Xyratex Technology Limited

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Kenneth McPherson Hopkins

Richard Charles Pitwon

Richard C A Pitwon

Richard Charles Alexander Pitwon

Howard William Winter

Andrew Goodwin

David A Milward

The invention provides a Storage Bridge Bay system, comprising: plural hard disk drives, each arranged within a corresponding slot; one or more Storage Bridge Bay canisters, wherein there is provided in the or each canister one or more solid state drives. In addition in an embodiment, the invention provides a Storage Bridge Bay canister, the canister comprising: electrical connections in accordance with the Storage Bridge Bay standard; and, one or more solid state drives arranged within the canister and arranged in communication with the electrical connections, thereby enabling control of and transfer of data to or from the solid state drives via the electrical connections.

Storage system and a storage bridge bay canister

The invention provides an interconnect for a data storage system, to enable optical communication between a data storage device and a backplane to which the data storage device is in use to be connected, wherein the interconnect includes an electrical power connection for providing power to a said data storage device; and, an optical engine for generating and receiving optical signals for transmission of data between the data storage device and the backplane.

Interconnect for a data storage system

The invention provides a component electro-optical printed circuit board backplane for assembly in a modular electro-optical backplane, the component electro-optical printed circuit board backplane comprising: optical channels for the propagation and transmission of optical data signals and electrical channels for the propagation and transmission of power and control signals; connectors for connection in-plane to at least one other component electro-optical printed circuit board; and, at least one socket for receiving, in use, a user circuit. The invention also provides a modular backplane made up of plural such component backplanes.

Data storage system, a modular printed circuit board, a backplane and a backplane component

The invention provides an optical printed circuit board connector, comprising: a housing having a major plane; an optical interface for connection in use to another optical interface on a device to which in use the optical printed circuit board connector is arranged to be connected, in which the optical interface on the connector is mounted such that it is twistable about a vertical axis in the major plane to vary the launch angle of light from the interface with respect to the housing.

Optical connector and a method of connecting an optical connector to an optical printed circuit board

The invention provides an optical connector for connecting a user circuit to an optical backplane, in use the connector being adapted for mounting on a user circuit. The connector comprises an active or passive photonic interface through which optical signals may be transmitted and received between a user circuit and a said optical backplane. The connector further is comprised of a primary aligner for engagement with a corresponding aligner on a backplane to ensure alignment of the optical interface with the backplane, and a support for supporting the aligner and/or the optical interface on the connector. The support is selected to enable relative movement between a user circuit to which the connector is connected in use and the aligner and/or the optical interface. The support is preferably a flexible printed circuit board.

Optical connector, a communication system and a method of connecting a user circuit to an optical transceiver

Apparatus is disclosed for connecting at least a first Fibre Channel device to at least a second Fibre Channel device. The apparatus includes ports, buffers and bypass buffers that are arranged so that the second Fibre Channel device can operate at a physical link rate that is higher than the physical link rate of the first Fibre Channel device regardless of whether or not the first Fibre Channel device is sending data words to the second Fibre Channel device and regardless of whether or not the second Fibre Channel device is sending data words to the first Fibre Channel device.

Growing community of inventors

Chichester, United Kingdom

Kenneth McPherson Hopkins