Automatic disk drive shelf address assignment and error detection method and apparatus
First Claim
1. Apparatus for automatically providing a different data processing shelf address to each one of a plurality of shelves that are contained in a sequential physical order within a cabinet of a data processing system, said plurality of shelves including a shelf N, a shelf N-1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to shelf N and on a downstream side of shelf N, and a shelf N+1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to shelf N and on an upstream side of shelf N, comprising:
- a shelf address output-terminal within shelf N-1 electrically connected to a shelf address input-terminal within shelf N by way of a first electrical connection;
said shelf N-1 output-terminal providing a next-shelf address voltage of a given magnitude to said input-terminal of shelf N;
magnitude incrementing circuitry within shelf N operable to increase said given magnitude of said next-shelf address voltage to a higher magnitude that comprises an address for shelf N+1, anda shelf address output-terminal within shelf N electrically connected to a shelf address input-terminal within shelf N+1 by way of a second electrical connection;
said shelf N output-terminal providing said higher magnitude next-shelf shelf address voltage to said input-terminal within shelf N+1.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Automatic shelf-to-shelf address assignment is provided for a plurality of disk drive supporting shelves that are removably contained within a multi--shelf cabinet. Error detection apparatus detects failure in the automatic assignment of shelf addresses. An address input of shelf-N receives a shelf addressing voltage from shelf N+1. Shelf-N checks to ensure that the received shelf-N address voltage is within a correct range. Where-N now increases its shelf-N address by one and applies this incremented address to an address input of shelf-N+1. Accuracy of the shelf-N+1 address input is checked, as are the cable/connectors that connect shelf-N to shelf-N+1. ADC and ADC techniques are used, and operation of the automatic address assignment system is timed.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. Apparatus for automatically providing a different data processing shelf address to each one of a plurality of shelves that are contained in a sequential physical order within a cabinet of a data processing system, said plurality of shelves including a shelf N, a shelf N-1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to shelf N and on a downstream side of shelf N, and a shelf N+1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to shelf N and on an upstream side of shelf N, comprising:
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a shelf address output-terminal within shelf N-1 electrically connected to a shelf address input-terminal within shelf N by way of a first electrical connection; said shelf N-1 output-terminal providing a next-shelf address voltage of a given magnitude to said input-terminal of shelf N; magnitude incrementing circuitry within shelf N operable to increase said given magnitude of said next-shelf address voltage to a higher magnitude that comprises an address for shelf N+1, and a shelf address output-terminal within shelf N electrically connected to a shelf address input-terminal within shelf N+1 by way of a second electrical connection; said shelf N output-terminal providing said higher magnitude next-shelf shelf address voltage to said input-terminal within shelf N+1. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for automatically providing a different data processing shelf address to each one of a plurality of physically ordered shelves that are contained within a cabinet of a data processing system, said plurality of shelves including a shelf N, a shelf N-1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to shelf N and on one side of shelf N, and a shelf N+1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to shelf N and on an opposite side of shelf N, comprising the steps of:
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providing a shelf address output-terminal within shelf N-1; providing a shelf address input-terminal within shelf N; interconnecting said shelf address output-terminal within shelf N-1 to said shelf address input-terminal within shelf N by way of a first electrical conductor; said shelf N-1 output-terminal providing a next-shelf address voltage of a given magnitude to said input-terminal of shelf N; providing magnitude incrementing circuitry within shelf N operable to increase said given magnitude of said next-shelf address voltage to a higher magnitude that comprises an address of shelf N+1; providing a shelf address output-terminal within shelf N; providing an shelf address input-terminal within shelf N+1; and electrically connecting said shelf address output-terminal within shelf N to said shelf address input-terminal within shelf N+1 by way of a second electrical conductor to thereby provide said higher magnitude next-shelf shelf address voltage to said input-terminal within shelf N+1. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. Apparatus for automatically assigning data processing addresses to each of the integer quantity M of physically individual shelves that are within a cabinet, said M shelves being arranged in a sequential order from a first shelf-1 to a last shelf M, said sequential order providing intermediate shelves comprising shelf-2 through shelf M-1, each of said shelves having:
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an input-terminal adapted to receive a next-shelf address signal having an address-indicative magnitude; an output terminal adapted to transmit a next-shelf address signal having an address-indicative magnitude; a magnitude increasing network operable to step-increase the magnitude of a received next-shelf address signal to a higher magnitude, thereby generating a higher magnitude next-shelf address signal that is applied to said output-terminal; said apparatus including; a first quantity M of electrical cables, a voltage source providing a next-shelf address signal having a low magnitude that comprises a data processing address for said shelf-1, a first of said electrical cables operating to connect said voltage source to said input-terminal of said shelf-1, the quantity M-2 of said electrical cables operating to individually connect said output-terminals to said input-terminals of said shelf-2 through said shelf M-1; and a last of said electrical cables operating to connect said output-terminal of said shelf M-1 to said input-terminal of said shelf-M. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. Apparatus for automatically providing a progressively higher magnitude analog-DC shelf-address voltage to each one of a plurality of shelves that are contained in a sequential number order within a cabinet of a data processing system, said plurality of shelves including a shelf N, a shelf-N-1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to said shelf-N and on one side of said shelf-N, and a shelf-N+1 that is physically located immediately adjacent to said shelf-N and on an opposite side of said shelf-N, said apparatus comprising:
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an output-terminal of said shelf-N-1 electrically connected to an input-terminal of said shelf-N by way of a first electrical cable; said shelf-N-1 output-terminal providing a first analog-DC shelf address voltage to said input-terminal of said shelf-N; a first analog-to-digital converter of shelf-N operable to convert said first analog-DC voltage to a first multi-bit binary number; magnitude increasing circuitry of shelf-N operable to increase said first multi-bit binary number by a fixed binary quantity, thereby generating a first shelf-address binary number that corresponds to an address for shelf N+1; a digital-to-analog converter operable to convert said first shelf-address binary number of a second analog-DC shelf address voltage; an electrical connection of said shelf-N connecting said second analog-DC shelf address voltage to said output-terminal of said shelf-N; and a second electrical cable connecting said output-terminal of said shelf-N to said input-terminal of said shelf-N+1. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification