Data gathering device for a rack enclosure

• US 6,826,714 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanmina Sci-Usa, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Richmount Computer Limited
• Inventors: OʼSullivan, Hans, Harnett, Derek Christopher, Coffey, Aedan Diarmuid Cailean
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Yolanda L
• Application Number:
  US09/900,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/27, 714/37, 714/44, 714/47, 714/48, 702/188
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3044 where the computing system component is the mechanical casing of the computing system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 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 thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206

Abstract

A data gathering device for a rack enclosure which is, in use, cooperable with at least one SES processor, each processor being incorporated in a respective plug-in card. The data gathering device comprises at least one port adapted to communicate with a respective environmental services processor, a plurality of data inputs and a plurality of controllable outputs. The data gathering device is adapted to generate and send, to an SES processor responsible for the enclosure, a message reporting the state of the data inputs and to receive, from the responsible SES processor, a message including a command determining the state of one of the controllable outputs.

Claims

1. A data gathering device for a rack enclosure which is, in use, cooperable with at least one environmental services processor, each processor being incorporated in a respective plug-in card, said data gathering device comprising at least one port adapted to communicate with a respective environmental services processor, a plurality of data inputs and a plurality of controllable outputs, said data gathering device being adapted to generate and send, to a one of said at least one environmental services processors responsible for said enclosure, a message reporting the state of said data inputs and to receive, from said responsible environmental services processor, a message including a command determining the state of one of said controllable outputs, wherein said data gathering device includes two ports, each adapted to communicate with a respective one of two environmental services processors.

2. A backplane for a rack enclosure, said backplane including one or more data gathering devices, each data gathering device being, in use, cooperable with at least one environmental services processor, each processor being incorporated in a respective plug-in card, each data gathering device comprising at least one port adapted to communicate with a respective environmental services processor, a plurality of data inputs and a plurality of controllable outputs, each data gathering device being adapted to receive an instruction from a one of said at least one environmental services processors responsible for said enclosure to take responsibility for data gathering, said data gathering device being adapted, when responsible for said enclosure, to generate a message reporting the state of said data inputs to said responsible environmental services processor and to receive a message including a command from said responsible environmental services processor determining the state of one of said controllable outputs, wherein the backplane is adapted to receive two enclosure services cards, each connected to a respective data gatherer device and cross-connected to another data gatherer device.

3. A backplane according to claim 2 wherein the backplane is adapted to receive fibre channel storage devices and said data gathering device includes at least one port adapted to communicate with a respective one of said storage devices, said data gathering device being adapted to relay environmental services requests from a host application received via a storage device to said responsible environmental services processor and to relay responses from said responsible environmental services processor to said storage device.