Abstract: Described is a storage system comprising a communication bus, a disk drive, a control board having a processing unit connected to the communication bus, and an adapter board in electrical communication with the disk drive. The adapter board has a controller connected to the communication bus. The controller receives instructions over the communication bus from the processing unit and communicates with the disk drive in response to the instructions. Optionally, the storage system has a midplane having a first connector connected to an electrical connector of the control board and a second connector connected to an electrical connector of the adapter board. Attached to opposite sides of the midplane, the first and second connectors are aligned with and electrically connected to each other through the midplane. An electrical signal transmitted between the control board and the adapter board passes directly through the midplane through the first and second midplane connectors.

Abstract: Described is a single connector attachment (SCA) connector that improves blind mating between plug and receptacle SCA connectors. The SCA connector has an insulative shell with opposing end walls and opposing sidewalls. The end walls and sidewalls define a substantially rectangular recess within which a plurality of electrical contacts is disposed. One of the end walls of the shell has a chamfer. The slope of the chamfer enables plug and receptacle SCA connectors to continue coming together although their respective housings may come against each other before the alignment guiding features of the SCA connectors are able to achieve alignment.

Abstract: Described is a disk drive assembly and method for constructing same. The disk drive assembly includes a carrier-less disk drive having opposite sides, each with at least one hole. A carrier holds the disk drive. The carrier includes a frame around three sides of the disk drive. The frame has a base and opposing sidewalls. Each sidewall has an integrally formed pin that enters a corresponding hole in a side of the disk drive to position the disk drive within the frame. Coupled to the frame where each sidewall terminates is a clip. The clip provides a fourth side to the frame opposite the base and causes the sidewalls to hold the disk drive tightly therebetween. An injector-ejector mechanism can be rotatably coupled to the clip for pivotal movement between open and closed positions. Such movement urges the disk drive assembly out of and into a chassis bay.

Abstract: Described is an electrical connector assembly with an electrical connector having a connector body that includes a receptacle connector portion at a first end and a plug connector portion at a second end opposite the first end. The receptacle connector portion has electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a plug electrical connector at the first end of the connector body. The plug connector portion has electrical contacts within an opening for mating with a receptacle electrical connector at the second end. The connector body has an electrical conductor that is in electrical communication with at least one of the electrical contacts and extends from one side of the connector body. A circuit card is disposed adjacent to that one side of the connector body and is in electrical communication with the at least one electrical contact through the electrical conductor extending from the side of the connector body.

Abstract: A chassis housing disk drives has an electrical plug and an electrical signal connector at its back end. A rack has a compartment for receiving the chassis. A cable conduit mounted to a rack sidewall adjacent the compartment abuts the back end of the chassis. A first cable assembly coupled to the cable conduit includes an electrical plug receptacle and a first cable extending through the cable conduit for conducting power to the electrical plug receptacle. A second cable assembly coupled to the cable conduit includes a data signal connector and a second cable extending through the cable conduit for conducting data signals to and from the data signal connector. The electrical plug receptacle receives the electrical plug and the data signal connector receives the electrical signal connector of the chassis, concurrently, when the chassis slides into the compartment fully, to supply power to and establish communications with the chassis.

Abstract: This invention is a support carrier for attaching a smaller format disk drive into a chassis bay sized for receiving a larger disk drive, the support carrier includes a heat-sink surface with pin fins for conducting and removing heat from the smaller disk drive.

Abstract: A device fastens a plug of a power cord to a frame which is configured to support a power supply. The device includes a body configured to attach to an installation location of the frame and substantially hold the plug at the installation location of the frame when the power supply connects with and disconnects from the plug. The body includes a first end wall, a second end wall, and lateral walls which connect the first end wall and the second end wall together. When the body substantially holds the plug at the installation location of the frame and when the body is attached to the installation location of the frame, the walls operate to reliably hold the plug in place to enable robust blind mating of the plug with the power supply.

Abstract: A front panel assembly is capable of being used with an electronic equipment rack configured to support electronic circuitry having multiple LEDs (e.g., a rack mount data storage system having a row of disk drives). The front panel assembly includes a cover portion configured to separate an external space in front of the electronic equipment rack and an internal space within the electronic equipment rack. The front panel assembly further includes an attachment portion configured to attach to the electronic equipment rack, and a reflective member configured to reflect light from the multiple LEDs simultaneously in a direction toward the external space.

Abstract: Disclosed are ways of providing a highly flexible high availability storage system. Disk drive carriers for insertion into enclosures in a storage system include several disk drives. The enclosures accept carriers that include drives of different sizes, and drives compatible with different storage technologies, for instance Fibre Channel, SATA, or SAS. Drives oriented in their carriers in a manner that allows them to be connected to a common medium via identical flex circuits that are configured based on the orientation of the drives. Redundant controllers include redundant serial buses for transferring management information to the carriers. The carriers include a controller for monitoring the multiple serial buses and producing storage technology specific management commands for the disk drives.

Abstract: Described is an adjustable side rail having a first elongate rail portion, a second elongate rail portion, and a tab projecting from one end of one of the first and second elongate rail portions. The second elongate rail portion has spatially separated opposing upper and lower grooves. Each groove slidingly receives one of the top and bottom edges of the first elongate rail portion when the first elongate rail portion engages the second elongate rail portion. The tab has a side edge with a notch formed therein for catching an edge of a hole in a mounting rail into which the tab is inserted and for anchoring the one end of that elongate rail portion to the mounting rail while a length of the side rail is adjusted.

Abstract: Described is a midplane-less data storage enclosure having a control board module with an electrical connector and a bulkhead assembly with a plurality of spaced-apart disk-drive guides coupled to a bulkhead. The disk-drive guides and bulkhead together define a plurality of disk-drive slots. The bulkhead has connected thereto a plurality of first electrical connectors and a second electrical connector in electrical communication with each of the first electrical connectors. Each slot slidably receives a storage disk drive such that the storage disk drive electrically connects to one of the first electrical connectors. The second electrical connector is electrically connected to the connector of the control board module so that each storage disk drive connected to one of the first electrical connectors is in electrical communication with the control board module.

Abstract: Disclosed are ways of providing a highly flexible high availability storage system. Disk drive carriers for insertion into enclosures in a storage system include several disk drives. The enclosures accept carriers that include drives of different sizes, and drives compatible with different storage technologies, for instance Fibre Channel, SATA, or SAS. Drives oriented in their carriers in a manner that allows them to be connected to a common medium via identical flex circuits that are configured based on the orientation of the drives. Redundant controllers include redundant serial buses for transferring management information to the carriers. The carriers include a controller for monitoring the multiple serial buses and producing storage technology specific management commands for the disk drives.

Abstract: Described is an adaptable EMI/RFI shielding for a panel. The shield includes an electrically conductive shield having first and second sides and a gasket attached on the first side at a periphery of the shield. The shield has a slot formed therein. A panel portion has a front wall and side walls defining an interior region. The panel portion also includes a spring receptacle and a snap that each extends substantially perpendicular from the front wall within the interior region. The spring receptacle has a spring inserted therein with a portion of the spring extending out of the spring receptacle. The snap has a hook at one end of the snap. The spring urges against the second side of the shield and the hook enters the slot and catches onto the first side of the shield when the shield is attached to the panel portion.

Abstract: An electronic cabinet having a set of vertically-oriented frame members, a set of fasteners attached to the set of vertically-oriented frame members, and a panel. The panel includes a cover, a set of latches coupled to the cover, and a set of buttons. When the set of latches engages the set of fasteners to secure the panel to the set of vertically-oriented frame members and when the set of buttons is depressed, the set of buttons disengages the set of latches from the set of fasteners to release the panel from the set of vertically-oriented frame members. Such a configuration enables a user to fully remove the panel from the cabinet without having to disconnect a hinge as for conventional hinged panels. Furthermore, such a configuration is well-suited for employing a locking mechanism that controls depression of the set of buttons to provide secure equipment access.

Abstract: A disk drive module is adapted to be slidably disposed within the chassis of a data storage system. The disk drive module includes a fiber channel disk drive for storing data, an upper carrier sled mounted onto the disk drive and a lower carrier sled mounted onto the disk drive. A bezel assembly is snap mounted onto the upper and lower carrier sleds. The bezel assembly includes a bezel which is capable of lateral displacement relative to the upper carrier sled, an ejector pivotally mounted onto the bezel for releasably locking the disk drive module within the chassis, and a latch for releasably locking the position of the ejector. An adaptive spring includes a first end which is mounted onto the upper carrier sled and a second end which abuts against the bezel, the adaptive spring resiliently urging the bezel away from the upper carrier sled.