IP Library Granted Patent US 7,443,844
Granted Patent B2
US 7,443,844 · App. 10/947,738 · Granted Oct 28, 2008

Switched fabric mezzanine storage module

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,443,844
App. No.
10/947,738
Granted
Oct 28, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A switched fabric mezzanine storage module ( 560 ) includes a storage module ( 562 ) and a switched fabric connector ( 563 ) coupled to the storage module. The storage module is coupled to directly communicate with a switched fabric ( 506 ), where the switched fabric storage mezzanine module is coupled to a payload module ( 502 ) having one of a 3U form factor, a 6U form factor and a 9U form factor. The payload module can include at least one multi-gigabit connector ( 518 ) coupled to a rear edge ( 519 ) of the payload module, where the at least one multi-gigabit connector is coupled to communicatively interface with a backplane ( 504 ).

Claims (27)

1. A multi-service platform system, comprising:

a backplane;

a switched fabric on the backplane;

at least one of a VMEbus network and a PCI network coincident with the switched fabric on the backplane;

a payload module having one of a 3U form factor, a 6U form factor and a 9U form factor, wherein the payload module is communicatively coupled with the backplane using the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network;

at least one multi-gigabit connector coupled to a rear edge of the payload module, wherein the at least one multi-gigabit connector is coupled to communicatively interface the payload module to the backplane, and wherein the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network are communicatively coupled with the payload module through the at least one multi-gigabit connector; and

a switched fabric mezzanine storage module coupled to the payload module, wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module is coupled to directly communicate with the backplane using the switched fabric.

2. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , further comprising a switched fabric connector, and wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module is directly coupled to the backplane though the switched fabric connector.

3. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein communication between the backplane and the payload module occurs exclusively through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.

4. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein communication between the backplane and the switched fabric mezzanine storage module occurs exclusively through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.

5. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein at least one multi-gigabit connector spans substantially an entire portion of the rear edge of the payload module.

6. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , further comprising a fabric-to-storage bridge module, wherein the fabric-to-storage bridge module is coupled to interface the switched fabric mezzanine storage module to the switched fabric.

7. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module operates using one of SCSI, IDE/ATA, EIDE, Fibrechannel and ISCSI storage protocols.

8. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein the switched fabric comprises a first switched fabric and a second switched fabric, and wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module is coupled to store data communicated from at least one of the first switched fabric and the second switched fabric.

9. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module is coupled to communicate with at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network.

10. The multi-service platform system of claim 1 , wherein the rear edge of the payload module excludes a legacy connector.

11. A switched fabric mezzanine storage module, comprising:

a storage module; and

a switched fabric connector coupled to the storage module, wherein the storage module is coupled to directly communicate with a switched fabric, wherein the switched fabric storage mezzanine module is coupled to a payload module having one of a 3U form factor, a 6U form factor and a 9U form factor, wherein the payload module includes at least one multi-gigabit connector coupled to a rear edge of the payload module, wherein the at least one multi-gigabit connector is coupled to communicatively interface with a backplane, wherein the backplane includes the switched fabric coincident with at least one of a VMEbus network and a PCI network, and wherein the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network are communicatively coupled to the storage module through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.

12. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein communication between the backplane and the payload module occurs exclusively through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.

13. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein communication between the backplane and the switched fabric mezzanine storage module occurs exclusively through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.

14. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein at least one multi-gigabit connector spans substantially an entire portion of the rear edge of the payload module.

15. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , further comprising a fabric-to-storage bridge module, wherein the fabric-to-storage bridge module is coupled to interface the storage module to the switched fabric.

16. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module operates using one of SCSI, IDE/ATA, EIDE, Fibrechannel and ISCSI storage protocols.

17. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein the switched fabric comprises a first switched fabric and a second switched fabric, and wherein the switched fabric mezzanine storage module is coupled to store data communicated from at least one of the first switched fabric and the second switched fabric.

18. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein the storage module is coupled to communicate with at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network.

19. The switched fabric mezzanine storage module of claim 11 , wherein the rear edge of the payload module excludes a legacy connector.

Assignments (9)
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 30, 2025
From: CREELED, INC.; PENGUIN SOLUTIONS CORPORATION (DE); SMART EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.; SMART HIGH RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS LLC; SMART MODULAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; PENGUIN COMPUTING, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 071755/0001 →
RELEASE OF PATENT SECURITY INTEREST RECORDED AT R/F 058983/0001 Recorded Jun 25, 2025
From: CITIZENS BANK, N.A.
To: SMART MODULAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; SMART EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.; SMART HIGH RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS LLC; CREELED, INC.
Reel/Frame 071725/0207 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 7, 2022
From: SMART MODULAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; SMART HIGH RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS, LLC; SMART EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.; CREELED, INC.
To: CITIZENS BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 058983/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 24, 2020
From: ARTESYN EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.
To: SMART EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.
Reel/Frame 053023/0953 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 18, 2020
From: EMERSON NETWORK POWER - EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.
To: ARTESYN EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.
Reel/Frame 052978/0634 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 9, 2019
From: ARTESYN EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC. (F/K/A EMERSON NETWORK POWER - EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.)
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049698/0222 →
PARTIAL RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 8, 2019
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: ARTESYN EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC. (F/K/A EMERSON NETWORK POWER - EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.)
Reel/Frame 049694/0096 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 26, 2013
From: ARTESYN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; ARTESYN NORTH AMERICA LLC; EMERSON NETWORK POWER - EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 031731/0048 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 25, 2013
From: ARTESYN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; ARTESYN NORTH AMERICA LLC; EMERSON NETWORK POWER - EMBEDDED COMPUTING, INC.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND GRANTEE
Reel/Frame 031719/0417 →