OpenCS
From Hackstrich
OpenCS will be an open-hardware (and open-source) console server project.
Specs
- 1U rack-mount chassis with 8 slots (4 front, 4 back) connected by an internal backplane
- Slots will ideally all be equivalent so users can put power/ports where they want them, can be filled with:
- a PSU (up to two per system)
- a controller (up to two per system)
- an expansion module (lets you chain more chassis, up to two per system)
- an I/O module (gives you serial ports)
- Slots will ideally all be equivalent so users can put power/ports where they want them, can be filled with:
- SPI between modules with module select pins shifted by one by the backplane for each slot
- Fully-expanded base chassis would be two PSUs, two controllers, and 4x 8-port RS232 modules.
- 2 controllers + 4 I/O modules + 2 PSUs in the base
- 4 I/O modules in each expansion unit, up to 3 expansion units
- Each slot on the base gets 4 module select lines, which it can use or give to another chassis
- Total of 4*8 = 32 select lines needed
- Controllers will have an Ethernet port and two serial ports on them (console/aux)
- Probably PIC32-based makes the most sense
- I/O modules will have up to 8 serial ports on them
- Probably CPLD-based makes the most sense
