The present disclosure pertains to information handling system and, more specifically, information handling system features for accommodating add-in cards (AICs).
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Many server class and other types of information handling systems include one or more AICs that provide peripheral devices including, as example, network interface controllers (NICs), host bus adapters (HBAs), data processing units (DPUs), etc. and graphics processing units (GPUS). AICs generally include a printed circuit board (PCB), which is populated with various components and sized in accordance with a standardized form factor and a commercially significant percentage of AICs are designed for use with a Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) expansion bus.
While the use of numerous CEM form factors beneficially accommodates a variety of system configurations and solutions, it has also undesirably increased chassis complexity and differentiation.
The chassis complexity described above is addressed by AIC adapters, referred to herein as sleeve adapters, suitable for use in conjunction with disclosed information handling systems chassis wherein a chassis defines one or more larger AIC bays suitable for receiving a larger AIC form factor and each sleeve adapter converts the AIC bay into two or more sleeve-defined bays, referred to herein simply as sleeve bays, each of which is suitable for receiving a different and typically smaller AIC form factor. As an example, a system chassis may include or define one or more E5 double wide bays wherein at least one of the E5 double wide bays includes a sleeve adapter defining two E5 single wide sleeve bays, each of which is suitable for receiving a corresponding E5 single wide AIC form factor. In another example, a sleeve adapter may be configured to convert an E5 double wide bay into two or more CEM bays, each of which accommodates a corresponding CEM AIC form factor. As an example, the E5 double wide bay of the previous example may receive a sleeve adapter configured to convert the bay into two low profile (LP) CEM sleeve bays, each of which is suitable for receiving an LP CEM AIC.
Each chassis bay may be suitable for receiving a first plurality of data I/O signals and each sleeve adapter may be configured to route subsets of the first plurality of data signals to each of the two or more sleeve bays. If a chassis bay is configured to support, as an example, 32 PCIe data lanes, a sleeve adapter defining N sleeve bays may be configured to route 32/N data channels to each of the N sleeve bays. For the previously mentioned sleeve adapter defining two sleeve bays, the sleeve adapter may be configured to route 16 lanes to each sleeve bay. For a sleeve adapter defining four sleeve bays, the sleeve adapter may route eight data lanes to each sleeve bay.
In another illustrative example, the chassis bay may be implemented to accommodate an AIC with an EDSFF form factor and the sleeve adapter may be configured to accommodate one or more AICs having a CEM form factor. Examples of these such embodiments may include an E5 double wide chassis bay and a sleeve adapter defining two CEM low profile (LP) AICs or a sleeve adapter defining at least one and possibly multiple CEM FHHL AICs.
Thus, disclosed information handling chassis define one or more AIC bays including at least one AIC bay configured to accommodate a first AIC form factor. Disclosed systems may further include a sleeve adapter received in the first AIC bay, defining two or more sleeve bays including a first sleeve bay configured to accommodate a second form factor AIC, i.e., an AIC with a second type of form factor, different than the first form factor. Each sleeve adapter may include a sleeve adapter shell and a routing means to route signals from a connector for the first type of form factor to appropriate signals on a connector for the second type of AIC form factor. As suggested in at least some of the preceding examples, the first form factor may an E5 double wide (2T) form factor and the second form factor standard may be any of the following form factors: an EDSFF E5 single wide (1T) form factor, an EDSFF E3 form factor, an EDSFF E1 or OCP form factor, and a CEM form factor. Thus, numerous sleeve adapters can be created wherein each sleeve adapter allows conversion of a larger bay and its larger PCIe lane count for other EDSFF family form factor or for at least some of the smaller legacy CEM AICs.
Technical advantages of the present disclosure may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures, description and claims included herein. The objects and advantages of the embodiments will be realized and achieved at least by the elements, features, and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples and explanatory and are not restrictive of the claims set forth in this disclosure.
A more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
Exemplary embodiments and their advantages are best understood by reference to
For the purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a consumer electronic device, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (“CPU”), microcontroller, or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input/output (“I/O”) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communication between the various hardware components.
Additionally, an information handling system may include firmware for controlling and/or communicating with, for example, hard drives, network circuitry, memory devices, I/O devices, and other peripheral devices. For example, the hypervisor and/or other components may comprise firmware. As used in this disclosure, firmware includes software embedded in an information handling system component used to perform predefined tasks. Firmware is commonly stored in non-volatile memory, or memory that does not lose stored data upon the loss of power. In certain embodiments, firmware associated with an information handling system component is stored in non-volatile memory that is accessible to one or more information handling system components. In the same or alternative embodiments, firmware associated with an information handling system component is stored in non-volatile memory that is dedicated to and comprises part of that component.
For the purposes of this disclosure, computer-readable media may include any instrumentality or aggregation of instrumentalities that may retain data and/or instructions for a period of time. Computer-readable media may include, without limitation, storage media such as a direct access storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive or floppy disk), a sequential access storage device (e.g., a tape disk drive), compact disk, CD-ROM, DVD, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or flash memory; as well as communications media such as wires, optical fibers, microwaves, radio waves, and other electromagnetic and/or optical carriers; and/or any combination of the foregoing.
For the purposes of this disclosure, information handling resources may broadly refer to any component system, device or apparatus of an information handling system, including without limitation processors, service processors, basic input/output systems (BIOSs), buses, memories, I/O devices and/or interfaces, storage resources, network interfaces, motherboards, and/or any other components and/or elements of an information handling system.
In the following description, details are set forth by way of example to facilitate discussion of the disclosed subject matter. It should be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the field, however, that the disclosed embodiments are exemplary and not exhaustive of all possible embodiments.
Throughout this disclosure, a hyphenated form of a reference numeral refers to a specific instance of an element and the un-hyphenated form of the reference numeral refers to the element generically. Thus, for example, “device 12-1” refers to an instance of a device class, which may be referred to collectively as “devices 12” and any one of which may be referred to generically as “a device 12”.
As used herein, when two or more elements are referred to as “coupled” to one another, such term indicates that such two or more elements are in electronic communication, mechanical communication, including thermal and fluidic communication, thermal, communication or mechanical communication, as applicable, whether connected indirectly or directly, with or without intervening elements.
Referring now to the drawings,
Embodiments of disclosed subject matter may provide a plurality of data signals such as 8, 16, or 32 PCIe data lanes to each chassis bay 302 and, in at least some embodiments, the previously referenced wiring and circuitry means within each sleeve adapters 304 may route a subset of the chassis bay's data lanes to the corresponding sleeve bay 310. In the case of a chassis bay 302 that receives 32 PCIe data lanes and a sleeve adapter 304 that defines two sleeve bays 310, sleeve adapter 310 may include data channel routing means for routing 16 of the 32 data lanes to the first sleeve bay 310-1 and the remaining 16 data lanes to the second sleeve bay 310-2. For implementations (not depicted in the figures) of sleeve adapters 304 that might define four or eight sleeve bays, each sleeve adapter may include data channel routing means for routing distinct subsets of eight or four data lanes to each sleeve bay 310.
Thus,
Referring now to
The server configurations illustrated in
Turning now to
Specifically, the illustrated AIC configurations for the exemplary E5 double wide a double wide bay 302 include: a first configuration 701-1 in which an adapter sleeve 704-1 defines two E5 single wide sleeve bays 710-1, a second configuration 701-2 in which an adapter sleeve 704-2 defines four E3 thin sleeve bays 710-2, a third configuration 701-3 in which an adapter sleeve 704-3 defines two E3 thick sleeve bays 710-3, a fourth configuration 701-4 in which an adapter sleeve 704-4 defines twelve E1 sleeve bays 710-4, a fifth configuration 701-5 in which an adapter sleeve 704-5 defines two LP CEM sleeve bays 710-5, a sixth configuration 701-6 in which an adapter sleeve 704-6 defines at least one and depending upon final dimensions of the E5 form factor, two FHHL CEM sleeve bays 710-6, a seventh configuration 701-7 in which an adapter sleeve adapter 704-7 defines six E1 sleeve bays 710-7 and an additional sleeve bay 720-7 for a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) controller, and an eighth configuration 701-8 in which an adapter sleeve 704-8 defines four E3 thin sleeve bays 710-8 and an additional sleeve bay 720-8 for a boot optimized RAID controller such as a boot optimized storage solution (BOSS) RAID solution from Dell Technologies.
Turning now to
Chassis bay 302 is illustrated in
Thus, in each of the sleeve adapters illustrated in
Referring now to
This disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Moreover, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, or component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.
All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.