Automatically enabling terminator for internal SCSI buses with external SCSI bus expansion

• US 6,567,877 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1997
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Andrey M., Lewis, Quentin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/968,379
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 709/250, 710/305, 710/8, 257/529, 257/528, 257/530, 326/30, 326/31, 326/32, 326/33, 326/83, 326/84, 326/85, 326/86
• US Class Current: 710/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4086 Bus impedance matching, e.g. termination

Abstract

A computer system contains a small computer standard interface (SCSI) having a plurality of components to interface a plurality of external peripheral devices to the computer system in accordance with a SCSI specification. Within the computer system, the SCSI interface contains a SCSI bus having an internal SCSI terminator at an internal end of the SCSI bus, and an internal switchable SCSI terminator at an external end of the SCSI bus. The SCSI bus permits expansion beyond the computer system enclosure at the external side of the SCSI bus via an external connector and cable to interface external SCSI peripheral devices to the computer system. The internal switchable SCSI terminator senses whether any external SCSI external peripheral devices or an external terminator are attached to the SCSI bus. If external SCSI peripheral devices and/or an external terminator are attached to the SCSI bus, then the internal switchable SCSI terminator does not terminate the SCSI bus on the external side. Alternatively, if the internal switchable SCSI terminator senses that no external SCSI peripheral devices or external terminator are attached, then the internal switchable SCSI terminator terminates the SCSI bus at the external end.

Claims

1. A bus system for use in a computer system having an external periphery comprising:

a small computer standard interface (SCSI) bus including a plurality of bus signal lines, the SCSI bus having an internal connector terminated by a fixed termination and a multi-pin external connector mounted to the external periphery of the computer system to interface with a removable, external termination device; and

an apparatus coupled to each of the plurality of bus signal lines to automatically enable termination of the bus signal lines of the SCSI bus in parallel at the external connector when the external termination device is disconnected from the SCSI bus, the apparatus including

a sensing line coupled to a pin of the external connector, the sensing line to sense whether the external termination device is coupled to the SCSI bus, the sensing line being common to the bus signal lines,

a pull-up resistor coupled to the sensing line, the pull-up resistor driving the sensing line to a high voltage level if the external termination device is disconnected from the SCSI bus,

at least one termination resistor coupled to each of the plurality of bus signal lines of the SCSI bus to provide a terminating impedance at the external connector of the SCSI bus, and

a plurality of switches each including a transistor having a gate coupled to the sensing line, each of the plurality of switches coupled to one of the plurality of termination resistors and terminating a separate bus signal line of the SCSI bus if the sensing line is pulled to the high voltage level.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the transistor of each switch comprises a n-channel junction field effect transistor (JFET).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pin of the external connector, configured in accordance with the SCSI specification is a ground pin.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the sensing line is a single signal line.

5. The bus system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one removable, external termination device includes one of a hard drive and a tape drive.

6. In a computer system including a small computer standard interface (SCSI) bus having an internal end terminated by a fixed termination and an external end coupled to a plurality of switchable terminators each including a transistor and mounted to the periphery of the computer system to interface at least one removable, external termination device with the computer system, a method for automatically enabling termination of the SCSI bus at the external end if the external termination device is disconnected from the SCSI bus, the method comprising:

determining whether the external termination device is connected to the external end of the SCSI bus by monitoring a voltage level on a sensing line, the sensing line being common to the switchable terminators;

driving the sensing line, coupled to a transistor gate of each switchable terminator, to a high voltage level if the external termination device is disconnected from the SCSI bus, the sensing line terminating the SCSI bus by turning on the transistor of each switchable terminator to connect each switchable terminator to the external end of the SCSI bus; and

driving the common sensing line to a low voltage level if the external termination device is connected to the SCSI bus, the sensing line turning off the transistor of each switchable terminator to disconnect each switchable terminator at the external end from the SCSI bus.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the sensing line is connected to a ground pin of an external connector, the external connector, a multi-pin connector configured in accordance with the SCSI specification, being coupled to the external end of the SCSI bus.

8. A bus system for use in a computer system having an external periphery, the bus system comprising:

a multi-line internal bus including a plurality of bus signal lines coupled to an internal connector terminated by a fixed termination and coupled to an external connector to interface with at least one removable, external termination device; and

an apparatus for automatically enabling termination of the internal bus in parallel at the external connector, the apparatus including

a single sensing line coupled to a ground pin of the external connector, the sensing line to sense whether the external termination device is coupled to the internal bus, the sensing line being common to the bus signal lines,

a pull-up resistor coupled to the sensing line, the pull-up resistor driving the sensing line to a high voltage level if the external termination device is disconnected from the internal bus,

at least one termination resistor coupled to each of the plurality of bus signal lines of the internal bus, and

a plurality of switches each including a transistor coupled to one of the plurality of termination resistors and having a gate coupled to the sensing line, each of the plurality of switches terminates a distinct bus signal line of the internal bus if the sensing line is pulled to the high voltage level.

9. The bus system of claim 8 wherein the internal bus comprises a small computer standard interface (SCSI) bus operating in accordance with a SCSI specification.

10. The bus system of claim 9, wherein the apparatus further comprises ground means coupled to the single sensing line for allowing the single sensing line to be pulled to a low voltage level if the external termination device is connected.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein each transistor of the plurality of switches comprises a n-channel junction field effect transistor (JFET).

12. The bus system according to calim 8, wherein the at lest one removable, external termination device includes one of a hard drive and a tape drive.