Patent ID: 6658504
Filing Date: 2003-12-02
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A storage apparatus comprisinga housing; a multiplicity of drive bays within the housing, each drive bay having a power connection and having respective first and second high-speed serial data connections; a first I/O slot; a second I/O slot; a first port bypass slot defining a multiplicity of ports; a second port bypass slot defining a multiplicity of ports; a multiplicity of first high-speed serial communicative means, each corresponding with one of the first high-speed serial data connections and communicatively coupling the corresponding first high-speed serial data connection with a respective port at the first port bypass slot; a multiplicity of second high-speed serial communicative means, each corresponding with one of the second high-speed serial data connections and communicatively coupling the corresponding second high-speed serial data connection with a respective port at the second port bypass slot; a third high-speed serial communicative means communicatively coupling a port at the first port bypass slot with a first port at the first I/O slot; a fourth high-speed serial communicative means communicatively coupling a port at the second port bypass slot with a second port at the first I/O slot; a fifth high-speed serial communicative means communicatively coupling a port at the first port bypass slot with a first port at the second I/O slot; and a sixth high-speed serial communicative means communicatively coupling a port at the second port bypass slot with a second port at the second I/O slot.