Mirror Backplane Layout for Full Controller Interconnection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional vertical backplane pattern in storage systems is being replaced by an orthogonal horizontal backplane architecture, which requires high channel latency and bandwidth for mirror and heartbeat interconnections, leading to increased design complexity and costs, particularly due to the need for high-grade boards and reduced heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A storage system with a horizontal backplane architecture that includes N horizontal backplanes and a mirror backplane perpendicular to them, providing interconnection for mirror and heartbeat channels using high-grade boards only on the mirror backplane, reducing system costs and improving heat dissipation by minimizing the area and layer quantity of the backplane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional vertical backplane pattern is used, then the structure is simple and costs are lower, but the channel latency and bandwidth requirements for mirror and heartbeat interconnections cannot be met in a distributed cluster scenario
Solution Approach 1:
The backplane system is segmented into multiple horizontal backplanes, each handling specific controller interconnections. This segmentation allows optimized wiring paths for mirror and heartbeat channels while maintaining modular scalability for cluster expansions.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a vertical backplane architecture to a horizontal backplane architecture, adding a dimensional change that enables optimized signal routing and reduces channel latency for mirror and heartbeat interconnections in distributed cluster scenarios.
2Reliability
If high-grade boards are used throughout the entire backplane system to meet bandwidth requirements, then the mirror and heartbeat channel performance is improved, but the system costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
High-grade boards are selectively deployed only on the mirror backplane where high-bandwidth mirror channel interconnections are required, while other horizontal backplanes can use standard-grade boards. This local quality differentiation meets performance requirements for critical channels while reducing overall system costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The mirror backplane acts as an intermediary component that provides high-performance interconnection between controllers for mirror channels, isolating the requirement for high-grade boards to a specific intermediary component rather than the entire backplane system.
3Reliability
If more backplane area and layer quantity are used to provide comprehensive interconnection, then the full interconnection of mirror and heartbeat channels is achieved, but the heat dissipation capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The interconnection function is segmented across multiple horizontal backplanes and a dedicated mirror backplane, allowing optimized wiring that achieves full interconnection while minimizing the area and layer quantity required on any single backplane, thereby improving heat dissipation capacity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
This application discloses a storage system, including: N horizontal backplanes and a first mirror backplane. Each horizontal backplane includes a first controller and a second controller on a same plane. The N horizontal backplanes are disposed in parallel. The N first controllers and the N second controllers form a first column and a second column in a vertical direction. The first mirror backplane is perpendicular to the horizontal backplanes, a first side of the first mirror backplane is connected to the horizontal backplanes, and a second side is connected to the controllers. A second side of the first controller has N second mirror ports and N second heartbeat ports, and a first side of the second controller has N first mirror ports and N first heartbeat ports. Wiring on the first mirror backplane includes wiring by which the first mirror port of the second controller is interconnected to the second mirror port of the first controller, and wiring by which the first heartbeat port of the second controller is interconnected to the second heartbeat port of the first controller. The storage system can implement full interconnection of high-speed channels of controllers in a horizontal backplane architecture.