MODULARLY-EXPANDABLE MINI-RACK SERVER SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A rack apparatus, comprising:
- a frame comprising (i) a power and cooling area and (ii) a block chassis forming one or more information technology (IT) bays that enable insertion of IT components;
a plurality of IT components contained within a component cabinet inserted in the block chassis and which, when operational, enable the rack apparatus to function as one of an information handling system (IHS) and an extension of a modular, expandable rack-based IHS;
a busbar physically located at a back of the block chassis within the power and cooling area and which enables direct coupling to one of another busbar and a power source to supply power to the plurality of IT components;
a power interface board contained in the block chassis and coupled to the busbar to supply power to the IT components contained in the component cabinet;
a block controller contained in the block chassis and communicatively coupled to the other IT components and which performs all block level control for the rack apparatus; and
one or more physical supports at a bottom surface of the frame that enable the rack apparatus to be physically placed on top of a modular, expandable IT rack.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A rack apparatus includes a frame having (i) a power and cooling area and (ii) a block chassis forming one or more information technology (IT) bays that enable insertion of IT components. A plurality of IT components are contained within a component cabinet inserted in the block chassis. When operational, enable the rack apparatus to function as one of an information handling system (IHS) and an extension of a modular, scalable/expandable rack-based IHS. A busbar physically located at a back of the block chassis within the power and cooling area and enables direct coupling to one of another busbar and a power source to supply power to the plurality of IT components from a power interface board. A block controller is contained in the block chassis and communicatively coupled to the other IT components. The block controller performs all localized, block level control for the rack apparatus.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A rack apparatus, comprising:
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a frame comprising (i) a power and cooling area and (ii) a block chassis forming one or more information technology (IT) bays that enable insertion of IT components; a plurality of IT components contained within a component cabinet inserted in the block chassis and which, when operational, enable the rack apparatus to function as one of an information handling system (IHS) and an extension of a modular, expandable rack-based IHS; a busbar physically located at a back of the block chassis within the power and cooling area and which enables direct coupling to one of another busbar and a power source to supply power to the plurality of IT components; a power interface board contained in the block chassis and coupled to the busbar to supply power to the IT components contained in the component cabinet; a block controller contained in the block chassis and communicatively coupled to the other IT components and which performs all block level control for the rack apparatus; and one or more physical supports at a bottom surface of the frame that enable the rack apparatus to be physically placed on top of a modular, expandable IT rack. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:
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a frame comprising (i) a power and cooling area and (ii) a block chassis forming one or more information technology (IT) bays that enable insertion of IT components; a plurality of IT components contained within a component cabinet inserted in the block chassis and which, when operational, enable the IHS to function as an extension of the modular, expandable rack-based IHS; a busbar physically located at a back of the block chassis within the power and cooling area directly coupled to one of another busbar and a power source to supply power to the plurality of IT components; a power interface board contained in the block chassis and coupled to the busbar to supply power to the IT components contained in the component cabinet; a block controller contained in the block chassis and communicatively coupled to the other IT components and which performs all block level control for the IHS; and one or more physical supports at a bottom surface of the frame that enable the IHS to be physically placed on top of the modular, expandable IT rack. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for providing a rack assembly to function as a physically attachable extension of a modular, scalable/expandable rack-based IHS, the method comprising:
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assembling a frame comprising a power and cooling area and a block chassis forming one or more information technology (IT) bays that enable insertion of IT components; providing a plurality of IT components within a component cabinet inserted in the block chassis and which, when operational, enable the rack apparatus to function as one or more blocks of a plurality of blocks supported by the modular, scalable/expandable rack-based IHS; attaching a busbar within the power and cooling area, which is physically located at a back of the block chassis, wherein the busbar enables direct coupling to one of another busbar and a power source to supply power to the plurality of IT components; coupling a power interface board, which is contained in the block chassis, to the busbar to supply power to the IT components contained in the component cabinet, wherein one or more of the IT components have power connectors/conductors that are physically abutting to one of the busbar and the power interface board to receive electrical power; communicatively coupling a block controller, which is contained in the block chassis and which performs all block level control for the rack assembly, to the other IT components; and providing one or more physical supports to a bottom surface of the frame that enable the rack apparatus to be physically placed on top of a modular, expandable IT rack. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification