International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Edward John McNulty

Eric T Gamble

Brian Michael Kerrigan

Paul Andrew Wormsbecher

Justin Potok Bandholz

Michael D French

Brian Hargrove Leonard

Pravin S Patel

Martin Joseph Crippen

Tony Carl Sass

Roland Kamakau Alo

Glenn Edward Myrto

Philip Louis Weinstein

Peter Robert Seidel

Dean Frederick Herring

Jason Aaron Matteson

Mark Edward Steinke

Kevin Lavern Schultz

David Frederick Champion

Brian Alan Trumbo

Richard M Barina

Walter Adrian Goodman

John Geoffrey Gundlach

Joseph Eric Maxwell

Andrew S Heinzmann

Phillip L Weinstein

Charles Edmond White, Iii

Pravin Patal

Jason Michael Campbell

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed for heat management in a server rack. A server rack includes devices and a direct cooling element. A door coupleable to the server rack includes fluid-conducting conduits. An intake hose is coupled to a first fluid-conducting conduit and a fluid supply. The intake hose is coupleable to a fluid supply located below and above the server rack. An intermediate hose is coupled to a second fluid-conducting conduit and the direct cooling element. A return hose is coupled to a fluid return line and the direct cooling element. The return hose is coupleable to a fluid return line located below and above the server rack. The intake hose, the fluid-conducting conduits, the intermediate hose, the direct cooling element, and the return hose are connected to create a single path for the fluid.

Heat management in a server rack

Two system boards may be connected by a blind plug connector assembly. The top system board supports a first connector and has a hole adjacent the first connector that secures a guide bracket. The blind plug connector assembly is selectively received in the guide bracket to position a proximal connector on the assembly for connecting to the first connector on the top system board and position a distal connector on the assembly for connecting to a second connector on the lower system board. A flexible wired connection extends within the assembly between the proximal connector and the distal connector, and may form a scalability cable. The interaction between the assembly and the guide bracket provide alignment of the connectors.

Vertical blindmate scaling of identical system boards

A system includes a chassis, first and second blade servers, and a scalability device. Each blade server is securable within the chassis and includes a scalability port, cam handle for selectively securing the blade server in the chassis, and handle latch for selectively latching the cam handle in a closed position, and lockout mechanism moveable into a position that blocks the handle latch in a latched position. The scalability device includes first and second scalability connectors, wherein positioning the scalability device so that the first scalability connector is coupled to a scalability port of the first blade server and the second scalability connector is coupled to a scalability port of the second blade server causes each lockout mechanism to move into the position that blocks the handle latches in the latched position. Accordingly, the scalability device must be removed before either of the blade servers can be removed.

Handle lockout mechanism for scaling blade-style servers

A blade server comprises first and second housing portions. Each housing portion includes a cover securing a first printed circuit board assembly, two sides extending from the cover, a bezel portion secured along a proximal end of the cover between the two sides, a first hinge member formed near the proximal end of one side, and a second hinge member formed near the proximal end of the other side. The hinge members on the first housing portion are selectively engagable with the hinge members on the second housing portion to enable the housing portions to pivot between an open position and a closed position with the first and second printed circuit board assemblies disposed between the first and second housing portions.

Split bezel hinge in a double dense blade server

A DIMM riser card that includes a PCB having a first edge, a second edge, and one or more faces. The first edge of the PCB is configured for insertion into a main board DIMM socket. The first edge includes electrical traces that electrically couple to a memory bus. The DIMM riser card includes an angled DIMM socket mounted on one face of the PCB, where the angled DIMM socket is configured to accept a DIMM at an angle not perpendicular to the PCB and electrically couple the DIMM to the memory bus. The DIMM riser card includes a straddle mount DIMM socket mounted on the second edge of the PCB. The straddle mount DIMM socket is configured to accept a DIMM and electrically couple the DIMM to the memory bus through the electrical traces on the first edge of the PCB.

DIMM riser care with an angled DIMM socket and a straddle mount DIMM socket

DIMM riser card with an angled DIMM socket and a straddled mount DIMM socket

One embodiment includes the provision of a novel insert-and-rotate connection for a daughter card, such as in a blade computer system. The daughter card has both a card edge with a plurality of card edge contacts and a mezzanine connector spaced from the card edge. An interposer mounted on the motherboard has a card edge connector and a midplane connector in communication with the card edge connector. The card edge connector includes a socket for receiving the card edge of the daughter card with the daughter card at an acute angle to the motherboard, to avoid interference between the mezzanine connector on the daughter card and a corresponding mezzanine connector on the motherboard. Once the card edge is inserted into the socket of the card edge connector, the socket allows for rotation of the daughter card about the received card edge. The mezzanine connectors are aligned for connection in response to rotation of the daughter card about the received card edge. The contacts on the card edge also contact the corresponding socket contacts in response to the rotation of the card.

Insertion and rotation connector

A scalability card for use with a plurality of computer blades. The computer blades are releasably securable in a parallel configuration, wherein each blade includes a circuit board and a processor operatively coupled to the circuit board. Each processor is in electronic communication with a scalability connector on a floating plate that is loosely secured to the computer blade. Furthermore, each scalability connector is preferably disposed in a common plane extending perpendicular to the plurality of parallel computer blades. The scalability card includes a plurality of electronically interconnected scalability connectors arranged for rough alignment with the scalability connectors of each computer blade. In addition, the scalability card preferably includes at least one alignment feature for engaging each floating plate and, therefore, providing fine alignment of the scalability connector on each floating plate to one of the scalability connectors of the scalability card.

Processor scaling across multiple computer blades

A printed circuit board is configured as a daughterboard to include at least one lever pivotable between open and closed positions. The lever applies leverage to a card guide structure to selectively urge the daughterboard into or out of engagement with a connector of a motherboard. A manually operable pivotable latch member is mounted on the daughterboard for selectively retaining the lever(s) in a closed position. The latch member may be spring biased so that it maintains the lever(s) in the closed position and returns to a latch position after being manually pivoted to release the lever(s). The lever(s) may be spring biased toward the open position. An optical switch may be provided on the daughterboard to sense whether the lever is in a closed position, and to responsively interrupt power and/or bus signals to the daughterboard when the lever is not sensed in the closed position.

Daughterboard with sense and release system

A cable arm assembly manages cables between an equipment rack and an equipment unit slidably installed in the equipment rack. The assembly includes two cable arms, each having an offset bracket at one end, which are pivotally joined to provide a minimum bend radius for cables. A first hinge plate is pivotally attached between the first cable arm and a rack mounted bracket. A second hinge plate is pivotally attached between the second cable arm and a bracket mounted on the equipment unit. Fingers extending from the hinge plates limit the pivotal movement of each plate with respect to its bracket. The finger on the first plate prevents the arm assembly from hitting the opposite side of the rack as the equipment unit is sliding forward. The finger on the second plate prevents the two arms from locking when the equipment unit is extended fully forward.

Electrical equipment rack and cable management arm assembly

A carrier for a hot-pluggable disk drive has a frame with a pair of side walls, a front bezel, and a rear connector assembly. The disk drive mounts to the frame within its confines. The carrier also has pipes for transmitting light to the front bezel. The light pipes extend along the side wall from the front bezel to the rear connector assembly. The carrier is installed in the disk drive docking bay of a computer system. The rear end of the docking bay has a docking connector for interconnecting with the rear connector assembly, which also interconnects with the drive. The rear connector assembly is provided with a retainer for supporting the rearward ends of the light pipes. When the carrier is seated in the docking bay, the light pipes precisely align with activity lights at the back of the docking bay. The light emitted by the activity lights is transmitted through the light pipes and displayed at the front bezel for viewing by the user.

Interconnector and light pipe guide for disk drive and disk drive carrier

Slim disk drive tray bezel

A plurality of shock absorbing feet are formed by extruding a resilient material into an elongated shape having a hole that extends in the direction of elongation. Next, the elongated shape is cut into sections to form individual feet, each foot having a hole that extends from one end to the other. A plurality of tabs are attached to a disk drive or other computer sub-system carrier at one end of each tab, while the other end of each tab extends out from the carrier in a direction substantially parallel to a table or other resting surface on which the carrier can be placed. Each foot is attached to a unique one of the tabs by sliding the feet over the tabs such that the tabs are inserted into the holes in the feet.

Shock absorbing feet for a disk drive carrier or other computer sub-system housing

Half-high disk drive tray bezel

A carrier for a hot-pluggable hard disk drive has a frame with a pair of side walls, a front bezel, and a rear connector assembly. The hard disk drive mounts to the frame within its confines. One of the side walls has a pair of channels in its outer surface. The carrier also has a visible light pipe mounted in each of its channels. The light pipes extend along the side wall from the front bezel to the rear connector assembly. The carrier is installed in the hard disk drive docking bay of a computer system. The rear end of the docking bay has a docking connector for interconnecting with the drive, and a pair of activity lights. When the carrier is seated in the docking bay, the rear ends of the light pipes are precisely aligned with the activity lights and separated from them by a small clearance. The light emitted by the activity lights is transmitted through the light pipes and displayed at the front bezel for viewing by the user.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Edward John McNulty