Mobile data center

Abstract

A portable and mobile deployable data center (ddc) is disclosed, which includes various components that enables the ddc to have multiple functions including, computing, data storage and retrieval, communications and routing. A ddc includes a rugged case that suitable for harsh environments, an interconnection mechanism, a plurality of hot swappable readers, a plurality of hot swappable portable computing devices, and a plurality of hot swappable power supplies.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/859,353 filed Apr. 9, 2013 and titled “A Low Power, High Density Server and Portable Device for use with Same,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/622,301, filed Apr. 10, 2012, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. serving server and computing device which may operate with or without internet access. The functions available in the DDC include the ability to act as a computer cluster. Multiple CPU cores on each portable device 220 and multiple computing devices can be used in conjunction to solve complex computing tasks. Single complex tasks may be assigned multiple computing resources in parallel and managed by middleware. High fault tolerance is also achieved in the cluster computing mode. For example, if any one of the CPUs, portable devices 220 or readers 312 fail, the task can be performed by another module (i.e., reader, portable device, CPU combination) in the DDC. While each portable device 220 can include volatile and non-volatile mass storage, to increase the storage and retrieval capabilities the DDC may also have data memory storage drives (not shown) such as hard disk drives or flash memory physically separate from the portable devices. The size of the storage drives is expandable and configurable by the user. The storage devices may be located and mounted on interconnecting mechanism 308, a separate backplane, or in a bay accessed for the outside of case 304 through an access slot (not shown). The access slot may have a door which can be locked to physically secure the drives. Portable devices 220 can have secure access to the memory storage drives through interfaces including PCIe and DDR. The data on any of the storage drives may be accessed by any of portable devices 220 within the DDC. Each portable device 220 can also be configured such that the devices operate separate and independent of one another. This feature allows physical security and isolation between portable devices 220.

A user of a DDC, such as DDC 300, may interface with it through multiple inputs methods, such as, but not limited to a keyboard, a touchscreen, a mouse, a speech recognition device, and a gesture control device. Output devices suitable for use with DCC 300 include a display screen, a haptics device, and an audio device. A user interfacing with DDC 300 may require secure authentication and authorization. Authentication methods for DDC 300 can include password, fob token entry, and single or multimodal biometric authentication including fingerprint matching, face recognition, voice or iris scanning and matching.

Portable devices 220, readers 316, or other components within DDC 300 can include computer executable code capable of providing routing functions for data packets. The routing function within DDC 300 may enable interconnected networks to exchange information about destination address using a routing protocol. The routing function can be enabled for multiple types of physical networks including Ethernet and wireless networks. The routing function may also support multiple types of networking communications protocol standards including TCP, IPv4, IPv6.

Exemplary embodiments have been disclosed above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, and additions may be made to that which is specifically disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A readily mobile deployable data center (ddc) capable of being transported by hand, the mobile ddc comprising:

a secure carrying case including a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein when said top portion and said bottom portion are coupled together said secure carrying case is impregnable by liquids and dust;

at least one reader a plurality of readers removably disposed within said bottom portion, wherein said at least one reader plurality of readers, when disposed in said bottom portion, each provides a slot having at least one connector disposed therein;

a plurality of portable computing device devices, each having a processor and removably coupled to said at least one connector, said plurality of portable computing device devices being disposed, when coupled to said at least one connecter, within said slot so as to have the a major plane of said portable computing device parallel to the a major plane of said at least one reader, wherein each of the plurality of portable computing devices comprises a substantially rigid paraxylene coating substantially enclosing each of the plurality of portable computing devices, the substantially rigid paraxylene coating having at least one opening for exposing a connector of each of the plurality of portable computing devices; and

an interconnection mechanism attached to the bottom portion comprising a plurality of second connectors extending substantially perpendicular therefrom for connection to the plurality of readers, wherein the plurality of second connectors, the plurality of readers and the plurality of portable computing devices are disposed in a row and column arrangement;

a mass storage device, wherein said mass storage device is removably coupled to one of said plurality of readers via said slot and is accessible by one of said plurality of portable computing devices;

a display device, wherein said display device is disposed on said top portion within said secure carrying case and electronically coupled to at least one of said plurality of portable computing devices;

a wireless modem configured to communicate via a 4g protocol within a wireless network, wherein the ddc is configured as a local cloud storage, a server, and a computing device within the wireless network; and

at least one power supply removably disposed in said bottom portion and electronically coupled to said at least one reader of said plurality of readers and at least one of said plurality of portable computing device devices, and

wherein said bottom portion includes a plurality of sidewalls and wherein a plurality of interfaces are disposed in at least one of said plurality of sidewalls.

2. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 1, wherein an air valve is disposed in another of said plurality of sidewalls.

3. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 1, further including an wherein the interconnection mechanism disposed in said bottom portion and is electronically coupled to said at least one reader and said at least one power supply.

4. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 1, wherein when said top portion and said bottom portion are coupled together such that said secure carrying case is impregnable by liquids and dust.

5. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 1, wherein said securing secure carrying case protects said at least one reader plurality of readers and said plurality of portable computing device devices from dust, shock, water, condensation, and electromagnetic interference.

6. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 1, wherein the readily mobile ddc is capable of functioning as one or more of a computer cluster, a data storage and retrieval system, a communications router, and a resource server.

7. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 1, wherein access to the readily mobile ddc is securely controlled by authentication methods including at least one of: a password, a fob token entry, a SIM Card, a SIPRNet token, a CAC card, or a biometric.

8. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 2, wherein said bottom portion includes a case fan in at least one of said plurality of sidewalls.

9. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 8, wherein said secure carrying case includes an airflow path and an exit fan disposed in an opposite sidewall from said case fan, said airflow path including:

directing air into said secure carrying case through said case fan;

propelling the entering air along a bottom surface of said bottom portion;

directing the air past said at least one plurality of readers, through said slot, and past said plurality of portable computing device devices; and

driving the air out of said secure carrying case through said exit fan.

10. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of portable computing device devices is fully protected by a said coating applied to the surface of each of said plurality of portable computing device devices and wherein said securing secure carrying case includes no additional fan or air movement device except said case fan.

11. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 9, wherein said at least one reader of said plurality of readers includes a device fan, said device fan disposed proximate said slot.

12. A readily mobile deployable data center (ddc) capable of being transported by hand, the mobile ddc comprising:

a secure carrying case including a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein when said top portion and said bottom portion are coupled together said secure carrying case is impregnable by liquids and dust;

at least one reader a plurality of readers removably disposed within said bottom portion, wherein said at least one reader plurality of readers, when disposed in said bottom portion, each provides a slot having at least one connector disposed therein;

a plurality of portable computing device devices, each having a processor and removably coupled to said at least one connector, said plurality of portable computing device devices being disposed, when couple coupled to said at least one connector, within said slot so as to have the a major plane of said portable computing device parallel to the a major plane of said at least one reader, wherein each of the plurality of portable computing devices comprises a substantially rigid paraxylene coating substantially enclosing each of the plurality of portable computing devices, the substantially rigid paraxylene coating having at least one opening for exposing a connector of each of the plurality of portable computing devices;

an interconnection mechanism attached to the bottom portion comprising a plurality of second connectors extending substantially perpendicular therefrom for connection to the plurality of readers, wherein the plurality of second connectors, the plurality of readers and the plurality of portable computing devices are disposed in a row and column arrangement;

a display device, wherein said display device is disposed on said top portion within said secure carrying case and electronically coupled to at least one of said plurality of portable computing devices;

a wireless modem configured to communicate via a 4g protocol within a wireless network, wherein the ddc is configured as a local cloud storage, a server, and a computing device within the wireless network;

at least one power supply removably disposed in said bottom portion and electronically coupled to said at least one reader of said plurality of readers and at least one of said plurality of portable computing device devices; and

a mass storage device, wherein said mass storage device is removably coupled to one of said at least one reader plurality of readers via said slot and is accessible by one of said plurality of portable computing device devices.

13. A readily mobile deployable data center (ddc) capable of being transported by hand, the mobile ddc comprising:

a secure carrying case including a top portion and a bottom portion;

at least one reader removably disposed within said bottom portion, wherein said at least one reader, when disposed in said bottom portion, provides a slot having at least one connector disposed therein;

a portable computing device having a processor and removably coupled to said at least one connector, said portable computing device being disposed, when couple to said at least one connector, within said slot so as to have the major plane of said portable computing device parallel to the major plane of said at least one reader;

at least one power supply removably disposed in said bottom portion and electronically coupled to said at least one reader and said portable computing device; and

a display device, wherein said display device is disposed on said top portion within said secure carrying case and electronically coupled to said portable computing device.

14. A readily mobile ddc comprising:

a hand held carrying case having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein said bottom portion includes a plurality of interfaces extending through a sidewall of said bottom portion, and wherein when said top portion and said bottom portion are coupled together said hand held carrying case is impregnable by liquids and dust;

a plurality of readers removably disposed within said bottom portion, wherein each of said plurality of readers are disposed with within said bottom portion such that a slot is formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of readers; and

a plurality of portable computing devices sized and configured to be removably coupled with a corresponding respective one of said plurality of readers within said slot formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of readers, wherein each of the plurality of portable computing devices comprises a substantially rigid paraxylene coating substantially enclosing each of the plurality of portable computing devices, the substantially rigid paraxylene coating having at least one opening for exposing a connector of each of the plurality of portable computing devices;

an interconnection mechanism attached to the bottom portion comprising a plurality of second connectors extending substantially perpendicular therefrom for connection to the plurality of readers, wherein the plurality of second connectors, the plurality of readers and the plurality of portable computing devices are disposed in a row and column arrangement;

a mass storage device, wherein said mass storage device is removably coupled to one of said plurality of readers via said slot and is accessible by one of said plurality of portable computing devices;

a display device, wherein said display device is disposed on said top portion within said hand held carrying case and electronically coupled to at least one of said plurality of portable computing devices; and

a wireless modem configured to communicate via a 4g protocol within a wireless network, wherein the ddc is configured as a local cloud storage, a server, and a computing device within the wireless network.

15. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, further including at least one power supply removably disposed within said bottom portion and electronically coupled to at least one of said plurality of interfaces.

16. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, further including an wherein the interconnection mechanism disposed in said bottom portion and is electronically coupled to each of said plurality of interfaces, and wherein each of said plurality of readers is electronically coupled to said interconnection mechanism.

17. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, further including an external power source, said external power source providing power to said plurality of portable computing devices.

18. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, wherein a display device is disposed on said top portion within said hand held carrying case and electronically coupled to at least one of said plurality of portable computing devices.

19. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, where each of said plurality of portable computing devices is fully protected by a said coating applied to the surface of each respective one of said plurality of portable computing devices.

20. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, further including a mass storage device, wherein said mass storage device is removably coupled to one of said plurality of readers via said slot and is accessible by one or more of said plurality of portable computing devices.

21. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, wherein each of said plurality of readers are a shell and are inoperable for performing computing functions without at least one of said plurality of portable computing devices coupled thereto.

22. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 14, wherein one or more of said plurality of portable computing devices is coupled to a corresponding respective one of said plurality of readers to form a unitary board prior to being disposed within said bottom portion.

23. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 16, further including at least one power supply removably coupled to said interconnection mechanism, said at least one power supply being rechargeable through one of said interfaces by an external power source.

24. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 16, further including a cover plate sized and configured to be disposed between said top portion and said bottom portion, and wherein said plurality of readers, said plurality of portable computers, and said at least one power supply are secured within said hand-held hand held carrying case via said cover plate.

25. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 17, further including a power converter, said power converter conditioning the power provided by said external power source for use with said plurality of portable computing devices.

26. A readily mobile ddc according to claim 23, wherein said hand held carrying case protects said plurality of readers, said plurality of portable computers, and said at least one power supply from at least two of dust, shock, water, condensation and electromagnetic interference.