US 2017/0367209 A1 · Top-Down/Bottom-Up Enclosure Cabling

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for cabling a set of enclosures. Using a set of cables that comprises eight physical layers (PHYs), the set of enclosures are coupled together such that: for a first enclosure and each intermediate enclosure in the set of enclosures, at least four PHYs of the eight PHYs terminate within a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) expander of the first enclosure and a SAS expander of each intermediate enclosure white passing through a remaining four PHYs of the eight PHYs without connecting to the respective SAS expander; and, for a last enclosure in the set of enclosures, all of the eight PHYs terminate in the SAS expander of the last enclosure.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method, in a data processing system, for cabling a set of enclosures, the method comprising:

using a set of cables that comprises eight physical layers (PHYs), coupling the set of enclosures together such that:
for a first enclosure and each intermediate enclosure in the set of enclosures, terminating at least four PHYs of the eight PHYs within a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) expander of the first enclosure and a SAS expander of each intermediate enclosure while passing through a remaining four PHYs of the eight PHYs without connecting to the respective SAS expander;
and
for a last enclosure in the set of enclosures, terminating all of the eight PHYs in the SAS expander of the last enclosure.

1 more element

A method, in a data processing system, for cabling two separate sets of enclosures, the method comprising:

using a set of cables that each comprise eight physical layers (PHYs):
for a first set of enclosures in the two separate sets of enclosures, coupling the set of enclosures together such that, for each enclosure in the first set of enclosures, at least four PHYs of the eight PHYs terminate within a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) expander of each enclosure in the first set of enclosures while a remaining four PHYs of the eight PHYs pass through without connecting to the respective SAS expander of the first set of enclosures;
and
for a second set of enclosures in the two separate sets of enclosures, coupling the set of enclosures together such that, for each enclosure in the second set of enclosures, the remaining tour PHYs of the eight PHYs terminate within SAS expander of each enclosure in the second set of enclosures while the at least four PHYs of the eight PHYs pass through without connecting to the respective SAS expander of the second set of enclosures.

1 more element

A method, in a data processing system, for cabling two separate sets of enclosures, the method comprising:

using a set of cables that each comprise eight physical layers (PHYs):
for a first set of enclosures in the two separate sets of enclosures, coupling the set of enclosures together such that, for each enclosure in the first set of enclosures, at least four PHYs of the eight PHYs terminate within a Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) expander of each enclosure in the first set of enclosures while the remaining four PHYs of the eight PHYs pass through without connecting to the respective SAS expander of the first set of enclosures;
for a second set of enclosures in the two separate sets of enclosures, coupling the set of enclosures together such that, for each enclosure in the second set of enclosures, the remaining four PHYs of the eight PHYs terminate within SAS expander of each enclosure in the second set of enclosures while the at least four PHYs of the eight PHYs pass through without connecting to the respective SAS expander of the second set of enclosures, wherein the first set of enclosures is interlaced with the second set of enclosure such that each enclosure of the first set of enclosure is coupled directly to an enclosure of the second set of enclosures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Top-Down/Bottom-Up Enclosure Cabling

Life of this patent

Top-Down/Bottom-Up Enclosure Cabling

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20