Horizontal drive drawer system and method

• US 20090257186A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunham, John, Signer, Ryan, Lima, Benny, Harvey, Robert T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,864,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives

Abstract

An apparatus may include drive chassis, at least one horizontal drive drawer extending from a first side of the drive chassis to a second side of the drive chassis and/or at Least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer. Additionally, a computer server system and a method for providing the apparatus are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a drive chassis;

at least one horizontal drive drawer extending from a first side of the drive chassis to a second side of the drive chassis;

at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer supported by the drive chassis.

2. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the drive chassis comprises:

at least one controller meeting a Storage Bridge Bay Working Group (SBB) standard.

3. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer comprises:

at least one computer drive disposed horizontally on the horizontal drive drawer.

4. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the at least one horizontal drive drawer extending from a first side of the drive chassis to a second side of the drive chassis comprises:

a horizontal drawer including a blade server.

5. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer comprises:

at least twelve drives disposed on the horizontal drive drawer.

6. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer comprises:

a hot-swappable computer drive.

7. The apparatus in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one motor assembly configured for moving the horizontal drive drawer from a first position to a second position.

8. A computer server system, comprising:

a computer server chassis defining an enclosure;

a mid-plane disposed in the computer server chassis;

at least one drive chassis;

at least one horizontal drive drawer extending from a first side of the drive chassis to a second side of the drive chassis; and

at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer supported by the drive chassis.

9. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the computer server chassis defining an enclosure comprises:

a one meter computer server chassis.

10. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the computer server chassis defining an enclosure comprises:

a computer server chassis configured for enclosing a blade server system.

11. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the computer server chassis defining an enclosure comprises:

at least one controller meeting a Storage Bridge Bay Working Group (SBB) standard.

12. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the computer server chassis defining an enclosure comprises:

at least five horizontal drive drawers.

13. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the at least one horizontal drive drawer extending from a first side of the drive chassis to a second side of the drive chassis comprises:

a horizontal drawer including a blade server.

14. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer comprises:

at least twelve drives disposed on the horizontal drive drawer.

15. The computer server system in claim 8, wherein the at least one computer drive disposed on the horizontal drive drawer comprises:

a hot-swappable computer drive.

16. The computer server system in claim 8, further comprising:

at least one motor assembly configured for moving the horizontal drive drawer from a first position to a second position.

17. A method, comprising:

arranging at least one computer drive on a horizontal drive drawer; and

positioning at least one horizontal drive drawer in a computer server chassis.

18. The method in claim 17, wherein arranging at least one computer drive on a horizontal drive drawer comprises:

arranging at least twelve computer drives on the horizontal drive drawer.

19. The method in claim 17, wherein arranging at least one computer drive on a horizontal drive drawer comprises:

arranging at least one blade drive on the horizontal drive drawer.

20. The method in claim 17, further comprising:

repositioning the horizontal drive drawer by utilizing at least one motor assembly coupled to the horizontal drive drawer.