Variable width PCIe interface

A method comprising:

• providing
• a chassis defining a motherboard slot;
• and
• a midplane including (a) a motherboard socket positioned to connect to a motherboard inserted within the motherboard slot, and (b) a plurality of expansion sockets electrically connected to the motherboard socket, each expansion socket of the plurality of expansion sockets defining a plurality of connector pins arranged in one or more rows, each row of the one or more rows being coplanar and collinear with a corresponding row in all other expansion sockets of the plurality of expansion sockets;
• inserting a motherboard into the motherboard slot having a connector of the motherboard inserted within the motherboard socket;
• inserting a connector of a first expansion card into one or more expansion sockets of the plurality of expansion sockets;
• operating an expansion interface on the motherboard, wherein the expansion interface comprises a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to
• execute a width detection module for detecting, a number of the one or more expansion sockets occupied by an expansion card inserted into one or more expansion sockets based on one of signals detected on pins of the one or more of the plurality of expansion sockets and an identifier provided by the expansion card;
• and
• execute a lane configuration module for allocating a number of communication lanes equal to the number of the one or more expansion sockets occupied by the expansion card for traffic routing to and from the expansion card and allocating a redundant path to the expansion card based on unoccupied communication lanes, wherein the expansion card connects to one or more of the plurality of extension sockets, wherein the expansion interface comprises a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the detecting and the allocating steps.

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of expansion sockets;
• a motherboard coupled to the plurality of expansion slots, the mother board including one or more processors, one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, and an expansion interface defining a plurality of communication lanes from the plurality of expansion sockets to the one or more processors and the one or more expansion sockets, and
• the expansion interface is executed by one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to
• execute a width detection module to detect a number of the plurality of expansion sockets occupied by an expansion card inserted into one or more of the plurality of expansion sockets based on one of signals detected on pins of the one or more of the plurality of expansion sockets and an identifier provided by the expansion card;
• and
• execute a lane configuration module to allocate a number of communication lanes equal to the number of the plurality of expansion sockets occupied by the expansion card for traffic routing to and from the expansion card and allocate a redundant path to the expansion card based on unoccupied communication lanes, wherein the expansion card connects to one or more of the plurality of extension sockets.