US 2008/0165490 A1Published application

Technique to support multiple forms of sas dasd

OwnerPatrick A. Buckland, Ray C. Laning +4inventors

InventorsPatrick A. Buckland, Ray C. Laning, Thoi Nguyen, Kenneth R. Peters, Edward J. Seminaro, Rebeccah J. Vossberg

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Abstract

A computer chassis is provided that may accommodate direct access storage device cages for various form factors. A 3.5-inch direct access storage device (DASD) cage may support 3.5-inch serial attached SCSI (SAS) direct access storage devices. The 3.5-inch SAS DASD cage includes a DASD backplane with a main connector and eight SAS drive connectors. A SFF direct access storage device cage may support SFF SAS direct access storage devices. The SFF SAS DASD cage may include a DASD backplane with a main connector and two port expanders. The port expanders may support up to twelve SAS DASD with redundant SAS channel wiring and one external 4-channel SAS port.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for supporting multiple form factors of serial attached small computer system interface direct access storage devices, the method comprising:

providing a main computer chassis having a direct access storage device portion configured to support a direct access storage device cage of a first type or a direct access storage device cage of a second type;
and
providing a direct access storage device cage of the first type or the second type having a serial attached small computer system interface backplane,
wherein a direct access storage device cage of a first type supports a first number of standard form factor direct access storage devices and wherein the serial attached small computer system interface backplane comprises the first number of direct access storage device connectors, and
wherein a direct access storage device cage of a second type supports a second number of small form factor direct access storage devices and wherein the serial attached small computer system interface backplane comprises the second number of direct access storage device connectors.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.