Patent ID: 7362566

Claim:
A system for connecting one or more hard disk drives to a computer, the system comprising: a disk drive carrier cage configured for removably mounting a disk drive backplane and a plurality of disk drive carrier rails; a disk drive backplane mounted within the disk drive carrier cage, the disk drive backplane comprising a plurality of disk drive connectors for interfacing with corresponding connectors on hard disk drives removably mounted along the disk drive carrier rails in disk drive carriers, the disk drive backplane further comprising a plurality of first status indicator lights, each of the first status indicator lights corresponding to and located adjacent to a disk drive connector; a disk drive carrier for receiving a hard disk drive and configured for mounting within the disk drive carrier cage along the disk drive carrier rails, the disk drive carrier constructed from a light transmissive material and having a top, bottom, and side, and wherein light emitted from a first status indicator light on the backplane is transmitted through the top of the disk drive carrier from the backplane to the front of the disk drive carrier when a disk drive carrier is inserted into the disk drive carrier cage; a disk drive controller connected to the disk drive backplane and operative to provide a disk drive interface between the disk drive backplane and the computer; a power supply for providing power to the disk drive backplane, the disk drive controller, and one or more hard disk drives connected to the disk drive backplane; and an enclosure encasing the disk drive carrier cage, the disk drive backplane, the disk drive carrier, the disk drive controller, and the power supply.