Patent ID: 6675242
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A communications system comprising:one or more communication buses implemented on a backplane having one or more interface slots; one or more controller cards communicating with the communication buses through said one or more interface slots, each controller card comprising: a controller; and at least two independent communication channels provided for connecting a host with said one or more communication buses, wherein the controller determines and designate the status of said one or more controller cards such that: a first controller card is designated to have primary status if the first controller card is inserted in a first interface slot while remaining interface slots are empty; the first controller card in said first slot retains primary status while one or more controller cards are added or removed from said remaining slots: and a second controller card having a non-primary status inserted in a second interface slot assumes primary status after a power interruption, if the second interface slot is designated as the slot to assume primary status after a power interruption.