Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for providing interchassis communication and management

US6363449B1 · kind B1 · utility

24Cited by
15References
34Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 29, 1999
Grant dateMar 26, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 29, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04B2203/5458
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system of interchassis and intrachassis computer component command and control. The existing power rail is used for network connectivity for intrachassis command and control. An existing common power mains can be used for interchassis command and control. Further, a protocol, for example, the Consumer Electronic Bus (CEBus) protocol (or a CEBus protocol modified for the particular power rail) can be used to provide interchassis and intrachassis platform management functionality. This management functionality is similar to that provided by the proposed Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification. A chassis bridge controller is used to interface the intrachassis power rail command and control infrastructure to an exterior network. External systems (interchassis communications) can communicate to the bridge via the particular protocol over an existing common power mains as a secondary channel exterior network. However, the management functionality is implemented intrachassis, that is, it is applied to the internal components of the machine.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.