A method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for recovering a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag, comprising: inserting a function board to be recovered into a backplane connector of a maintenance tool; the maintenance tool obtains the RFID tag information of the function board in passive mode through an RFID reading module and identifies the current board type; dynamically configures the SerDes channel mapping relationship of the backplane connector through an FPGA module of the maintenance tool according to the board type, and starts the function board; the BMC module of the function board controls the RFID module to switch to active mode, establishes communication with the maintenance tool, and transmits the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module; the maintenance tool encapsulates the received configuration parameters into an ISO recovery image corresponding to the board type, generates an updated recovery image, and simulates a USB optical drive to mount it on the function board; restarts the function board to complete the board recovery. This method recovers a faulty board, is plug-and-repair, does not require manual configuration, reduces dependence on technicians, and reduces the complexity of maintenance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of VPX chassis boards, and more particularly to a method for recovering a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag. Background Art

[0002] Currently, VPX chassis are commonly used in high-reliability scenarios (such as military and aerospace). Most of their boards support hot-swappable replacement. If a board fails during a mission, a spare can be replaced to continue the mission. This greatly improves the maintainability of the equipment, but restoring the replaced board is very difficult. Faulty boards cannot be repaired in the chassis during a mission, requiring offline maintenance using a debugging tooling board.

[0003] Board recovery currently has the following difficulties and limitations:

[0004] 1. The configuration parameters (such as system configuration and software configuration) of the same type of board in different slots need to be configured differently, which places high demands on on-site technicians.

[0005] 2. The VPX connector signals of different types of boards differ, requiring them to be matched with different tooling boards, and the maintenance configuration items vary, further increasing operational complexity.

[0006] 3. If the board system is damaged and cannot be started, the original configuration parameters cannot be read directly and need to be rebuilt based on external records, which is time-consuming and prone to errors.

[0007] In summary, although the VPX architecture optimizes fault response speed through the hot-swap mechanism, the configuration complexity of offline board recovery and hardware compatibility issues still pose significant challenges to maintenance convenience. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of this, the present invention provides a method for recovering a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag, which can solve the problems of a complex recovery process after a board failure, the need for manual parameter configuration, the loss of parameters if the board is completely damaged, and the low efficiency and error-proneness of existing methods.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0010] The present invention provides a method for recovering a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag, comprising the following steps:

[0011] S1. Insert the function board to be restored into the backplane connector of the maintenance tool;

[0012] S2. The maintenance tool obtains the RFID tag information of the function board in passive mode through the RFID reader module to identify the current board type;

[0013] S3 according to the board type, by maintaining the FPGA module tooling dynamically configure the backplane connector SerDes channel mapping, and start the function board;

[0014] S4. After the function board is powered on, the BMC module of the function board controls the RFID module to switch to active mode, establishes communication with the maintenance tooling, and transmits the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module;

[0015] S5. The maintenance tooling will receive the configuration parameters packaged into the corresponding board type ISO recovery image, generate an updated recovery image and simulate a USB optical drive mounted to the function board;

[0016] S6. Restart the functional board so that it boots the system through the recovery image, automatically executes the system reinstallation and configuration recovery program, and completes the board recovery.

[0017] Furthermore, the functional board includes:

[0018] RFID module, supports passive mode and active mode;

[0019] The BMC module is connected to the board CPU and the RFID module through serial ports, and is used to store system configuration parameters and control the communication between the RFID module and the maintenance tool in active mode;

[0020] The board CPU is used to perform business computing tasks and collaborate with the BMC module to complete intelligent repair of the board during the recovery process by executing automated scripts and configuration programs.

[0021] In the passive mode, the RFID module only returns the pre-stored board type identifier; in the active mode, the BMC module dynamically generates the return data of the RFID module according to the stored configuration parameters.

[0022] Furthermore, the maintenance tool includes:

[0023] The main control MCU module is used to parse the RFID tag information of the functional board in passive mode, identify the current board type, and control the recovery process;

[0024] RFID reading module, used to communicate with the RFID module of the functional board;

[0025] FPGA module with built-in programmable switch matrix for dynamically assigning the mapping relationship between backplane connectors and SerDes channels based on board type;

[0026] The backplane connector is an aviation plug-in interface compatible with the insertion of different boards;

[0027] The configuration of the FPGA module enables the same backplane connector interface to adapt to signal differences between different boards.

[0028] Furthermore, in step S5, the configuration parameters are encapsulated in JSON format to a designated folder of the ISO recovery image, and a corresponding MD5 checksum file is generated;

[0029] In step S6, the configuration recovery program reads the JSON format file when the system starts, and executes the configuration commands one by one after verification.

[0030] Furthermore, in step S6, when the configuration recovery program is executed, if a single configuration command fails, it will be retried after a delay, and tried n times, where n is greater than or equal to 2; if it ultimately fails, a log is recorded and subsequent configuration commands are continued to be executed.

[0031] Furthermore, the ISO recovery image is a board type image, which includes basic system files and a reserved interface for injecting configuration parameters.

[0032] Furthermore, the BMC module is a Feiteng E2000 chip, which interacts and stores configuration parameters with the board CPU through a serial port.

[0033] Furthermore, the switch matrix of the FPGA module supports real-time dynamic allocation of SerDes channels, including adaptive adjustment of signal rate, protocol type and number of channels.

[0034] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical advantages:

[0035] Plug and repair: No manual configuration is required, reducing dependence on technicians.

[0036] Universal tooling: The same device supports multiple board types, eliminating the need for dedicated adapters.

[0037] Prevent data loss: Configuration parameters are pre-stored in an independent chip on the board and can be read even if the system crashes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 A flow chart of the recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag provided by the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the VPX chassis provided by the present invention.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a diagram of the internal structure of the functional board provided by the present invention.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the maintenance tool provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] The embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for recovering VPX chassis boards with electronic identity tags. The method can identify different types of boards and the configuration parameters (such as system configuration and software configuration) of the boards during normal operation through the board electronic tags. When a board encounters a fault and needs to be recovered, the VPX connection relationship is dynamically adjusted according to the different board types, guiding the board to recover and resetting the system according to the configuration parameters in the electronic tags. Figure 1 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0045] S1. Insert the function board to be restored into the backplane connector of the maintenance tool;

[0046] S2. The maintenance tool obtains the RFID tag information of the function board in passive mode through the RFID reader module to identify the current board type;

[0047] S3 according to the board type, by maintaining the FPGA module tooling dynamically configure the backplane connector SerDes channel mapping, and start the function board;

[0048] S4. After the function board is powered on, the BMC module of the function board controls the RFID module to switch to active mode, establishes communication with the maintenance tooling, and transmits the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module;

[0049] S5. The maintenance tooling will receive the configuration parameters packaged into the corresponding board type ISO recovery image, generate an updated recovery image and simulate a USB optical drive mounted to the function board;

[0050] S6. Restart the functional board so that it boots the system through the recovery image, automatically executes the system reinstallation and configuration recovery program, and completes the board recovery.

[0051] The overall process of this method includes: after the functional board is inserted into the maintenance tool, the board type is identified through the RFID tag. The FPGA dynamically configures the backplane SerDes channel mapping to adapt to different board signals. The board BMC module communicates with the maintenance tool, transmits the configuration parameters and encapsulates them into the recovery image. The system is automatically reinstalled and the configuration recovery program is executed to complete the repair. This method automatically restores the function of the faulty board, reduces manual intervention, and lowers the technical threshold. The maintenance tool used has hardware compatibility and can adapt to a variety of board types. Parameters are stored in the BMC module to avoid data loss. In addition, new board types can be supported through software upgrades to reduce maintenance costs.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, the VPX chassis includes compute boards, storage boards, a main control board, and switch modules. The VPX chassis is an industrial-grade chassis compliant with the VPX standard (VITA 46) and designed for high-reliability scenarios (such as military, aerospace, and communications base stations). It supports the insertion of multiple functional boards for flexible system expansion. It provides high-speed data transmission channels through the backplane, withstands harsh environments (such as shock, heat, and electromagnetic interference), and allows for the replacement of faulty boards while the system is running, ensuring continuous operation.

[0053] Among them, Figure 3 As shown, the functional board includes, for example, a Feiteng E2000 chip as a BMC module. The BMC module obtains configuration parameters (such as system configuration and software configuration) through the serial port connected to the board's CPU and stores them in the BMC module. The BMC module is also connected to the RFID module through the serial port.

[0054] RFID module, supports passive mode and active mode;

[0055] The BMC module is connected to the board CPU and the RFID module through the serial port, and is used to store system configuration parameters and control the communication between the RFID module and the maintenance tool in active mode;

[0056] The board CPU is used to perform business computing tasks and collaborate with the BMC module to complete intelligent repair of the board during the recovery process by executing automated scripts and configuration programs.

[0057] When the RFID module operates in passive mode, it only returns a pre-stored basic number, which can be used to determine the current card type. When the RFID module operates in active mode, the BMC module takes over communication and dynamically generates the RF chip return data based on the card configuration parameters. At this time, the RFID reader module can read the card configuration parameters.

[0058] like Figure 4 As shown, the maintenance tooling includes:

[0059] The main control MCU module is used to parse the RFID tag information of the functional board in passive mode, identify the current board type, and control the recovery process;

[0060] RFID reading module, used to communicate with the RFID module of the functional board;

[0061] FPGA module with built-in programmable switch matrix for dynamically assigning the mapping relationship between backplane connectors and SerDes channels based on board type;

[0062] The backplane connector is an aviation plug-in interface compatible with the insertion of different boards.

[0063] When a functional board is inserted into the maintenance tool's backplane connector for recovery, the main control MCU module first reads the passive board's RFID tag information to determine the current board type. Based on this information, it partially reconfigures the FPGA module and dynamically allocates the backplane connector SerDes channels to different functional modules through the FPGA module's internal switch matrix, allowing the same aviation plug-in interface to accommodate different boards. After configuring the aviation plug-in interface based on the board type, the board is powered on to perform recovery.

[0064] After the functional board is powered on, the board's RFID module operates in active mode. The BMC module takes over communication, emulating a tag communication protocol (for example, ISO 14443) to communicate with the maintenance tool's RFID reader module. This transmits the board's system configuration to the maintenance tool's main control MCU module. This means that the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module are transferred to the maintenance tool's main control MCU module.

[0065] The BMC module communicates with the board's CPU via the serial port, obtaining configuration information from the operating system and its associated application software. The operating system also includes service programs that, if the configuration changes, notify the BMC module via the serial port and record the latest configuration parameters.

[0066] The maintenance tooling stores ISO recovery images for different boards. After the main control MCU module reads the board system configuration, it generates a configuration file based on the board configuration information, adds it to the specified folder of the ISO recovery image, repackages the image, and simulates a USB optical drive to mount the recovery image to the board based on the board type. By default, the board boots the system through the CD for system recovery.

[0067] ISO recovery images must be prepared in advance. Maintenance tools store recovery images for each board type. Boards of the same type require the same system and software installation, so the recovery images are identical. However, specific software configurations vary between boards of the same type, such as different IP addresses. Configurations for the same software in different slots also vary, requiring separate configuration. Different board types require different recovery images, ensuring compatibility.

[0068] Boards such as computing boards, storage boards, and management boards have different functional focuses, so the hardware configurations will be different. For example, some boards have more network ports, some have larger hard disk capacity, but lower CPU performance. Because of the different functional focuses, the software types will also be different, so different recovery images are required.

[0069] The recovery process of the method of the present invention is described in detail as follows:

[0070] 1. Insert the function board into the backplane connector of the maintenance tool.

[0071] 2. Maintain the tooling RFID reading module reading function board type;

[0072] 3. FPGA configures the backplane connector SerDes port correspondence according to the board type and starts the functional board;

[0073] The FPGA contains a SerDes module for serial data transmission. The USB, network, HDMI, and other data ports of various types of boards are connected to the backplane connector through the SerDes module interface. However, the corresponding interface connection pin positions are different for different types of boards. The FPGA calls the SerDes module and configures the SerDes corresponding to the backplane connector pins according to the board type. It also connects the USB, network, and HDMI corresponding to the correct SerDes interface positions to the MCU, allowing the MCU to process the same interface of different types of boards.

[0074] 4. After the function board is powered on, the board's BMC module is also powered on. The board's RFID module works in active mode. The board's BMC module controls the board's RFID module to search for an RFID reader module on the maintenance tool. If so, communication is established and the configuration parameters saved in the board's BMC module are sent to the maintenance tool's RFID reader module.

[0075] 5. After the maintenance tooling RFID reading module obtains the configuration parameters, it is added to the specified folder in the ISO recovery image of the board type in JSON format, and the MD5 checksum of the JSON file is saved to the specified file, overwriting the configuration and checksum files in the previous image, and repacking to generate the ISO recovery image.

[0076] 6. The maintenance tool simulates a USB optical drive to mount the iso recovery image, and restarts the functional board card to allow the functional board card to boot the system through the USB CD.

[0077] 7. During the startup of the functional board, the system of the corresponding board type will be automatically reinstalled (because it is a system image packaged according to the board type).

[0078] 8. After the system is reinstalled, the system will run the self-written configuration recovery program when it enters the system. The recovery program reads the json format configuration parameters in the specified folder and verifies the checksum. If the checksum is correct, the various configurations are configured according to the configuration parameters to complete the system recovery. If the configuration command returns a failure during the configuration process, the configuration will be retried after a delay of 10 seconds, with a maximum of three attempts. If it still fails, the next configuration will be performed after recording the log in the specified file until all configurations are completed.

[0079] The configuration information is saved in JSON format, the format is as follows:

[0080] {

[0081] "System Configuration": {

[0082] "Network Configuration": {

[0083] "enp2s1f0":{

[0084] "ip":"192.168.12.2 / 24",

[0085] "gateway":" 192.168.12.1",

[0086] },

[0087] },"Other configuration":{

[0088] "System selection interface waiting time at startup": 30,

[0089] },"XXConfiguration":{

[0090] XXXX

[0091] },

[0092] },"Software 1 Configuration":{

[0093] XXXX

[0094] },

[0095] },

[0096] }

[0097] The configuration program is run by default when the system is started for the first time after recovery. The configuration program reads the JSON information in the configuration file and configures the board one by one according to the JSON information to complete the recovery of the board.

[0098] The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag provided by the present invention has the following effects:

[0099] 1.Automated and intelligent board recovery

[0100] By combining an electronic identification tag (RFID) with a baseboard management (BMC) chip, the board type and configuration parameters can be automatically read, eliminating the need for manual recording and input of configuration information. Configuration information and other records are stored within the BMC chip, eliminating the need for a separate storage module. This process also increases the amount of data transmitted by the RFID module in active mode. In actual operations, if a board fails, it can be quickly restored using maintenance tooling, eliminating the need to manually record the various configuration parameters of each board.

[0101] 2. Dynamically adjust VPX connection relationships

[0102] The FPGA module's dynamic configuration capabilities allow the SerDes lanes of the VPX backplane connector to be dynamically allocated based on the type and requirements of different boards. This dynamic adjustment mechanism enables the system to flexibly adapt to the connectivity requirements of different boards, eliminating the traditional complexity of designing dedicated tooling boards for each board. Subsequent expansion to new board types or boards for other projects can be achieved through software changes. This approach reduces maintenance complexity, minimizes the number of maintenance tooling required, and lowers average maintenance costs, while also improving system compatibility and scalability.

[0103] 3. Reduce reliance on on-site personnel

[0104] Since the recovery process is highly automated, on-site technicians do not need to have advanced technical capabilities and can complete the recovery of the board by simply following the process.

[0105] This invention can be applied to scenarios such as aerospace and in-vehicle communications that require high-reliability VPX systems, significantly shortening the recovery time of faulty boards (from several hours to minutes), and supporting unified maintenance tooling across board models, reducing equipment procurement costs.

[0106] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. Reference can be made to the common and similar parts between the various embodiments. For the devices disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method description.

[0107] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Insert the function board to be restored into the backplane connector of the maintenance tool; S2. The maintenance tool obtains the RFID tag information of the function board in passive mode through the RFID reader module to identify the current board type; S3 according to the board type, by maintaining the FPGA module tooling dynamically configure the backplane connector SerDes channel mapping, and start the function board; S4. After the function board is powered on, the BMC module of the function board controls the RFID module to switch to active mode, establishes communication with the maintenance tooling, and transmits the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module; S5. The maintenance tooling will receive the configuration parameters packaged into the corresponding board type ISO recovery image, generate an updated recovery image and simulate a USB optical drive mounted to the function board; S6. Restart the functional board so that it boots the system through the recovery image, automatically executes the system reinstallation and configuration recovery program, and completes the board recovery.

2. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, characterized in that: The functional board includes: RFID module, supports passive mode and active mode; The BMC module is connected to the board CPU and the RFID module through serial ports, and is used to store system configuration parameters and control the communication between the RFID module and the maintenance tool in active mode; The board CPU is used to perform business computing tasks and collaborate with the BMC module to complete intelligent repair of the board during the recovery process by executing automated scripts and configuration programs. In the passive mode, the RFID module only returns the pre-stored board type identifier; in the active mode, the BMC module dynamically generates the return data of the RFID module according to the stored configuration parameters.

3. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, wherein: The maintenance tooling includes: The main control MCU module is used to parse the RFID tag information of the functional board in passive mode, identify the current board type, and control the recovery process; RFID reading module, used to communicate with the RFID module of the functional board; FPGA module with built-in programmable switch matrix for dynamically assigning the mapping relationship between backplane connectors and SerDes channels based on board type; The backplane connector is an aviation plug-in interface compatible with the insertion of different boards; The configuration of the FPGA module enables the same backplane connector interface to adapt to signal differences between different boards.

4. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, wherein: In step S5, the configuration parameters are encapsulated in JSON format to a designated folder of the ISO recovery image, and a corresponding MD5 checksum file is generated; In step S6, the configuration recovery program reads the JSON format file when the system starts, and executes the configuration commands one by one after verification.

5. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step S6, when the configuration recovery program is executed, if a single configuration command fails, it will be retried after a delay, and tried n times, where n is greater than or equal to 2; if it eventually fails, a log is recorded and subsequent configuration commands are continued to be executed.

6. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, wherein: The ISO recovery image is a board type image, which contains basic system files and a reserved interface for injecting configuration parameters.

7. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, wherein: The BMC module is a Feiteng E2000 chip, which interacts and stores configuration parameters with the board CPU through a serial port.

8. The method for recovering a VPX chassis card with an electronic identity tag according to claim 3, wherein: The switch matrix of the FPGA module supports real-time dynamic allocation of SerDes channels, including adaptive adjustment of signal rate, protocol type and number of channels.

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