Link configuration method for device-level multi-SOC networking based on SOC platform

Abstract

This invention discloses a device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform, comprising the following steps: constructing a multi-level star topology network, including a master switching node, end nodes, and a monitoring node; establishing connections between the switching node and all directly managed end nodes, and receiving heartbeat messages from the directly managed end nodes, constructing a dynamic data routing table based on the hardware identifiers in the heartbeat messages; the end nodes sending externally interacting service data to the switching node, the switching node identifying the hardware identifiers in the service data, and distributing the service data according to the dynamic data routing table; and the monitoring node constructing a mapping table between hardware identifiers and software identifiers based on the heartbeat messages, and sending it to various application software deployed in the SOC. The configuration method of this invention is extremely flexible and can effectively construct an integrated device-level data exchange network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of electronic technology, specifically relating to a link configuration method for device-level multi-SOC networking based on a SOC platform. Background Technology

[0002] Device-level data switching is used in many fields and serves as the underlying foundation for the real-time transmission of various data during device operation. In device-level data switching design, traditional protocols such as Ethernet offer strong versatility, but their application in device-level data switching suffers from drawbacks such as multiple protocol layers and high resource consumption. Similarly, the PCIe protocol, when applied to device-level data switching, has the disadvantages of supporting only a single switching topology and lacking flexibility. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to construct an integrated data exchange network while minimizing the utilization of logical resources, enabling dynamic data routing and improving the flexibility of debugging and development.

[0004] The technical solution adopted in this invention is:

[0005] A device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform is provided, including the following steps:

[0006] Construct a multi-level star topology network, including master switching nodes, end nodes, and monitoring nodes. The master SOC of the data switching board and the processing board are master switching nodes, the slave SOC of the processing board are end nodes, and the monitoring node is deployed on any SOC. The monitoring node performs real-time monitoring and advanced configuration of the switching nodes and end nodes.

[0007] The switching node establishes connections with all directly managed end nodes and receives heartbeat messages from the directly managed end nodes, constructing a dynamic data routing table based on the hardware identifier in the heartbeat message;

[0008] The end node sends the business data for external interaction to the switching node. The switching node identifies the hardware identifier in the business data and distributes the business data according to the dynamic data routing table.

[0009] The monitoring node constructs a mapping table between hardware identifiers and software identifiers based on the heartbeat message and sends it to the various application software deployed on the SOC.

[0010] Following the above technical solution, according to the mapping table, the various application software deployed in the SOC can only exchange data through software identifiers.

[0011] Following the above technical solution, the heartbeat message includes a hardware identifier and a software identifier. The hardware identifier is obtained by the PL-side program reading the chassis number, slot number, and chip number and encoding them together. The software identifier is obtained by the SOC's application layer software through the AXI bus.

[0012] Following the above technical solution, the configuration process for heartbeat messages includes:

[0013] The underlying data exchange software of the end node and the switching node handshakes. If the handshake is successful, the basic transport layer configuration of the end node and the switching node is completed through the node's underlying data exchange software.

[0014] The underlying data exchange software of the node determines whether the software deployed on the current node is a monitoring node. If it is, the underlying data exchange software broadcasts its own node heartbeat message; if not, it sends a heartbeat message to the monitoring node on the one hand, and receives the configuration message sent by the monitoring node on the other hand, performs link configuration update, and completes the configuration of the entire transport layer.

[0015] The monitoring node receives heartbeat messages from each node and determines whether to deploy application software based on the heartbeat messages. If so, it sends the corresponding configuration message according to the software.

[0016] The monitoring node monitors and prints the link status information of each node.

[0017] Following the above technical solution, there is one and only one monitoring node in the entire system.

[0018] This invention also provides a device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on a SOC platform, including switching nodes, end nodes, and monitoring nodes. The end nodes are slave SOCs, used for assembling and unpacking service data, and periodically sending heartbeat messages to the switching nodes and monitoring nodes under their direct jurisdiction. The switching nodes are master SOCs, used for constructing data routing tables based on heartbeat messages, and sending heartbeat messages to other switching nodes and monitoring nodes. The monitoring nodes are used for real-time monitoring and advanced configuration of the switching nodes and end nodes, and constructing a hardware identifier and software identifier mapping table based on heartbeat messages, which is then sent to various application software deployed on the SOC.

[0019] Following the above technical solution, the heartbeat message includes a hardware identifier and a software identifier. The hardware identifier is obtained by the PL-side program reading the chassis number, slot number, and chip number and encoding them together. The software identifier is obtained by the SOC's application layer software through the AXI bus.

[0020] Following the above technical solution, the switching node first establishes a connection with all directly managed end nodes; after the connection is established, the switching node parses the heartbeat messages received from the directly managed end nodes, extracts the hardware identifier, and constructs a data routing table based on the hardware identifier.

[0021] Following the above technical solution, the end node sends the business data for external interaction to the switching node. The switching node identifies the hardware identifier in the business data and distributes the business data according to the dynamic data routing table.

[0022] Following the above technical solution, the SOC is a heterogeneous chip with an ARM+FPGA architecture. Program development on the SOC is divided into PL end and PS end. PL end refers to the FPGA part of the SOC, and PS end refers to the ARM part of the SOC.

[0023] The beneficial effects of this invention are: application software does not need to know the corresponding information of the data exchange layer; data interaction can be completed solely based on the software identifier, according to the relationship between hardware identifiers and software identifiers in the mapping table. When the physical deployment location of application software needs to be moved for some reason, the hardware identifier changes, but the software identifier remains unchanged, and the application software can work normally without adjusting its code. Therefore, the link configuration method of this invention for device-level multi-SOC networking is quite flexible for devices. Attached Figure Description

[0024] 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 some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall topology of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal topology of the chassis according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal topology of the board of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the heartbeat message configuration mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0030] This invention presents a link configuration method for device-level multi-SOC networking. Compared to traditional methods, it employs a custom protocol, supports various topologies, and offers greater flexibility. Based on a lightweight and flat protocol design, the logical resources occupied by data exchange functions are lower, leaving ample resources for application software development at the application layer. This invention's configuration method is extremely flexible, effectively constructing an integrated device-level data exchange network. Based on this, corresponding application function software is deployed at each node according to the device's functional requirements. This invention addresses the common underlying data exchange needs of application function software, effectively separating the data exchange layer and the application layer.

[0031] The SOC of this invention is a heterogeneous chip with an ARM+FPGA architecture. Program development on the SOC is divided into the PL side (Programmable Logic), which refers to the FPGA part of the SOC, and the PS side (Processing System), which refers to the ARM part of the SOC.

[0032] A device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on a SOC platform is an integrated data exchange network, which is divided into two categories: switching nodes and end nodes. The main SOC (data exchange board and processing board) within the chassis is the main switching node, and the slave SOCs of the processing board are the end nodes. An additional monitoring node is set up (the entire exchange network has one and only one monitoring node, which can be set on any SOC). The switching nodes handle switching routing, the end nodes handle data packet assembly and decompression, and the monitoring node handles real-time monitoring and advanced configuration.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, based on the general structural composition of the equipment, an architecture for link configuration technology in device-level multi-SOC networking is formulated, covering three levels of information interaction: chassis → board → chip, where:

[0034] Chassis level: Data exchange between chassis within the equipment.

[0035] Board level: Data exchange between boards inside the chassis (e.g.) Figure 2 (As shown).

[0036] Chip-level: Data exchange between SOCs within a multi-SOC board (e.g., ... Figure 3 (As shown).

[0037] The smallest communication unit in an integrated data exchange network is a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). Each communication unit address is encoded with a unique hardware identifier, which combines the chassis number (chassis level), slot number (board level), and chip number (chip level). Each end node periodically sends heartbeat messages to its directly managed exchange nodes and monitoring nodes, and each exchange node sends heartbeat messages to other exchange nodes and monitoring nodes.

[0038] The heartbeat message contains hardware identifiers and software identifiers. The software identifier refers to the application software deployed on the SOC. The switching node constructs a dynamic data routing table based on the heartbeat message. Data exchange can be carried out layer by layer based on the routing table, enabling free communication between SOCs within the device. The monitoring node constructs a mapping table of hardware identifiers and software identifiers based on the heartbeat message and sends it to each application software. The application software does not need to know the hardware identifiers corresponding to the underlying data exchange; it can complete data interaction only based on the software identifiers.

[0039] The link configuration method for device-level multi-SOC networking based on the SOC platform of this invention mainly includes the following parts:

[0040] (1) Heartbeat message

[0041] The heartbeat message mainly consists of a hardware identifier, a software identifier, and other key information. The hardware identifier is obtained by the PL-side program through a combination and encoding of the chassis number, slot number, and chip number. The software identifier is configured by the application layer software via the AXI bus. The PL-side program integrates the hardware identifier, software identifier, and other key information to form a heartbeat message, which is periodically sent to the corresponding communication node. During this process, data transmission and reception between SOCs are achieved using the IP core of the 7Series FPGAs Transceivers Wizard.

[0042] (2) Construct a "data routing table"

[0043] The switching node first establishes connections with all its directly managed end nodes, indicating that communication capability exists between the switching node and the end nodes. After establishing connections, the switching node receives heartbeat messages from its directly managed end nodes, parses the heartbeat messages, extracts hardware identifiers, and constructs a data routing table based on the hardware identifiers. Service data that the end nodes need to exchange first reaches the switching node, which identifies the hardware identifiers in the service data and distributes and processes the service data according to the dynamic routing table.

[0044] (3) Construct a "hardware identifier and software identifier mapping table".

[0045] The PL side of the monitoring node software, through the FPGA program and in conjunction with the IP cores of the AXI BRAM Controller and BlockMemory Generator, converts the heartbeat message information received from each switching node and end node into DDR memory via the AXI bus for use by the PS side. The PS side parses the heartbeat message, extracts hardware and software identifier information, constructs a hardware and software identifier mapping table, updates it in real time, and converts the mapping table into messages, periodically synchronizing them with all application software in the device.

[0046] (4) Business data interaction

[0047] When application software sends business data, it simply fills in the destination recipient's software identifier in the destination address field. The underlying layer automatically indexes the corresponding hardware identifier based on the "hardware identifier and software identifier mapping table," reassembles the business data packet, and then sends it to the switching node. The switching node then routes the packet to the corresponding end node for reception.

[0048] like Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the heartbeat message configuration mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, which mainly includes the following steps:

[0049] S1, the data exchange software of the end node and the switching node performs a handshake;

[0050] S2. Determine if the handshake was successful;

[0051] S31. If the handshake fails, it means that the corresponding end node does not have the ability to exchange data.

[0052] S32. If the handshake is successful, the node's underlying data exchange software completes the configuration of the basic transport layer for both the end node and the exchange node.

[0053] S4. The underlying data exchange software of the node determines whether it is monitoring deployment software (i.e., monitoring node);

[0054] S5. If it is monitoring deployment software, the underlying data exchange software of the node broadcasts its own node heartbeat message; the underlying data exchange software of other nodes obtains the corresponding hardware identifier based on the heartbeat message broadcast by the monitoring and proceeds to step S10.

[0055] S6. If it is not the monitoring deployment software, send a configuration message to the monitoring deployment software;

[0056] S7. Other nodes receive configuration messages sent by the monitoring deployment software;

[0057] S8. Other nodes update the link configuration based on the configuration message;

[0058] S9. After the link configuration is updated, the configuration of all transport layers is complete;

[0059] S10, The monitoring deployment software receives heartbeat messages from other nodes;

[0060] S11. The node's underlying data exchange software determines whether to deploy application software.

[0061] S12. If it is not an application software deployment, then the corresponding heartbeat message will not be responded to;

[0062] S13. If it is an application software deployment, then send the corresponding configuration message according to the software.

[0063] S14. The monitoring and deployment software monitors and prints the link status information of each node in real time.

[0064] The heartbeat message configuration mechanism of this invention, using a heartbeat message configuration mechanism as its underlying platform, effectively layers device-level software development into a data exchange layer and an application layer. Application software does not need to know the corresponding information from the data exchange layer; data interaction can be completed solely based on software identifiers. When the physical deployment location of application software needs to be moved for some reason, the hardware identifier changes, but the software identifier remains unchanged, and the application software can function normally without code adjustments. Therefore, this link configuration technology for device-level multi-SOC networking is quite flexible for devices.

[0065] Beyond the integrated data exchange network configuration, the heartbeat message configuration mechanism can further expand application solutions, such as dynamic software deployment and data exchange network health monitoring. Therefore, this is a link configuration technology for device-level multi-SOC networking that also possesses scalability.

[0066] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Construct a multi-level star topology network, including switching nodes, end nodes, and monitoring nodes. The main SOC of the data switching board and processing board in the chassis is the switching node, the slave SOC of the processing board is the end node, and the monitoring node is deployed on any SOC. The monitoring node performs real-time monitoring and advanced configuration of the switching nodes and end nodes. The switching node establishes connections with all directly managed end nodes and receives heartbeat messages from the directly managed end nodes, constructing a dynamic data routing table based on the hardware identifier in the heartbeat message; The end node sends the business data for external interaction to the switching node. The switching node identifies the hardware identifier in the business data and distributes the business data according to the dynamic data routing table. The monitoring node constructs a mapping table between hardware identifiers and software identifiers based on the heartbeat message and sends it to the various application software deployed on the SOC.

2. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, According to the mapping table, the various application software deployed in the SOC can interact with each other only through software identifiers.

3. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heartbeat message includes a hardware identifier and a software identifier. The hardware identifier is obtained by the PL-side program reading the chassis number, slot number, and chip number and encoding them together. The software identifier is obtained by the SOC's application layer software through the AXI bus.

4. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The configuration process for heartbeat messages includes: The underlying data exchange software of the end node and the switching node handshakes. If the handshake is successful, the basic transport layer configuration of the end node and the switching node is completed through the node's underlying data exchange software. The underlying data exchange software of the node determines whether the software deployed on the current node is a monitoring node. If it is, the underlying data exchange software broadcasts its own node heartbeat message; if not, it sends a heartbeat message to the monitoring node on the one hand, and receives the configuration message sent by the monitoring node on the other hand, performs link configuration update, and completes the configuration of the entire transport layer. The monitoring node receives heartbeat messages from each node and determines whether to deploy application software based on the heartbeat messages. If so, it sends the corresponding configuration message according to the software. The monitoring node monitors and prints the link status information of each node.

5. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network link configuration method based on a SOC platform according to claim 4, characterized in that, There is only one monitoring node in the entire system.

6. A device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on a SOC platform, characterized in that, It includes switching nodes, end nodes, and monitoring nodes. The end nodes are slave SOCs, used for assembling and unpacking business data, and periodically sending heartbeat messages to the switching nodes and monitoring nodes directly under their jurisdiction. They also send the business data for external interaction to the switching nodes. The switching nodes are master SOCs, used to identify hardware identifiers in business data, build dynamic data routing tables based on heartbeat messages, and distribute and process the business data according to the dynamic data routing tables. The monitoring nodes are used for real-time monitoring and advanced configuration of switching nodes and end nodes, and build hardware identifier and software identifier mapping tables based on heartbeat messages, which are then sent to the various application software deployed on the SOC.

7. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on a SOC platform according to claim 6, characterized in that, The heartbeat message includes a hardware identifier and a software identifier. The hardware identifier is obtained by the PL-side program reading the chassis number, slot number, and chip number and encoding them together. The software identifier is obtained by the SOC's application layer software through the AXI bus.

8. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on a SOC platform according to claim 6, characterized in that, The switching node first establishes connections with all directly managed end nodes. After the connections are established, the switching node parses the heartbeat messages received from the directly managed end nodes, extracts the hardware identifiers, and constructs a data routing table based on the hardware identifiers.

9. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on the SOC platform according to claim 6, characterized in that, The end node sends the business data for external interaction to the switching node. The switching node identifies the hardware identifier in the business data and distributes the business data according to the dynamic data routing table.

10. The device-level multi-SOC data exchange network based on a SOC platform according to claim 6, characterized in that, A System-on-a-Chip (SoC) is a heterogeneous chip with an ARM+FPGA architecture. Program development on an SoC is divided into the PL side and the PS side. The PL side refers to the FPGA part of the SoC, and the PS side refers to the ARM part of the SoC.

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