# US 12,007,924 B2 · Rack assembly providing high speed storage access for compute nodes to a storage server through a PCI express fabric

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- Number: US 12,007,924 B2
- Document ID: US12007924B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/731,151
- Filed: 2022-04-27
- Published: 2022-08-11
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-14
- Assignees: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
- Applicants: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
- Inventors: Roelof Roderick Colenbrander
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007924B2

## CPC

- G06F 13/382: {using universal interface adapter}
- H04L 49/15: Interconnection of switching modules
- G06F 1/181: {Enclosures (for portable computers G06F1/1613)}
- G06F 1/187: Mounting of fixed or removable disk drives
- G06F 3/061: {Improving I/O performance}
- G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling}
- G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]}
- G06F 13/1668: {Details of memory controller}
- G06F 13/4022: {using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence)}
- G06F 13/4221: {being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus}
- G06F 13/4282: {on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247)}
- H04L 49/351: for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
- H04L 67/1097: 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]
- A63F 13/355: Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
- G06F 1/183: Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for supporting printed circuit boards
- G06F 2213/0026: PCI express
- G06F 2213/3808: Network interface controller
- H05K 7/1485: {Servers; Data center rooms, e.g. 19-inch computer racks}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

## Abstract

A network architecture including network storage. The network architecture includes a plurality of streaming arrays, each streaming array including a plurality of compute sleds, wherein each compute sled includes one or more compute nodes. The network architecture includes a PCI Express (PCIe) fabric configured to provide direct access to the network storage from compute nodes of each of the plurality of streaming arrays, the PCIe fabric including a plurality of array-level PCIe switches, each array-level PCIe switch communicatively coupled to compute nodes of compute sleds of a corresponding streaming array and communicatively coupled to the storage server. The network storage is shared by the plurality of streaming arrays.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A rack assembly, comprising:
a storage server;
a plurality of compute sleds configured as one or more streaming arrays, wherein each compute sled in the plurality of compute sleds includes one or more compute nodes;
a PCI Express (PCIe) fabric providing direct access to the storage server from each compute node in the plurality of compute sleds; and
one or more array-level PCIe switches in the PCIe fabric, wherein each array-level PCIe switch is communicatively coupled to each of one or more compute nodes of a corresponding streaming array and to the storage server,
wherein the storage server is shared by the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The rack assembly of claim 1,
wherein the corresponding streaming array includes one or more compute sleds.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The rack assembly of claim 2, wherein the corresponding streaming array includes:
a network switch;
an array management server configured for managing the one or more compute sleds; and
an Ethernet fabric,
wherein the network switch provides for access over the Ethernet fabric to a remote network via a cluster switch.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The rack assembly of claim 3,
wherein the network switch provides for a control path over the Ethernet fabric for streaming management information to the one or more compute sleds and compute nodes in the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The rack assembly of claim 3, further comprising:
another PCIe fabric coupling the array management server to the one or more compute sleds of the corresponding streaming array.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The rack assembly of claim 3,
wherein the network switch provides for access to the storage server from the array management server over the Ethernet fabric.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The rack assembly of claim 3, wherein the array management server is configured to manage a cloud gaming session involving two or more instances of a video game executing on compute nodes of the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The rack assembly of claim 1,
wherein at least one compute node in the plurality of compute sleds is configured for executing one or more instances of a plurality of video games.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The rack assembly of claim 1, wherein the storage server stores read-only game content shared by compute nodes in the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The rack assembly of claim 1,
wherein each of the one or more compute nodes of the corresponding streaming array is communicatively coupled to the each array-level PCIe switch over a dedicated lane,
wherein the each array-level PCI switch is coupled to the storage server over a set of lanes that includes less lanes than a total number of the one or more compute nodes of the corresponding streaming array.

### Claim 11

A network architecture, comprising:
a plurality of rack assemblies, wherein each rack assembly in the plurality of rack assemblies includes:
a storage server;
a plurality of compute sleds configured as one or more streaming arrays, wherein each compute sled in the plurality of compute sleds includes one or more compute nodes, wherein a corresponding streaming array in the each rack assembly includes one or more compute sleds;
a PCI Express (PCIe) fabric providing direct access to the storage server from each compute node in the plurality of compute sleds; and
one or more array-level PCIe switches in the PCIe fabric, wherein each array-level PCIe switch is communicatively coupled to each of one or more compute nodes of a corresponding streaming array and to the storage server,
wherein the storage server in the each rack assembly is shared by the one or more streaming arrays in the each rack assembly;
a plurality of cluster switches coupled to the plurality of rack assemblies; and
a management server coupled to the plurality of cluster switches, wherein the management server is configured for management of the plurality of rack assemblies.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The network architecture of claim 11,
wherein the management server is configured for assigning one or more computing resources in the plurality of rack assemblies to a client device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The network architecture of claim 11, wherein the corresponding streaming array in the each rack assembly includes:
a network switch;
an array management server configured for managing the one or more compute sleds; and
an Ethernet fabric,
wherein the network switch provides for access over the Ethernet fabric to a remote network via a cluster switch.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The network architecture of claim 13,
wherein the network switch in the each rack assembly provides for a control path over the Ethernet fabric for streaming management information to the one or more compute sleds and compute nodes in the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The network architecture of claim 13,
another PCIe fabric coupling the array management server to the one or more compute sleds of the corresponding streaming array.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The network architecture of claim 13,
wherein the network switch in the each rack assembly provides for access to the storage server from the array management server over the Ethernet fabric.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The network architecture of claim 13,
wherein the array management server in the each rack assembly is configured to manage a cloud gaming session involving two or more instances of a video game executing on compute nodes of the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The network architecture of claim 11,
wherein at least one compute node in the plurality of compute sleds in the each rack assembly is configured for executing one or more instances of a plurality of video games.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The network architecture of claim 11, wherein the storage server in the each rack assembly stores read-only game content shared by compute nodes in the one or more streaming arrays.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The network architecture of claim 11,
wherein each of the one or more compute nodes of the corresponding streaming array in the each rack assembly is communicatively coupled to the each array-level PCIe switch over a dedicated lane,
wherein the each array-level PCI switch in the each rack assembly is coupled to the storage server over a set of lanes that includes less lanes than a total number of the one or more compute nodes of the corresponding streaming array.