Telecommunications switch chassis having housing with front and rear

Abstract

A telecommunications switch chassis includes a generally rectangular housing whose interior is divided by a lateral partition into front and rear compartments. There is a large opening in the top wall of the housing over the rear compartment only which may be dosed by a removable cover. There is also an opening in the front of the housing which is normally closed by a lockable door to provide controlled access to the front compartment of the housing. The rear compartment contains a printed circuit board with connectors for receiving and supporting on edge a plurality of PC-AT cards whose connectors are accessible through openings in the rear wall of the housing so that exterior cables can be connected to those cards. All of these cards are readily accessible for replacement or repair by removing the cover over the rear compartment. The front compartment contains a rack for supporting redundant DC/DC power supply cards or alternatively an AC power supply. The front compartment also contains a plurality of slide-in memory drives. Access to the dangerous or sensitive components of the switch, as well as to certain controls thereof, can only be had by opening a locked door at the front of the housing. Easily removable fans circulate cooling air through the housing. Also, an optional display may be provided in the door of the chassis.