Patent ID: 8589609

Claim:
A computer implemented method comprising: detecting a plurality of inter-unit communication connections established between a first rack-mounted system unit and one or more adjacent rack-mounted system units, wherein the connections are established by a set of electrical contacts selected from a larger plurality of available electrical contacts that are included on one or more physical surfaces of the first rack-mounted system unit, and wherein the set of electrical contacts is determined by one or more physical masks inserted between the first rack-mounted system unit and one or more of the adjacent rack-mounted system units; generating, at the first rack-mounted system unit, a bitwise representation of a configuration of rack-mounted system units included in a system rack that includes the first rack-mounted system unit and the one or more adjacent system units rack based on an arrangement of the plurality of inter-unit communication connections; selecting one or more ports on the first rack mounted system unit based upon the bitwise representation; and processing one or more signals at the first rack-mounted system unit utilizing the selected one or more ports.