DIP switch configuration for increased usability with multiple cards

A bus controller system, comprising:

• a backplane, comprising:
• a first bus including a first plurality of ports,
• a second bus including a second plurality of ports,
• a first bus controller slot connected to said first bus and said second bus, and
• a second bus controller slot connected to said first bus and said second bus, and two bus controller cards, each card received by one of said bus controller slots, each bus controller card comprising:
• a first backplane connector connected to a card-selectable one of said buses through said respective bus controller slot,
• a second backplane connector connected to the other one of said buses through said respective bus controller slot,
• a first switchbox comprising a plurality of individual DIP switches operationally connected to said first backplane connector and said second backplane connector, the individual DIP switches including a first DIP switch that controls addressing of the first plurality of ports on said first bus and a second DIP switch that controls addressing of the second plurality of ports on said second bus, the first and second DIP switches controlling addressing independent of the first and second bus connections to the first and second backplane connectors.

A method for configuring bus controller cards comprising:

• providing a backplane having a bus controller slot connected to a first bus including a first plurality of ports and a second bus including a second plurality of ports;
• providing two bus controller cards, each including at least two backplane connectors and a plurality of switches that control addressing of the plurality of ports on said first and second buses;
• placing the two bus controller cards for viewing in a reference orientation;
• setting the switches on each bus controller card to the same positions when viewed in the reference orientation;
• and
• inserting each bus controller card into one of the bus controller slots on the backplane in any relative orientation, the bus controller cards controlling addressing independent of the bus connections to the backplane connectors, ensuring multiple card functionality without conflict.