Configurable interconnection system

摘要

An interconnection system, apparatus and method is described where the motherboard may be populated with less than all of the modules that it has been designed to accept while maintaining a configuration such that in the event of a module failure, a memory controller failure, or a combination thereof, the connectivity of the remaining modules is maintained. Where data is stored using a RAID organization of the memory on the modules, the data may be reconstructed to a spare module. The system also provides for the orderly incremental expansion of the memory by adding additional memory modules and memory controllers, while maintaining the connectivity properties.

主权项

1. An interconnect system, comprising:
a plurality of connectors having a first configuration; a plurality of point-to-point bus segments on a motherboard, the bus segments disposed such that each connector of the plurality of connectors is connected to an end of two or more bus segments; and a memory controller communicating with at least one bus segment; the interconnect system further comprising: a plurality of memory modules inserted in the connectors, wherein a number M of plurality of memory modules is less than or equal to the a number N of the connectors; at least some of the plurality of memory modules having a configurable switch for routing signals received on a first bus segment to one of a second bus segment, a third bus segment, or a memory circuit associated with the memory module, wherein the interconnect system is configured to provide connectivity between the memory controller and the plurality of memory modules in a first state where a memory module of the plurality of memory modules is either inoperative, or is removed from a respective connector.