Transcript
US007551456B2
(12) United States Patent
(10) Patent N0.: (45) Date of Patent:
Behrens et a].
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(56)
RACK ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
(US); Tho Tu, Laguna Niguel, CA (US); Wang, San Jose, CA (US) (73) Assignee: Epicenter, Inc., San Clemente, CA (US) Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35
2002/0184398 A1 2002/0194412 A1 2004/0059856 A1
12/2002 Bottom 3/2004 Chan et al.
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Prior Publication Data
May 3, 2007
Related US. Application Data
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Division of application No. 10/783,687, ?led on Feb. 20, 2004, noW Pat. No. 7,289,334.
(60) Provisional application No. 60/498,193, ?led on Aug. 27, 2003.
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ABSTRACT
One embodiment of the invention provides a fully distributed, scaleable and modular rack architecture and management system. One feature of the invention provides device man agement throughout the rack system With a vertical interface column integrated into the rack cabinet. Within each rack unit (U) of the vertical interface column, the vertical interface column may deliver connectivity to a device housed Within
the rack cabinet thereby eliminating runs of cable typically necessary for management of such devices. The vertical inter face column can be expanded as necessary to provide con
nectivity to more devices using hot-swappable interface mod ules. A rack management system alloWs both local and
Int. Cl.
H01R 12/16
(52) (58)
1/2000 3/2001 8/2001 4/2004
(74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiSnell & Wilmer L.L.P.
Nov. 28, 2006
US 2007/0097659 A1
3/1987 Brahm et al. 11/1990 Carn et al.
Primary ExamineriHung S Bui
U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. (21) Appl. N0.: 11/564,151 Filed:
A A A B1 B1 B2
Young et al. Gamble et al. Coale et al. Huang et al. 12/2002 Orenshteyn
Van T. Hua, San Jose, CA (US); David
(22) (65)
Jun. 23, 2009
References Cited 4,654,820 4,970,726 6,018,456 6,201,692 6,272,573 6,718,274
(75) Inventors: Edward Behrens, Laguna Niguel, CA
( * ) Notice:
US 7,551,456 B2
(2006.01)
US. Cl. ..................................... ..
361/788; 361/600
Field of Classi?cation Search ............... ..
361/788,
361/686, 687, 825, 600, 679, 7244730, 748, 361/752*753,784*785, 7964797; 312/223;
remote management access to all devices mounted in the rack
cabinet and coupled to the vertical interface column. The rack management system may also access to devices mounted in other rack cabinets.
439/55, 59, 61 See application ?le for complete search history.
16 Claims, 18 Drawing Sheets
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Sheet 4 0f 18
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F19igure
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20Figure
US 7,551,456 B2 1
2
RACK ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
vertical column may be populated With 1 to 42 SIM modules
(in each U or 1.75" slot) directly behind the devices (e.g., server, netWork apparatus, storage devices, etc.) Within the rack cabinet thereby eliminating vertical runs of cable typi cally necessary for management of such devices.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The Vertical Column feeds into the Control Module, Which is a IU chassis typically mounted in the top of the cabinet. In addition to carrying out the core control and sWitching logic, the Control Module facilitates hot-sWappable user card slots.
This non-provisional US. patent application is a divisional of US. patent application Ser. No. 10/783,687, ?led on Feb. 20, 2004, now US. Pat. No. 7,289,334 Which claims the bene?t of US. Provisional Application No. 60/498,193, ?led on Aug. 27, 2003 by inventors EdWard Behrens, Tho Tu, Van T. Hua, and David Wang, titled “Distributed, Scalable Rack Equipment and Server Management System,” all of Which are
This alloWs each rack device to be controlled by one or more concurrent users. These users may gain access to devices
Within a rack locally via a Local Interface Module (LIM) that
alloWs a rack-mountable integrated keyboard, display unit,
incorporated by reference herein.
and mouse to be mounted Within and ?at panel draWer. More over, a Remote Interface Module (RIM) can be deployed Within the control unit to provide remote management over a 10/ 100/ 1000 TCP/IP netWork. A client softWare application may provide access to devices Within a server rack using
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Various embodiments of the invention pertain to rack enclosure cabinets for computer and other electrical devices. More particularly, at least one embodiment of the invention
either a standalone security logon or through the primary 20
relates to a rack architecture With a interface column to reduce cabling in the rack cabinet as Well as centraliZe system man
The Control Module may provide additional serial man agement ports to control devices such as poWer distribution
agement to e?iciently monitor and control devices in the rack cabinet.
units, environmental management, cabinet locks and direct 25
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
ment access to the system in the event of a catastrophic
ity of computers and other devices. Such rack cabinets pro devices in a limited space. Data centers, Where large numbers of computers are typically housed, often use numerous cabi nets to house various computers, storage devices, and other electronic devices. With the large number of computers and other devices in a data center, rack cabinets are often densely packed With com
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service computers or other devices in the cabinet rack. Typical rack management solutions concentrate on a single aspect of the management picture and have no common inter face or control schema. Some solutions provide remote key board, video and/ or mouse access over a netWork or the 45
remote control of poWer management. HoWever, there are no
products that address management of the entire rack cabinet
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management interfaces, it makes it cumbersome to manage, 55
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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(U) of the vertical column, the system delivers connectivity to keyboard, video and mouse (KVM), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and Serial RS232 through a hot-sWappable Server Interface Module card (SIM). In one implementation, the
of users accessing those devices. This alloWs customers to groW their infrastructure Without the need to invest in over
siZed equipment on the initial deployment. One embodiment of the invention may provide loW-level connectivity to a combination of input/output devices (e.g., keyboard, video display, mouse, serial interface and/or uni versal serial bus (USB) for equipment Within a rack. These input/output devices can be addressed locally Within the rack
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the various compo nents of a Rack Management System according to one embodiment of the invention.
Additionally, because prior art solutions provide separate
One embodiment of the invention provides a fully distrib uted, scaleable and modular rack architecture and manage ment system. One feature of the invention provides device management throughout the rack With a vertical interface column integrated into the rack cabinet. Within each rack unit
Within a rack cabinet to a single IP address. Additionally, an
or remotely over an IP NetWork.
ality and/or resources on an as-needed basis.
maintain, and monitor a data center With several server racks.
integrated column that can economically handle compact options of 14U, 28U, or any sub 42U combination. One feature of the invention provides centraliZed manage ment of server, netWork, poWer and environmental equipment that permits adding components and/ or devices (e.g., servers, netWork equipment, etc.) as Well as regulates the total number
device typically has one or more cables for poWer and signal ing. This often creates a large tangle of cables at the rear of the
and/or a data center of rack cabinets. The majority of these management solutions and/or products are also not scaleable on a per port basis but rather a plurality of ports at a time (e.g., eight at one time). Thus, it makes it dif?cult to add function
netWork failure. One embodiment of the vertical column provides a smaller
embodiment of the invention provides a scaleable solution
puters and/or other devices. HoWever, each computer and/or
rack cabinet, making it dif?cult to remove, replace, and/or
connections for managed netWork hubs or sWitches. The Con trol Module may also have a dedicated port for an optional
external modem in order to provide dial-up remote manage
Rack enclosure cabinets have been used to house a plural vide a Way to house a number of computers and/or other
security scheme provided by the netWork’s Active Directory
protocols.
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FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a Vertical Column mounted in a
Rack Cabinet according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a Vertical Column With Server Interface Modules installed therein according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 illustrates a Control Unit according to one embodi ment of the invention. FIG. 6 illustrates hoW the Vertical Column is coupled to a Control Unit according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the components of a Server Interface Module according to one embodiment of the invention.
