Riser card for rack-mounted network attached storage
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a new design for an extensible architecture for a rack-mounted network attached storage. In one embodiment, the design employs a riser card for a rack-mounted network attached storage. The riser card provides multiple, e.g., four, eight, etc., SATA connections from a PCIe bus on the motherboard. In addition, the riser card may provide power connections and a fan controller. In addition, the riser card supports dual-power inputs from multiple power supply sources. In one embodiment, the riser card can share power from AC power from the rack and a DC input to receive power from an external power supply.
1. A rack-mounted network attached storage device comprising:
an enclosure configured as a rack-mounted enclosure;
a motherboard comprising at least one expansion slot;
a riser card, coupled to the at least one expansion slot, comprising:
a first power interface configured to receive power from an external DC power supply,
a second power interface from an internal DC power supply configured to receive power from the motherboard via the expansion slot,
a plurality of drive interface connectors; and
a first sharing circuit configured to share power received via the first and second power interfaces, and
a plurality of drives coupled to the riser card.
2. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is configured as a 1U rack-mounted enclosure.
3. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one expansion slot is a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) expansion slot.
4. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 1 , wherein the motherboard comprises a second sharing circuit coupled to the first sharing circuit.
5. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one expansion slot comprises a shared DC bus that allows power to be delivered bi-directionally.
6. A riser card comprising:
a first connector configured for connection to a motherboard in a first direction;
a plurality of drive interface connectors oriented in a second direction that is perpendicular from the first direction;
a first power interface configured to receive AC power and provide DC power to the motherboard;
a second power interface configured to receive DC power from an external power supply; and
a sharing circuit configured to share power between the first and second power interfaces.
7. The riser card of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of drive interfaces connectors are SATA connectors.
8. The riser card of claim 6 , further comprising a DC-to-DC power regulator.
9. The riser card of claim 6 , further comprising a fan controller.
10. The riser card of claim 6 , wherein the sharing circuit is configured to switch power between the power supply and power from the external power supply.
11. The riser card of claim 6 , wherein the first connector is a PCIe expansion slot connector.
12. A redundantly powered rack-mounted network attached storage device comprising:
an enclosure configured as a rack-mounted enclosure;
a motherboard comprising at least one expansion slot;
a riser card, coupled to the at least one expansion slot, comprising:
a first power interface configured to receive power from a first power supply,
a second power interface from a second power supply configured to receive power from the motherboard via the expansion slot,
a plurality of drive interface connectors; and
a power sharing circuit configured to balance power received via the first and second power interfaces, and
a plurality of drives coupled to the riser card.
13. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 12 , wherein the first power interface comprises a power interface to an external DC power supply.
14. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 12 , wherein the first power interface comprises a power interface to an internal DC power supply.
15. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 12 , wherein the enclosure is configured as a 1U rack-mounted enclosure.
16. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 12 , wherein the at least one expansion slot is a PCIe expansion slot.
17. The rack-mounted network attached storage device of claim 12 , wherein the riser card comprises a power sharing circuit configured to switch power received via the first and second power interfaces.