Midplane in a QFX3008-I Interconnect Device

The midplane is located in the center of the chassis and forms the rear of the front card cage. The side fan trays, front fan tray and front panel display, and 16-port QSFP+ front cards plug into the midplane from the front of the chassis. The rear fan tray, Control Boards, rear cards, power supplies, and wiring trays plug into the midplane from the rear of the chassis. The midplane contains an EEPROM that stores the serial number and revision level of the midplane.

The midplane performs the following functions:

• Power distribution—The midplane distributes power to all the device components from the power supplies that plug into it.
• Control-signal connectivity—The midplane transports the control signals exchanged by system components for monitoring, control, and management purposes.
• Transfer of data between 16-port QSFP+ front cards and rear cards—The midplane provides connectivity for data traffic to and from the front cards and the rear cards.

Warning: High levels of electrical energy are distributed across the device midplane. Do not touch the midplane connectors or any component connected to the midplane with any metallic object while you are servicing components installed in the device.