An automatic configuration method of a RAID array card and a configuration system thereof

Abstract

The application relates to the storage field and relates to an automatic configuration method of a RAID array card and a configuration system thereof. The application solves the problems that the RAID array card cannot be preconfigured in the prior art, and the manual configuration process is prone to misoperation and high in labor cost. The application comprises the following steps: saving the default automatic creation virtual disk and configuration data of the RAID array card in a serial peripheral interface flash memory; setting two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity and a microprocessor MCU in the RAID array card; setting a trigger automatic configuration under the condition that hardware requirements and trigger time are met through a configuration management module responsible for executing an automatic configuration process; realizing the automatic configuration of the RAID array card; greatly reducing the complex operation of manual creation of the user, reducing the consideration of human error, and putting forward the demand for automatic configuration of the RAID, which is realized through the automatic configuration, so as to achieve the purpose of being used as soon as powered on.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of storage, and in particular to an automatic configuration method and system for a RAID array card. Background Technology

[0002] In existing RAID array cards, there is generally a master control chip inside. This master control chip is connected to the server's CPU, memory, and other large system components via the PCIe bus to receive host read / write commands and management commands. Taking a RAID array card that supports the NVMe protocol as an example: the CPU accesses the RAID array card through NVMe IO and manages and configures the RAID array card through NVMe MI in-band management commands.

[0003] In addition to the main CPU system, the server also has a smaller BMC system. This smaller system accesses the status and configuration data of the RAID array card through the NVMe MI over MCTP (SMBus / PCIe) out-of-band management protocol.

[0004] Meanwhile, inside the RAID array card, the RAID controller chip accesses the Serial Peripheral Device Flash (SPI-FLASH) via the SPI interface, which stores the RAID array card firmware code, configuration data, and other information. Based on this, the RAID array card controller chip typically provides interfaces for direct read / write access to a portion of the SPI-FLASH space for both in-band and out-of-band management. RAID cards dedicated to the system disk generally support two M.2 SSD slots, while RAID cards used for the data disk manage the hard drives connected to the server backplane via external cables.

[0005] Traditional RAID array cards typically do not come pre-configured with virtual disks (VDs). This is partly because hard drives may be purchased separately by the customer and only inserted into the RAID card when needed, and partly because it's impossible to predict the user's desired configuration in advance. When a user needs to configure VDs, the following steps are involved: installing the RAID card on the server, inserting the hard drives into the RAID card or backplane, and configuring the server using a UEFI graphical interface / command-line software under the operating system, or the BMC's configuration graphical interface. This includes partitioning the hard drive space into virtual disks and allocating these virtual spaces for system or data use. These operations are highly specialized, require manual operation, and are prone to errors and malfunctions. Furthermore, the need for professional personnel increases labor costs.

[0006] For system disk usage scenarios, users mostly configure it in RAID1 mode, and customers need simple and easy-to-configure RAID functionality. There is an urgent need for a new RAID array card configuration method that can solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention proposes an automatic configuration method and system for RAID array cards in system disk RAID scenarios, which solves the problems of existing technologies where RAID array cards cannot be pre-configured, and where manual configuration is prone to errors and has high labor costs.

[0008] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: an automatic configuration method for a RAID array card, including Solution 1:

[0009] Step 1: Pre-configuration command: Save the default automatic virtual disk creation and configuration data of the RAID array card in the first serial peripheral interface flash memory; Step 2: Set the following in the RAID array card: main control chip; two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity; an on-chip CPU for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; the server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU large system is managed through the in-band management protocol, b. the BMC small system is managed through the out-of-band management protocol; Step 3: The system status and event handling of the RAID array card are managed by the firmware system management module running on the on-chip CPU; another firmware configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process to realize the automatic configuration of the RAID array card; the events that trigger the automatic configuration process of the RAID array card include the system management module triggering after power-on and the system management module triggering after disk insertion.

[0010] Further technical solutions include Solution 2: Step 1: Pre-configuration command: Save the default automatic virtual disk creation and configuration data of the RAID array card in the flash memory of the second serial peripheral interface; Step 2: Set the following in the RAID array card: main control chip; two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity; a microprocessor MCU for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; the server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU large system is managed through the in-band management protocol, b. the BMC small system is managed through the out-of-band management protocol; Step 3: the system status and event handling of the RAID array card are managed by the system management module of the microprocessor MCU; the configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process to realize the automatic configuration of the RAID array card; the specific events that trigger the automatic configuration process of the RAID array card include the system management module triggering after power-on and the system management module triggering after disk insertion.

[0011] Further technical solutions include Solution 3: The host UEFI loads the RAID array card optionROM to execute the UEFI driver to achieve automatic configuration.

[0012] A further technical solution is that the automatic configuration process includes: creating a virtual disk and modifying configuration parameters.

[0013] (1) In the mass production environment of server manufacturers, the RAID array card automatically creates virtual disks and configures data according to the pre-configuration;

[0014] (2) In the user server environment, if the RAID array card is not configured with an M.2 SSD system disk, the user can query and modify the parameters of the automatically created virtual disk through the tools or interface provided with the server;

[0015] (3) When the user server is powered off, the user can insert a system disk containing two M.2 SSDs of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card, and then start the server. During the system power-on process, the RAID array card automatically creates a virtual disk and configures the data according to the pre-configuration, and initializes the virtual disk according to the parameter requirements.

[0016] (4) If no M.2 SSD system disk is inserted into the RAID array card, the user can insert two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card after the server is powered on. The RAID array card will automatically create the virtual disk according to the previously configured parameters for creating the virtual disk and initialize the virtual disk according to the parameter requirements.

[0017] A further technical solution, corresponding to the RAID array card's power-on automatic configuration process: After the virtual disk is successfully created through automatic configuration, the configuration management module will update the physical disk SN in the automatic configuration history; the physical disk SN will not be cleared by the virtual disk deletion operation, avoiding triggering the automatic re-creation of the virtual disk configuration previously deleted by the user; it is mainly used to handle the following scenarios: when the user is not satisfied with the result of automatic creation, deletes the virtual disk configuration, and then restarts the machine or performs disk unplugging and plugging operations, deduplication is performed by using the historically used physical disk SN.

[0018] In a further technical solution, the pre-configuration command in step 1 specifically involves the following steps: After the RAID array card is initialized, the operating system command-line tool issues a pre-configuration command. The RAID array card configuration management module receives the command and checks the validity of the configuration parameters. If the check result is valid, a pre-configuration command success instruction is returned; otherwise, a pre-configuration command failure instruction is returned.

[0019] This invention discloses an automatic configuration system for a RAID array card. The RAID array card includes a main control chip and two M.2 SSD system disks of the same capacity. The server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU system manages it through an in-band management protocol, and b. the BMC system manages it through an out-of-band management protocol. Most of these RAID array cards use RAID1 to manage the onboard M.2 SSDs. The system is characterized by: a microprocessor (MCU) for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; a second serial peripheral interface flash memory for storing pre-configured parameters; the management commands are used to modify and query the automatic configuration parameters; the MCU includes a system management module and a configuration management module; wherein the system management module is responsible for managing the system status of the RAID array card and handling power-on / off and disk insertion / removal events.

[0020] In another technical solution, the RAID array card includes: an on-chip CPU for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; a first serial peripheral interface flash memory for storing pre-configured parameters; management commands for modifying and querying automatic configuration parameters; a firmware system management module running on the on-chip CPU for managing the system status of the RAID array card and handling power-on / off and disk insertion / removal events; and another firmware configuration management module for executing the automatic configuration process.

[0021] A further technical solution is that the RAID array card includes: automatically configuring the RAID card by loading the RAID card optionROM through the host UEFI and executing the UEFI driver.

[0022] This invention discloses an automatic configuration method and system for a RAID array card. It stores the default automatic virtual disk creation and configuration data of the RAID array card in the flash memory of the second serial peripheral interface. When hardware requirements and trigger times are met, automatic configuration is triggered, thus achieving automatic configuration of the RAID array card. This greatly reduces the complex manual operations required by users and minimizes the impact of human error, addressing the need for automatic RAID configuration. This is achieved through automatic configuration, enabling the RAID array card to be used immediately upon power-on. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 : A schematic diagram of the modules of this invention;

[0025] Figure 2 RAID array card pre-configuration process;

[0026] Figure 3 Flowchart for automatic configuration upon power-on;

[0027] Figure 4 Flowchart for automatic disk configuration;

[0028] Figure 5 : A schematic diagram of the module that enables automatic configuration within the firmware of the RAID array card's main controller;

[0029] Figure 6 : Flowchart of automatic configuration upon power-on in the firmware of the RAID array card main controller;

[0030] Figure 7 : A schematic diagram of the module that loads the RAID array card's optionROM into the host UEFI and executes the UEFI driver to achieve automatic configuration;

[0031] Figure 8 The process of the host UEFI loading the RAID array card optionROM and executing the UEFI driver to achieve automatic configuration. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] like Figure 1As shown in the schematic diagram of this invention, this invention discloses an automatic configuration system for a RAID array card. The RAID array card includes a main control chip and two M.2 SSD system disks of the same capacity. The server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU system manages it through an in-band management protocol, and b. the BMC system manages it through an out-of-band management protocol. Most of these RAID array cards use RAID1 to manage the onboard M.2 SSD system disks to protect the operating system bootloader, system image, system configuration, system logs, and other data. Therefore, most users' virtual disk configurations are usually similar, and users need to enter UEFI or the system to configure RAID1, increasing the complexity of the operation. The RAID array card of this invention also includes: a microprocessor (MCU) for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; a second serial peripheral interface flash memory for storing pre-configured parameters; the management commands are used to modify and query the parameters for automatic configuration; the microprocessor (MCU) includes a system management module and a configuration management module; the system management module is responsible for managing the system status and event handling of the RAID array card, such as power-on / off and disk insertion / removal events; the configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process.

[0035] Automatic configuration methods include:

[0036] The RAID array card is configured with: a main control chip; two identical M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity; a microprocessor (MCU) for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; and the default automatic virtual disk creation and pre-configuration data of the RAID array card stored in the second serial peripheral interface flash memory. The server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU system manages it through an in-band management protocol, and b. the BMC system manages it through an out-of-band management protocol.

[0037] The microprocessor (MCU) system management module manages the system status and event handling of the RAID array card; the configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process to achieve automatic configuration of the RAID array card.

[0038] like Figure 3 The flowchart and automatic configuration process upon power-on Figure 2 As shown in the RAID array card pre-configuration process, the system management module triggers automatic configuration after power-on and after a disk insertion event. The prerequisites for triggering automatic RAID configuration are: the RAID array card is inserted into the PCIe slot on the server; the RAID array card has two identical M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity, and these disks have been correctly installed on the RAID array card.

[0039] The automatic configuration process includes: creating a virtual disk and modifying configuration parameters.

[0040] (1) In the mass production environment of server manufacturers, the RAID array card automatically creates virtual disks and configures data according to the pre-configuration;

[0041] (2) In the user server environment, if the RAID array card is not configured with an M.2 SSD system disk, the user can query and modify the parameters of the automatically created virtual disk through the tools or interface provided with the server;

[0042] (3) When the user server is powered off, the user can insert a system disk containing two M.2 SSDs of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card, and then start the server. During the system power-on process, the RAID array card automatically creates a virtual disk and configures the data according to the pre-configuration, and initializes the virtual disk according to the parameter requirements.

[0043] (4) If no M.2 SSD system disk is inserted into the RAID array card, the user can insert two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card after the server is powered on. The RAID array card will automatically create the virtual disk according to the previously configured parameters for creating the virtual disk and initialize the virtual disk according to the parameter requirements.

[0044] like Figure 4 The flowchart of the automatic disk configuration process shows the corresponding RAID array card power-on automatic configuration process: After the virtual disk is successfully created by automatic configuration, the configuration management module will update the physical disk SN in the automatic configuration history; the physical disk SN will not be cleared by the virtual disk deletion operation to avoid triggering the automatic re-creation of the virtual disk configuration previously deleted by the user.

[0045] The pre-configuration command is as follows: After the RAID array card is initialized, the operating system command-line tool issues a pre-configuration command. The RAID array card configuration management module receives the command and checks the validity of the configuration parameters. If the check result is valid, it returns a pre-configuration command success instruction; otherwise, it returns a pre-configuration command failure instruction.

[0046] To significantly reduce the complexity of manual RAID configuration and minimize human error, the need for automatic RAID configuration was proposed. This is achieved through automatic configuration, enabling RAID to be used immediately upon power-on.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] Automatic configuration process for RAID array cards in server manufacturer mass production environments:

[0049] Hardware environment and initialization preparation: The hardware group includes a RAID array card inserted into the server PCIe slot, a main control chip installed on the card, two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity, which have been confirmed to be installed in place by hardware testing, and an integrated microprocessor MCU, a second serial peripheral interface flash memory SPI Flash 2, an in-band communication interface to connect to the CPU main system, and an out-of-band communication interface to connect to the BMC small system.

[0050] Data is pre-configured and stored in the second serial peripheral interface flash memory. The default configuration parameters for the mass production environment are pre-stored, including virtual disk mode, stripe size, read / write strategy configuration, and the automatic configuration switch is in the "enabled" state.

[0051] Automatic triggering conditions met: After the server is powered on, the system management module integrated into the MCU detects that the following conditions are met:

[0052] The RAID array card was confirmed to be stably connected to the PCIe slot by PCIe link signal detection; the main control chip read the disk information through the NVMe protocol, and the MCU verified that the serial number, model and capacity information of the two M.2 SSD system disks were consistent; the "manual configuration flag" in the second serial peripheral interface flash memory was 0, that is, there was no manual configuration lock command.

[0053] Configuration Management Module Execution Flow: Reading Pre-configuration Parameters: The configuration management module retrieves default configuration data from the second serial peripheral interface flash memory, verifies the parameter integrity via the MCU, and then loads it into memory. Creating a Virtual Disk: Based on the configuration parameters, the main control chip associates the two M.2 SSD system disks as a RAID 1 virtual disk, assigns the virtual disk ID "VD," and writes the RAID member disk mapping relationship and verification information into the reserved area on the disk. The configuration management module sends instructions to the main control chip to set the virtual disk read / write strategy and caching mechanism, and triggers virtual disk initialization, with the synchronization progress being fed back to the system management module in real time. After initialization, the configuration management module writes the serial numbers of the two M.2 SSDs into the MCU's auto-configuration history area and simultaneously updates the "configuration completion flag" in the second serial peripheral interface flash memory.

[0054] The system management module sends an "automatic configuration successful" event to the CPU main system via an in-band protocol, which includes the virtual disk ID, capacity, and RAID level. At the same time, it synchronizes the configuration results to the BMC subsystem via an out-of-band protocol, and records the data configuration results in the BMC log.

[0055] Example 3

[0056] like Figure 5The schematic diagram of the RAID array card's internal firmware for automatic configuration is shown. The RAID array card of this invention further includes: an on-chip CPU for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; a first serial peripheral interface flash memory for storing pre-configured parameters; the management commands are used to modify and query the parameters for automatic configuration; the firmware running on the on-chip CPU has a system management module and a configuration management module; the system management module is responsible for managing the RAID array card's system status and event handling, such as power-on / off and disk insertion / removal events; the configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process.

[0057] like Figure 6 The flowchart of the automatic configuration process of the firmware in the main controller of the RAID array card is shown. The automatic configuration method includes: saving the default automatic virtual disk creation and pre-configuration data of the RAID array card in the flash memory of the first serial peripheral interface;

[0058] The system management module of the on-chip CPU manages the system status and event handling of the RAID array card; the configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process to realize the automatic configuration of the RAID array card.

[0059] After power-on, the system management module triggers automatic configuration after the disk insertion event.

[0060] Example 4

[0061] like Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the module that loads the RAID array card's option ROM into the host UEFI and executes the UEFI driver to achieve automatic configuration. Figure 8 The flowchart illustrates how the host UEFI loads the RAID array card's option ROM to execute the UEFI driver for automatic configuration. By burning the UEFI driver into the array card's option ROM, this program can be downloaded to the system's CPU via the PCIe interface and executed automatically during the host BIOS boot process. This solution does not require modifications to the RAID card hardware or internal firmware.

[0062] Of course, those skilled in the art should be able to make various corresponding changes and modifications based on the present invention without departing from its spirit and essence, but all such changes and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic configuration method for a RAID array card, characterized in that, include: Step 1: Pre-configuration command: Save the default automatic virtual disk creation and configuration data of the RAID array card in the first serial peripheral interface flash memory; Step 2: Configure the RAID array card with the following: main control chip; two identical M.2 SSD system disks; an on-chip CPU or microprocessor (MCU) for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; the server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU system manages it through an in-band management protocol, b. the BMC system manages it through an out-of-band management protocol; Step 3: The system status and event handling of the RAID array card are managed by the firmware system management module running on the on-chip CPU or the system management module of the microprocessor MCU; another firmware configuration management module is responsible for executing the automatic configuration process to realize the automatic configuration of the RAID array card. The automatic configuration process includes creating a virtual disk and modifying configuration parameters. Specifically, in the server manufacturer's mass production environment, the RAID array card automatically creates a virtual disk and configures data according to the pre-configuration. In the user's server environment, without configuring an M.2 SSD system disk, the user can query and modify the parameters of the automatically created virtual disk through the server's tools or interface. Events that trigger the automatic configuration process of a RAID array card include at least one of the following physical events: (1) After power-on, the system management module is triggered. If no M.2 SSD system disk is inserted into the RAID array card, the user waits for the server to power on and then inserts an M.2 SSD system disk containing two M.2 SSDs of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card. (2) The system management module is triggered after the disk insertion event. When the user server is powered down, the user inserts a system disk containing two M.2 SSDs of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card and then starts the server. During the system power-on process; The automatic configuration process involves the RAID array card automatically creating virtual disks based on pre-configuration and initializing the virtual disks according to parameter requirements. The automatic configuration process also includes: after the virtual disk is successfully created by automatic configuration, the configuration management module will update the physical disk SN in the automatic configuration history. The physical disk SN will not be cleaned up by the virtual disk deletion operation. It is used to delete the virtual disk configuration when the user is not satisfied with the result of automatic creation. When restarting the machine or removing and plugging in the disk, the physical disk SN used in the past is compared to remove duplicates to avoid automatically recreating the virtual disk configuration that the user has deleted. The method further includes: automatically configuring the RAID array card by loading the RAID array card's option ROM through the host UEFI and executing the UEFI driver.

2. The automatic configuration method for a RAID array card according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific pre-configuration command in step 1 is as follows: After the RAID array card is initialized, the operating system command line tool issues a pre-configuration command. The RAID array card configuration management module receives the command and checks the validity of the configuration parameters. If the check result is valid, the pre-configuration data is saved and a pre-configuration command success instruction is returned; otherwise, a pre-configuration command failure instruction is returned.

3. An automatic configuration system for a RAID array card, wherein the RAID array card includes a main control chip and two M.2 SSD system disks of the same capacity, and the server manages the RAID array card in two ways: a. the CPU large system is managed through an in-band management protocol, b. the BMC small system is managed through an out-of-band management protocol, and the RAID array card mostly uses RAID1 to manage the onboard M.2 SSDs; characterized in that, The RAID array card includes: A microprocessor (MCU) or on-chip CPU for receiving and processing out-of-band / in-band management commands; A second serial peripheral interface flash memory for storing pre-configured parameters; The management commands are used to modify the parameters of the query auto-configuration; Both the microprocessor (MCU) and the on-chip CPU include a system management module and a configuration management module; wherein the system management module is responsible for detecting physical event triggers in the automatic configuration process, and the physical event triggers include at least one of the following: (1) When the M.2 SSD system disk is not inserted into the RAID array card, and the user waits for the server to power on before inserting two M.2 SSD system disks of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card; (2) When the user server is powered off, the user inserts a system disk containing two M.2 SSDs of the same model and capacity into the RAID array card, and then starts the server. During the system power-on process; The configuration management module is used to: when the system management module detects that the physical event is triggered, automatically create a virtual disk and initialize the virtual disk according to the pre-configuration parameters stored in the flash memory of the second serial peripheral interface; Furthermore, after the virtual disk is successfully created through automatic configuration, the physical disk SN is updated in the automatic configuration history. The physical disk SN will not be cleared by the virtual disk deletion operation. This is used so that when the user is not satisfied with the result of automatic creation, the virtual disk configuration can be deleted. When restarting the machine or removing and plugging in the disk, the physical disk SN used in the past is compared to remove duplicates, thus avoiding the automatic re-creation of the virtual disk configuration that the user has previously deleted.

4. The automatic configuration system for a RAID array card according to claim 3, characterized in that, The automatic configuration is achieved by loading the RAID card optionROM through the host UEFI and executing the UEFI driver.

Images