Liqid Inc.

Dot Hill Systems Corporation

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Andrew Rudolph Heyd

Christopher R Long

Brenden Michael Rust

Jason Breakstone

Bryan Schramm

Seth Walsh

Sumit Puri

James Scott Cannata

David Michael Keffeler

Christopher Ellis Schroeder

Michael Joseph Russell

Michael D Harrington

A data storage card insertable into a peripheral slot of host system is provided that houses storage devices on both sides of the data storage card. A heat sink member establishes a skewed offset stackup among a primary circuit board and a secondary circuit board, and a circuit interconnect element couples across the skewed offset stackup between the circuit boards. The primary circuit board comprises an edge connector insertable into a peripheral slot connector and is configured to carry host signaling for the computer peripheral device. The secondary circuit board comprises a first set of data storage device connectors on a first side and a second set of data storage connectors on a second side. The skewed offset stackup allows for a thickness of storage devices inserted on both the first side and the second side to fit within a slot width of the peripheral slot.

Dual-sided expansion card with offset slot alignment

Designs for a rackmount chassis having multiple card slots are presented herein. In one example, an apparatus includes a chassis configured to mount into a server rack, including a plurality of peripheral card slots, and a plurality of status lights configured to provide indications of operational status for an associated slot. The chassis further includes switch circuitry, including at least three switch elements, configured to couple the slots, wherein a first portion of ports on each of the switch elements is coupled to corresponding slots, a second portion of the ports on each of the switch elements is coupled to external ports of the chassis, and a third portion of the ports on each of the switch elements is coupled to at least another among the switch elements. The chassis may further include a plurality of external ports on the chassis communicatively coupled to the slots through the switch circuitry.

High density peripheral card chassis

Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein having enhanced modular carrier form factors. In an implementation, an apparatus includes a carrier insertable into a modular bay of a chassis assembly, and a network interface card (NIC). The apparatus includes an Ethernet network cable connector configured to carry Ethernet signaling of the NIC, and a device U.2 connector configured to carry host communications of the NIC and mate with a mating U.2 connector of the modular bay when the carrier is inserted into the chassis assembly.

Modular unit network interface card

Enhanced data storage devices in various form factors are discussed herein. In one example, a storage drive includes a 2.5-inch form factor chassis that structurally supports elements of the storage drive, and at least one host connector. The storage drive also includes a plurality of M.2 storage device connectors, and a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuit configured to receive storage operations over the at least one host connector and transfer the storage operations for delivery to ones of the plurality of M.2 storage device connectors over associated device PCIe interfaces. The storage drive also includes power circuitry configured to provide holdup power to ones of the plurality of M.2 storage device connectors after loss of input power over the at least one host connector.

Enhanced SSD storage device form factors

A storage card insertable into a host system is provided that includes a plurality of storage devices connectors. The storage card include slot offset features to offset a circuit board of the storage card from a host system slot alignment. This offset provides for storage device connector placement on both sides of the storage card. The storage card also can include a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage card, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.

Peripheral storage card with offset slot alignment

Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage apparatus includes a plurality of storage device connectors in a stacked arrangement, each configured to mate with associated storage devices and carry Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) signaling for the associated storage devices. The storage apparatus also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage apparatus, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage apparatus and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.

Stacked storage drives in storage apparatuses

Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein having enhanced modular carrier form factors. In an implementation, a network card apparatus comprises a network card assembly. The network card assembly comprises a network interface card and a connector card coupled to the network interface card and comprising a U.2 connector configured to mate with a U.2 connector of the modular bay of the rackmount chassis assembly.

Modular carrier form factors for computing platforms

Rackmount Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch assemblies are provided herein. One example PCIe switch assembly includes an enclosure that encases elements of the PCIe switch assembly, a first plurality of PCIe interconnect ports positioned on a front side of the PCIe switch assembly, and a second plurality of PCIe interconnect ports positioned on a rear side of the PCIe switch assembly. One or more redundancy cross-link ports are provided to handle failover traffic with at least another PCIe switch assembly. PCIe switch circuitry is communicatively coupled to the first plurality of PCIe interconnect ports and the second plurality of PCIe interconnect ports that form a cluster interconnect PCIe fabric. A control processor is configured to control operation of at least the PCIe switch circuitry and the one or more redundancy cross-link ports.

Rackmount switch devices for peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) systems

A connectivity card insertable into a connector of a host system is provided. The connectivity card includes a plurality of Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) connectors configured to provide external PCIe ports on the connectivity card, each of the plurality of PCIe connectors capable of carrying PCIe traffic. The connectivity card also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the plurality of connectors to a shared connectivity interface carried over a host connector of the connectivity card. The connectivity card further includes control circuitry configured to monitor for connectivity issues that arise with regard to the plurality of PCIe connectors, and responsively mitigate the connectivity issues by at least reconfiguring a communication pathway in the PCIe switch circuit for at least a portion of the PCIe traffic affected by the connectivity issues.

PCIe fabric connectivity expansion card

Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage card insertable into a host system includes a plurality of storage device connectors in a stacked arrangement, each configured to mate with associated storage devices and carry Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) signaling for the associated storage devices. The storage card also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage card, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.

Stacked-device peripheral storage card

Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage card insertable into a connector of a host system includes a plurality of M.2 device connectors in a stacked arrangement comprising a first horizontal row of one or more M.2 device connectors positioned vertically higher in the stacked arrangement than a second horizontal row of one or more M.2 device connectors, the plurality of M.2 device connectors each configured to mate with associated M.2 devices. The storage card also includes a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the plurality of M.2 device connectors and a connector of the storage card, wherein the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery to ones of the plurality of M.2 device connectors over associated PCIe interfaces.

A data storage sled is provided. The data storage sled includes a circuit card assembly comprising connectors for coupling to drive modules and a host connector for coupling the data storage sled to an external connector, an enclosure comprising apertures in the enclosure through which individual ones of the drive modules can be inserted into an associated connector on the circuit card assembly. The data storage sled also includes drive module mounting assembles configured to hold the individual ones of the drive modules into the associated connector by at least including movable mounting features to accommodate varying lengths among the individual ones of the drive modules.

Data storage drive module carrier assembly

Enhanced data storage devices in various form factors are discussed herein. In one example, a storage drive includes a plurality of storage devices configured to store and retrieve data responsive to operations received over Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interfaces, a PCIe switch circuit communicatively coupled to the PCIe interfaces of the storage devices and configured to receive over a host connector the operations issued by a host system and transfer the storage operations for ones of the storage devices over associated ones of the PCIe interfaces. The storage drive includes holdup circuitry configured to provide holdup power the storage devices. The storage drive includes a first circuit board assembly comprising three storage device connectors that couple to corresponding storage devices, and a second circuit board assembly comprising a further storage device connector that couples to a further storage device.

Growing community of inventors

Longmont, CO, United States of America

Andrew Rudolph Heyd