International Business Machines Corporation

Paul Jon Thomford

Douglas Allan Kuchta

Paul Steven Severson

Scott Raymond LaPree

An electrical connection assembly for use in computer systems is disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, the computer system contains a backplane circuit card assembly for distribution of electrical signals to one or more pluggable modules. The modules are plugged into the backplane of the computer system without interrupting power to the computer system. The robust power connection is over-rated for the actual current and voltage delivered to the pluggable modules; and if any damage does occur at the point of initial contact, the connector surfaces are wiped beyond the initial contact point to the site of actual electrical contact which can occur at any place on a plurality of redundant surfaces. In this fashion, the connector assembly tolerates the arcing that occurs when the module is plugged into power grid on the backplane.

Robust power connection with redundant surfaces to allow arcing for hot-plug applications in computer systems

An electronic system contains a backplane circuit card assembly for distribution of electrical signals to one or more modules. The card assembly includes a plurality of pluggably connected base cards, which provide redundant function. Preferably, two base cards in a single plane are connected by a single smaller parallel offset jumper card, the cards being coupled by pluggable connectors. The system preferably includes redundant power supply modules and redundant functional modules, which plug into the backplane from both sides. The modules connected to any one of the base cards provide minimum system functionality in the absence of the other card and its modules. Due to the redundant function, it is not only possible to replace any module, but is possible to replace a base card itself, while the system remains operational. The exemplary embodiment is an intelligent redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage server having concurrent maintenance capability.

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Zumbrota, MN, United States of America

Paul Jon Thomford