Midplane-independent implementations of data storage system enclosures

• US 7,516,272 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Peeke, Douglas E., Felton, Mickey S., King, Joseph P. Jr., Frangioso, Ralph C. Jr., Beinor, Albert F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peugh; Brian R
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUTZ, JARED IAN
• Application Number:
  US10/402,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 711/112, 711/114, 711/111, 711/113, 711/110, 711/170, 710/100, 710/74, 710/62, 710/36, 710/15, 361/685, 361/682, 361/752
• US Class Current: 711/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/126 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches

Abstract

Described is a storage system comprising a communication bus, a disk drive, a control board having a processing unit connected to the communication bus, and an adapter board in electrical communication with the disk drive. The adapter board has a controller connected to the communication bus. The controller receives instructions over the communication bus from the processing unit and communicates with the disk drive in response to the instructions. Optionally, the storage system has a midplane having a first connector connected to an electrical connector of the control board and a second connector connected to an electrical connector of the adapter board. Attached to opposite sides of the midplane, the first and second connectors are aligned with and electrically connected to each other through the midplane. An electrical signal transmitted between the control board and the adapter board passes directly through the midplane through the first and second midplane connectors.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a control board having an electrical connector attached thereto;

a disk drive module having a disk drive for storing data and an adapter board electrically connected to the disk drive, the adapter board having an electrical connector attached thereto and a controller;

a midplane having a first electrical connector physically mated to the electrical connector of the control board and a second electrical connector physically mated to the electrical connector of the adapter board, the first and second connectors of the midplane being attached to opposite sides of the midplane in alignment with and electrically connected to each other through the midplane; and

a communication bus shared exclusively by the control board and the adapter board of the disk drive module, the communication bus extending directly from the control board to the disk drive module through the first and second electrical connectors of the midplane without being routed or distributed over electrical traces on the midplane, the control board communicating with the controller of the adapter board over the communication bus in accordance with a communication protocol in order to control operation of the disk drive.

2. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the disk drive is a first disk drive and the disk drive module includes a second disk drive, the first and second disk drives each being in electrical communication with the control board by at least one electrical signal path, wherein a length of each electrical signal path between the first disk drive and the control board is substantially equal to a length of each electrical signal path between the second disk drive and the control board.

3. The storage system of claim 2, wherein one of the disk drives is mounted physically closer to the adapter board than the other of the disk drives.

4. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the disk drive module is a first disk drive module, and further comprising a second disk drive module, the second disk drive module having a second disk drive and an adapter board in electrical communication with the second disk drive, the adapter board of the first disk drive module and the adapter board of the second disk drive module each being in electrical communication with the control board by at least one electrical signal path, a length of each electrical signal path connecting the control board to the adapter board of the first disk drive module being substantially equal to a length of each electrical signal path connecting the control board to the adapter board of the second disk drive module.

5. The storage system of claim 4, wherein the control board has a processing unit and wherein a length of each electrical signal path from the disk drive of the first disk drive module to the processing unit of the control board is approximately equal to a length of each electrical signal path from the disk drive of the second disk drive module to the processing unit of the control board.

6. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the disk drive is a Fibre Channel disk drive and the control board is an link control card.

7. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the disk drive communicates with the control board over a serial low-voltage differential signaling communication path.

8. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the disk drive is an ATA disk drive and the control board is an ATA bridge control card.

9. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the disk drive is a Serial Attached SCSI disk drive.

10. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the communication bus is an I²C bus.

11. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the communication bus is an RS232 bus.

12. The storage system of claim 1, wherein the control board is a first control board, and further comprising a second control board having an electrical connector, the midplane having a third connector physically mated to the electrical connector of the second control board and a fourth electrical connector physically mated to a second electrical connector of the adapter board, the third and fourth electrical connectors of the midplane being attached to opposite sides of the midplane in alignment with and electrically connected to each other through the midplane.

13. The storage system of claim 12, wherein the midplane has at least one electrical communication path between the electrical connector mated to the electrical connector of the first control board and the electrical connector mated to the electrical connector of the second control board for carrying communications between the control boards.

14. The storage system of claim 12, wherein the controller of the adapter board arbitrates between the first and second control boards to determine which control board may currently communicate with the disk drive.