Patent ID: 6816936
Filing Date: 2004-11-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A device including slots for a plurality of hot-swappable physical interface cards, the device comprising:an interface designed to receive the physical interface cards, each physical interface card designed to receive information using at least one of a plurality of physical network interface standards; a plurality of power supply lines for supplying power from the device to the physical interface card through the interface; an on/off power control circuit connected to the plurality of power supply lines to control power supplied to the power supply lines; a power monitor circuit connected to each of the plurality of power supply lines, the power monitor circuit determining when the power supplied to each of the power supply lines stabilizes: and a controller connected to the on/off power control circuit, the controller, in response to detecting the presence of the physical interface card in the interface, instructing the on/off power control circuit to turn on the plurality of power supply lines and to ramp the power supplied to each one of the turned on power supply lines, the controller additionally causing the device to restart a power-up procedure implemented by the on/off power control circuit and the power monitor circuit when the power monitor circuit determines that the power supplied to one of the power supply lines has not stabilized after a pre-determined time period.