Serviceable networking appliance chassis
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A networking appliance comprising:
- a chassis;
a motherboard mounted on said chassis, said motherboard including an expansion bus containing at least one expansion slot;
at least one separately removable expansion module mounted on said chassis;
a plurality of card slots in said expansion module for accommodating expansion cards;
connection means for providing a signal connection between card slots in said at least one expansion module and at least one said expansion slot on the motherboard;
extension connectors associated with said card slots for supplying additional signals to add-in cards associated with said card slots independently of said connection means; and
a data path switch for providing high speed connectivity between said extension connectors.
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Abstract
A networking appliance includes a chassis, an off-the-shelf motherboard mounted on said chassis, said motherboard including at least one expansion bus, one or more separately removable expansion module mounted on said chassis, and a number of card slots in the expansion module for accommodating expansion cards. A connection arrangement provides a signal connection between the card slots in the expansion modules and the expansion buses.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A networking appliance comprising:
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a chassis; a motherboard mounted on said chassis, said motherboard including an expansion bus containing at least one expansion slot; at least one separately removable expansion module mounted on said chassis; a plurality of card slots in said expansion module for accommodating expansion cards; connection means for providing a signal connection between card slots in said at least one expansion module and at least one said expansion slot on the motherboard; extension connectors associated with said card slots for supplying additional signals to add-in cards associated with said card slots independently of said connection means; and a data path switch for providing high speed connectivity between said extension connectors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A networking appliance comprising:
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a chassis; a motherboard mounted on said chassis, said motherboard including at least one expansion bus connector, input/output connectors, and a front panel connector; a power supply mounted on said chassis; a midplane mounted on said chassis, said midplane providing a wiring hub connected to said connectors on said motherboard; a power supply mounted on said chassis connected to said midplane and said off motherboard; at least one separately removable expansion module mounted on said chassis and pluggable into connectors on said midplane; a plurality of card slots in said expansion module for accommodating expansion cards; extension connectors associated with said card slots for supplying additional signals to add-in cards associated with said card slots independently of said connection means; and a data path switch for providing high speed connectivity between said extension connectors, wherein said midplane provides connectivity between said at least one expansion module and other components mounted on said chassis. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23)
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21. A networking appliance as claimed in 17, wherein said cage comprises a slotted wall for mounting card bulkheads and exposing said card bulkheads for external access.
Specification