HARD DISK DRIVE FORM FACTOR SOLID STATE DRIVE MULTI-CARD ADAPTER

Abstract

Embodiments of the inventive concept include 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters that can include multiple M.2 solid state drive cards, which can be incorporated into existing enterprise servers without major architectural changes, thereby enabling the server industry ecosystem to easily integrate M.2 solid state drive technology into servers. Multiple M.2 solid state drive cards and a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch can be included within a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter. The solid state drive multi-card adapters can be attached to or seated within drive bays of a computer server that supports non-volatile memory express (NVMe) 2.5 inch drives without any changes to the server architecture, thereby providing a straight-forward upgrade path.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/127,203, filed Mar. 2, 2015, and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/161,635, filed May 14, 2015, which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present inventive concepts relate to enterprise server solutions, and more particularly, to hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters for use with enterprise servers.

Enterprise servers provide computing and storage power for the Internet, the emerging Internet of Things, and myriad business intranets and applications. To some extent, enterprise servers make possible the conveniences of modern civilization. For example, trucking and transportation logistics rely heavily on enterprise computer servers. Internet searching, social networks, and social media also depend directly on a robust enterprise server infrastructure. These are but a few of the many industries that depend on such crucial compute resources.

But traditional enterprise server implementations lack density and performance-centric storage capabilities, and have limited or no support for recent developments in solid state drives (SSDs). The industry still heavily relies on magnetic hard disk drive (HDD) implementations. Developments in the SSD field have advanced storage technologies in general, but are not easily adaptable to existing enterprise server applications without major architectural changes and large investments in infrastructure updates. Computer systems and associated peripheral enclosures support industry standard form factors for storage media, such as small form factor (SFF) 2.5 inch hard disk drives (HDDs) and large form factor (LFF) 3.5 inch HDDs.

The development of solid state drives (SSDs) as storage devices for computer systems and the potential for existing and emerging memory technologies such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), persistent RAM (PRAM), and the like, enable new form factors for storage devices, both volatile and non-volatile. The constraints of a motor and platter mechanics inherent to HDDs can be removed. Some conventional adapters allow a device of one form factor to be used in a bay designed for another (e.g., larger) form factor, but only allow connection of a single device within the adapter. Embodiments of the present inventive concept address these and other limitations in the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the inventive concept can include a hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter. The hard disk drive form factor can include, for example, a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor, a 1.8 inch hard disk drive form factor, a 3.5 inch hard disk drive form factor, or the like. It will be understood that any suitable hard disk drive form factor can be adapted in accordance with embodiments of the present inventive concept. The solid state drive multi-card adapter can include a circuit board including a hard disk drive form factor connector, an interface section such as a switch coupled to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the hard disk drive form factor connector, and one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors coupled to the circuit board, electrically coupled to the interface section, and configured to receive one or more M.2 solid state drive cards.

Embodiments of the invention can include a computer server system. The computer server system can include an enclosure including a plurality of 2.5 inch form factor hard disk drive bays. The computer server system can further include a plurality of 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters configured to be seated within the drive bays, each of the solid state drive multi-card adapters having a plurality of M.2 solid state drive cards.

Embodiments of the inventive concept can include a computer-implemented method for increasing storage capacity density in a computer server. The method can include receiving, by a 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, information from an upstream port associated with a motherboard of the computer server. The method can include expanding, by an interface section of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, the upstream port into a plurality of downstream ports. The method can include associating, by the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, each of the downstream ports with a corresponding one of a first M.2 solid state drive card, a second M.2 solid state drive card, and a third M.2 solid state drive card. The method can include storing, by the first M.2 solid state drive card, the second M.2 solid state drive card, and the third M.2 solid state drive card, the information to one or more M.2 solid state drive chips associated with the first M.2 solid state drive card, the second M.2 solid state drive card, and the third M.2 solid state drive card.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and additional features and advantages of the present inventive principles will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, made with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an example block diagram of a 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 2A is an example left side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 2B is an example right side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 3 is an example perspective view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 4A is an example left side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 4B is an example right side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 5 is an example perspective view of an example block diagram of a computer server system including 2.5 inch form factor drive bays and 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram including a technique for increasing storage capacity density in a computer server in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computing system including the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter(s) of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to enable a thorough understanding of the inventive concept. It should be understood, however, that persons having ordinary skill in the art may practice the inventive concept without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first multi-card module could be termed a second multi-card module, and, similarly, a second multi-card module could be termed a first multi-card module, without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

The terminology used in the description of the inventive concept herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concept. As used in the description of the inventive concept and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The components and features of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Embodiments of the inventive concept include a hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters that can include multiple solid state drive cards, which can be incorporated into existing enterprise servers without major architectural changes, thereby enabling the server industry ecosystem to easily integrate solid state drive technology into servers. The hard disk drive form factor can include, for example, a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor, a 1.8 inch hard disk drive form factor, a 3.5 inch hard disk drive form factor, or the like. It will be understood that any suitable hard disk drive form factor can be adapted in accordance with embodiments of the present inventive concept. The solid state drive cards can include M.2 solid state drive cards. It will be understood that the type of solid state drive cards generally referred to herein are M.2 solid state drive cards, any other suitable kind of solid state drive cards can be used.

Multiple M.2 solid state drive cards and an interface section can be included within a hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter. The interface section can be a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch, although it will be understood that any suitable kind of switch can be used. The solid state drive multi-card adapters can be attached to or seated within drive bays of a computer server that supports non-volatile memory express (NVMe) 2.5 inch drives without any changes to the server architecture, thereby providing a straight-forward upgrade path. In this manner, existing computer and peripheral enclosure infrastructure and ecosystems can be reused, but with increased capacity and performance. For servers that support only serial attached SCSI (SAS) and serial ATA (SATA) magnetic hard disk drives, a relatively simple backplane update can be made to bridge the PCIe/NVMe technology so that the server can access the M.2 solid state drive cards of the multi-card adapters. Alternatively, in some embodiments, internal changes such as cabling or port upgrades can be made to bridge the PCIe/NVMe technology without changes to the backplane so that the server can access the M.2 solid state drive cards of the multi-card adapters.

The 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters provide a low-cost alternative to traditional magnetic HDD technology. In addition, using the multi-card adapters, users can attach a different number of solid state drive cards in each adapter, thereby changing the storage density based on capacity and performance requirements. Due to the modular nature of the 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters, users can expand or reduce storage capacity density as needed quickly and easily. Multiple devices can share a common adapter enclosure to optimize use of the volume within a standard form factor size, and to provide greater flexibility and functionality for use of the existing infrastructure for HDD form factors with diverse types and amounts of storage media.

FIG. 1 is an example block diagram of a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can have a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor. In other words, the solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can be configured to fit within conventional 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor drive bays and can be compatible with enterprise server systems supporting such form factors, but at a cost per unit of storage that is significantly reduced, while having a level of performance that is significantly increased. It will be understood that while the form factor generally referred to herein is 2.5 inches, other form factors incorporating the inventive concept disclosed herein can be used. For example, the hard disk drive form factor can include, for example, a 1.8 inch hard disk drive form factor, a 3.5 inch hard disk drive form factor, or the like. It will be understood that any suitable hard disk drive form factor can be adapted in accordance with embodiments of the present inventive concept. The space within a server or peripheral enclosure into which the solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can be inserted, is generally referred to herein as a drive bay, which is sometimes referred to in the industry as a drive slot.

The 2.5 inch solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a circuit board 155 including a hard disk drive form factor connector 145. For example, the hard disk drive form factor connector 145 can be an SFF-8639 connector.

The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include an interface section 140 coupled to the circuit board 155 and electrically coupled to the hard disk drive form factor connector 145. The interface section 140 can include a switch, such as a PCIe switch, a protocol switch, a protocol hub, a protocol bus, a processing element, a serial attached SCSI (SAS) expander, a SAS switch, a serial ATA (SATA) hub, or the like. The interface section 140 can route a data signal from the connector 145 of the adapter 105 to one or more ports of one or more solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120). The interface section 140 can distribute the data signal to multiple interconnected devices (e.g., 110, 115, and 120). In some embodiments, the data signal can pass from the connector 145 of the adapter 105 to the devices within the adapter 105 via the interface section 140 without modification.

The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can further include one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors (e.g., 160, 165, and 170) that can be coupled to the circuit board 155. The one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors (e.g., 160, 165, and 170) can be electrically coupled to the interface section 140. The one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors (e.g., 160, 165, and 170) can be configured to receive one or more M.2 solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120). Alternatively or in addition, a solid state drive form factor drive that fits within a server or peripheral enclosure can be used.

Each of the one or more M.2 solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120) can be seated in a corresponding M.2 solid state drive connector (e.g., 160, 165, and 170). Each of the one or more M.2 solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120) can include one or more solid state drive chips 125 configured to communicate via the interface section 140 and the hard disk drive form factor connector 145.

The one or more solid state drive chips 125 can include, for example, one or more storage or memory devices. The one or more solid state drive chips 125 can include, for example, double data rate (DDR)-attached memory, SSD devices attached via PCIe, serial attached SCSI (SAS), serial ATA (SATA), SSD devices in M.2 or SFF form factors, HDD devices, persistent random access memory (PRAM) devices, resistive RAM (RRAM or ReRAM), phase change RAM (PRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and/or other suitable types of memories and storage devices.

The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can be installed in an existing server or storage enclosure that supports drive bays of a standard size and connector type, as further explained below. The one or more solid state drive chips 125, which can include storage or memory devices, can be discovered and/or used by the attaching server or storage enclosure without modification to the physical configuration of the server or storage enclosure.

A drive connector 145 can be shared between the one or more solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120), through which a single interface can be provided between the adapter 105 and the existing infrastructure within a server or storage enclosure. It will be understood that the one or more solid state drive chips 125 can each include multiple physical data paths and/or interfaces, each with a separate connector, for example, to allow redundancy. Such physical data paths and/or interfaces can be connected through each corresponding separate connector to the drive connector 145.

The drive connector 145 can be shared among the one or more solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120) and/or the one or more solid state drive chips 125 by way of the interface section 140. As mentioned above, the interface section 140 can include a protocol switch, a protocol hub, a protocol bus, a processing element, or the like. The interface section 140 and/or the one or more solid state drive chips 125 can include a compute resource 130, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a multi-chip module, a special purpose application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or the like, within the adapter 105. The drive connector 145 can be shared among the one or more solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120) and/or the one or more solid state drive chips 125 by leveraging functionality provided by the SOC, FPGA, ASIC, or the like. The connector 145 can be connected to the compute resource 130, which can provide access to and/or serve as an aggregation point for the one or more solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120) or other components within the adapter 105. It will be understood that such a compute resource 130 can be included within, operate in tandem with, and/or in place of the interface section 140.

FIG. 2A is an example left side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. FIG. 2B is an example right side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a first M.2 solid state drive connector 170, which can be coupled to a first surface 205 of the circuit board 155, as shown in FIG. 2B. The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a second M.2 solid state drive connector 160, which can be coupled to a second surface 210 of the circuit board 155 that is opposite the first surface 205 of the circuit board 155, as shown in FIG. 2A. The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a third M.2 solid state drive connector 165, which can be coupled to the second surface 210 of the circuit board 155 that is opposite the first surface 205 of the circuit board, as shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is an example perspective view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a first M.2 solid state drive card 120, which can be seated in the first M.2 solid state drive connector 170 that is coupled to the first surface 205 of the circuit board 155. The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include the interface section 140, which can be coupled to the first surface 205 of the circuit board 155.

The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a second M.2 solid state drive card 110, which can be seated in the second M.2 solid state drive connector 160 (of FIG. 2) that is coupled to the second surface 210 of the circuit board 155. The solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can include a third M.2 solid state drive card 115, which can be seated in the third M.2 solid state drive connector 165 (of FIG. 2) that is coupled to the second surface 210 of the circuit board 155.

FIG. 4A is an example left side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. FIG. 4B is an example right side elevation view of some components of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. Reference is now made to FIG. 4A and 4B.

The interface section 140 can be coupled to the first surface 205 of the circuit board 155. The interface section 140 can be electrically coupled to the first M.2 solid state drive card 120, electrically coupled to the second M.2 solid state drive card 110, and electrically coupled to the third M.2 solid state drive card 115. The interface section 140 can expand an upstream port to a multiple downstream ports, as further described in detail below. Each downstream port can be associated with a corresponding one of the first solid state drive card 120, the second M.2 solid state drive card 110, and the third M.2 solid state drive card 115.

In some embodiments, the circuit board 155, the interface section 140, the first M.2 solid state drive card 120, the second M.2 solid state drive card 110, the third M.2 solid state drive card 115, the first M.2 solid state drive connector 170, the second M.2 solid state drive connector 160, the third M.2 solid state drive connector 165, and the hard disk drive form factor connector 145 can substantially fit within a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor.

The example 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 herein can include a plurality M.2 solid state drive cards. In other words, a user can choose how many M.2 solid state drive cards to insert into the M.2 solid state drive connectors. For example, if the user does not need as much storage density, then a single M.2 solid state drive card (e.g., 120) can be inserted into the corresponding M.2 solid state drive connector (e.g., 170), and the other two solid state drive connectors (e.g., 160 and 165) need not be occupied by an M.2 solid state drive card. Conversely, if the user requires additional storage density, or wishes to upgrade the amount of storage density at a later time, then one or two more M.2 solid state drive cards (e.g., 110 and 115) can be added to the multi-card adapter 105 and seated within the corresponding M.2 solid state drive connectors (e.g., 160 and 165).

FIG. 5 is an example perspective view of an example block diagram of a computer server system 500 including 2.5 inch form factor drive bays 525 and 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters 505 in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. The server system 500 can include an enclosure 510. The server system 500 can include the 2.5 inch form factor drive bays 525 either internally or externally relative to the enclosure 510.

The server system 500 can include multiple 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters 505, which can be seated within the drive bays 525. In some embodiments, the server system 500 or other suitable peripheral enclosure can provide a proscribed amount of data connectivity, management connectivity, power capacity, and/or thermal capacity to each drive bay (e.g., 525). Each of the solid state drive multi-card adapters 505 can have multiple M.2 solid state drive cards, as described above. The computer server system 500 can include a motherboard 530. The motherboard 530 can include multiple upstream ports, such as upstream port 515. The upstream ports can be PCIe X4 upstream ports, for example. Each of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters 505 can include multiple downstream ports 520. Each of the downstream ports 520 can be a PCIe X4 downstream port, for example.

Moreover, in the present example each of the downstream ports 520 can be associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of M.2 solid state drives (e.g., 110, 115, 120). The interface section 140 of each of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters 505 can expand an upstream port (e.g., 515) to multiple downstream ports (e.g., 520). Put differently, information 550 received from the upstream port 515 can be stored on at least one of the plurality of M.2 solid state drives via the downstream ports 520. In other words, the interface section 140 can fan out one upstream port to multiple downstream ports. In this manner, the storage capacity density can be increased.

Each solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 allows one or more storage devices of a different form factor (e.g., solid state drive cards 110, 115, and 120) to be integrated into existing computer servers and/or storage enclosure platforms, such as the server system 500. Such systems can provide space, power, cooling, and connectivity for storage devices that conform to a standard form factor. Examples can include industry standard LFF 3.5 inch storage devices and/or SFF 2.5 inch storage devices that are supported in matching drive bays on most modern computer servers. Additional examples include enclosure-standard drive bays such as a “cartridge” form factor. Alternatively or in addition, the storage device(s) such as the solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, 120 of FIG. 1) can conform to a standard defined by the server enclosure or peripheral enclosure to allow a given device to operate in any one of a plurality of drive bays (e.g., 525) within a single system type and/or operate interchangeably in drive bays (e.g., 525) of other systems of that same type.

In some embodiments, the standard form factor devices that the adapter 105 is designed to physically match in form factor and connectivity, and the like, can provide connectivity sufficient for a single device (e.g., 110 of FIG. 1) between that single device and the communications infrastructure within the host computer server 500 or other suitable storage enclosure. The single device (e.g., 110 of FIG. 1) can have more than one data connection if the communication infrastructure within the host computer server 500 or storage enclosure provides for multiple data paths, such as for dual-headed serial attached SCSI (SAS) drives.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram including a technique for increasing storage capacity density in a computer server (e.g., 500 of FIG. 5) in accordance with embodiments of the inventive concept. The technique can begin at 605, where a 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter (e.g., 105 of FIG. 1) can receive information (e.g., 550 of FIG. 5) from an upstream port (e.g., 515 of FIG. 5) associated with a motherboard (e.g., 530 of FIG. 5) of the computer server. At 610, an interface section (e.g., 140 of FIG. 1) of the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can expand the upstream port 515 into a plurality of downstream ports (e.g., 520 of FIG. 5).

At 615, the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter 105 can associate each of the downstream ports 520 with a corresponding one of the plurality of M.2 solid state drive cards (e.g., 110, 115, and 120 of FIG. 1). At 620, the plurality of M.2 solid state drive cards can store the information 550 to one or more M.2 solid state drive chips (e.g., 125 of FIG. 1) associated with the plurality of M.2 solid state drive cards. It will be understood that the steps need not occur in the illustrated order, but rather, can occur in a different order and/or with intervening steps.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computing system 700 including the 2.5 inch form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter(s) 105 and 505 of FIGS. 1 and 5. The computing system 700 can include a clock 710, a random access memory (RAM) 715, a user interface 720, a modem 725 such as a baseband chipset, a solid state drive/disk (SSD) 740, and/or a processor 735, any or all of which may be electrically coupled to a system bus 705. The system bus 705 can be a high-speed bus and/or fabric. The 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapater(s) 505 can correspond to those described in detail above, and as set forth herein, and may also be electrically coupled to the system bus 705. The 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapater(s) 505 can include or otherwise interface with the clock 710, the random access memory (RAM) 715, the user interface 720, the modem 725, the solid state drive/disk (SSD) 740, and/or the processor 735.

The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable machine or machines in which certain aspects of the inventive concept can be implemented. Typically, the machine or machines include a system bus to which is attached processors, memory, e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other state preserving medium, storage devices, a video interface, and input/output interface ports. The machine or machines can be controlled, at least in part, by input from conventional input devices, such as keyboards, mice, etc., as well as by directives received from another machine, interaction with a virtual reality (VR) environment, biometric feedback, or other input signal. As used herein, the term “machine” is intended to broadly encompass a single machine, a virtual machine, or a system of communicatively coupled machines, virtual machines, or devices operating together. Exemplary machines include computing devices such as personal computers, workstations, servers, portable computers, handheld devices, telephones, tablets, etc., as well as transportation devices, such as private or public transportation, e.g., automobiles, trains, cabs, etc.

The machine or machines can include embedded controllers, such as programmable or non-programmable logic devices or arrays, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), embedded computers, smart cards, and the like. The machine or machines can utilize one or more connections to one or more remote machines, such as through a network interface, modem, or other communicative coupling. Machines can be interconnected by way of a physical and/or logical network, such as an intranet, the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, etc. One skilled in the art will appreciate that network communication can utilize various wired and/or wireless short range or long range carriers and protocols, including radio frequency (RF), satellite, microwave, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 545.11, Bluetooth®, optical, infrared, cable, laser, etc.

Embodiments of the present inventive concept can be described by reference to or in conjunction with associated data including functions, procedures, data structures, application programs, etc. which when accessed by a machine results in the machine performing tasks or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Associated data can be stored in, for example, the volatile and/or non-volatile memory, e.g., RAM, ROM, etc., or in other storage devices and their associated storage media, including hard-drives, floppy-disks, optical storage, tapes, flash memory, memory sticks, digital video disks, biological storage, etc. Associated data can be delivered over transmission environments, including the physical and/or logical network, in the form of packets, serial data, parallel data, propagated signals, etc., and can be used in a compressed or encrypted format. Associated data can be used in a distributed environment, and stored locally and/or remotely for machine access.

Having described and illustrated the principles of the inventive concept with reference to illustrated embodiments, it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles, and can be combined in any desired manner. And although the foregoing discussion has focused on particular embodiments, other configurations are contemplated. In particular, even though expressions such as “according to an embodiment of the inventive concept” or the like are used herein, these phrases are meant to generally reference embodiment possibilities, and are not intended to limit the inventive concept to particular embodiment configurations. As used herein, these terms can reference the same or different embodiments that are combinable into other embodiments.

Embodiments of the inventive concept may include a non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions executable by one or more processors, the instructions comprising instructions to perform the elements of the inventive concepts as described herein.

The foregoing illustrative embodiments are not to be construed as limiting the inventive concept thereof. Although a few embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible to those embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this inventive concept as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, comprising:

a hard disk drive form factor connector;

an interface section electrically coupled to the hard disk drive form factor connector; and

one or more solid state drive connectors electrically coupled to the interface section, and configured to receive one or more solid state drive cards.

2. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more solid state drive connectors include one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors;

the one or more solid state drive cards include one or more M.2 solid state drive cards; and

each of the one or more M.2 solid state drive cards are configured to be seated in a corresponding M.2 solid state drive connector from among the one or more solid state drive connectors.

3. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more solid state drive cards includes one or more solid state drive chips configured to communicate via the interface section and the hard disk drive form factor connector.

4. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 1, further comprising:

a first solid state drive connector, from among the one or more solid state drive connectors; and

a second solid state drive connector, from among the one or more solid state drive connectors.

5. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 4, further comprising:

a first solid state drive card, from among the one or more solid state drive cards, seated in the first solid state drive connector; and

a second solid state drive card, from among the one or more solid state drive cards, seated in the second solid state drive connector.

6. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 5, wherein the interface section is electrically coupled to the first solid state drive card, and electrically coupled to the second solid state drive card.

7. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 1, wherein the one or more solid state drive cards include a plurality of solid state drive cards, and wherein the interface section is configured to expand an upstream port to a plurality of downstream ports, each downstream port being associated with a corresponding solid state drive card from among the plurality of solid state drive cards.

8. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 7, wherein:

the hard disk drive form factor connector is an SFF-8639 connector;

the interface section is a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch;

the upstream port is a PCIe X4 upstream port; and

each of the plurality of downstream ports is a PCIe X4 downstream port.

9. The hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter of claim 7, wherein the interface section, the plurality of solid state drive cards, and the one or more solid state drive connectors are configured to substantially fit within a hard disk drive form factor.

10. A computer server system, comprising:

an enclosure including one or more hard disk drive form factor bays; and

one or more hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters configured to be seated within the drive bays, at least one of the solid state drive multi-card adapters having one or more of solid state drive cards.

11. The computer server system of claim 10, wherein each of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters comprises:

a hard disk drive form factor connector;

an interface section electrically coupled to the hard disk drive form factor connector; and

one or more solid state drive connectors, electrically coupled to the interface section, and configured to receive the one or more of solid state drive cards.

12. The computer server system of claim 11, wherein:

each of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters is a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter;

the hard disk drive form factor connector is a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor connector;

the one or more solid state drive connectors include one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors;

the one or more solid state drive cards include one or more M.2 solid state drive cards; and

each of the M.2 solid state drive cards are configured to be seated in a corresponding M.2 solid state drive connector from among the one or more M.2 solid state drive connectors.

13. The computer server system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more of solid state drive cards includes one or more solid state drive chips configured to communicate via the interface section and the hard disk drive form factor connector.

14. The computer server system of claim 11, wherein each of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters further comprises:

a first solid state drive connector, from among the plurality of solid state drive connectors; and

a second solid state drive connector, from among the plurality of solid state drive connectors.

15. The computer server system of claim 14, wherein each of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters further comprises:

a first solid state drive card, from among the plurality of solid state drive cards, seated in the first solid state drive connector; and

a second solid state drive card, from among the plurality of solid state drive cards, seated in the second solid state drive connector.

16. The computer server system of claim 14, further comprising:

a motherboard including a one or more of upstream ports,

wherein each of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters includes one or more downstream ports each associated with a corresponding one of the one or more solid state drive cards, and

wherein the interface section of each of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapters is configured to expand an upstream port from among the one or more upstream ports to the one or more downstream ports.

17. A computer-implemented method for increasing storage capacity density in a computer server, the method comprising:

receiving, by a hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, information from an upstream port associated with a motherboard of the computer server;

expanding, by an interface section of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, the upstream port into one or more of downstream ports; and

associating, by the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, each of the downstream ports with a corresponding solid state drive card from among a plurality of solid state drive cards.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing, by plurality of solid state drive cards, the information to one or more solid state drive chips associated with the plurality of solid state drive cards.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

communicating, by the one or more solid state drive chips, via the interface section and a hard disk drive form factor connector of the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter is a 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, the one or more solid state drive chips include one or more M.2 solid state drive chips, and wherein expanding further comprises:

expanding, by the interface section of the 2.5 inch hard disk drive form factor solid state drive multi-card adapter, the upstream port into one or more of downstream ports associated with the one or more M.2 solid state drive chips.