JP2002014746A - Device providing easy-to-extend constitution of computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method for providing easy-to-extend flexible and mechanical constitution as system requirements change. SOLUTION: This device includes individual physical modules 101, 102, and 103 which are mutually connected so as to enable a computer system to operate, at least one functional constitution element of the computer system which is arranged in each physical module and constitute a functional module, means 105 and 106 which extend the device substantially infinitely by building up an additional functional module in the operation of the computer system, and an EMI closure level of each functional module adapted to the necessity of protection against electromagnetic wave disturbing noise of each function module.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the mechanical design of computers, and more particularly, to modular computer structures.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in the computer industry,
It is common practice to house all functional components of a computer in one mechanical cabinet or container. Such functional components generally include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), input / output (I / O) devices, power supplies, and cooling devices. Placing the aforementioned functional components in one cabinet is convenient from an implementation point of view, but also has some limitations.

In general, CPUs are susceptible to electromagnetic interference. Therefore, CPUs and associated processing devices in a computer system have high levels of EMI.
(Electromagnetic interference) protection is provided. When one or more CPUs are housed in one cabinet with other devices, a generally sufficient level of EMI is provided to adequately protect the CPUs and other sensitive equipment.
Confinement is provided throughout the cabinet. Such an E
MI confinement may be provided at several levels, such as at the board level or the entire cabinet. Other components, such as power devices and cooling devices, may not require the provided level of EMI containment. However, when all components are placed in one cabinet, generally the entire cabinet is provided with sufficient EMI containment to protect the CPU. Thus, resources may be expended unnecessarily to provide EMI containment for components that do not require the level of protection provided.

[0004] Alternatively, single cabinet computer systems are generally difficult to modify in response to changing customer requirements. For example, the power supply in a single cabinet system is often chosen to work best with the equipment originally contained in the cabinet. Attempts to augment devices in a cabinet, for example, by increasing memory and processing power, may require an increase in power that cannot be accommodated by utilizing the original cabinet. Also, computer system performance enhancements may be limited by the inability to increase cooling capacity due to limitations imposed by the original single cabinet design.

[0005]

Therefore, in the prior art, augmenting a system that requires changes in power, cooling, and other performance characteristics that cannot be accommodated within the original cabinet design requires the entire original cabinet. May need to be discarded to create a completely new system. Generally, there is little equipment reuse due to the need for new and / or larger cabinet designs to accommodate system changes and the changing standards of various system components. Therefore, prior art single cabinet systems provide little scalability, as major changes in system requirements may require a complete replacement of existing cabinets and most of the components located therein. Not equipped.

Therefore, a problem in the prior art is that the entire cabinet must be provided with a sufficient level of EMI containment to protect the CPU even if many components within the cabinet do not require a high level of EMI protection. It must be.

A further problem in the prior art is that the performance characteristics of various system components cannot be significantly improved without requiring replacement of the cabinet and many of the components therein.

[0008] A further problem in the prior art is that the components of a single cabinet design are generally not reusable when the structure of the system using the new cabinet must accommodate changes in system performance.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and other objects, features and technical advantages are attained by mechanically accommodating various functional elements of a computer system in separate containers, which are easily expandable as system requirements change. This is achieved by a system and method that provides a flexible mechanical configuration. The degree to which the components are separated into separate mechanical housings or cabinets is preferably variable depending on the computer system family being designed.

In a preferred embodiment, the manner in which the various containers or cabinets are treated is adjusted,
The needs of the components within each container can be adequately addressed without spending resources performing higher levels of processing than required for the selected components. For example, CP
U and other processing devices generally require EMI protection rather than power. Where the CPU and power supply are housed separately, the housing containing the CPU can be designed to provide the high level of EMI containment required by the CPU, and the EMI within the housing containing the power supply can be increased. Containment is set to a lower standard, whereby EMI levels higher than the EMI containment level of the container containing the power supply
The effort and cost required to provide confinement can be saved. Preferably, similar efficiencies and cost savings can be achieved in connection with other vessel designs in the system of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the computer architecture of the present invention is scalable and can easily increase processing power, memory capacity and communication bandwidth through input / output ports without having to install a completely new system. For example, additional and / or higher performance CPUs for systems that require more processing power
Can be added to the module or container containing the CPU. If the power requirements of the augmented CPU are higher than those available from the existing power supply, a new power supply is preferably added to the power supply module without disturbing other components of the computer system. Alternatively, additional power supply modules or power supply modules can be provided. In this way, scalability of the system is provided, and use of as much of the original system device as possible can be maintained.

In a preferred embodiment, the modularity of the system of the present invention provides a high degree of system design flexibility that allows the system to be optimally configured to the needs of a particular customer. Such flexibility preferably allows the system to be designed to accurately meet the requirements of a particular application and to minimize the cost of functions not needed for the particular application.

Although the system of the present invention preferably separates selected components into independent physical containers to provide the type, performance, and quantity of each component required for a particular system configuration, It should be understood that the degree of such separation is variable. For example, the cooling device and the power supply may be housed separately in some systems and in a common container or module in other systems. It should be understood that similar flexibility can be provided with respect to the accommodation of other functional components of the computer system of the present invention.

Thus, an advantage of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the level of EMI containment for each container or module is adjusted according to the EMI protection requirements of the equipment contained within each container, thereby reducing the prior art system. Can also provide excellent cost efficiency.

Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that
The individual components of the computer system of the present invention can be enhanced to meet the requirements of a particular application and maximize the reusability of the rest of the computer system.

Yet another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the individual components of the computer system are substantially scalable to meet the needs of a particular application.

Yet another advantage of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the degree of separation of the functional components of the computer system can be varied based on the needs of each application.

As mentioned above, the features and technical advantages of the present invention have been rather broadly outlined in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosed concepts and specific embodiments can readily be used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures that achieve the same objects of the invention. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
The novel features, which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages, both in terms of structure and mode of operation, are better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. Will. However, it should be particularly understood that each figure is provided by way of illustration and description only and not as a limitation of the present invention.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0020]

FIG. 1 shows a plurality of spaced modules according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a collection of the same modules stacked on top of each other according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the processing power supply is located in the processor module 101, the power supply is located in the power supply module 102, and the input / output devices are located in the input / output module 103. The corner posts 105 preferably assist in aligning the various modules in the direction of the common longitudinal axis. The individual modules 101-103 can be supported by support flanges 106 projecting from the corner posts 105.
Alternatively, the modules may be stacked vertically, with each module supporting the weight of all modules above it, as shown in FIG. Here, the term "input / output device" generally refers to an input / output switch,
Refers to a peripheral component interface (PCI) board and / or input / output devices, including but not limited to other input / output devices.

In a preferred embodiment, the input / output module 103 can include a plurality of input / output devices 104 as shown in FIG. Additional modules containing the same or different functions may
It is to be understood that this can be added to the scope of the present invention. Further, in different embodiments, functional elements such as processing devices, input / output devices, power devices, etc. can be combined in separate physical modules as needed for a particular application. In a preferred embodiment, the connections between the modules can be made using a backplane or cables, depending on the requirements of the modules involved.

In a preferred embodiment, additional modules can be easily added and connected to the computer system of the present invention to provide the high functionality required for a particular computer system installation. Many means for adding additional modules to the computer system 100 can be provided. Corner posts 105 can be long enough to accommodate a number of additional modules. An additional support flange 106 can optionally be attached to the corner post 105 to support the weight of the additional module. Alternatively, the supporting flange may be omitted and the weight of the additional module may be supported by the existing module.
Another mechanism for securing the various modules can include the use of screws to secure the various modules to the corner posts. Yet another approach is to reduce the weight of each module by establishing a corner post adapted to hold the industrial design "skin" (decorative skin) or a connection to each cabinet door. This may include the use of a corner post adapted to support.

In an alternative embodiment, the present invention can use guide or structural elements other than straight guide posts. A wide variety of physical arrangements of modules can be utilized other than a straight vertical stack of various modules, and all such variations are within the scope of the invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention is not limited to any particular geometric arrangement of the modules that make up the computer system of the present invention. A new module can be provided in a vertical rack parallel to the original module. The module is vertical,
It may be oriented horizontally, or in other directions, and may be stacked vertically, horizontally, or in other geometric relationships.

In a preferred embodiment, the various modules can be interconnected using cables.
The cable can transmit electrical signals using means including, but not limited to, metal wiring and fiber optic cable. Alternatively, the modules can be plugged into a common backplane to establish the necessary electrical connections. Many other interconnection schemes can be implemented, and all such variations are within the scope of the invention.

In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the modules shown in FIG. 1 can be combined into a single module, depending on the needs of a particular application.
For example, if the power requirements of the system are not large and are not expected to increase over the life of the system,
The processing unit in module 101 and the power unit in module 102 can be advantageously combined into a single module. Similarly, it should be understood that the distribution of other functional components between the modules can be varied as needed for a particular application. Preferably, such flexibility allows the architecture of the system of the present invention to be optimized for each application.

In a preferred embodiment, the provision of multiple processes to various modules of the computer system can be coordinated to provide sufficient processing for each processing area while minimizing waste. Exemplary processes provided by the described scheme include, but are not limited to, EMI containment, power, airflow, or other cooling mechanisms. Cooling, whether in a centralized manner or individually in various modules, involves a refrigeration mechanism combined with a simple flow of air or other fluid and / or a flow of air or other fluid. Note that it can be included.

In a preferred embodiment, EMI confinement can be provided to each module of FIGS. 1 and 2 depending on the requirements of each module. Preferably, the module 101 provides a relatively high level of EMI confinement because it preferably includes a CPU and its associated processing equipment that are susceptible to electromagnetic interference. Because module 101 is generally smaller than a single prior art cabinet containing all the devices in a computer system, module 101 has a high level of EMI.
The effort and cost of providing containment is preferably substantially less than that required to provide a similar level of EMI containment in one large prior art cabinet.
Given that the need for EMI protection between modules 102-103 is small, for modules 102 and 103, and optionally for individual cooling modules (not shown), EMI confinement is at a lower level than provided for module 101. Provided, thereby saving cost and effort, while at the same time sensitive devices are not harmed by EMI.

In a preferred embodiment, cooling is provided to each module to the extent required by each module, thereby allowing efficient use of energy in computer system 100. In prior art systems with a single cabinet, the internal temperature of the cabinet is generally determined by the device that is most sensitive to temperature changes. Such mechanisms can consume energy that cools the entire cabinet volume to a level that is beneficial to components that occupy only a small portion of the cabinet volume. In the present invention, it is advantageous to avoid such waste by adjusting the temperature and / or airflow of each container or module according to the needs of the equipment in that container. In other words, it is possible to realize a cooling mechanism for each module that establishes a heat removal amount that exactly matches the heat generation amount of each module, thereby efficiently and economically providing a cooling mechanism in the system of the present invention. it can.

[0031] Cooling of each vessel can be accomplished using an independent cooling system for each vessel.
Alternatively or additionally, the computer system 1 may be configured to direct air and other fluids to various modules.
A centralized cooling mechanism that cools all containers in 00 can be implemented. Computer system 100
In each case, including one centralized cooling mechanism and / or an independent cooling mechanism for one or more modules in computer system 100, one or more of the cooling mechanisms may include an active refrigeration mechanism. Can be included. Alternatively, cooling can be provided at the module or system level by circulating non-refrigerated air or other fluid throughout one or more regions of interest.

In a preferred embodiment, the power supply of computer system 100 is preferably located within module 102. Alternatively or additionally, the power supply can be located in one or more of the other individual modules. Placing the power supply in a single module is preferred because it provides scalability that was generally lacking in the prior art. If an existing system requires an extension of one operating area that requires increased power of the computer system 100, the power supply can be increased without any interruption of any other components of the computer system 100. Is preferred.

One example of expanding system components that would benefit from the scalability of power supplies is the I / O module 10.
3 is to increase the number of input / output devices 104. For this example, assume that a significant increase in the number of such input / output devices may require an increase in the total amount of power required by computer system 100.
In single cabinet prior art systems, high input / output requirements and correspondingly increased power requirements cannot be handled in existing cabinets, thereby necessitating the replacement of new cabinets with old cabinets. In addition, choosing a new single cabinet with dedicated attachments and requirements to handle the demands of high I / O requirements can replace huge amounts of existing I / O and power equipment with old equipment. It may be necessary to destroy the device.

In contrast, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the expansion of the input / output requirements is required, additional input / output devices 104 may be added to the input / output module 103, or a computer as needed. -An additional input / output module 104 can be added to the computer system 100 without discarding a portion of the system 100. If the addition of a large number of new I / O devices necessitates the addition of additional power devices, a new power supply may be added to power device module 102 and / or one or more additional power device modules 102 may be added to computer system 100. Can be added. In either case, it is preferable not to dispose of existing equipment in the computer system 100, which provides scalability of the system and is generally present in the prior art when performing substantial system augmentation. The cost of replacing the device is avoided. Accordingly, the present invention provides for an efficient enhancement of the functionality of a computer system.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is adaptable to system augmentation and is therefore applicable to flexible initial system configurations. Preferably, standardized modules can be created that can be combined in various numbers as needed for a particular application. While prior art systems generally provided discrete products with an established amount of processing power, memory and I / O capacity, the present invention provides flexibility without substantial design changes. preferable.

For example, a typical application is at least one
One processing module 101 and one power module 1
02 and one input / output module 103 whose number of input / output devices 104 can be selected by the customer. However, if a particular system requires very high I / O capacity, the increase in I / O capacity is handled by adding an additional standard I / O module 103 and, if necessary, one or more additional I / O modules. It may be preferred that a power device module 102 be provided. It can be seen that the modular approach of the present invention allows systems of various functions and configurations to be provided with minimal additional design changes.

In the preferred embodiment, the wiring that provides all the necessary interconnections is
2 and 103 are provided. Wiring may be provided separately for each connection between each module.

In a preferred embodiment, an internal bus into which each module can be plugged can be provided so that all modules can be properly interconnected. Providing such an internal bus preferably provides the advantage of making the entire assembly compact and modular. With such a bus arrangement, the addition of a new module will cause the
It is preferred to make a single connection between the new module and the bus, rather than connecting to multiple other components in 00. One bus preferably provides both power and data connections for the various modules. Alternatively,
Separate buses can be used for data and power connections. In addition, any number of buses can be used,
All such variations are within the scope of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the system 20
All of the modules contained in 0 may be located in a common housing, partially enclosed by corner posts 105. Alternatively, an additional housing can be provided to add another module to the system 200 after the space in the first housing is completely filled. Preferably, the nature of the module interconnections and the provision of a housing to accommodate the newly added modules allow the system 200 to be expanded substantially indefinitely.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the system of the present invention, showing modules stacked in one example and shifted in close contact in another example. 1 and 2,
Reference numeral 101 indicates a processing device module, reference numeral 102 indicates a power device module, reference numeral 103 indicates an input / output module, and reference numeral 105 indicates a corner module.
Point to post. It should be understood that the various modules can be stacked in any order and are within the scope of the present invention. The input / output device 104 is shown protruding from the input / output module 103. Module 10
It is understood that modular components are also located within 1 and 102, which components can generally be removed and replaced with similar or different components without disturbing other devices within each module. I want to.

Having described the invention and its advantages in detail, various changes, substitutions and substitutions may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that alternatives can be made. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, device, product, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the present disclosure,
A currently known or later developed process, device, product, composition, means, method, or method that performs substantially the same function or achieves substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiment shown herein. Steps can be utilized in accordance with the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, apparatuses, products,
It is intended to include compositions, means, methods or steps.

The present invention includes the following embodiments by way of example.

(1) An apparatus for providing a scalable configuration of the computer system 100, wherein a plurality of individual physical modules 101, 102, 103 interconnected to enable the operation of the computer system.
And at least one functional component of the computer system, arranged in each physical module of the plurality of individual modules, thereby constituting a functional module, and an additional functional module of the functional module. Means 10 to make the device substantially infinitely scalable.
An apparatus comprising: 5,106; and an EMI confinement level for each of the functional modules adapted to the need for protection of each of the functional modules from electromagnetic interference.

(2) The functional modules 101 and 10
The computer system 100 of claim 1, further comprising a cooling mechanism adapted to provide as much heat removal from each of the functional modules as required by each of the functional modules.

(3) At least one of the functional modules
The computer system 100 according to (1), wherein one module 101 includes a central processing unit.

(4) The computer system according to (1), wherein the incorporating means 105 and 106 include means for incorporating the additional power supply module 102 when additional power is required for the computer system.

(5) The guide element 10 wherein the means for incorporating maintains the functional modules in a consistent mechanical order.
Computer system 1 according to (1), including
00.

(6) The CPU 101 disposed in the first function module, the power supply 102 disposed in the second function module, the input / output device 103 disposed in the third function module, The computer system 100 according to the above (1), including:

(7) A method for providing a modular computer system 100, comprising:
Arranging each functional element of the plurality of functional elements 101, 102, 103 of the system in individual physical containers of the plurality of physical containers, and each of the functional elements arranged in the individual physical container; Establishing an EMI containment level of said individual physical container of said physical container suitable to protect the EMI.

(8) The method of (7) above, further comprising connecting at least one additional physical container to said modular computer system 100.

(9) The method according to (7) above, wherein said arranging comprises arranging the CPU 101 in a physical container separate from other parts of the computer system 100.

(10) The method according to the above (7), further comprising the step of cooling each of the plurality of physical containers as necessary to remove heat from each of the containers.

[0053]

The present invention provides an efficient enhancement of the functionality of a computer system. The present invention also provides flexibility without substantial design changes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of modules spaced from one another according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of vertically stacked modules according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the system of the present invention showing modules vertically spaced apart in one example and in intimate contact in another example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 Computer system 101, 102, 103 Physical module 105, 106 Expansion means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on front page (72) Inventor Eric C. Peterson Creek Crossing, McKinney, Texas, USA 70070 2728 F-term (reference) 5E321 AA05 GG05

Claims (1)

[Claims] An apparatus for providing a scalable configuration of a computer system, comprising: a plurality of individual physical modules interconnected to enable operation of the computer system; and a plurality of individual modules. At least one functional component of said computer system arranged in each physical module of said computer system and thereby constituting a functional module; and incorporating additional functional modules of said functional module into the operation of said computer system, A device comprising: means for allowing the device to be extended substantially indefinitely; and an EMI containment level for each of the functional modules adapted to the need for protection of each of the functional modules from electromagnetic interference.