Multi-function expansion slots for a storage system
AssigneeEMC Corporation
InventorsDouglas Sullivan, Robert Valentine, Steven Sardella
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system having expansion slots is capable of multiple configurations. In a first configuration, a first blade is coupled to a first module via a first expansion slot and a second blade is coupled to a second module via a second expansion slot. The first and second modules may be I/O modules such as PCI Express modules. In a second configuration the first and second blades are both coupled to a third module via the first and second expansion slots. The third module may be a shared resource such as a cache card.
Claims13
Apparatus comprising:
- a first blade coupled to a first expansion slot;
- a second blade coupled to a second expansion slot;
- wherein the apparatus is capable of a first configuration wherein the first blade is coupled to a first module via the first expansion slot and the second blade is coupled to a second module via the second expansion slot,
- wherein the apparatus is capable of a second configuration wherein the first and second blades are both coupled to a third module via the first and second expansion slots.
A method comprising the steps of:
- coupling a first blade to a first module via a first expansion slot;
- coupling a second blade to a second module via a second expansion slot;
- or coupling both the first and second blades to a third module via the first and second expansion slots.
A system comprising:
- a first blade coupled to a first expansion slot;
- a second blade coupled to a second expansion slot;
- a first module installable in the first expansion slot and coupled to the first blade;
- a second module installable in the second expansion slot and coupled to the second blade;
- a third module being installable in both the first and second expansion slots when the first and second modules are not installed.
A storage system comprising:
- a first blade coupled to a first expansion slot;
- a second blade coupled to a second expansion slot;
- a first I/O module installable in the first expansion slot and coupled to the first blade;
- a second I/O module installable in the second expansion slot and coupled to the second blade;
- a cache memory module being installable in both the first and second expansion slots when the first and second modules are not installed, the cache memory module being shared between the first blade and the second blade when installed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.