Method for directing power to a hot swapped circuit board

Abstract

Method for controlling power and communications between to an electronic circuit board. A chassis includes a first electronic circuit board with a first connector and a cassette includes a second electronic circuit board with a second connector. When the cassette is received by the chassis, chassis flex circuitry and cassette flex circuitry come into contact to complete a circuit between the components. Closing the circuit indicates to a controller that the cassette is properly secured to the chassis and that a user is not attempting removal of the cassette. The controller instructs a power source to provide power to the second electronic circuit board through the first connector. When the circuit is broken by a user, the controller causes the completion of operations on the second electronic circuit board and causes the power source to stop supplying power to the second electronic circuit board.

Description

[0001]This nonprovisional application is a divisional application of US nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11 / 679,703 filed on Feb. 27, 2007.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to methods for directing power to a hot-swappable computer component when inserted, and safely powering down the component prior to removal.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Hot swappable components have become commonplace in computer systems. Server systems often use hot swappable memory, hard drives, and various pieces of hardware commonly referred to as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards. Hot swapping may involve the removal of a piece of hardware, or the insertion of a piece of hardware, or both while the computer is on and functioning. While the following discussion refers to PCI cards, the problems presented are equally applicable to any other hot swappable electronic circuit board.[0006]Computer systems that support hot sw...

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