A rack mounted computer system comprises a plurality of hot replaceable servers and power supplies that are mounted in chassis and assemblies which are coupled together and in which component specific data is stored in cache memory. The cache memory preferably is implemented on a communication module contained in each chassis/assembly. Some, or all, of the rack mounted components include ROM which contains component specific data. Such data includes one or more values specific to that component. The data may include any or all of the following: serial number, part name, manufacturing information, reorder information and physical dimensions of the associated component. By storing the component specific data in cache, less traffic is necessary on the rack's inter-chassis/assembly communication link(s) the chassis/assembly communication module snoops its cache and, if the data present in cache, provides the requested data from cache to the component.