Abstract:
An electrical connector includes a plurality of pins for transmitting electrical signals and at least one illumination device disposed on the electrical connector and electrically coupled to at least one of the pins. The illumination device is disposed so as to radiate light from the exterior of the electrical connector. The radiated light is visible while the electrical connector is engaged. The illumination device is configured to be controlled by pins that are not used for data transmission.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A data center is a facility that houses computer systems and various networking, storage, and other related components. Data centers may, for example, provide computing services to businesses and individuals as a remote computing service or to provide “software as a service” (e.g., cloud computing). The services provided by data centers are valuable to customers as the continued and reliable availability of the computing services are important to the customers&#39; services and operations. It is thus necessary to provide reliable and efficient computing services in order to minimize disruptions to customers of the computing services, in particular when performing maintenance activities for data-storage devices. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       References are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments or examples. The drawings herein are not drawn to scale. Like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures. In the figures, reference numbers may be reused to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided to illustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an array of storage devices and a top down view of an example where LEDs are installed on the backplane; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate an array of storage devices and associated cables; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a cable with indicators in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate another perspective of a cable with indicators in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating another perspective of an array of storage devices with an indicator in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating a computing environment where aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A data center may house many thousands of components, such as servers and disk storage devices that are typically housed in an equipment housing such as an equipment rack or an equipment chassis. An equipment housing may house multiple disk storage devices, and in the event of a failure or when the disk storage device must otherwise be replaced, a technician typically replaces the disk storage device by identifying the failed disk storage device by following cables to the failed device. In more complicated configurations with more disk storage devices, it can become increasingly difficult to properly identify the failed device. Issues can occur if the technician removes the wrong drive unexpectedly, such as the loss of data, extra cost due to the removal of a functional disk storage device, duplicate tickets for the same failed disk storage device, and so on. 
     In some embodiments, mechanisms for physical identification of failed devices may be implemented as the complexity and number of devices increases. Some complex systems may utilize backplanes to identify failed devices and thus prevent confusion as to the selection of a failed device. For example, LEDs may be provided on backplanes that illuminate to highlight and indicate the location of the failed device. In another example, control panels that indicate a failed device by identifying a row and column or general position of the failure may be provided. However the use of backplanes can add cost, block air flow, and impact signal integrity. It is therefore desirable in some cases to install computing devices such as server computers and storage devices such on racks without the use of backplanes. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , illustrated are storage devices  120  (e.g., hard drives, solid-state drives (SSDs), or other storage devices) connected to backplane  100  via connectors  115 . Indication of a failed storage device  120  may be indicated by one of the LEDs  110 . In scenarios such as the one illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  where backplanes are not used, an array of storage devices  200  may be connected using cables  210 . As shown, the cables  210  are routed to their associated storage devices  200  in an environment without a backplane. When a technician is tasked to remove a failed storage device, it can be seen that the technician may inadvertently select an incorrect storage device by simply trying to follow one of the cables. Furthermore, in many cases a failure in a storage device can result in a shutdown of the failed storage device so that first-mate/last-break functionality in the connection is not needed. Thus for instances where the technician must replace a storage device on a live system, burdening the system with the cost of complex blind mate hot plug mechanisms and backplanes may not be necessary, and the technician can pull cables and replace the drive. 
     The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to using unused sideband signals in a cable such as an SATA or SAS cable to power an LED built directly into the cable connector. Storage devices are typically connected using Serial ATA (SATA). The LED can be molded into or inserted in the cable connector. In this way, a failed storage device can be identified by an illuminated LED on the connector being used by the failed storage device. By placing an LED on the actual cable connector associated with the failed storage device, the failed storage device can be quickly identified in cabled scenarios. In some embodiments, in the event that a technician must manually shut down the failed storage device, additional sideband signals may be used to enable a push button or a switch to turn the drive off. The button or switch can also be integrated into the cable connector. Sideband signals may refer to command, control, address, and other management signals that are not used for data transmission or delivery of data payloads. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example embodiment of a cable with integrated status indicator in accordance with this disclosure. Illustrated is a connector  300  and a number of data wires  310  that are electrically connected to connector  300 . In one embodiment, the connector  300  may include an LED  340  that may be molded in or inserted into the connector  300 . The LED  340  may be connected to a pair of sideband wires  320  that are operable to drive the LED  340 . Connector  300  may optionally include a switch  350  that may be molded or inserted into the connector  300 . The optional switch  350  may be connected to a pair of sideband wires  330  that are operable to detect an electrical state of optional switch  350 . The sideband wires  330  may be located in other parts of the wire bundle. 
     Although  FIG. 3  illustrates an LED as an example of an integrated status indicator, other types of visible indications may be used that can allow a person to visually or otherwise determine which connector and thus which storage device should be replaced. For example, instead of a single LED installed on a part of the connector, the entire housing of the connector may be illuminated. Alternatively, the LED can be fitted with a lens to scatter light in multiple directions. Although storage devices are used in this example, the integrated status indicator may be added to a connector that is designed to be coupled to other types of devices or other line replaceable devices. 
     In some embodiments, the status indicator can be configured to provide multiple status indications. For example, the status indicator may flash or illuminate periodically or illuminate using a pattern to provide additional status indications. 
     In some embodiments, multiple status indicators may be added to a connector to indicate multiple states and functions. For example, a first status indicator may be used to indicate a faulty device, while a second status indicator may be used to indicate activity on the device. This can be used, for example, to indicate that the device is still powered on and active. The use of sideband or unused data wires can allow the status indicators to be added to existing cable wiring and pin configurations without having to design new cables and connectors. In one embodiment, two data wires can be used to drive each status indicator to provide a source and return. 
     The optional switch  350  shown in  FIG. 3  may be configured as any type of switch that can indicate an electrical state such as a closed or open circuit. The mechanism can be a toggle-type switch or a momentary-type switch, for example. The switch may be used to power on or power off the connected device, or activate/deactivate other features depending on the specific application. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate an example where LEDs  400  have been added to connectors  420  of storage devices  410 . By locating the LEDs  400  directly on the connectors, a technician can quickly and easily locate which of the storage devices  410  are designated for removal or replacement. In a complex storage system without a backplane that maps the physical position of storage devices to an electrical position, the use of LEDs to illuminate and identify connectors can be useful in situations where, for example, service personnel have previously connected a storage device to the wrong cable. In this case, the physical mapping of the storage device and its corresponding cable may not match up with the electrical map. Subsequently, when a technician receives instructions to replace the drive in position X, the cable for position X is plugged into physical position B. Without any indication as to the actual storage device that should be replaced, the technician may turn off a live storage device and leave the failed storage device in the system. By having an indicator light on the connector itself, identification of which drive must be replaced is more clear and mis-wiring between cables and storage devices is minimized. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an integrated status indicator may be particularly useful when multiple devices are arranged in multiples columns and rows. A technician can visually determine which column or row contains an illuminated status indicator, whether from a top down view or a side view. 
       FIG. 5  shows an example perspective where an LED  510  has been added to connector  540  of storage device  520  that is installed in rack  530  (e.g., a server rack). By observing the LED  510  directly on the connectors, a technician  500  can quickly and easily locate storage device  520 , even though the device  520  is still sitting in the rack  530 . In some cases, the device  520  can be installed in a server chassis (not shown), in which case the LED  510  can likewise still be visible while the device  520  is mounted in the chassis.  FIG. 5  shows that even in an arrangement where multiple devices are closely mounted in a horizontal plane in a relatively small area, such as the rack  530 , the LEDs on the connectors of the devices are visible to the technician  500 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an example computing environment in which the embodiments described herein may be implemented.  FIG. 6  is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a data center  610  that can provide computing resources to users  600   a  and  600   b  (which may be referred herein singularly as “a user  600 ” or in the plural as “the users  600 ”) via user computers  605   a  and  605   b  (which may be referred herein singularly as “a computer  605 ” or in the plural as “the computers  605 ”) via a communications network  630 . Data center  610  may be configured to provide computing resources for executing applications on a permanent or an as-needed basis. The computing resources provided by data center  610  may include various types of resources, such as data processing resources, data storage resources, data communication resources, and the like. Each type of computing resource may be general purpose or may be available in a number of specific configurations. For example, data processing resources may be available as virtual machine instances. The instances may be configured to execute applications, including Web servers, application servers, media servers, database servers, and the like. Data storage resources may include file storage devices, block storage devices and the like. 
     Data center  610  may include servers  618   a  and  618   b  (which may be referred herein singularly as “a server  618 ” or in the plural as “the servers  618 ”) that provide computing resources available as virtual machine instances  616   a  and  616   b  (which may be referred herein singularly as “a virtual machine instance  616 ” or in the plural as “the virtual machine instances  616 ”). The virtual machine instances  616  may be configured to execute applications, including Web servers, application servers, media servers, database servers, and the like. Other resources that may be provided include data storage resources (not shown) and may include file storage devices, block storage devices, and the like. 
     Communications network  630  may, for example, be a publicly accessible network of linked networks and possibly operated by various distinct parties, such as the Internet. In other embodiments, communications network  630  may be a private network, such as, for example, a corporate or university network that is wholly or partially inaccessible to non-privileged users. In still other embodiments, communications network  630  may include one or more private networks with access to and/or from the Internet. 
     Communications network  630  may provide access to computers  602 . Computers  602  may be computers utilized by customers  600  or other customers of data center  610 . For instance, user computer  605   a  or  605   b  may be a server, a desktop or laptop personal computer, a tablet computer, a wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an e-book reader, a game console, a set-top box, or any other computing device capable of accessing data center  610 . User computer  605   a  or  605   b  may connect directly to the Internet (e.g., via a cable modem or a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)). Although only two user computers  605   a  and  605   b  are depicted, it should be appreciated that there may be multiple user computers. 
     Servers  616   a  and  616   b  (which may be referred herein singularly as “a server  616 ” or in the plural as “the servers  616 ”) shown in  FIG. 6  may be standard servers configured appropriately for providing the computing resources described above and may provide computing resources for executing one or more applications. In one embodiment, the computing resources may be virtual machine instances  618 . In the example of virtual machine instances, each of the servers  616  may be configured to execute an instance manager  650   a  or  650   b  (which may be referred herein singularly as “an instance manager  650 ” or in the plural as “the instance managers  650 ”) capable of executing the virtual machine instances. The instance managers  650  may be a virtual machine monitor (VMM) or another type of program configured to enable the execution of virtual machine instances  618  on servers  616 , for example. As discussed above, each of the virtual machine instances  618  may be configured to execute all or a portion of an application. 
     In the example data center  610  shown in  FIG. 6 , a router  614  may be utilized to interconnect the servers  616   a  and  616   b . Router  614  may also be connected to gateway  620 , which is connected to communications network  630 . Router  614  may manage communications within networks in data center  610 , for example, by forwarding packets or other data communications as appropriate based on characteristics of such communications (e.g., header information including source and/or destination addresses, protocol identifiers, etc.) and/or the characteristics of the private network (e.g., routes based on network topology, etc.). It will be appreciated that, for the sake of simplicity, various aspects of the computing systems and other devices of this example are illustrated without showing certain conventional details. Additional computing systems and other devices may be interconnected in other embodiments and may be interconnected in different ways. 
     It should be appreciated that the network topology illustrated in  FIG. 6  has been greatly simplified and that many more networks and networking devices may be utilized to interconnect the various computing systems disclosed herein. These network topologies and devices should be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     While the present disclosure describes examples in terms of networks and network equipment racks, it should be understood that the disclosed principles may be applied to other types of devices and environments where cable/connector identification is desired. 
     The above described aspects of the disclosure have been described with regard to certain examples and embodiments, which are intended to illustrate but not to limit the disclosure. It should be appreciated that the subject matter presented herein extends to and encompasses such modifications and/or enhancements that will be apparent to persons skilled in the art in view of the detailed description provided herein. 
     The various features described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments. 
     Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.