# US 2013/0155599 A1 · Modular Server Design For Use In Reconfigurable Server Shelf

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- Number: US 2013/0155599 A1
- Document ID: US20130155599A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/327,573
- Filed: 2011-12-15
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15
- Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Peter G. Ross; Darin Lee Frink
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130155599A1

## CPC

- G06F 1/187: Mounting of fixed or removable disk drives
- H05K 7/1487: {Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade}
- Y10T 29/49117: Conductor or circuit manufacturing
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A modular computing system includes two or more electrical modules. The electrical modules may each include a module chassis having shelf mounting portions for sliding the electrical module into a slot of a rack. The electrical modules may couple with one another to form module assemblies that can be slid into one or more slots in a rack.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A modular computing system, comprising:
two or more electrical modules, comprising:
one or more compute modules comprising:
a compute module chassis,
one or more circuit board assemblies coupled to the compute module chassis; and
one or more processors coupled to at least one of the circuit board assemblies;
one or more data storage modules comprising:
a data storage module chassis;
one or more data storage devices coupled to the data storage module chassis; and
one or more power modules comprising:
a power module chassis;
one or more data storage devices coupled to the power module chassis; and
a shelf module configured for installation in a rack, the shelf module comprising two or more partial width slots configurable to slidably receive at least one of the compute modules, at least one of the data storage modules, and at least one of the power modules,
wherein at least two of the electrical modules are configured to couple with one another to form a module assembly, wherein the shelf module is configurable to receive the module assembly in at least one of the slots in the shelf module.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1,
wherein each of at least one of the slots in the shelf module comprises rail portions configurable to support an electrical module in the slot,
wherein at least one of the compute modules and at least one of the other electrical modules each comprise one or more guide portions configured to couple on the rail portions of the slots in the shelf module,
wherein the guide portions and the rail portions are configured such that at least one of the different ones of the electrical modules interchangeably couple on the rail portions in the slot.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the shelf module is configurable to alter a size of at least one of the slots.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the shelf module is configurable to alter a height of at least one of the slots in increments that are a multiple of ¼ rack units.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the electrical modules comprises complementary coupling portions configured to couple the at least two electrical modules with one another.

### Claim 6

The computing system 1, wherein at least one of the data storage modules is configured to physically couple to at least one of the compute modules.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the coupled modules are configured to be installed in one of the slots in the shelf module.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The computing system of claim 7, wherein the coupled modules are configured for installation at least two deep in the slot.

### Claim 9

A modular computing system, comprising:
two or more electrical modules, each of at least two of the electrical modules comprising:
a module chassis comprising one or more shelf mounting portions configurable to slide the electrical module into a slot of the rack; and
one or more electrical components coupled to the chassis;
wherein the at least two of the electrical modules are configured to couple with one another to form a module assembly, and
wherein module assembly is configured to slide into one or more slots in a rack.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9,
wherein each of at least one of the slots in the shelf module comprises rail portions configurable to support an electrical module in the slot,
wherein at least two of the electrical modules comprise one or more guide portions configured to couple on the rail portions of the slots in the shelf module,
wherein the guide portions and the rail portions are configured such that at least two of the different ones of the electrical modules interchangeably couple on the rail portions in the slot.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the slots in the rack is a slot in a shelf module installed in the rack.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The computing system of claim 11, wherein the shelf module comprises at least one vertical partition that is movable to alter a width of at least one partial width slot in the shelf module.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the slots in the rack is a partial width slot.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the coupled modules in the module assembly is a compute module, wherein at least one of the coupled modules in the module assembly is a data storage module.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least two of the electrical modules in the module assembly comprise complementary coupling portions, wherein the complementary coupling portions are configurable to couple the electrical modules with one another.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least two of the electrical modules in the module assembly comprise complementary electrical power coupling portions and complementary data coupling portions, wherein the complementary electrical power coupling portions are configurable to provide an electrical power connection between the coupled electrical modules, wherein the complementary data coupling portions are configurable to provide a data connection between the coupled electrical modules.

### Claim 17 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least two of the electrical modules in the module assembly comprise guide portions configured to couple on rail portions of a slot in the rack when the module assembly is installed in the rack.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computing system of claim 17, wherein the guides for at least one of the electrical modules in the module assembly are provided on the module chassis of the electrical module.

### Claim 19 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein the module assembly is configured to couple in a slot having a height that is a multiple of ¼ U.

### Claim 20 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein the module assembly is configured to couple in a slot having a height that is a multiple of ¾ U.

### Claim 21 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein the coupled modules are configured for installation at least two deep in the slot from front to back.

### Claim 22 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the electrical modules comprises:
a compute module comprising:
a compute module chassis;
one or more circuit board assemblies coupled to the compute module chassis; and
one or more processors coupled to at least one of the circuit board assemblies.

### Claim 23 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the electrical modules comprises:
a data storage module comprising:
a data storage module chassis; and
one or more data storage devices coupled to the data storage module chassis.

### Claim 24 (depends on 9)

The computing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the electrical modules comprises:
a power module comprising:
one or more power modules comprising:
a power module chassis; and
one or more power supply devices coupled to the power module chassis.

### Claim 25

An electrical module, comprising:
a module chassis comprising one or more shelf mounting portions configurable to mount the electrical module on a shelf; and
one or more electrical components coupled to the chassis;
wherein one or more coupling portions configurable to couple the electrical module with one or more other electrical modules into a module assembly, wherein the electrical modules are configurable to couple such that the module assembly is configured to be installed in a slot in a rack.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The electrical module of claim 25, wherein the chassis comprises a sled, wherein the one or more mounting portions are included in the sled, wherein at least one of the electrical components is coupled to the sled.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The electrical module of claim 25, wherein the electrical module comprises a data storage module comprising shelf-mounting portions, wherein the data storage module comprises one or more coupling portions configurable to couple the data storage module with a compute module.

### Claim 28

A compute module, comprising:
a compute module sled comprising one or more mounting portions configured to mount the compute module in a rack;
one or more circuit board assemblies coupled to the compute module sled;
one or more processors coupled to at least one of the circuit board assemblies; and
one or more data storage devices coupled to the compute module chassis,
wherein the compute module comprises a height greater than ½ U, and
wherein the compute module is configured for installation in a ¾ U slot in a rack.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The compute module of claim 28, further comprising one or more low profile DIMMs coupled to the circuit board assembly, wherein the compute module including the low-profile DIMMs is configured for installation in a ¾ U slot in a rack.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The compute module of claim 28, wherein the sled comprises one or more cut-outs for at least some of the DIMMs.

### Claim 31 (depends on 28)

The compute module of claim 28, wherein the one or more data storage devices comprise one or more 3.5 inch hard disk drives, wherein the compute module including the one or more 3.5 inch hard disk drives is configured for installation in a ¾ U slot in a rack.

### Claim 32

A method of providing computing resources, comprising:
coupling two or more electrical modules to one another to form one or more module assemblies, wherein each of at least two of the coupled electrical modules in at least one of the module assemblies comprise mounting portions configured to mount on rails in a slot of a rack; and
installing the coupled at least two electrical modules in the slot in the rack.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein coupling two or more electrical modules to one another to form one or more module assemblies comprises coupling a compute module comprising a compute module chassis to a data storage module comprising a data storage module chassis.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein coupling two or more electrical modules to one another to form one or more module assemblies comprises coupling two or more power modules each comprising a power module chassis to one another.

### Claim 35 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein coupling two or more electrical modules to one another to form one or more module assemblies comprises coupling two or more data storage modules each comprising data storage module chassis to one another.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein at least two of the coupled electrical modules are installed in a two-deep arrangement in one slot of the rack.

### Claim 37 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the slot comprises a height that is a multiple of ¼ of a rack unit.

### Claim 38 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the slot comprises a height that is a multiple of ¾ of a rack unit.

### Claim 39 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, further comprising adjusting the size of the slot before installing the coupled electrical modules in the slot.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The method of claim 39, wherein the slot is adjusted in an increment of a multiple ¼ rack units.

### Claim 41 (depends on 39)

The method of claim 39, wherein adjusting the size of the slot comprises adjusting one or more shelf members in a shelf module.

### Claim 42 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein at least a first one of the module assemblies has a different height than at least a second one of the module assemblies, wherein at least the first one of the modules and at least the second one of the electrical modules are configured to mount in slots that are each a multiple of ¼ rack units.

### Claim 43 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein installing at least two of the coupled electrical modules on rails in the slot in the rack comprises:
coupling two or more electrical modules having a first height in the rack in a first stack of electrical modules,
coupling two or more electrical modules having a second height in a second stack of electrical modules,
wherein the level of the first stack in the rack coincides or overlaps with the level of the second stack in the rack,
wherein the first height is different from the second height.