Compatible with SAS, SATA, NVME hard disk interface circuit and backplane

Abstract

An interface circuit and a server backplane compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks, the interface circuit comprising: a first interface module configured to connect the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk; a second interface module configured to connect the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk, or the NVME hard disk; a processing module connected to the first interface module and the second interface module and configured to read storage data in any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk, and the NVME hard disk; a communication module connected to the processing module and configured to convert the storage data from a serial signal to a parallel signal; and a control module connected to the communication module and configured to perform data communication with any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk, and the NVME hard disk according to the storage data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of servers, and in particular relates to an interface circuit and a server backplane compatible with SAS, SATA and NVME hard disks. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of modern network communication technology, storage hard disks have developed rapidly. Since hard disks store large amounts of data, when hard disks are used in network communication systems, the data in the hard disk can be transmitted to external network devices, and external network devices can also transmit network data to the hard disk to achieve communication interconnection between the hard disk and the network communication device; if the network device and the hard disk achieve interconnection of communication protocols, the network communication system can access the network data of the external hard disk to perform corresponding network functions; in traditional technologies, the network communication system provides network data to the network device through an external hard disk, and the network device can receive the memory data in the hard disk in real time. The network device executes the user's operating instructions according to the network data, and the safe and stable operation of the network communication system is guaranteed through the hard disk. The hard disk has extremely high practical value.

[0003] However, with the rapid development of science and technology and the update of corresponding network communication protocols, technicians have successively designed three different types of solid-state hard disks: SAS (Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface) hard disk, SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) hard disk and NVME (Non-Volatile Memory Express) hard disk. These three types of hard disks are the most mainstream application hard disks in the current communication system. Each hard disk has various communication interface protocols. Under different communication interface protocols, each hard disk has different communication data transmission methods, and the data transmission methods of different hard disks also vary greatly. However, since the hardware interface circuit in the traditional technology can only be compatible with a single type of hard disk or two types of hard disks, but cannot be compatible with three types of hard disks at the same time, the types of hard disks in the server system are relatively limited and single. If the user needs to use hard disks of different interface types, the hardware interface circuit can only be replaced or redesigned, causing unnecessary trouble and design costs. The compatibility of the hardware interface circuit in the traditional technology is low. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an interface circuit and a server backplane compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks, aiming to solve the problem that the server hardware interface circuit in the traditional technical solution cannot be compatible with the three types of hard disks, SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks at the same time, and has poor compatibility.

[0005] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks, including:

[0006] A first interface module configured to connect to the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk;

[0007] A second interface module configured to connect the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk or the NVME hard disk;

[0008] A processing module connected to the first interface module and the second interface module, configured to read the storage data in any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk;

[0009] a communication module connected to the processing module and configured to convert the stored data from a serial signal to a parallel signal; and

[0010] A control module connected to the communication module and configured to perform data communication with any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk according to the stored data.

[0011] In one embodiment, the processing module is a CPLD.

[0012] In one embodiment, the control module includes two CPUs.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first interface module includes 12 SAS sockets; wherein the SAS sockets are compatible with the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk.

[0014] In one embodiment, the second interface module includes two U.2 connectors; wherein the U.2 connector is compatible with the SAS hard drive, the SATA hard drive, and the NVME hard drive.

[0015] In one embodiment, the interface circuit further includes:

[0016] A hot-swap module connected between the second interface module and the communication module and configured to support hot-swap operations of the NVME hard disk.

[0017] In one embodiment, the hot-swap module includes a hot-swap chip.

[0018] In one embodiment, the interface circuit further includes:

[0019] A reset module connected to the processing module, configured to generate a reset signal, and to perform a reset operation on any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk through the reset signal.

[0020] In one embodiment, the interface circuit further includes:

[0021] An indicator light module connected to the processing module and configured to display communication information between the interface circuit and the hard disk.

[0022] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a server backplane, comprising the above-mentioned interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks.

[0023] The above-mentioned interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks is compatible with the three types of hard disks, SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks, through the first interface module and the second interface module. The processing module can read the storage data of any one of the three types of hard disks in real time, and transmit the storage data to the control module through the communication module to realize the communication interconnection between the control module and the external hard disk; thereby, the interface circuit in the embodiment of the present invention can perform bidirectional data transmission with different types of hard disks, and the technician can select different types of hard disks to drive the network communication system to realize the corresponding network function according to actual needs, thereby improving the reading speed and reading performance of the interface circuit for the data stored in the hard disk, and ensuring the data transmission security between the interface circuit and the hard disk; thereby, the interface circuit in the embodiment of the present invention has extremely strong compatibility, and the technician does not need to change the internal circuit structure of the interface circuit and can be applied in different types of network communication systems, thereby reducing the data transmission cost and application cost in different types of hard disks, and bringing a good user experience to the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments 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 work.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a module structure diagram of an interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a circuit structure diagram of a SAS socket provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 is a circuit structure diagram of a U.2 connector provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a module structure diagram of another interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a module structure diagram of another interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 It is a module structure diagram of another interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 The present invention is a module structure diagram of an interface circuit of a server backplane provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0033] It should be noted that SAS hard drives, SATA hard drives and NVME hard drives are the three most widely used types of hardware hard drives. Since these three hard drives use different network communication protocols, each hard drive has a unique communication interface standard with the hardware circuit, and the manufacturing materials and processes of each hard drive are also different. The data storage characteristics of these three hard drives can be summarized as follows:

[0034] SAS hard disk: adopts serial communication data transmission mode to obtain higher data transmission speed, and there is a shortened connection line inside the SAS hard disk, which expands the space capacity inside the SAS hard disk and improves the data storage effect inside the SAS hard disk. The communication interface protocol of the SAS hard disk consists of three types of protocols, which include: serial SCSI protocol for transmitting SCSI commands; SCSI management protocol for maintaining and managing network connection interfaces; SATA channel protocol for supporting data transmission between SAS hard disks and SATA hard disks; these three protocols can realize fast communication and interconnection between SAS hard disks and server devices.

[0035] SATA hard disk: adopts serial connection mode, the SATA hard disk supports SATA specification, the SATA hard disk has strong instruction error correction capability, the SATA hard disk can check the internal storage data, and automatically correct if errors are found, thus ensuring the reliability of the SATA hard disk during data transmission; and the SATA hard disk has a relatively simple internal data storage structure, which reduces the cost of the SATA hard disk during data transmission, and the data transmission efficiency in the SATA hard disk is higher.

[0036] NVME hard disk: It is a newly developed type of solid-state hard disk. The NVME hard disk supports the NVME protocol. The NVME hard disk adopts a more streamlined data calling method. There is no need to read registers when executing commands, which reduces data transmission delays. The NVME hard disk also correspondingly reduces the waiting time during data transmission, and improves the data transmission performance in the NVME hard disk. In addition, the NVME hard disk only needs to access a small amount of electrical energy to maintain a stable working state. The NVME hard disk has lower power consumption control, which ensures the efficiency of data processing in the network communication system.

[0037] To sum up, the three different types of hard disks in traditional technology have their own data transmission protocols, and when these three types of hard disks are used in server systems, they have different data transmission methods and data transmission efficiencies. Traditional technology requires the use of different types of hardware interface circuits to respectively connect with each type of hardware interface circuit one by one. However, in actual application, the server system often needs to support compatible connections of these three hard disks at the same time. The hardware interface in traditional technology cannot meet the communication requirements of being compatible with the three hard disks at the same time. Based on this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks to solve the above problems.

[0038] Figure 1 The module structure of an interface circuit 10 compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. For ease of description, only the part related to the embodiment of the present invention is shown, which is described in detail as follows:

[0039] The interface circuit 10 includes: a first interface module 101 , a second interface module 102 , a processing module 103 , a communication module 104 and a control module 105 .

[0040] Among them, the first interface module 101 is connected to a SAS hard disk or a SATA hard disk. In this embodiment, the first interface module 101 is compatible with both SAS hard disks and SATA hard disks. When the technician connects the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk to the first interface module 101, the first interface module 101 can identify that the hard disk belongs to a SAS hard disk or a SATA hard disk, and when the first interface module 101 and the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk are communicated and connected, the first interface module 101 is used to transmit the storage data inside the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk to realize the communication interconnection between the interface circuit 10 and one of the hard disks, the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk.

[0041] The second interface module 102 is connected to a SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk or an NVME hard disk; wherein the second interface module supports communication interconnection of three types of hard disks, and the second interface module 102 can accurately identify: which type of the three hard disks the hard disk belongs to, and when the second interface module 102 successfully identifies the type of the hard disk, the second interface module 102 respectively adopts corresponding network communication protocols to enable the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk or the NVME hard disk to communicate and interconnect with the interface circuit 10 through corresponding data transmission channels, respectively, and the storage data in the three types of hard disks can be transmitted to the interface circuit 10 at the fastest speed, thereby improving the transmission rate and performance of the storage data and avoiding the loss of storage data between the hard disk and the interface circuit 10; thus, the embodiment of the present invention realizes the compatible communication function of the interface circuit 10 and the three types of hard disks through the second interface module 102, greatly improving the communication compatibility of the interface circuit 10.

[0042] The processing module 103 is connected to the first interface module 101 and the second interface module 102, and the processing module 103 reads the storage data in any one of the three hard disks: the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk; when the interface circuit 10 realizes communication and interconnection with the external solid-state hard disk through the first interface module 101 or the second interface module 102, the interface circuit 10 can realize bidirectional data transmission with the processing module 103; the processing module 103 has the functions of centralized data processing and conversion, and the processing module 103 can read the storage data in different types of hard disks, and can completely retain the network information in the storage data. Network communication information; optionally, the processing module 103 will also output the feedback data to the corresponding hard disk through the first interface module 101 or the second interface module 102, and drive the hard disk to execute the corresponding circuit function through the feedback data. Therefore, the processing module 103 in this embodiment can perform two-way data transmission with any of the three hard disks: SAS hard disk, SATA hard disk and NVME hard disk, which greatly improves the data transmission efficiency between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk; the processing module 103 can play the role of data transfer in the interface circuit 10, ensuring the security and stability of the data stored in the hard disk during the transmission process.

[0043] The communication module 104 is connected to the processing module 103. The processing module 103 transmits the storage data in the hard disk to the communication module 104. The communication module 104 converts the storage data from a serial signal to a parallel signal. Since there is a large difference in data format between the control module 105 and the hard disk, the control module 105 cannot directly identify the storage data in the hard disk. Therefore, this embodiment realizes the conversion between serial signals and parallel signals through the communication module 104. The storage data output by the communication module 104 is a parallel signal to ensure that the control module 105 can directly obtain and identify the network information contained in the storage data. The parallel signal is also conducive to improving the processing and computing efficiency of the server system for the storage data, thereby improving the compatibility and universality of the interface circuit 10.

[0044] The control module 105 is connected to the communication module 104, the control module 105 accesses the storage data in the hard disk, and the control module 105 parses the network information in the storage data, and the control module 105 communicates data with any one of the three hard disks, namely, the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk, according to the storage data to realize a two-way data transmission process between the control module 105 and different types of hard disks; wherein the control module 105 can realize the interactive control function of network information, and the control module 105 realizes corresponding network communication according to the storage data in the hard disk to meet the user's network function requirements.

[0045] Therefore Figure 1In the interface circuit 10 shown, the first interface module 101 or the second interface module 102 can be arbitrarily selected to realize the communication and interconnection between the server device and different types of hard disks in the outside world, and the user experience is high; the interface circuit 10 can be compatible with the data communication functions of the three hard disks of SAS hard disk, SATA hard disk and NVME hard disk at the same time, and the compatibility is extremely strong, and then the interface circuit 10 can be generally applied to different types of network communication systems, and the data interaction performance between the interface circuit 10 and different types of hard disks is guaranteed; thus, the interface circuit 10 in the embodiment of the present invention has a relatively simplified circuit structure, can realize fast data transmission with different types of hard disks, reduces the data communication cost in SAS hard disk, SATA hard disk and NVME hard disk, the interface circuit 10 has lower manufacturing cost and application cost, and avoids the phenomenon of loss of storage data in the hard disk; effectively solves the problem that the hardware interface circuit in the traditional technology cannot be compatible with the data communication process of the three hard disks of SAS hard disk, SATA hard disk and NVME hard disk at the same time, and the data transmission rate in the hardware interface circuit is low, resulting in the limited application scope of the hardware interface circuit in the traditional technology.

[0046] As an optional implementation, the processing module 103 is a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0047] It should be noted that the CPLD in the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented using a circuit structure in conventional technology, and this is not limited.

[0048] Optionally, the CPLD can implement a hard disk data reading function by giving operating instructions to the connected user, or the CPLD implements a data reading function according to pre-stored instructions. Therefore, the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment implements an information interaction process with the user through the CPLD. The interface circuit 10 interacts with different types of external hard disks according to the user's operating information, thereby improving the human-computer interaction performance of the interface circuit 10; and the CPLD has a relatively complete signal conversion and processing function. The CPLD can access the stored data in different types of hard disks, thereby ensuring the transmission security of the data stored in the interface circuit 10. The interface circuit 10 has higher operability, which improves the practical value of the interface circuit 10.

[0049] As an optional implementation, the control module 105 includes two CPUs (Central Processing Units).

[0050] In an embodiment of the present application, two CPUs can realize interactive data communication with the communication module 104, wherein the CPU can parse the control instructions contained in the data stored in the hard disk, and the CPU recognizes the control information contained in the stored data, and the two CPUs realize corresponding data processing functions according to the stored data, and the server system can realize normal network functions; and after the CPU executes the corresponding network operation instructions, it can also transmit feedback information to the SAS hard disk, SATA hard disk or NVME hard disk to change the working state of the corresponding hard disk, and bidirectional data transmission is performed between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk; therefore, in this embodiment, the two CPUs centrally identify and process the stored data in the hard disk, thereby improving the data interaction efficiency between the interface circuit 10 and different types of external hard disks, and the CPU has lower power consumption and stronger compatibility, which greatly improves the communication stability between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk in this embodiment, and ensures the read and write speed and performance of the interface circuit 10.

[0051] As an optional implementation, the first interface module 101 includes 12 SAS sockets; wherein the SAS sockets are compatible with SAS hard disks and SATA hard disks.

[0052] The SAS socket can realize the transmission between different types of data. The technician can insert any hard disk of SAS hard disk and SATA hard disk into the SAS socket. The SAS socket can sense the connection of the hard disk, and the SAS socket can identify whether the hard disk belongs to a SAS hard disk or a SATA hard disk. The SAS socket is compatible with data reading and writing operations. The interface circuit 10 can not only access the storage data in the hard disk through the SAS socket, but also transmit the operation instructions to the hard disk through the SAS socket to change the data storage state in the hard disk; therefore, this embodiment greatly improves the communication compatibility of the interface circuit 10 through the SAS socket, so that the interface circuit 10 can be compatible with the hard disk storage mechanism of 12 disk slots, and the SAS socket can ensure the reading and writing security of the data stored in the hard disk, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and application cost of the interface circuit 10.

[0053] As an optional implementation, Figure 2 The specific circuit structure of the SAS socket provided in this embodiment is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the SAS socket includes: a LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, a sixth resistor R6, a first capacitor C1, a second capacitor C2, a third capacitor C3, a fourth capacitor C4, a fifth capacitor C5, a sixth capacitor C6, a seventh capacitor C7, an eighth capacitor C8, a ninth capacitor C9 and a tenth capacitor C10.

[0054] Wherein, the first end of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the TXN pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the first end of the second capacitor C1 is connected to the TXP pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the RXP pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the RXN pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the second end of the first capacitor C1 and the second end of the second capacitor C1 are signal output ends of the SAS socket, and the signal output end of the SAS socket is used to connect the processing module 103 to realize data interaction between the SAS socket processing modules 103; the first end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the GND7 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, and the first end of the fourth resistor R4 is connected to the GND8 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip. The RSV pin of the A0DL6H chip, the first end of the first resistor R1 and the first end of the second resistor R2 are connected to the first voltage drive signal P3V3, the second end of the first resistor R1, the second end of the second resistor R2, the second end of the third resistor R3 and the second end of the fourth resistor R4 are the signal input ends of the SAS socket, and the signal input end of the SAS socket is used to connect a SAS hard disk or a SATA hard disk to realize information interaction between the SAS socket and any one of the two types of hard disks, the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk, and the first voltage drive signal P3V3 can ensure the transmission quality and stability of data between the hard disk and the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, thereby improving the data transmission security between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk.

[0055] The ground pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip is grounded to GND, and the ground pins of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip include: GND1, GND2, GND3, GND8, GND9, GND10, GND11, GND4, GND5, GND6, X1 and X2; the 5V_1 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip is connected to the first end of the fifth resistor R5, the first end of the third capacitor C3, the first end of the fourth capacitor C4 and the first end of the fifth capacitor C5. The first end of the sixth resistor R6 is connected to the 12V_1 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the first end of the sixth capacitor C6, the first end of the seventh capacitor C7, and the second end of the eighth capacitor C5 are connected to the ground GND, the 5V_2 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the 5V_3 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the second end of the fifth resistor R5, the second end of the third capacitor C3, the second end of the fourth capacitor C4, and the second end of the fifth capacitor C5 are used to access the second voltage drive signal P5V_B; the ... eighth capacitor C5 The first end of C8, the first end of the ninth capacitor C9 and the first end of the tenth capacitor C10 are connected to the ground GND. The 12V_2 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the 12V_3 pin of the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip, the second end of the sixth resistor R6, the second end of the sixth capacitor C6, the second end of the seventh capacitor C7, the second end of the eighth capacitor C8, the second end of the ninth capacitor C9 and the second end of the tenth capacitor C10 are used to access the third voltage drive signal P12V_B. The data transmission mode in the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip can be changed by the second voltage drive signal P5V_B and the third voltage drive signal P12V_B. When the signal input end of the SAS socket is connected to a SAS hard disk or a SATA hard disk, the data interaction performance of the SAS socket can be adjusted by the second voltage drive signal P5V_B and the third voltage drive signal P12V_B, and the data transmission efficiency between the SAS socket and the corresponding hard disk can be improved according to the specific type of the hard disk. Therefore, the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment has good data communication quality.

[0056] The first interface module 102 in this embodiment communicates with any one of the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk through 12 SAS sockets. The first interface module 102 can realize the read and write function of large-capacity storage data in the hard disk, thereby improving the data communication performance of the interface circuit 10. Figure 2The specific circuit structure of the SAS socket is shown in the figure. The SAS socket uses the LD2329H-A0DL6H chip to achieve compatible input and output performance of data stored in the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk. The circuit structure is simple and the manufacturing cost is low. The LD2329H-A0DL6H chip greatly ensures the transmission security of the data stored in the hard disk, and prevents the data from being lost when being transmitted between the hard disk and the first interface module 102. The interface circuit 10 has higher practical value.

[0057] As an optional implementation, the second interface module 102 includes two U.2 connectors; wherein the U.2 connector is compatible with SAS hard disks, SATA hard disks, and NVME hard disks.

[0058] Among them, the U.2 connector can achieve high-speed data transmission. For example, the U.2 connector can support a data rate of 12Gbps, which can achieve high-performance computing of data stored in the hard disk; and the U.2 connector is compatible with the above three types of hard disk data to retain the control information of the data stored in the hard disk; therefore, the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment improves the data dynamic interaction performance of the interface circuit 10 through two U.2 connectors, so that the interface circuit 10 has higher flexibility and universality, and the interface circuit 10 can be applied to different types of server systems, thereby ensuring the communication compatibility of the interface circuit 10.

[0059] As an optional implementation, Figure 3 The specific circuit structure of the U.2 connector provided in this embodiment is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the U.2 connector includes: a CONN4 connecting chip, a seventh resistor R7, an eleventh capacitor C11, a twelfth capacitor C12, a thirteenth capacitor C13, a fourteenth capacitor C14, a fifteenth capacitor C15, a sixteenth capacitor C16, a seventeenth capacitor C17, an eighteenth capacitor C18, a nineteenth capacitor C19, a twentieth capacitor C20, a twenty-first capacitor C21, a twenty-second capacitor C22, a twenty-third capacitor C23 and a twenty-fourth capacitor C24.

[0060] Among them, the first end of the eleventh capacitor C11 is connected to the TXN pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the first end of the twelfth capacitor C12 is connected to the TXP pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the RXP pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the RXN pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the second end of the eleventh capacitor C11 and the second end of the twelfth capacitor C12 are the signal output end of the U.2 connector, and the signal output end of the U.2 connector is connected to the processing module 103. The data interaction process is realized through the signal output end of the U.2 connector and the processing module 103, so that the processing module 103 can receive the storage data of different types of hard disks in real time and quickly, thereby improving the internal storage data of the interface circuit 10 transmission efficiency; the communication pin of the CONN4 connection chip is the signal input end of the U.2 connector, and the signal input end of the U.2 connector is used to connect a SAS hard disk, a SATA hard disk or a NVME hard disk. Therefore, the CONN4 connection chip can communicate data with any type of hard disk among the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk; the communication pin of the CONN4 connection chip can output operation instructions to the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk or the NVME hard disk, and can also obtain corresponding storage data from the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk or the NVME hard disk, so as to ensure the interactive communication quality between the interface circuit 10 and different types of hard disks.

[0061] Among them, refer to Figure 3 The communication pins of the CONN4 connection chip include: REFCLK1-, REFCLK1+, REFCLK0-, REFCLK0+, PERP3, PERN3, PETN3, PETP3, PERP2, PERN2, PETN2, PETP2, PERP1, PERN1, PETN1, PETP1, PERP0, PERN0, PETN0, PETP0, ACTIVITY, PRSNT_N, RSVD1, RSVD2 and RSVD3.

[0062] Among them, the ground pin of the CONN4 connection chip is grounded, and the ground pin of the CONN4 connection chip includes: GND1, GND2, GND3, GND4, GND5, GND9, GND10, GND11, GND18, GND17, GND16, GND15, GND14, GND13, GND12, GND8, GND7, GND6 and HOT-PLUG.

[0063] Among them, the 5V pin of the CONN4 connection chip is connected to the first end of the seventh resistor R7, the first end of the thirteenth capacitor C13, the first end of the fourteenth capacitor C14 and the first end of the fifteenth capacitor C15 are connected to the ground GND, the second end of the thirteenth capacitor C13, the second end of the fourteenth capacitor C14, the second end of the fifteenth capacitor C15, the second end of the seventh resistor R7, the 5V_1 pin of the CONN4 connection chip and the 5V_2 pin of the CONN4 connection chip are connected to the fourth voltage drive signal P5V_SAS0, and the fourth voltage drive signal P5V_SAS0 can ensure that the CONN4 connection chip data read and write operation; the first end of the sixteenth capacitor C16, the first end of the seventeenth capacitor C17, the first end of the eighteenth capacitor C18 and the first end of the nineteenth capacitor C19 are connected to the ground GND, the second end of the sixteenth capacitor C16, the second end of the seventeenth capacitor C17, the second end of the eighteenth capacitor C18, the second end of the nineteenth capacitor C19 and the 3.3VAUX pin of the CONN4 connection chip are connected to the fifth voltage drive signal P3V3_1; the first end of the twentieth capacitor C20, the first end of the twenty-first capacitor C21, the first end of the twenty-second capacitor C22, the first end of the twenty-third capacitor C23 and the second The first end of the fourteenth capacitor C24 is connected to the ground GND, the second end of the twentieth capacitor C20, the second end of the twenty-first capacitor C21, the second end of the twenty-second capacitor C22, the second end of the twenty-third capacitor C23, the second end of the twenty-fourth capacitor C24, the +12V_PRE pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the +12V pin of the CONN4 connection chip, and the +12V_1 pin of the CONN4 connection chip are connected to the sixth voltage driving signal P12V_PCIE0; therefore, in this embodiment, the fourth voltage driving signal P5V_SAS0, the fifth voltage driving signal P3V3_1, and the sixth voltage driving signal P4V_SAS0 are connected to the sixth voltage driving signal P12V_PCIE0. P12V_PCIE0 can drive the CONN4 connection chip to be in different data transmission states respectively; when the signal input ends of the U.2 connector are connected to different types of hard disks respectively, the CONN4 connection chip can identify the type of hard disk, and through the fourth voltage drive signal P5V_SAS0, the fifth voltage drive signal P3V3_1 and the sixth voltage drive signal P12V_PCIE0, the U.2 connector can be in corresponding data reading and writing states respectively, so as to speed up the storage data reading and writing speed between the CONN4 connection chip and different types of hard disks in the outside world, and the interface circuit 10 can always be in a stable working state.

[0064] Therefore Figure 3In the specific circuit structure of the second interface module 102 shown, the CONN4 connection chip can be compatible with three types of hard disks at the same time. On the basis of simplifying the circuit structure, the communication compatibility of the second interface module 102 is greatly improved. Therefore, the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment can quickly interact with different types of hard disks through the second interface module 102. These three types of hard disks have lower manufacturing costs and application costs, which improves the universality of the interface circuit 10 and provides users with a better usage experience.

[0065] As an optional implementation, the communication module 104 includes a PCA9555 communication chip.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present invention, the PCA9555 communication chip can realize the conversion between serial signals and parallel signals. When the processing module 103 transmits the storage data of the hard disk to the PCA9555 communication chip, the format conversion of the storage data can be realized through the PCA9555 communication chip, so that the PCA9555 communication chip can output parallel signals, and realize the compatibility of the data format between the control module 103 and the hard disk; therefore, this embodiment ensures the integrity and efficiency of the internal transmission of the storage data in the interface circuit 10 through the PCA9555 communication chip, ensures the data communication quality between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk, and the user has a better use experience.

[0067] As an optional implementation, Figure 4 Another module structure of the interface circuit 10 compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided in this embodiment is shown. Figure 1 The interface circuit 10, Figure 4 The interface circuit 10 further includes a hot-swap module 401 .

[0068] The hot-swap module 401 is connected between the second interface module 102 and the communication module 104 , and the hot-swap module 401 supports hot-swap operations of the NVME hard disk.

[0069] It should be noted that the hot-swap means that during the power-on operation of the server device, the technician can insert or remove the solid-state hard disk without turning off the power of the device. Therefore, the network communication device that supports hot-swap has higher communication security and communication efficiency, and has higher practical value. Since in this embodiment, the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk themselves have the function of hot-swap, the technician can directly connect the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk to the first interface module 101 or the second interface module 102, and the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk and the interface circuit 10 perform stable and real-time data transmission. However, the NVME hard disk itself does not have a hot-swap function, and the security of the stored data in the NVME hard disk is disturbed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hot-swap module 401 is used to support NVM. The hot-swap function of the E hard disk, and then during the power-on process of the interface circuit 10, the technician can insert or unplug the NVME hard disk in the second interface module 102 to ensure the security of the data stored in the NVME hard disk during the reading and writing process of the interface circuit 10, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency between the NVME hard disk and the interface circuit 10, and having higher practical value; thus, the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment can enable the three types of hard disks, namely SAS hard disk, SATA hard disk and NVME hard disk, to support hot-swap operations, and the interface circuit 10 can access the storage data in the three types of hard disks, thereby improving the data communication efficiency between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk; the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment can be universally applied in different industrial fields, and the interface circuit 10 has higher practical value.

[0070] As an optional implementation, the hot-swap module 401 includes a hot-swap chip; optionally, the model of the hot-swap chip is: LTC4219 or ADUM1250ARZ; therefore, this embodiment uses a hot-swap chip to achieve the "plug and play" effect of the NVME hard disk. The hot-swap module 401 is technically easy to implement and has strong compatibility, which avoids the loss of the NVME hard disk during data communication.

[0071] As an optional implementation, Figure 5 Another module structure of the interface circuit 10 compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided in this embodiment is shown. Figure 1 The interface circuit 10, Figure 5 The interface circuit 10 further includes a reset module 501 .

[0072] The reset module 501 is connected to the processing module 103 , and generates a reset signal, and performs a reset operation on any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk through the reset signal.

[0073] Optionally, the reset module 501 may be implemented by a reset circuit in conventional technology, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0074] When the interface module 10 is connected to any one of the three hard disks, namely, a SAS hard disk, a SATA hard disk and an NVME hard disk, the processing module 103 can identify the storage data in the hard disks of different types to realize bidirectional data transmission between the processing module 103 and the hard disks; in order to maintain the normal data storage function of the hard disk, the hard disk of the corresponding type can be reset through the reset signal, and the storage data in the hard disk can be updated to ensure the data storage capacity of hard disks of different types; therefore, in this embodiment, no matter what type of hard disk the interface circuit 10 is connected to, the reset signal can enable the corresponding hard disk to perform a reset operation to ensure the stable and safe operation of the three types of hard disks, namely, the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk. The interface circuit 10 has higher communication compatibility to prevent communication failures between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk. The practical value of the interface circuit 10 in this embodiment is higher.

[0075] As an optional implementation, Figure 6 Another module structure of the interface circuit 10 compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks provided in this embodiment is shown. Figure 1 The interface circuit 10, Figure 5 The interface circuit 10 further includes: an indicator light module 601 .

[0076] The indicator light module 601 is connected to the processing module 103 , and the indicator light module 601 displays the communication information between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk.

[0077] Optionally, the connection status of the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk communication information specifically includes: the type of hard disk connected to the interface circuit 10, and whether the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk have successfully achieved data communication; therefore, the technician can obtain the data communication status of the interface circuit 10 in real time and accurately through the indicator light module 601, so as to reduce the data transmission error rate between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk and improve the human-computer interaction performance of the interface circuit 10.

[0078] Optionally, the indicator light module 601 includes a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) arranged in parallel, and the LEDs arranged in parallel can emit corresponding light signals, and the data interaction status between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk is displayed through the light signal; exemplarily, when the interface circuit 10 is connected to a specific type of hard disk, the LED emits a light source of a corresponding color, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the light source color of the LED and the type of hard disk connected to the interface circuit 10. When the type of hard disk connected to the interface circuit 10 changes, the light source color of the LED will also change accordingly; therefore, technicians can comprehensively monitor the data communication status between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk through the light emission status of the LED, thereby improving the data transmission stability of the interface circuit 10.

[0079] Therefore, in this embodiment, the data communication status of the interface circuit 10 can be monitored in real time and accurately through the indicator light module 601, and the corresponding connection status prompt can be sent to the technician through the corresponding indicator light signal. The technician can intuitively obtain the communication status of the hard disk through the indicator light module 601, which brings an excellent user experience to the user; exemplarily, the fault communication information between the interface circuit 10 and the hard disk can be displayed in real time through the indicator light module 601, the interface circuit 10 can always access a large capacity of storage data, and the control module 105 can also transmit feedback information to the hard disk. The interface circuit 10 and the hard disk have high communication stability, which ensures the efficiency of two-way data transmission between different types of hard disks and the interface circuit 10; the storage data in the hard disk has higher security performance during the transmission process, and the indicator light module 601 greatly improves the scope of application of the interface circuit 10.

[0080] Figure 7 FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a server backplane 70 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 As shown, the server backplane 70 includes an interface circuit 10 compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks as described above.

[0081] Refer to the above Figures 1 to 6In the specific implementation of the interface circuit 10, since the interface circuit 10 can simultaneously exchange data with any one of the three hard disks, namely, a SAS hard disk, a SATA hard disk, and a NVME hard disk, to support the data communication functions of these three types of hard disks, the applicability of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk, and the NVME hard disk is greatly improved; therefore, when the interface circuit 10 is applied to the server backplane 70, the technician can insert any one of the three hard disks, namely, a SAS hard disk, a SATA hard disk, and a NVME hard disk into the server backplane 70, and the server backplane 70 can be compatible with multiple hard disks without changing the internal circuit structure of the server backplane 70. types of hard disks, reducing the data communication cost between the server backplane 70 and the hard disk and the manufacturing cost of the server backplane 70. The server backplane 70 improves the read and write speed and performance of data stored in the hard disk, and realizes large-capacity data storage of the hard disk. Therefore, the server backplane 70 in this embodiment can be applied to different types of network systems. Technical personnel do not need to replace the server backplane to use hard disks of different interface types, and the practical value is extremely high. It effectively solves the problems in traditional technology that the server backplane is not compatible with different types of hard disks, the types of hard disks applicable to the server backplane are relatively limited and single, and the data communication cost of the server backplane is high and cannot be universally applied.

[0082] In summary, the interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks in the embodiment of the present invention has extremely strong compatibility and universality, and can provide a data reading and writing mechanism compatible with the three types of hard disks, SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks, to achieve large-capacity, high-speed data interaction functions. The network server device can completely receive the storage data in different types of hard disks to achieve corresponding network functions, which greatly saves the communication cost of storing data in different types of hard disks, and improves the scope of application and practical value of the interface circuit; therefore, the interface circuit in the embodiment of the present invention has a more positive role in promoting the development of data transmission technology in hard disks, and will produce important industrial application value.

[0083] Various embodiments are described herein for various devices, circuits, apparatuses, systems and / or methods. Many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and shown in the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments may be implemented without such specific details. In other examples, well-known operations, parts and elements are described in detail so as not to make the embodiments in the specification difficult to understand. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments herein and shown are non-limiting examples, and therefore it will be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and do not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0084] References to "various embodiments", "in an embodiment", "one embodiment", or "an embodiment" throughout the specification, etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with respect to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the appearance of the phrases "in various embodiments", "in some embodiments", "in an embodiment", or "in an embodiment", etc., in appropriate places throughout the specification, do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any appropriate manner in one or more embodiments. Therefore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic shown or described with respect to one embodiment may be combined in whole or in part with features, structures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments without assuming that such a combination is not an illogical or non-functional limitation. Any directional references (e.g., plus, minus, upper, lower, up, down, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are used for identification purposes to help the reader understand the present disclosure, and do not create limitations, particularly with respect to the location, orientation, or use of the embodiments.

[0085] Although certain embodiments are described above with a certain degree of detail, those skilled in the art may make many changes to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Connection references (e.g., attachment, coupling, connection, etc.) should be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members between the connection of elements and relative motion between elements. Therefore, connection references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected / coupled and are in a fixed relationship with each other. The use of "for example" throughout the specification should be interpreted broadly and used to provide non-limiting examples of embodiments of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is intended that all matters included in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as merely illustrative rather than restrictive. Changes in details or structure may be made without departing from the present disclosure.

[0086] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks, characterized in that: include: A first interface module configured to connect to the SAS hard disk or the SATA hard disk; A second interface module configured to connect the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk or the NVME hard disk; A processing module connected to the first interface module and the second interface module, configured to read the storage data in any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk; A communication module connected to the processing module and configured to convert the stored data from a serial signal to a parallel signal; as well as A control module connected to the communication module and configured to perform data communication with any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk according to the stored data; The first interface module includes 12 SAS sockets; wherein the SAS sockets are compatible with the SAS hard disk and the SATA hard disk; The second interface module includes two U.2 connectors; wherein the U.2 connector is compatible with the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk through a CONN4 connection chip; The U.2 connector includes: a CONN4 connection chip, a seventh resistor R7, an eleventh capacitor C11, a twelfth capacitor C12, a thirteenth capacitor C13, a fourteenth capacitor C14, a fifteenth capacitor C15, a sixteenth capacitor C16, a seventeenth capacitor C17, an eighteenth capacitor C18, a nineteenth capacitor C19, a twentieth capacitor C20, a twenty-first capacitor C21, a twenty-second capacitor C22, a twenty-third capacitor C23 and a twenty-fourth capacitor C24; Wherein, the first end of the eleventh capacitor C11 is connected to the TXN pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the first end of the twelfth capacitor C12 is connected to the TXP pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the RXP pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the RXN pin of the CONN4 connection chip, the second end of the eleventh capacitor C11 and the second end of the twelfth capacitor C12 are the signal output end of the U.2 connector, and the signal output end of the U.2 connector is connected to the processing module; the communication pin of the CONN4 connection chip is the signal input end of the U.2 connector, and the signal input end of the U.2 connector is connected to the processing module. Used to connect a SAS hard drive, a SATA hard drive or an NVME hard drive; the 5V pin of the CONN4 connection chip is connected to the first end of the seventh resistor R7, the first end of the thirteenth capacitor C13, the first end of the fourteenth capacitor C14 and the first end of the fifteenth capacitor C15 are connected to the ground GND, the second end of the thirteenth capacitor C13, the second end of the fourteenth capacitor C14, the second end of the fifteenth capacitor C15, the second end of the seventh resistor R7, the 5V_1 pin of the CONN4 connection chip and the 5V_2 pin of the CONN4 connection chip are connected to the fourth voltage drive signal P5V_SAS0.

2. The interface circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processing module is CPLD.

3. The interface circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module includes two CPUs.

4. The interface circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interface circuit also includes: a hot-swap module connected between the second interface module and the communication module and configured to support hot-swap operations of the NVME hard disk.

5. The interface circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The hot-swap module includes a hot-swap chip.

6. The interface circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interface circuit also includes: A reset module connected to the processing module, configured to generate a reset signal, and to perform a reset operation on any one of the SAS hard disk, the SATA hard disk and the NVME hard disk through the reset signal.

7. The interface circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interface circuit also includes: An indicator light module connected to the processing module and configured to display communication information between the interface circuit and the hard disk.

8. A server backplane, characterized in that: An interface circuit compatible with SAS, SATA, and NVME hard disks comprising any one of claims 1 to 7.

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