A computer system is adapted for dynamic replacement of a hot swap controller
card.
The computer system includes a circuit board, with the computer system comprising
a first slot and a second slot coupled to the circuit board. The first slot includes
a first connector and the second slot includes a second connector. The first and
second connectors each have a column and row arrangement of connector-pins, with
the first connector including first, second and third connector-pins and the second
connector including fourth, fifth and sixth connector-pins. First, second, third,
fourth, fifth and sixth signal lines are connected to the first through sixth connector-pins,
respectively. A primary hot swap controller has a first means for simultaneously
turning on/off a first plurality of switches, a second means for driving signal
lines connected to the first, second, fourth, and fifth connector-pins, and a third
means for storing a status information of the signal lines. A backup hot swap controller
has a fourth means for simultaneously turning on/off a second plurality of switches,
a fifth means for driving the signal lines connected to the first, second, fourth,
and fifth connector-pins and for storing a status information of the signal lines.
During a normal operation of the computer system, the first means turns on the
first plurality of switches such that the second means drives the signal lines
connected to the first, second, fourth, and fifth connector-pins and the fourth
means turns off the second plurality of switches. During a backup operation of
the computer system, the first means turns off the first plurality of switches
and the fourth means turns on the second plurality of switches such that the fifth
means drives the signal lines connected to the first, second, fourth, and fifth
connector-pins according to the status information stored in the fifth means.