Patent ID: 6628513
Filing Date: 2003-09-30
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A mass storage device mounting system that may be used to mount mass storage devices for use in a mass storage system, each of the mass storage devices including a respective disk storage device having a respective form factor that may be a respective one of two different possible form factors, the mounting system comprising:at least one chassis that includes a plurality of sets of tracks for receiving and engaging the mass storage devices, the sets of tracks being in a cavity space defined by the chassis for receiving the mass storage devices; and a plurality of connectors that may be used to mount the mass storage devices in the mounting system, each set of tracks being associated with a respective connector, the sets of tracks and the connectors being configured such that, when one set of tracks receives and engages one of the mass storage devices, the one mass storage device may be guided by the one set of tracks into mounting connection with a respective connector with which the one set of tracks is associated; the set of tracks and the connectors being configured so as to permit one or more respective subsets of the mass storage devices to be mounted in one or more respective equally-sized regions included in the cavity space, all of the disk devices in each respective subset of mass storage devices having the same respective form factor; wherein if the same respective form factor of the disk devices comprised in a given subset of the mass storage devices is one of the two possible form factors, then at most two respective mass storage devices may be comprised in the given subset, and if the same respective form factor of the disk devices comprised in the given subset is the other of the two possible form factors, then at most three respective mass storage devices may be comprised in the given subset; and wherein each chassis includes a rack that separates the cavity space of that chassis into a first space and a second space, wherein the rack defines sets of tracks that extend in a first direction into the first space, and sets of tracks that extend into a second direction into the second space, the second direction being opposite the first direction.