Integrator for a storage device, corresponding storage device and method of manufacturing the same

1. An integrator for a storage device, comprising:

a base board comprising a first interface and a second interface;

one or more connectors coupled to the first interface of the base board, the one or more connectors being connectable with a set of multiple servers in the storage device;

one or more input/output (I/O) parts coupled to the second interface of the base board and connectable with first and second I/O devices of different types; and

a switcher arranged on the base board and adapted to exchange data between the first and second interfaces to support data transmission of the first and second I/O devices with the set of multiple servers via the integrator;

wherein the integrator is deployed in a separate integrator chassis relative to the set of multiple servers and the first and second I/O devices, the set of multiple servers and the first and second I/O devices thereby being deployed external to the integrator chassis.

2. The integrator of claim 1 , wherein the one or more connectors are compliant with Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) protocol.

3. The integrator of claim 2 , wherein the one or more input/output (I/O) parts are compliant with at least one of the following protocols: PCIe protocol, Ethernet protocol, Serial SCSI (SAS) protocol, Fiber Channel (FC) protocol, Infiniband (IB) protocol, small input/output card (SLIC) protocol and non-volatile memory express (NVME) protocol.

4. The integrator of claim 1 , wherein the switcher comprises a plurality of PCIe switch chips.

5. The integrator of claim 4 , wherein the data is exchanged between the PCIe switch chips via a non-transparent bridge (NTB).

6. The integrator of claim 1 , further comprising a heat radiator ( 107 ) for dissipating heat for the integrator.

7. The integrator of claim 1 , further comprising a power supply module coupled to the base board for powering the integrator.

8. A storage device, comprising:

a set of multiple servers;

first and second I/O devices of different types; and an integrator comprising:

a base board comprising a first interface and a second interface;

one or more connectors coupled to the first interface of the base board, the one or more connectors being connectable with the set of multiple servers in the storage device;

one or more input/output (I/O) parts coupled to the second interface of the base board and connectable with the first and second I/O devices; and

a switcher arranged on the base board and adapted to exchange data between the first and second interfaces to support data transmission of the first and second I/O devices with the set of multiple servers via the integrator;

wherein the integrator is deployed in a separate integrator chassis relative to the set of multiple servers and the first and second I/O devices, the set of multiple servers and the first and second I/O devices thereby being deployed external to the integrator chassis.

9. A method for manufacturing an integrator for a storage device, comprising:

providing a base board comprising a first interface and a second interface;

coupling one or more connectors to the first interface of the base board, the one or more connectors being connectable with a set of multiple servers in the storage device;

coupling one or more input/output (I/O) parts to the second interface of the base board, the one or more input/output (I/O) parts (being connectable with first and second I/O devices of different types; and

arranging a switcher on the base board, the switcher being adapted to exchange data between the first and second interfaces to support data transmission of the first and second I/O devices with the set of multiple servers via the integrator;

wherein the integrator is deployed in a separate integrator chassis relative to the set of multiple servers and the first and second I/O devices, the set of multiple servers and the first and second I/O devices thereby being deployed external to the integrator chassis.

10. The integrator of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second I/O devices comprises at least one of a storage array enclosure and a non-volatile memory cluster.

11. The integrator of claim 1 , wherein the one or more connectors comprise one or more removable connectors.

12. The integrator of claim 1 , wherein the one or more connectors are connectable with the set of multiple servers by wire or wirelessly.

13. The integrator of claim 1 , wherein the one or more connectors comprise a plurality of connectors and the one or more input/output (I/O) parts comprise a plurality of input/output (I/O) parts.

14. The storage device of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first and second I/O devices comprises at least one of a storage array enclosure and a non-volatile memory cluster.

15. The storage device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more connectors comprise one or more removable connectors.

16. The storage device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more connectors are connectable with the set of multiple servers by wire or wirelessly.

17. The storage device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more connectors comprise a plurality of connectors and the one or more input/output (I/O) parts comprise a plurality of input/output (I/O) parts.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first and second I/O devices comprises at least one of a storage array enclosure and a non-volatile memory cluster.

19. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more connectors comprise one or more removable connectors.

20. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more connectors comprise a plurality of connectors and the one or more input/output (I/O) parts comprise a plurality of input/output (I/O) parts.