Server architecture for hybrid system integration and interface management

1. An apparatus comprising:

a utility section adapted to be positioned in a server chassis with one or more electronics sections housing server components, the utility section adapted to be coupled to the one or more electronics sections, the utility section comprising:

a power board,

a fluid handling module, or a fan module electrically coupled to the power board, or both the fluid handling module and the fan module,

an external power interface including connections adapted to electrically couple the power board to a rack power source and an internal power interface including connections adapted to electrically couple the power board to electronic components in the one or more electronics sections within the chassis,

an external fluid interface including connections adapted to fluidly couple the fluid handling module to a rack fluid source and a rack fluid return and an internal fluid interface including connections adapted to fluidly couple the fluid handling module to liquid cooling components in one or more of the electronics sections, and

an internal flow response mechanism coupled to the internal fluid interface and adapted to enable and disable the internal fluid interface's connections, wherein the internal flow response mechanism is biased toward disabling the internal fluid interface's connections.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

an external power response mechanism coupled to the external power interface and adapted to enable and disable the external power interface's connections.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising one or more utility leak-detection sensors positioned in the utility section, the one or more utility leak-detection sensors being communicatively coupled to at least the external power response mechanism.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the power response mechanism enables the external power interface by physically connecting the external power interface to the rack power source and disables the external power interface by physically disconnecting the external power interface from the rack power source.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the external power interface comprises a pair of clips adapted to be physically coupled to a rack busbar when the clips are at its connection location.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the internal flow response mechanism enables the internal fluid interface by physically connecting the internal fluid interface to each server fluid inlet and server fluid outlet and disables the internal fluid interface by physically disconnecting the internal fluid interface from the rack power source.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein at least one of the internal fluid interface connections and the external fluid interface connections comprises a pair of dripless blind-mating fittings.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the power response mechanism is electrically coupled to the internal flow response mechanism, and wherein if the power response mechanism disables the external power interface, the internal flow response mechanism immediately disables the internal fluid interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

an external flow response mechanism fluidly coupled to the external fluid interface and communicatively coupled to the sensors, the external flow response mechanism being adapted to enable and disable the external fluid interface; or

an internal power response mechanism coupled to the internal power interface and adapted to enable and disable the internal power interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the utility section is physically segregated from the electronics section.

11. A system comprising:

a server chassis;

one or more electronics sections positioned in the chassis, at least one of the one or more electronics sections housing server components;

a utility section physically segregated from the one or more electronics sections and adapted to be positioned in the server chassis and coupled to the one or more electronics sections, the utility section comprising:

a power board,

a fluid handling module, or a fan module electrically coupled to the power board, or both the fluid handling module and the fan module,

an external power interface including connections adapted to electrically couple the power board to a rack power source, and an internal power interface including connections adapted to electrically coupled the power board to one or more servers in an electronic section within the chassis,

an external fluid interface including connections adapted to fluidly couple the fluid handling module to a rack fluid source and a rack fluid return and an internal fluid interface including connections adapted to fluidly couple the fluid handling module to a server fluid inlet and a server fluid outlet of each of the one or more servers, and

an internal flow response mechanism coupled to the internal fluid interface and adapted to enable and disable the internal fluid interface's connections, wherein the internal flow response mechanism is biased toward disabling the internal fluid interface's connections.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:

an external power response mechanism coupled to the external power interface and adapted to enable and disable the external power interface's connections.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the external power response mechanism enables the external power interface by physically connecting the external power interface's connections to the rack power source and disables the external power interface by physically disconnecting the external power interface's connections from the rack power source.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the internal flow response mechanism enables the internal fluid interface by physically connecting the internal fluid interface's connections to each server fluid inlet and server fluid outlet and disables the internal fluid interface by physically disconnecting the internal fluid interface's connections from the rack power source.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the external power response mechanism is electrically coupled to the internal flow response mechanism, and wherein if the power response mechanism disables the external power interface, the internal flow response mechanism immediately disables the internal fluid interface.

16. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:

one or more utility leak-detection sensors positioned in the utility section, the one or more utility leak-detection sensors being communicatively coupled to at least the external power response mechanism; and

one or more electronics leak-detection sensors positioned in the electronics section, the one or more electronics leak-detection sensors being communicatively coupled to at least the internal flow response mechanism.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:

an external flow response mechanism fluidly coupled to the external fluid interface, the external flow response mechanism being adapted to enable and disable the external fluid interface; or

an internal power response mechanism coupled to the internal power interface and adapted to enable and disable the internal power interface.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein:

the one or more utility leak-detection sensors are communicatively coupled to the external flow response mechanism; and

the one or more electronics leak-detection sensors are communicatively coupled to the internal power response mechanism.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the utility section is physically segregated from the electronics section.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein at least one of the internal fluid interface connections and the external fluid interface connections comprises a pair of dripless blind-mating fittings.