropriate connector arrangements for receiving the connectors on the FRUs.
• the information processing cartridge 43 connects to the midplane 171 through a 40 pin Single Connector Attachment (SCA-2) connector as defined by the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) standard. Accordingly, the midplane carries corresponding connectors 175.
• each CSSP cartridge 71 connects to the midplane 171 through a two right-angle 20 pair connector (e.g., 2mm HM-Zd connectors available from Tyco Electronics).
• the corresponding connectors 177 on the midplane are straight male parts with a power connector.
• a guide pin arrangement is provided in addition to the connectors to prevent misaligned modules causing bent pins during insertion. The guide pin also provides a leading ground.
• the CSSP cartridge 71 also connects to the midplane 171 through a right-angled 125 way 5 row 2mm connector.
• the connector 177 on the midplane 171 includes a straight male part.
• a guide pin arrangement is provided in addition to the connectors to prevent misaligned modules causing bent pins during insertion.
• each PSU 81 connects to the midplane 171 through an SSI-MPS specification connector.
• the contacts are configured 5P/24S/6P with sequenced signal (S) and power (P) pins.
• the connector on the PSU is a 1450230-1 R/A male header, solder tails connector
• the mating connector 179 on the midplane can be a 1450540-2 vertical receptacle, press- fit connector.
• identification information (FRU ID) for the midplane 171 is held on an I2C electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) in the front indicator board 183.
• EEPROM electrically erasable programmable read only memory
• the CSSPs 71 provide a current limited supply to the indicator boards 183 and 184 via the midplane.
• the indicator boards 183 and 184 are also provided with an I2C address programming pin.
• FRU ID information can be stored instead, or in addition, on the rear indicator board 184.
• the midplane can be a totally passive unit.
• the FRU-ID PROMs communicate with the CSSPs 71 via an I2C bus. Each device on the bus has a separate I2C address.
• the lower three I2C address bits of the EEPROMs used are available as pins on the device, to allow programming with resistors.
• the least significant bit of this address (A0) is passed to the midplane via the corresponding connector. This allows the midplane 171 to program the address of the FRU-ID differently for the front and rear indicator boards 183 and 184, by pulling the address low for the front board and high for the rear indicator board 183.
• the FRU-ID for the midplane can be stored on either front or rear EEPROM, but the present example the FRU-ID is stored in the EEPROM on the front indicator board 183.
• the EEPROM can be 8kByte or larger.
• the midplane 171 includes openings 185 to provide a ventilation path for cooling air passing through the shelf 41.
• the cooling air passing through the shelf 41 via the midplane 171 can be driven by means of fans provided in each of the information processing cartridges 43 and the power supply modules 81.
• the openings 185 shown in Figures 8B, 9A, 9B and 9C form schematic representations of openings in the midplane 171.
• the openings could have any form (i.e., a series of large openings, or a number of small perforations), arranged on the midplane to align with corresponding openings or ventilation apertures in the various field replaceable units 43, 71 and 81.
• the path of the airflow from the front of the shelf to the back of the shelf can be configured to be as efficient as possible, depending on the detail configuration of the fan units and the ventilation openings or apertures in the information processing, switch, service processor and power supply unit modules 43, 71 and 81.
• Providing the fan units in the field replaceable units 43, 71 and 81 contributes to the aim of maintaining the chassis 49 and the midplane 171 of the shelf 41 free of active components, thereby minimising cost, and facilitating maintenance.
• by providing the fan units in each of the field replaceable units merely inserting and removing field replaceable units automatically adapts the flow of cooling air to the number and type of field replaceable units inserted in the shelf 41.
• Vcore processor core voltage rail
• the inrush current can be limited, for example to ⁇ 1A, and the rate of rise can be configured not to exceed a predetermined value (e.g., 25 20A/s) to provide a so-called soft start to facilitate hot-insertion.
• a predetermined value e.g. 25 20A/s
• a soft start controller 283, which controls a ramping-up of voltage levels, can be enabled when the predetermined signal (InsertedJL signal) is asserted low, this signal is on a short pin in the connector and is connected to ground (GND - not shown) through the midplane 171 until one of the supplies is removed.
• circuits can be configured to withstand an overvoltage at their inputs whilst the input they are feeding is not powered, without any leakage to the unpowered circuit.
• a sense circuit can detect if the voltage has dropped below a threshold, for example 2.0V, as a result of a blown fuse, a power rail going down, etc.
• the DC/DC converters 281 can be protected against short circuit of their outputs so that no damage occurs.
• a pair of fans 290, 291 can provide cooling to the CSSP 71.
• the fans 290, 291 can be configured to run at full speed to prevent overtemperature conditions by minimizing the temperature of the internal components and the fan.
• the speed of the fans 290, 291 can be monitored by the SSP 74 through an environmental monitor 295 on the switch board 231.
• the environmental monitor 295 can be alerted in the event of the fan speed falling below a predetermined value (e.g., 80% of its nominal speed).
• the fan can provide tachometer outputs to facilitate the measurement of fan speed.
• the environmental monitor ENV MON 295 can be provided to maintain operational integrity of the CSSP 71.
• the ENV MON 295 can include limit values in limit registers and can monitor, for example, temperature within the CSSP enclosure 121, the CSSP power rails, including the 12N, 3N3, Switch Processor Core Voltage, CSSP Processor Core Voltage and the two 9V power feed rails 278, 279 from the midplane 171.
• the outputs of the DC/DC converters 281 can be fed in to A/D inputs of the E ⁇ V MO ⁇ 295 for Watchdog comparisons to be made to the voltage limits set in the limit registers.
• the E ⁇ N MO ⁇ 295 can also monitor the operating speeds of the fans 290 and 291.
• the E ⁇ V MO ⁇ 295 can communicate with the SSP 74 of both CSSPs via an I2C bus 296.
• rear panel Gb Ethernet connections can be provided from the two quad PHYs 253, 254 to 2x4 stacked RJ45 connectors 139 (to give 8 uplinks).
• Each port can be an independent 10/100/1000 BASE-T (auto negotiating) port.
• the PHY devices 253, 254 can operate in GMII mode to receive signals from the 8- Gigabit interfaces on the ASICs 244, 245.
• the PSU can have an I2C interface to provide power supply status via the midplane 171.
• the PSU can have an internal temperature sensor that reports via the I2C interface.
• the PSU fan speed can also be monitored and errors are reported via the I2C interface.
• Overvoltage and overcurrent sensors can also report via the I2C interface.
• each PSU 81 can have a pair of cooling fans 402, 403 located at the rear of the PSU enclosure as described above with reference to Figure 7.
• the fans of each PSU 81 can be powered by both PSUs 81.
• the fans of both PSUs 81 can continue to run.
• the fan 403 can be powered by a diode commoned supply from line 404 and a diode commoned supply from line 412. Diode protection can be provided by diodes 406 and 414 respectively.
• the speed of the fan 403 can be controlled by a speed controller 409.
• the input power line 410 and 412 for each fan 402 and 403 can be provided with a softstart module 4131 and 4132 respectively, to allow for hot insertion of the PSU 81 into the shelf 41.
• the softstart modules 4131 and 4132 can be controlled, for example, by pulling a signal to ground (e.g., a "mated" input line 4151 and 4152).
• the two input power lines 410 and 412 are separate lines having separate softstart provision, there is no common failure mode for the backup method of powering the fans 402, 403.
• a component power line or softstart module for example
• the power supply has four rear panel LED indicators 137.
• a blue “Ready to Remove” LED can be driven by the I2C interface and indicate that the power supply may be removed from the system.
• An amber “Service Required” LED can be driven by the I2C interface and indicate that the power supply is in a fault condition: any output out of range, over-temperature or shutdown.
• a green “DC Output-OK” indicator can be driven by internal power supply circuits and show that the main 12 volt supply is functioning. The LEDs can remain lighted when individual outputs are in the current limited mode of operation.
• a green “AC Input- OK” indicator can be driven by internal power supply circuits and show that AC input power is within normal operating range.
• each PSU 81 can independently provide power to each FRU.
• each of the processing cartridges (blades) 43 connects to the midplane 171 via a pair of information signal connections (e.g. Gb Ethernet links) 224, 225 and a pair of serial management signal connections 226, 227.
• information signal connections e.g. Gb Ethernet links
• Connections within the midplane 171 can ensure that each Ethernet link 224 is directed to a connection 265-268 from the midplane 171 to a first switch 73, and that each Ethernet link 225 is directed to a connection 265-268 from the midplane 171 to a second switch 73.
• one Ethernet link can be established between each processing cartridge 43 and the switch 73 of each CSSP 71.
• Further connections within the midplane 171 can ensure that each serial connection 226 is directed to a connection
• each serial connection 227 is directed to the second SSP 74.
• one serial link can be established between each processing cartridge 43 and the SSP 74 of each CSSP 71.
• information signal connections other than Gb Ethernet connections (e.g. Infmband connections) could be employed in other examples.
• a plurality of serial connections can connect each SSP 74 to the other.
• Serial lines 320, 321 can connect each SSP 74 to the midplane 171 and connections within the midplane can connect the two sets of lines together.
• serial lines 322 can connect each SSP 74 to the midplane 171 and connections within the midplane 171 can connect to serial lines 324 from the midplane 171 to each PSU 81.
• a set of serial management signal connections comprising links 320, 321 and connections within the midplane 171 connect the SSP 74 of each CSSP 71 to the SSP 74 of the other CSSP 71.
• the external switches 335, 336 can each be connected to each of a pair of System Management Server (SMSs) 338, 339.
• SMS System Management Server
• the SMS is not essential to the operation of the shelf 41, but use thereof aids optimal operation of the shelf 41.
• a plurality of shelves 41 may be connected together via the core data network 330 under the control of a single management network utilising one set of SMSs 338, 339.
• a set of SMSs 338, 339 may comprise a single SMS (as well as a plurality thereof).
• use of at least two SMSs enables redundancy of components, therefore increasing overall system reliability.
• a serial interface control 343 operable under telnet protocol control is also connected to the shelf 41 in the present example. This can provide a common operating system/boot console connection to the SSP 74 of both CSSPs 71 via the RJ45 connector 311 on the rear panel 122 of each CSSP enclosure 121.
• up to 16 information processing cartridges, or blades 43 can be configured as sealed FRUs on a single shelf 41, the number of blades being chosen according to customer requirements.
• Each blade has its own processor and random access memory. If, for example, there is a maximum of 2Gbytes of memory per information processing cartridge, and one processor per blade, 16 processors (16P) with 5.33 processors per unit height (1U) and atotal of 32GB of memory per shelf can be provided.
• the shelf 41 incorporates redundant combined switch and shelf service processor modules (CSSPs) 71 and redundant power supply units
• the FRUs e.g., the information processing cartridges, or blades, 43, the CSSPs 71 and the PSUs 81
• the FRUs can all be configured as sealed units that do not contain any internal FRUs themselves and do not contain user serviceable items.
• the enclosures of the FRUs can be arranged to enclose all of the functional components of the FRU with only electrical connectors being externally accessible and with indicator LEDs being externally visible as well.
• Such a constellation of shelves to provide a large grouping of servers is sometimes termed a "web farm" or "server farm” 360.
• the web farm comprises a plurality of shelves 41 that each carry a plurality of blades 43.
• NAS Network Attached Storage devices
• the NASs 373 are not required if there is no critical data to be stored, e.g. if the web farm is operating solely to provide web caching services.
• Management control of the web farm 360 can be provided through a pair of System Management Servers (SMSs) 362.
• SMSs System Management Servers
• Each SMS 362 can be connected to a management network via a link 366 and to a management console 365.
• the SMSs 362 can communicate with the individual shelves 41 via a pair of management switches 364.
• Each shelf 41 and NAS 373 can be connected to each management switch 364 via a connection 367.
• dual redundant management connections can be provided to each shelf 41 and NAS 373.
• the topology used for interconnection of the data switches 369, shelves 41 and NASs 373 can be any topology providing at least one connection of any length between every possible pair of units.
• Complex topologies arranged to minimise the maximum connection length between any two given units in the web farm can be used.
• Each module within a shelf or farm may run under the same operating system, or a plurality of different operating systems may be used.
• Examples of possible operating systems include Sun Microsystems' Solaris ® OS or another UNIXTM-Type OS such as LinuxTM, MINIXTM, or IrixTM, or UNIXTM or a Microsoft OS such as Windows NTTM, Windows 2000TM, Windows ME/98/95TM, Windows
• each processing cartridge within a shelf or farm be configured to run the same program software.
• individual processing cartridges may be configured to execute, for example, fileserver software, mailserver software, webhosting software, database software, firewall software, or verification software.
• a pair of PSUs and a pair of CSSPs may be provided so as to enable dual-redundancy, further PSUs and CSSPs may be provided so as to increase FRU redundancy further, thus providing statistically higher reliability.
• two voltage sense circuits may be provided after the fuses and before the diodes, to prevent a latent fault caused by a failed fuse going undetected until one of the PSUs is removed or taken offline.
• Such circuits may configured to withstand an overvoltage at their inputs whilst the input they are feeding is not powered, without any leakage to the unpowered circuit.
• the processing module may be based on an UltraSPARCTM processor
• any other processor having sufficient processing capacity to undertake the tasks required of a particular processing cartridge may be used.
• Alternative processors include, but are not limited to, Intel x86 series and compatible processors, AMD x86 compatible processors, Alpha processors and PowerPC processors.
• Intel x86 series and compatible processors include, but are not limited to, Intel x86 series and compatible processors, AMD x86 compatible processors, Alpha processors and PowerPC processors.
• the particular example of an x86 compatible processor is described in more detail with reference to Figure 18.
• the parts corresponding to those of the UltraSPARCTM based system of Figure 11 have the same reference numerals and will not be described again here.
• the processor 378 itself communicates with the other components, including the memory 196 and PCI bus 198 via a Northbridge 379.
• the Northbridge 379 also includes an interrupt controller, so no separate interrupt concentrator is required.
• the other components of the processing cartridge could be substantially the same as for the UltraSPARCTM based system described above.
• each information processing cartridge comprises a single microprocessor
• both Switch and Shelf Service Processor within a single FRU in the present example provides a facility within a single shelf 41 for dual redundancy in both functions in fewer different FRUs. As will be appreciated, there is no restriction that these two functions must be provided within a single FRU and division of the two functions into separate FRUs would present no difficulty to the skilled addressee.
• an information processing module forming a field replaceable server blade can include a processor and memory can be configured by means of software, firmware or hardware to provide a special purpose function.
• an information processing module can be configured to perform the function of one or more of a firewall, or a load balancer, encryption and/or decryption processing, an interface to a secure network, e.g. a virtual private network (VPN), a specialized switch with wide area network (WAN) connectability.
• VPN virtual private network
• WAN wide area network
• a storage blade may be provided.
• the storage blade can be configured to be mountable in a server blade receiving location in a blade server carrier.
• the storage blade can comprise storage blade connectors configured for interconnecting with carrier connectors on the server blade carrier, whereby the storage blade is interchangeable with a server blade.
• a carrier, or shelf, for a server system can be arranged with a plurality of blade receiving locations for receiving blades, wherein the blades can be storage blades or information processing blades.
• the server system can be self configuring on receipt of the blades according to the type of blade received in each said location. To achieve the blade service controller in each blade can be operable to communicate with a shelf service processor to perform said configuring.
• FIG. 19A reproduces part of the information processing module shown in Figure 11.
• Figure 19A shows an example where, for enabling information to be passed between the processor 192 to the midplane 171, two information protocol interfaces (IPIs) in the form of Ethernet protocol interfaces (El) 207 and 208 are provided.
• IPIs information protocol interfaces
• El Ethernet protocol interfaces
• the Ethernet protocol interfaces 207 and 208 are connected to the processor 192 via the processor bus 198 and respective bus connections 411 and 412.
• the Emitter Coupled Logic Transmit and Receive can communicate to the switch portions of the CSSPs 71 over the midplane 171.
• the RX+/- pairs can be AC coupled at the information processing module 43 and the TX+/- pairs can be AC coupled at each CSSP 71.
• the SERDES devices are able to support multiple information protocols, and in particular the higher bandwidth requirements of an Infiniband protocol compared to an Ethernet protocol. Accordingly, in order to adapt the information processing module for operating under an Infiniband protocol it is merely necessary to replace the Ethernet protocol interfaces 207 and 208 by Infiniband protocol interfaces. This is illustrated in Figure 19B.
• FIG 19B corresponds to Figure 19A with the exception that the Ethernet protocol interfaces 207 and 208 of Figure 19A have been replaced by Infiniband protocol interfaces (II) 407 and 408.
• the Infiniband protocol interfaces 407 and 408 are connected to the processor 192 via the processor bus 198 and the respective bus connections 411 and 412.
• Each of the Infiniband protocol interfaces 407 and 408 is also connected to a respective one of the physical layer interfaces (PLI) 209 and 210 in the form of SERialiser/DESerialiser (SERDES) devices by the respective information signal paths 413 and 414.
• the SERDES devices 209 and 210 are connected in turn to respective information connections 224 and 225 on the midplane connector 120 via respective information connection paths 415 and 416.
• SERDES devices as physical layer interfaces enables the information processing modules to be supplied with a minimum of modification to support an Ethernet protocol, Infiniband protocol, or indeed any other appropriate information protocol supportable by the SERDES devices.
• An information protocol compatibility check can be provided at initialization.
• initialization software or firmware in the information processing module can be operable on initialization to cause the service controller 203 to send management information to the shelf service processor 47 to inform the shelf service processor 74 of the information transmission protocol (e.g., Ethernet or Infiniband) it can support and/or to solicit information as to the information transmission protocol employed by the CSSP 71 to communicate with the information processing modules 43.
• the shelf service processor 74 can then be operable to indicate whether the information protocol that the information processing module 43 can support is compatible with the information transmission protocol employed the CSSP 71 to communicate with the information processing modules 43.
• the service controller 203 can be operable in response thereto to prevent initialization of the information processing module from completing, possibly after reporting a fault via the management signal connection(s). Otherwise the service controller 203 can be operable to complete initialization of the information processing module.
• the shelf service processor 74 can provide information to the service controller 203 in the information processing module identifying the information transmission protocol employed by the CSSP 71 to communicate with the information processing modules 43. The service controller 203 can then be operable to determine whether the information transmission protocol identified by the shelf service controller 74 is supported by the information processing module.
• the service controller 203 can be operable to prevent initialization of the information processing module from completing, possibly after reporting a fault via the management signal connection(s). Otherwise the service controller 203 can be operable to complete initialization of the information processing module.
• a server blade comprising processor means, the server blade being removably receivable in a carrier and comprising redundant external connection means for interconnection with the carrier.
• the server blade includes external connection means for information signals, management signals and power.
• the provision of a limited set of redundant connections provides for highly reliable interconnection between the server blade and the carrier.
• the benefits of redundancy can be achieved without a proliferation of connectors, which would impact on the ease of field replacement of the server blade. It will be appreciated that although specific examples of connections are described, other examples of the invention could include different combinations of connectors within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

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