Replaceable interconnect cartridge with handle and guide for top installation
A midplane frame may be contained in a rack-mountable enclosure and define at least a first bay. Guides may be distributed among a first cartridge and the midplane frame and arranged to facilitate aligned vertical movement of the first cartridge along a height direction into a landed position in the first bay. The first cartridge may have forwardly-oriented connectors arrayed in rows arranged in a stack in a height direction. A plurality of appliances may each have a row of one or more rearwardly-oriented connectors, and each of the appliances may be movable rearwardly along a length direction in the enclosure into a seated arrangement in which the appliances are stacked over one another in the height direction and in which the rows of rearwardly-oriented connectors of the appliances are coupled with the rows of the forwardly-oriented connectors of the first cartridge in the landed position.
1 . A method of installing components of a computing system, the method comprising:
accessing a rack-mountable enclosure extending in a length direction, a width direction, and a height direction and containing a midplane frame defining a first bay, a second bay, and a third bay aligned alongside one another in the width direction;
accessing a set of cartridges each having forwardly-oriented connectors arrayed in four rows arranged in a stack in the height direction;
lowering the set of cartridges along the height direction into the midplane frame into a landed arrangement in which the four rows of forwardly-oriented connectors are aligned across the set of cartridges in the midplane frame, the lowering including:
lowering a first cartridge into the first bay;
lowering a second cartridge into the second bay; and
lowering a third cartridge into the third bay;
accessing a set of four computing appliances each having a row of rearwardly-oriented connectors; and
moving the set of four computing appliances rearwardly along the length direction in the enclosure into a seated arrangement in which the four computing appliances are stacked over one another in the height direction and in which the rows of rearwardly-oriented connectors of the four computing appliances are coupled with the four rows of the forwardly-oriented connectors of the set of cartridges.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the set of four computing appliances rearwardly causes the four computing appliances to be connected to each other by a first set of cables of the first cartridge, a second set of cables of the second cartridge, a third set of cables of the third cartridge and to be connected with a clock generator incorporated into an electronics board of the first cartridge and with an ethernet switch incorporated into an electronics board of the third cartridge.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, with the set of cartridges in the landed arrangement, folding down handles positioned atop the cartridges, the handles arranged to facilitate holding the cartridges from above for lowering the cartridges relative to the midplane frame.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, with the set of cartridges in the landed arrangement, accessing fasteners received in hangers on the cartridges and driving the fasteners into engagement with receiving holes in the midplane frame.
5 . A system, comprising:
a rack-mountable enclosure extending in a length direction, a width direction, and a height direction;
a midplane frame contained in the enclosure, extending at least in the width direction, and defining at least a first bay;
a first cartridge receivable in the first bay in a landed position, the first cartridge having forwardly-oriented connectors arrayed in rows arranged in a stack in the height direction;
a vertical guide set comprising guides distributed among the first cartridge and the midplane frame and arranged to facilitate aligned vertical movement of the first cartridge along the height direction into and out of the first bay; and
a plurality of appliances each having a row of one or more rearwardly-oriented connectors, each of the plurality of appliances being movable rearwardly along the length direction in the enclosure into a seated arrangement in which the plurality of appliances are stacked over one another in the height direction and in which the rows of one or more rearwardly-oriented connectors of the appliances are coupled with the rows of the forwardly-oriented connectors of the first cartridge in the landed position.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the midplane frame defines the first bay, a second bay, and a third bay aligned alongside one another in the width direction.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the first cartridge is included in a cartridge set that further comprises:
a second cartridge sized for receipt in the second bay; and
a third cartridge sized for receipt in the third bay.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the guides of the vertical guide set are distributed among the cartridge set and the midplane frame and are arranged to facilitate aligned vertical movement into a landed arrangement in which the cartridge set is received in the midplane frame with the rows of forwardly-oriented connectors aligned across the cartridge set.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein:
the plurality of appliances includes four computing appliances;
the forwardly-oriented connectors of the cartridge set are arrayed in four rows stacked over one another in the height direction; and
in the seated arrangement, the row of one or more rearwardly-oriented connectors of each of the four computing appliances is coupled with a different one of the four rows of the forwardly-oriented connectors of the cartridge set.
10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first cartridge, the second cartridge, and the third cartridge each include cabling, and wherein the first cartridge and the third cartridge each further comprise an electronics board.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the first cartridge and the third cartridge each include respective indexing assemblies that differ from one another to obstruct installation of the first cartridge into the third bay and the third cartridge into the first bay.
12 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first cartridge comprises a body comprising a front wall, lateral side walls, and a top wall, wherein the front wall is penetrated by openings that are distributed in the height direction and that are sized for receiving the forwardly-oriented connectors;
wherein at least some of the guides of the vertical guide set are distributed along the body; and
wherein the first cartridge further comprises a foldable handle coupled with the top wall of the body and reconfigurable between a stowed arrangement, in which the handle is arranged laying flat along or within the top wall, and a deployed state, in which the handle is arranged extending upward from the top wall to facilitate grasping for lowering or raising the body relative to the first bay of the midplane frame.
13 . A cartridge configured to be vertically installed into a midplane frame to facilitate connectivity among appliances installable horizontally relative to the midplane frame, the cartridge comprising:
a body comprising a front wall, lateral side walls, and a top wall, wherein the front wall is penetrated by openings that are distributed in a height direction and that are sized for receiving connectors;
a vertical guide set comprising guides distributed along the body and arranged to facilitate aligned vertical movement of the body along the height direction into and out of a bay of the midplane frame; and
a foldable handle coupled with the top wall of the body and reconfigurable between a stowed arrangement, in which the handle is arranged laying flat along or within the top wall, and a deployed state, in which the handle is arranged extending upward from the top wall to facilitate grasping for lowering or raising the body relative to the bay of the midplane frame.
14 . The cartridge of claim 13 , further comprising a set of shelves each positioned below a different one of the openings and sized for supporting one of the connectors in a position extending through the front wall.
15 . The cartridge of claim 13 , wherein airflow passages are defined through portions of the front wall between the openings.
16 . The cartridge of claim 13 , further comprising the connectors.
17 . The cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the body of the cartridge comprises an open rear face sized to permit extension of cabling that couples subsets of the connectors together in an installed state.
18 . The cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the body further comprises a channel sized for receiving an electronics board in a position in which the connectors positioned in the openings in an installed state of the connectors are aligned in rows with connectors of the electronics board.
19 . The cartridge of claim 18 , further comprising the electronics board.
20 . The cartridge of claim 13 , further comprising at least one hanger extending from the body and bearing a fastener configured to be driven into engagement with a receiving hole in the midplane frame for securing the body of the cartridge relative to the midplane frame.