Patent ID: 8369092

Claim:
An input/output (I/O) expansion and disk expansion subsystem comprising: an I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure configured for an electronics rack comprising at least one electronic subsystem to couple to the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem, the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure comprising a first side and a second side in opposing relation, the first side being accessible through a front of the electronics rack when the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure is positioned therein and the second side being accessible through a back of the electronics rack when the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure is positioned therein; a plurality of field-replaceable units configured to reside within the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure, the plurality of field-replaceable units being accessible and removable through at least one of the first side or the second side of the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure without removing the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure from the electronics rack, the plurality of field-replaceable units comprising: at least one input/output adapter cage, the at least one input/output adapter cage comprising a plurality of input/output adapter receiving slots facilitating coupling of one or more standard form factor input/output adapters to the at least one electronic subsystem of the electronics rack, the one or more input/output adapters being operatively disposed within respective input/output adapter-receiving slots of the at least one input/output adapter cage, the at least one input/output adapter cage and the one or more standard form factor I/O adapters defining an I/O expansion subsystem; at least one storage device cage, the at least one storage device cage comprising a plurality of storage device receiving slots facilitating coupling of one or more storage devices to the at least one electronic subsystem of the electronics rack, the at least one storage device cage and the one or more storage devices defining a disk expansion subsystem; at least one power and control supply for powering and controlling the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem, the at least one power and control an supply comprising at least one fan assembly for moving air within the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure to facilitate cooling thereof; and a midplane connector assembly, the at least one input/output adapter cage, the at least one storage device cage, and the at least one power and control supply docking to and being electrically interconnected by the midplane connector assembly within the I/O expansion and disk expansion subsystem enclosure.