Asset management method for cabinet server and related device

Abstract

The application discloses an asset management method of a cabinet server and related devices. The cabinet can be divided into multiple installation positions according to height. A signal transmitter can be fixedly arranged on each installation position of the cabinet. The cabinet can control the signal transmitter on each installation position to send a signal. When a server node installed on the installation position receives the signal, the server node can send device information of the server to the cabinet in response to the signal. After receiving the device information of the server node, the cabinet can bind the device information of the server node to the installation position. In this way, a manager can quickly determine the installation position of the server.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and in particular to an asset management method and related apparatus for rack servers. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, many enterprises need to use a large number of servers, and administrators use server racks to house these servers. The internationally accepted height unit (U) of a server is equal to 4.445 centimeters. In a server rack, the rack can be divided into one or more U-slots according to height, each U-slot being approximately 4.445 centimeters high. Servers can be placed in the rack, occupying one or more U-slots. To facilitate the management of servers and other IT assets, administrators need to quickly and accurately determine the corresponding U-slots of servers within the rack.

[0003] Servers and server racks can be connected using cables with a fixed wiring sequence. After connection, the correspondence between servers and server bays is manually recorded. This allows administrators to quickly locate the server within the rack.

[0004] However, using the above method requires a fixed wiring sequence for the cable connection between the server and the rack, which is inconvenient for operation and maintenance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an asset management method and related apparatus for rack servers, which realizes asset management of rack servers.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a rack server, comprising: a rack, a plurality of signal transmitters, at least one server node, and at least one signal receiver; the rack includes a plurality of mounting positions, each mounting position being provided with a signal transmitter, and each mounting position being used to install a server node; the rack is connected to the plurality of signal transmitters, and the rack is used to control each signal transmitter to emit signals; each server node is provided with a signal receiver, and each server node is connected to its respective signal receiver; wherein, when at least one server node is installed in at least one mounting position, the positions of the signal transmitter and the signal receiver in the same mounting position correspond, the signal receiver is used to receive signals emitted by the signal transmitter in the same mounting position, the server node in the same mounting position is used to respond to the signal and send the server node's device information to the rack, and the rack is used to bind the mounting position to the server node's device information.

[0007] This allows administrators to quickly determine the location of any server node installed in the rack, facilitating asset management.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the signal transmitter and the signal receiver in the same mounting position are located on the same horizontal line, and the signal receiver is positioned on the side of the server node closer to the signal transmitter.

[0009] This can improve the success rate of the signal receiver receiving the signal emitted by the signal transmitter.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the rack includes a processor, an input / output expansion module, and a mounting plate; the mounting plate has multiple signal transmitters, and the position of each signal transmitter corresponds to the position of a mounting slot in the rack; the processor is connected to the mounting plate via the input / output expansion module.

[0011] In another possible implementation, the rack includes a processor, input / output expansion modules, and multiple mounting plates. The processor is connected to the multiple mounting plates via the input / output expansion modules. Each mounting plate is equipped with a signal transmitter, and the position of each mounting plate corresponds to the position of a mounting slot in the rack.

[0012] In one possible implementation, a signal receiver on the server node is connected to a baseboard management controller on the server node, which is used to connect to the rack.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the signal transmitter includes one or more of a visible light emitter, a light-emitting diode, or an infrared emitter, and / or the signal receiver includes one or more of a light sensor or an infrared signal receiver.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the device information of the server node includes one or more of the following: the server node's device name, the server node's product serial number (SN), the server node's media access control (MAC) address, and the server node's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0015] Secondly, this application provides another rack server, comprising: a rack, multiple signal receivers, at least one server node, and at least one signal transmitter; the rack includes multiple mounting positions, each mounting position is provided with a signal receiver, and each mounting position is used to install a server node; the rack is connected to the multiple signal receivers; each server node is provided with a signal transmitter, and each server node is connected to its respective signal transmitter; the rack is used to control the signal transmitter on each server node to emit signals; the server node is used to send device information of the server node to the rack; wherein, when at least one server node is installed in at least one mounting position, the positions of the signal receivers and signal transmitters in the same mounting position correspond, the signal receivers are used to receive signals emitted by the signal transmitters in the same mounting position, and the rack is used to bind the mounting positions to the device information of the server nodes in response to the signals.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the signal receiver and the signal transmitter in the same mounting position are located on the same horizontal line, with the signal transmitter positioned on the side of the server node closer to the signal transmitter.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the rack includes a processor, an input / output expansion module, and a mounting plate; the mounting plate is provided with multiple signal receivers, and the position of each signal receiver corresponds to the position of a mounting slot in the rack; the processor is connected to the mounting plate through the input / output expansion module.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the rack includes a processor, input / output expansion modules, and multiple mounting plates. The processor is connected to the multiple mounting plates via the input / output expansion modules. Each mounting plate has a signal receiver, and the position of each mounting plate corresponds to the position of a mounting slot in the rack.

[0019] In one possible implementation, a signal transmitter on the server node is connected to a baseboard management controller on the server node, which is used to connect to the rack.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the signal transmitter includes one or more of a visible light emitter, a light-emitting diode, or an infrared emitter, and / or the signal receiver includes one or more of a light sensor or an infrared signal receiver.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the device information of the server node includes one or more of the following: the server node's device name, the server node's product serial number (SN), the server node's media access control (MAC) address, and the server node's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0022] Thirdly, this application provides an asset management method for rack servers, comprising: the rack controlling a signal transmitter located at an installation position to emit a signal; if a server node is installed in the same installation position, a signal receiver located at the server node receives the signal, and the server node responds to the signal by sending its device information to the rack, wherein the same installation position is the installation position where the signal transmitter emitting the signal is located; the rack receives the device information of the server node and binds the device information of the server node to the same installation position.

[0023] In one possible implementation, there are multiple mounting positions, each with a signal transmitter, and the cabinet controls the multiple signal transmitters to emit signals in a first sequence.

[0024] In one possible implementation, a signal receiver on the server node is connected to a baseboard management controller on the server node, wherein the signal receiver on the server node sends received signals to the baseboard management controller, and the baseboard management controller, in response to the signals, sends device information of the server node to the rack.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the signal transmitter includes one or more of a visible light emitter, a light-emitting diode, or an infrared emitter, and / or the signal receiver includes one or more of a light sensor or an infrared signal receiver.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the device information of the server node includes one or more of the following: the server node's device name, the server node's product serial number (SN), the server node's media access control (MAC) address, and the server node's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0027] Fourthly, this application provides another asset management method for rack servers, including: when a server node is installed in a mounting position of the rack, the rack sends a transmission command to the server node; in response to the transmission command, the server node controls a signal transmitter located on the server node to emit a signal; the server node sends its device information to the rack; the rack receives the server node's device information; if a signal receiver located in the mounting position receives the signal, the rack, in response to the signal, binds the server node's device information to the same mounting position, wherein the same mounting position is the mounting position where the signal receiver receiving the signal is located.

[0028] In one possible implementation, there are multiple mounting positions, each with a signal receiver; when at least two server nodes are mounted in at least two mounting positions, the rack sends transmission commands to each server node in a second order.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the signal transmitter on the server node is connected to the baseboard management controller of the server node, wherein the baseboard management controller receives a transmission command sent by the rack, and in response to the transmission command, the baseboard management controller controls the signal transmitter on the server node to emit a signal, and the baseboard management controller sends the device information of the server node to the rack.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the signal transmitter includes one or more of a visible light emitter, a light-emitting diode, or an infrared emitter, and / or the signal receiver includes one or more of a light sensor or an infrared signal receiver.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the device information of the server node includes one or more of the following: the server node's device name, the server node's product serial number (SN), the server node's media access control (MAC) address, and the server node's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0032] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer storage medium including computer instructions, which, when executed on a rack server, cause the rack server to perform the rack server asset management method in any of the possible implementations of the third or fourth aspects described above.

[0033] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that, when running on a rack server, causes the rack server to execute the rack server asset management method in any of the possible implementations of the third or fourth aspect described above.

[0034] The beneficial effects of aspects two through six can be referenced from the beneficial effects of aspect one. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the architecture of a rack server 10 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 1B A schematic diagram of the form of a cabinet 100 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a cabinet 100 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 2B A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a server 200 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between a mounting plate, a light-emitting diode, and a photosensor, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mounting plate provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another mounting plate provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating the process of binding server device information and the location of the server's USB port, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating another process for binding server device information and the location of the server's U-bit, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an asset management method for a rack server provided in this application embodiment;

[0045] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating another asset management method for rack servers provided in this application embodiment;

[0046] Figure 10 This application provides a schematic diagram of the hardware module interaction for a rack server 10 to execute an asset management method.

[0047] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of a rack server 10 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and thoroughly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B; the word "and / or" in the text is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more than two.

[0049] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature, and in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0050] The following describes an architecture for a rack server provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0051] like Figure 1A As shown, the rack server 10 includes a rack 100, one or more servers (also referred to as server nodes in this embodiment), one or more signal transmitters, and one or more signal receivers. The one or more servers may include server 200. The rack 100 can be divided into one or more mounting positions, which can be U-positions, such as U-position 1, U-position 2, U-position 3, and U-position 4, etc. The height of each U-position can be 4.445 cm, i.e., 1U equals 4.445 cm. "U" is a unit representing the external dimensions of a server, an abbreviation for "unit," and the specific dimensions represented by 1U are determined by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA). Those skilled in the art will understand that in actual manufacturing, the actual dimensions of "U" are allowed to deviate, or the specific dimensions of "U" can be determined by other optional server external dimension defining units or organizations, and are not limited here. In some embodiments, the rack 100 may also be equipped with a rack management board 110 for managing the U-positions of the rack 100 and the servers placed in the U-positions, etc.

[0052] Server 200 can be placed in rack 100 and occupy one of the U-slots in rack 100, for example, server 200 can be placed in U-slot 4 of rack 100. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, server 200 can be an independent server or server node, such as a rack server, blade server, tower server, etc. In some embodiments, server 200 can also be a server unit within a server.

[0053] The rack 100 can establish a communication connection with the server 200. This communication connection can be a wired connection, and in some embodiments, it can also be a wireless connection; this application does not limit the scope of the connection.

[0054] Server 200 can send device information of server 200 to rack 100 through this communication connection. The device information may include identification information. The identification information may include one or more of the following: device name, serial number (SN), medium access control (MAC) address, and internet protocol address (IP) address, etc. In some embodiments, in addition to identification information, the device information may also include one or more of the following: model information, manufacturing date, maintenance cycle, repair records, etc.

[0055] After receiving the device information of server 200 sent by server 200, rack 100 can determine the location information of server 200, including the U-position of server 200 within rack 100. Rack 100 can store the device information of server 200, the location information of server 200, and the correspondence between the device information and the location information of server 200.

[0056] It is understandable that when the rack server 10 also includes other servers (such as server 300 and server 310), the rack 100 can also establish communication connections with other servers and store the correspondence between the server's device information and the server's location information.

[0057] It should be noted that rack 100 can be Figure 1A or Figure 1B The rack 100 shown can also be other types of racks. Furthermore, rack 100 can be... Figure 1A or Figure 1B The single cabinet shown may be a composite cabinet or data center composed of multiple cabinets in some embodiments, which is not limited here.

[0058] Rack 100 and server 200 can be bound to each other using a U-position identification method based on near field communication (NFC). However, using the NFC-based U-position identification method requires adding an NFC tag to rack 100 and an NFC reader to server 200, resulting in high implementation costs. Furthermore, the lifespan of NFC tags and NFC readers is relatively short.

[0059] This application provides an asset management method for rack-mounted servers. A signal transmitter (e.g., a visible light transmitter, LED, or infrared transmitter, etc.) can be fixedly installed at each mounting position of the rack 100. One or more servers are installed in the rack 100, and each server is equipped with a signal receiver (e.g., a light sensor, infrared signal receiver, etc.). The rack can control the signal transmitters at each mounting position to emit signals in a first sequence. When a server installed at that mounting position, such as server 200, receives the signal, it can send its device information to the rack in response to the signal. After receiving the device information from server 200, the rack can bind the device information of server 200 to that mounting position. In this way, administrators can quickly determine the mounting position of any server installed in the rack 100, facilitating asset management. Moreover, when the server 200 and the rack 100 are connected by cables, there is no fixed wiring sequence between the cables, allowing for flexible hardware maintenance.

[0060] It should be noted that the following embodiments of this application will use an LED as the signal transmitter and a photosensor as the signal receiver to illustrate the asset management method and related apparatus for rack servers provided in this application. It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the LED can also be replaced with other signal transmitters (e.g., visible light transmitters or infrared transmitters), and correspondingly, the photosensor can also be replaced with a corresponding signal receiver (e.g., an infrared receiver, etc.), which is not limited here.

[0061] The following describes the hardware structure of a cabinet 100 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0062] like Figure 2A As shown, the cabinet 100 may include: a processor 101, a memory 102, a mounting plate 103, a power module 104, and a management network switch 105. Among them:

[0063] Processor 101 can be used to read and execute computer-readable instructions. In a specific implementation, processor 101 may mainly include a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers. The controller is primarily responsible for instruction decoding and issuing control signals (e.g., control signal 1, control signal 2, etc.) for the operations corresponding to the instructions. The ALU is primarily responsible for storing temporarily stored register operands and intermediate operation results during instruction execution. In a specific implementation, the hardware architecture of processor 101 can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) architecture, a MIPS architecture, an ARM architecture, or an NP architecture, etc. In some embodiments, part or all of processor 101 can be implemented using a rack management board (e.g., Figure 1A The rack management board (110) shown is installed in the rack 100.

[0064] Memory 102 is coupled to processor 101 and is used to store various software programs and / or multiple sets of instructions. In specific implementations, memory 102 may include high-speed random access memory; in some embodiments, memory 102 may also include non-volatile memory. Memory 102 may store communication programs that can be used to communicate with rack 100 or other devices. In other embodiments, memory 102 may also store an operating system, such as uCOS, VxWorks, RTLinux, or other embedded operating systems. Memory 102 can be used to store device information of server 200, location information of server 200, the correspondence between device information and location information of server 200, and so on.

[0065] Mounting plate 103 may include one or more mounting positions (also referred to as U-positions in this application), which correspond to one or more U-positions of rack 100, each U-position having a height of approximately 4.445 cm. In some embodiments, each U-position of mounting plate 103 is provided with a light-emitting diode (LED), which can be turned on or off. Mounting plate 103 can be used to receive control signal 1 sent by processor 101. In some embodiments, in response to control signal 1, mounting plate 103 can also be used to turn on or off the LEDs on mounting plate 103.

[0066] In other embodiments, each U-position of the mounting plate 103 is provided with a light sensor (e.g., a brightness sensor). This light sensor can be used to detect whether a light-emitting diode on the server 200 or other servers is emitting light. In this case, the mounting plate 103 can also be used to send the sensing result to the processor 101.

[0067] The power module 104 provides system power to the rack 100, supplying power to all modules within the rack 100, and supports the rack 100 in receiving charging inputs. The power module 104 may include a power management unit (PMU) and a battery. The PMU can receive external charging inputs; provide electrical signals from the charging circuit to the battery for charging; and provide electrical signals from the battery to other modules within the rack 100 to prevent overcharging, over-discharging, short circuits, or overcurrent. In some embodiments, the power module 104 may also include a wireless charging coil for wirelessly charging the rack 100. Additionally, the PMU can monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle count, and battery health status (leakage current, impedance).

[0068] The management network switch 105 can be used to establish a communication connection with a server (e.g., server 200) and receive server device information sent by one or more servers (e.g., server 200). The management network switch 105 can establish a communication connection with the server 200 using a wired connection such as a cable connection. In some embodiments, the management network switch 105 can also establish a wireless communication connection with the server 200.

[0069] Optionally, in some embodiments, the cabinet 100 may also include buttons, sensors, etc. Figure 2A (Not shown in the image) etc. Buttons can be physical buttons or touch buttons (used in conjunction with touch sensors), used to trigger operations such as power on, power off, and reset. Touch sensors can detect user touch operations such as single clicks, double clicks, multiple clicks, long presses, and heavy pressure, and can also perform user fingerprint recognition to authenticate user identity in security-sensitive business scenarios.

[0070] Understandable, Figure 2A The rack 100 shown is merely an example, and rack 100 can have more than... Figure 2A The more or fewer components shown can be combined into two or more components, or they can have different component configurations. Figure 2A The various components shown can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and / or application-specific integrated circuits.

[0071] The hardware structure of the server 200 provided in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0072] like Figure 2B As shown, server 200 may include: one or more network device processors 201, memory 202, communication interface 203, transmitter 205, receiver 206, coupler 207, sensor module 209, and baseboard management controller (BMC) 210. Optionally, server 200 may also include antenna 208. These components can be connected via bus 204 or other means. Figure 2B Taking a bus connection as an example:

[0073] The communication interface 203 can be used by the server 200 to communicate with other communication devices, such as electronic devices used by consumers of the project. Specifically, the communication interface 203 can be a 3G communication interface, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) (4G) communication interface, a 5G communication interface, a WLAN communication interface, a WAN communication interface, etc. Not limited to wireless communication interfaces, the server 200 can also be configured with a wired communication interface 203 to support wired communication.

[0074] In some embodiments of this application, transmitter 205 and receiver 206 can be considered as a wireless modem. Transmitter 205 can be used to transmit signals output by network device processor 201. Receiver 206 can be used to receive signals. In server 200, the number of transmitters 205 and receivers 206 can be one or more. Antenna 208 can be used to convert electromagnetic energy in a transmission line into electromagnetic waves in free space, or to convert electromagnetic waves in free space into electromagnetic energy in a transmission line. Coupler 207 can be used to split mobile communication signals into multiple paths and distribute them to multiple receivers 206. Understandably, the antenna 208 of the network device can be implemented as a massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Size Antenna Array).

[0075] The memory 202 is coupled to the network device processor 201 and is used to store various software programs and / or multiple sets of instructions. Specifically, the memory 202 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0076] The memory 202 can store an operating system (hereinafter referred to as the system), such as uCOS, VxWorks, RTLinux and other embedded operating systems. The memory 202 can also be used to store the implementation program on the server 200 side of the asset management method for the rack server provided in one or more embodiments of this application.

[0077] In this embodiment, the network device processor 201 can be used to read and execute computer-readable instructions. Specifically, the network device processor 201 can be used to invoke a program stored in the memory 202.

[0078] In some embodiments, the server 200 may include a sensor module 209, which may include one or more light sensors (e.g., a brightness sensor). The sensor module 209 may be used to sense whether the light-emitting diode in the U-position corresponding to the location of the server 200 in the rack is in an emitting state, and send the sensing result to the baseboard management controller 210.

[0079] In other embodiments, server 200 may also replace sensor module 209 with light-emitting diodes or other signal transmitters. Figure 2B (Not shown in the image). For example, if the sensor module 209 is replaced with a light-emitting diode (LED), the server 200 can be used to receive the control signal 2 sent by the processor 101 and determine whether to turn the LED on or off based on the control signal 2.

[0080] The baseboard management controller 210 can be used to receive the sensing results from the sensor module 209. The baseboard management controller 210 can be connected to the sensor module 209. When the sensor module 209 senses that the LED in the U-position corresponding to the location of the server 200 in the rack is lit, the baseboard management controller 210 can be used to send device information of the server 200 to the management network switch 105 in the rack 100. When the server 200 is connected to the rack 100 via a cable, the baseboard management controller 210 can also be used to connect to the rack 100.

[0081] Understandable, Figure 2B The server 200 shown is merely an example, and server 200 can have more than... Figure 2B The more or fewer components shown can be combined into two or more components, or they can have different component configurations. Figure 2B The various components shown can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and / or application-specific integrated circuits.

[0082] The following is a schematic diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a mounting plate 103, a light-emitting diode, and a light sensor provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0083] like Figure 3 As shown, the rack 100 is equipped with a mounting plate 103, which can be divided into one or more U-positions according to height, such as U-position 1, U-position 2, U-position 3, U-position 4, and U-position 5. Each of these U-positions corresponds one-to-one with one or more U-positions in the rack 100 according to height. At least one light-emitting diode (LED) is installed in each U-position of the mounting plate 103. For example, LED 301 is installed in U-position 1, LED 302 in U-position 2, LED 303 in U-position 3, LED 304 in U-position 4, LED 305 in U-position 5, and so on. Simultaneously, one or more servers are placed in the rack 100; for example, server 200 is placed in U-position 1 of the rack 100, and so on. A light sensor 306 is installed on the side of server 200 adjacent to the mounting plate 103. The light sensor 306 can detect whether the corresponding LED 301 is in an illuminated or off state. For example, when the LED 301 in rack 100 controls U-position 1 to illuminate, the server 200 in U-position 1 of rack 100 can detect that the LED 301 is in an illuminated state through the light sensor 306. When the LED 301 in rack 100 controls U-position 1 to turn off, the server 200 in U-position 1 of rack 100 can detect that the LED 301 is in an off state through the light sensor 306.

[0084] Similarly, if other servers are placed in other U-positions of rack 100 (such as U-position 2, U-position 3, U-position 4, etc.), the other servers can also determine whether the LED corresponding to the U-position where the server is located is in an illuminated state through the light sensor installed on the server.

[0085] Preferably, the light-emitting diodes on the mounting plate and the light sensors installed on the server in the corresponding U-position can be on the same horizontal line.

[0086] In addition, optional, such as Figure 3 As shown, baffles 307 can also be installed between different USB ports on the mounting plate. This prevents the light sensor on the server 200 from sensing the light emitted by the LEDs in other USB ports, thus avoiding interference with the sensing results.

[0087] It should be noted that in some embodiments, a light sensor may be provided on each U-position of the mounting plate 103, and a light-emitting diode may be provided on the server 200. In this case, the light sensor on the mounting plate 103 can detect whether the server 200 is placed in the U-position and whether the light-emitting diode on the server 200 is lit.

[0088] The following is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mounting plate 103 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0089] In some embodiments, the mounting plate 103 may use a single-plate design.

[0090] like Figure 4As shown, the mounting board 103 may include a complete board 400, which includes a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) expansion module 410 and one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs), such as LEDs 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405, etc. The complete board 400 may be divided into multiple U-positions according to its height, and each U-position of the complete board 400 is provided with an LED. For example, U-position 1 is provided with LED 401, U-position 2 with LED 402, U-position 3 with LED 403, U-position 4 with LED 404, U-position 5 with LED 405, etc. Each LED is connected to the GPIO expansion module 410, and the GPIO expansion module 410 is connected to the rack management board. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the rack management board is provided with some or all of the processors 101 of the rack 100. The GPIO expansion module 410 can receive control signal 1 sent by the rack management board, and control the LEDs on the board 400 to be lit or turned off based on control signal 1 and the correspondence between the pins of the GPIO expansion module 410 and each U-position. Taking the LED 401 on U-position 1 as an example, when the GPIO expansion module 410 receives control signal 1 indicating that the LED 401 corresponding to U-position 1 should be lit, the GPIO expansion module 410 can light up the LED 401 on U-position 1 through the pins on the GPIO expansion module 410 corresponding to U-position 1.

[0091] In other embodiments, mounting plate 103 may also use a discrete single-board design.

[0092] like Figure 5 As shown, the mounting board 103 may include a GPIO expansion module 500 and one or more single boards, such as single boards 510, 520, 530, 540, and 550. Each single board is equipped with a light-emitting diode, and each single board corresponds to a U-position in the rack 100. For example, as... Figure 5As shown, board 510 corresponds to U-position 1 of rack 100, and board 510 is equipped with LED 501; board 520 corresponds to U-position 2 of rack 100, and board 520 is equipped with LED 502; board 530 corresponds to U-position 3 of rack 100, and board 530 is equipped with LED 503; board 540 corresponds to U-position 4 of rack 100, and board 540 is equipped with LED 504; board 550 corresponds to U-position 5 of rack 100, and board 550 is equipped with LED 505, and so on. Each board is connected to a GPIO expansion module 500, which is connected to the rack management board. The GPIO expansion module 500 can receive control signal 1 sent by the rack management board and, based on this control signal 1 and the correspondence between the pins of the GPIO expansion module 500 and each U-position, control the LEDs on the board to be lit or turned off. For details on how the GPIO expansion module 500 controls the LED to turn on or off, please refer to the above. Figure 4 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments.

[0093] It is understandable that the above Figure 4 and Figure 5 The structure of the mounting plate 103 shown is merely an example. In the embodiments of this application, other mounting plate designs (such as a combination of a whole plate and discrete single plates, etc.) may also be used, and this application does not limit them here.

[0094] It should be noted that when a light sensor is installed on the mounting plate 103 but no light-emitting diode is installed, the mounting plate 103 can also adopt a whole-board design or a discrete single-board design. For specific structures, please refer to the above. Figure 4 or Figure 5 The relevant details in the illustrated embodiments will not be repeated here. Furthermore, in this application embodiment, the light emitted by the light-emitting diode can be visible light or invisible light. This application does not limit the brightness or size of the light-emitting diode when it is in the emitting state.

[0095] In other embodiments, the light-emitting diode and the light sensor in the above embodiments can be replaced by an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver, respectively, with the infrared transmitter being turned on or off by the cabinet management board.

[0096] In one possible implementation, the mounting plate 103 can also be integrated with the cabinet management board 110, which is not limited herein.

[0097] The following describes a specific process for binding server device information and the server's location in a U-bit position, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0098] Taking server 200 located in U-position 1 of rack 100 as an example, Figure 6 As shown, the specific process for binding the server's device information and the server's location (U-bit) may include the following steps:

[0099] S601, the LED on U-position 1 of rack 100 is lit.

[0100] The rack 100 can sequentially light up the diodes on different USB ports in a first order. The first order can be the order in which all USB ports in the rack 100 are arranged from top to bottom, or the order in which all USB ports in the rack 100 are arranged from bottom to top, or any other order that can traverse all USB ports in the rack 100. This application does not limit this order.

[0101] Taking rack 100, which includes five U-slots: U-slot 1, U-slot 2, U-slot 3, U-slot 4, and U-slot 5, as an example:

[0102] When the first sequence is U-position 1, U-position 2, U-position 3, U-position 4, and U-position 5, the rack 100 can first light up the LED on U-position 1 based on the first sequence, while keeping the LEDs on the other U-positions in an off state. After lighting up the LED on U-position 1, the rack 100 can, after performing the following step S605, light up the LED on U-position 2 and turn off the LED on U-position 1.

[0103] When the first sequence is U-position 5, U-position 4, U-position 3, U-position 2, U-position 1, the cabinet 100 can sequentially light up the LEDs on U-position 5, U-position 4, U-position 3, U-position 2, and U-position 1 based on the first sequence. When any one of the LEDs on U-position 1 is in the lit state, the LEDs on the other U-position 1 remain in the off state.

[0104] S602, Server 200 recognizes that the LED on U-position 1 is in an illuminated state.

[0105] Since server 200 is located in U-position 1 of rack 100, when rack 100 lights up the LED in U-position 1, the light sensor on server 200 can detect the LED in U-position 1 emitting light.

[0106] S603, Server 200 sends device information of Server 200 to Cabinet 100.

[0107] When server 200 detects that the LED on U-position 1 is lit, server 200 can send server 200's device information to rack 100. The device information of server 200 may include identification information, which may include any one or more of the following: device name, SN address, MAC address, and IP address.

[0108] In some embodiments, the device information of server 200 may also include any one or more of the following: server 200 model information, manufacturing date, maintenance cycle, repair records, etc.

[0109] S604, rack 100 determines the location information of server 200, and the location information of server 200 is used to indicate the U position of server 200 in rack 100.

[0110] After receiving the device information of the server 200, the rack 100 can determine that the server placed in the U position 1 of the rack 100 is the server 200 based on the fact that the light-emitting diode on the U position 1 is in the lit state. That is, the location information of the server 200 is determined as: the server 200 is placed in the U position 1 of the rack 100.

[0111] In some embodiments, the rack 100 may also determine that the server 200 is located in the rack 100 in the U position 1 based on the light-emitting diode lit in step S601 being the light-emitting diode in U position 1.

[0112] S605, the device information and location information of rack 100 and storage server 200, and the correspondence between the device information and location information of server 200.

[0113] For example, the rack 100 may store the device information of the server 200, the location information of the server 200, and the correspondence between the two in the form of Table 1 below.

[0114] Table 1. Correspondence between server device information and location information

[0115] Server Identifier U position 192.168.0.112 U bit 1

[0116] As shown in Table 1, Table 1 may include a server identification column and a U-position column. The server identification column can be used to display the server's identification information, such as IP address, MAC address, etc. The U-position column can be used to display the server's location information, that is, the U-position of the server in rack 100, such as U-position 1. According to Table 1, the IP address of server 200 is 192.168.0.112, and the location of server 200 is U-position 1 in rack 100.

[0117] For example, the rack 100 may also store the device information of the server 200, the location information of the server 200, and the correspondence between the two in the form of Table 2 below.

[0118] Table 2. Correspondence between server device information and location information

[0119]

[0120] As shown in Table 2, Table 2 may include a server identification column, a manufacturing date column, a maintenance record column, and a U-position column. The server identification column can be used to display the server's identification information, such as the IP address 192.168.0.112. The manufacturing date column can be used to display the server's manufacturing date. The maintenance record column can be used to display the server's maintenance records. The U-position column can be used to display the server's location information, that is, the U-position of the server in rack 100, such as U-position 1. According to Table 1, the IP address of server 200 is 192.168.0.112, the manufacturing date is September 27, 2019, and the location of server 200 is U-position 1 in rack 100. There are two maintenance records for server 200. One maintenance record shows that server 200 underwent routine maintenance on January 1, 2021. The other maintenance record shows that server 200 underwent repair for a circuit fault on June 30, 2022.

[0121] For example, when multiple servers (including server 200) are placed in the rack 100, the rack 100 can also correspond the device information and location information of the multiple servers.

[0122] Table 3. Correspondence between server device information and location information

[0123] Server Identifier U position 192.168.0.112 U bit 1 113.89.35.188 U bit 2

[0124] As shown in Table 3, Table 3 may include a server identification column and a U-position column. The server identification column can be used to display the server's identification information, such as IP address, SN address, MAC address, etc. The U-position column can be used to display the server's location information, that is, the U-position of the server in rack 100. According to Table 3, the server with IP address 192.168.0.112 is located in U-position 1 of rack 100, and the server with IP address 113.89.35.188 is located in U-position 2 of rack 100.

[0125] It should be noted that Tables 1, 2 and 3 above are just examples. In this embodiment of the application, when storing the correspondence between the device information and location information of the server 200, the rack 100 can store more or less device information of the server 200 than Tables 1 and 2 above, such as the device model, device name and maintenance cycle of the server 200, etc.

[0126] In this way, when the server administrator needs to locate server 200, they can use any item in server 200's device information (such as IP address, MAC address, device name, etc.) to find the location information of server 200 stored in rack 100, thus determining the specific location of server 200 within rack 100. Moreover, the above method is relatively inexpensive, and the cable connection between server 200 and rack 100 does not require a fixed wiring sequence, making hardware maintenance more flexible.

[0127] In some embodiments, when the LEDs on the rack 100 other than U-position 1 are lit, taking U-position 3 as an example, if another server, such as server 300, is placed on U-position 3, then server 300 can also perform operations. Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the server 200 performs the following steps: when it senses that the LED in U-position 3 is emitting light, it sends the server 300's identification information to the rack 100. The rack 100 then determines the server 300's location as U-position 3 and stores the correspondence between the server 300's location information and its identification information. If no other server is placed in U-position 3, i.e., U-position 3 of the rack 100 is idle, the rack 100 can wait for a certain period of time (e.g., 15 seconds or 30 seconds) before lighting up the LED in the next U-position in the first order.

[0128] Using the above method, after the LEDs on all the USB ports in the rack 100 are lit sequentially according to the first order, the rack 100 can store the location information of all the servers placed in the rack 100. Even when there are many servers in the rack 100, the administrator can quickly find the location of any one of the many servers.

[0129] In some embodiments, when the rack 100 illuminates the LED in one of the U-positions, it can also maintain the state of the LEDs in the other U-positions. Taking the LED in U-position 1 as an example, in addition to the LED in U-position 1, the rack 100 can keep the LEDs that were previously lit in the lit state lit, and keep the LEDs that were previously off in the off state off. In this case, the server 200 can detect the state change of the LEDs through a light sensor. When the light sensor detects that the LED in the corresponding U-position has changed from the off state to the lit state, that is, when it detects that the LED is lit, the server 200 sends the server 200's identification information to the rack 100.

[0130] Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the brightness, color, etc. of the light-emitting diode.

[0131] This application embodiment also provides another specific process for binding server device information and the server's location (U).

[0132] Taking server 200 located in U-position 1 of rack 100 as an example, Figure 7 As shown, when the light-emitting diode is installed on the server 200 and a light sensor is installed on the rack 100, another specific process for binding the server's device information with the server's location (U-position) may include the following steps:

[0133] S701, the rack 100 sends a lighting signal to the server 200 to instruct the server 200 to light up the LEDs on the server 200.

[0134] The rack 100 can send lighting signals to the servers (including server 200) placed in the rack 100 according to a second order. The second order is the sorting of all servers placed in the rack 100. This application does not limit the specific sorting result. The control signal 2 in the above embodiment may include the lighting signal.

[0135] S702, in response to the light-up signal, server 200 lights up the LED on server 200.

[0136] S703, the rack 100 determines the position of the light sensor that detects the light emission of the LED as the sensing result.

[0137] When the LED on server 200 is lit, since server 200 is located in U-position 1 of rack 100, the light sensor installed in U-position 1 can detect the LED emitting light. That is, rack 100 can determine that the sensing result is U-position 1.

[0138] S704, Server 200 sends device information of Server 200 to Cabinet 100.

[0139] The device information for server 200 can be found above. Figure 6 The relevant description in step S603 is shown.

[0140] In some embodiments, server 200 may send its device information to rack 100 after receiving a lighting signal. In other embodiments, server 200 may send its device information to rack 100 before receiving a lighting signal from rack 100; this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0141] S705, the rack 100 determines the location information of the server 200 based on the sensing results. The location information of the server 200 is used to indicate the U position of the server 200 in the rack 100.

[0142] The position of server 200 is used to indicate that server 200 is located in U position 1 in rack 100.

[0143] Based on the object to which the server 200 sends the lighting signal in step S701 and the sensing result, the rack 100 can determine that the server 200 is located in the rack 100 in U position 1.

[0144] In other embodiments, when server 200 sends its identification information to rack 100 in response to a lighting signal, rack 100 may also determine that the U position of server 200 in rack 100 is U position 1 based on the identification information sent by server 200 and the sensing result.

[0145] S706, the device information and location information of rack 100 and storage server 200, and the correspondence between the device information and location information of server 200.

[0146] The rack 100 stores the device information and location information of server 200, and the specific method for storing the correspondence between the device information and location information of server 200 can be referred to the above. Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in step S605 of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0147] It should be noted that when rack 100 also contains other servers besides server 200 (such as server 300), taking server 300 located in U-position 3 as an example, server 300 can also execute commands after receiving the power-on signal. Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the server 300 performs the following steps: lighting up the light-emitting diode on the server 300. When the rack 100 detects the light-emitting diode emitting light through the light sensor on the U-position 3, the rack 100 can determine the location information of the server 300 as the U-position 3 of the rack 100 based on the sensing result, and store the location information of the server 300 and the device information of the server 300, as well as the correspondence between the location information of the server 300 and the device information.

[0148] Similarly, in Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, when the LED on one of the servers in the rack 100 is lit, the rack 100 can control the LEDs on other servers to be off. In other embodiments, the LEDs on other servers can also remain in the same state as before. See the attached document for details. Figure 6 The relevant details in the illustrated embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0149] The following describes the specific process of an asset management method for rack servers provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0150] like Figure 8As shown, the specific process of asset management for rack servers may include the following steps:

[0151] S801, rack 100 begins U-position identification to determine the U-position lighting sequence.

[0152] After powering on, the rack 100 can begin U-position identification to determine the U-position lighting sequence. In some embodiments, the rack 100 can also begin U-position identification in response to input or other operations from the administrator.

[0153] The U-slot lighting sequence refers to the order in which all U-slots (or all U-slots containing servers) on rack 100 are lit. This U-slot lighting sequence can be used to indicate the order in which the LEDs on different U-slots of rack 100 are illuminated.

[0154] S802, the cabinet 100 determines the U-position where the next illuminated diode is located as the U-position to be identified based on the U-position lighting sequence.

[0155] If the rack 100 has just started U-position identification, the rack 100 can determine the first U-position in the U-position lighting sequence as the U-position to be lit based on the U-position lighting sequence.

[0156] For example, if the U-position lighting sequence is U-position 1, U-position 2, U-position 3, U-position 4 and U-position 5, when the cabinet 100 just starts U-position recognition, the cabinet 100 can determine that U-position 1 is the U-position to be recognized.

[0157] If the cabinet 100 has completed the identification of one or more U-positions, the cabinet 100 can determine the new U-position to be identified based on the U-position lighting sequence and the current U-position to be identified.

[0158] For example, if the U-bit lighting sequence is U-bit 1, U-bit 2, U-bit 3, U-bit 4 and U-bit 5, and the current U-bit to be identified is U-bit 3, that is, when the rack server 10 has just completed the identification of U-bit 3, the rack 100 can determine the next U-bit to be lit as the new U-bit to be identified based on the U-bit lighting sequence.

[0159] S803, the LED on the U-position to be identified is lit in rack 100.

[0160] After identifying the U-position to be identified, the cabinet 100 can light up the LED on that U-position.

[0161] S804, the server recognizes that the LED on the U-position to be identified is in an illuminated state.

[0162] The server in steps S804 to S807 is the server placed on the U-position to be identified. It should be noted that when the U-position to be identified changes, the server in steps S804 to S807 is the new server placed on the U-position to be identified.

[0163] S805, the server sends the server's device information to rack 100.

[0164] S806, rack 100 determines the server's location information, which is used to indicate the U position of the server in rack 100.

[0165] S807, the device information and location information of the storage server in rack 100, and the correspondence between the server's device information and location information.

[0166] The details of steps S803 to S807 can be found above. Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in steps S601 to S605 shown are not repeated here.

[0167] S808, the LEDs on the U-position to be identified in rack 100 are turned off.

[0168] Step S808 is an optional step.

[0169] In other embodiments, the cabinet 100 may also control the duration of light emission of the LED on the U-position to be identified. After the LED has been emitting light for a certain period of time (e.g., a first time), the LED on the U-position to be identified is turned off.

[0170] S809, rack 100 determines whether the U-bit to be identified is the last U-bit to be identified based on the U-bit illumination sequence.

[0171] For example, taking the U-position lighting sequence as U-position 1, U-position 2, U-position 3, U-position 4, and U-position 5, if the current U-position to be identified is U-position 3, the rack 100 can determine, based on the U-position lighting sequence, that there are other U-positions after U-position 3. If the current U-position to be identified is U-position 5, the rack 100 can determine, based on the U-position lighting sequence, that there are no other U-positions after U-position 5.

[0172] When the rack 100 determines that the U-bit to be identified is the last U-bit, the rack 100 executes the following step S810 to end the U-bit identification.

[0173] When the cabinet 100 determines that the U-bit to be identified is not the last U-bit, the cabinet 100 executes the above steps S802 to S809 to re-determine the new U-bit to be identified and identify the new U-bit to be identified.

[0174] S810, rack 100, end U-position identification.

[0175] The following describes another asset management method for rack servers provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0176] like Figure 9 As shown, the specific process of another rack server asset management method may include the following steps:

[0177] S901, rack 100 begins U-position identification to determine the server power-on order.

[0178] After powering on, the rack 100 can begin U-position identification to determine the server power-on order. In some embodiments, the rack 100 can also begin U-position identification in response to administrator input or other operations.

[0179] The server lighting order is the sequence of all servers placed in rack 100, used to indicate the order in which the LEDs on different servers are lit up.

[0180] S902, the rack 100 determines the next server whose diode is lit based on the server lighting sequence as the server to be bound.

[0181] If rack 100 starts U-position identification, rack 100 can determine the first server in the server lighting order as the server to be bound.

[0182] For example, if the server lighting order is server 200, server 300 and server 310, when the rack 100 just starts U-position recognition, the rack 100 can determine that server 200 is the server to be bound.

[0183] If the rack 100 has completed the identification of one or more U-positions, the rack 100 can determine the new server to be bound based on the server lighting order and the current server to be bound.

[0184] For example, taking the server lighting order as server 200, server 300 and server 310, if the current server to be bound is server 200, that is, when the rack server 10 has just completed the identification of the U position where server 200 is located, the rack 100 can determine the next server to be lit as the new server to be bound based on the server lighting order.

[0185] S903, rack 100 sends a light-up signal to the server to be bound, the light-up signal is used to instruct the server to be bound to turn on the light-emitting diode.

[0186] S904, in response to the light-up signal, the server to be bound lights up the LED on the server to be bound.

[0187] S905, the rack 100 determines the position of the light sensor that detects the light emission of the LED as the sensing result.

[0188] S906, the server to be bound sends the device information of the server to be bound to rack 100.

[0189] S907, the rack 100 determines the location information of the server to be bound based on the sensing results. The server's location information is used to indicate the U position of the server in the rack 100.

[0190] S908, rack 100 stores the device information and location information of the server to be bound, as well as the correspondence between the device information and location information of the server to be bound.

[0191] The specific details of steps S903 to S908 can be found above. Figure 7 The relevant descriptions in steps S701 to S706 shown are not repeated here.

[0192] S909, The server to be bound turns off the LEDs on the server to be bound.

[0193] The server to be bound can control the duration of LED illumination. After the LED has been illuminating for a certain period of time (e.g., a second time period), the server to be bound can turn off the LED.

[0194] In other embodiments, after the rack 100 determines the location information of the server to be bound, it can send an extinguishing command to the server to be bound. The server to be bound can also receive and respond to the extinguishing command sent by the rack 100 and turn off the light-emitting diode.

[0195] S910, rack 100 determines whether the server to be bound is the last server based on the server lighting order.

[0196] For example, taking the server lighting order as server 200, server 300, and server 310, if the current server to be bound is server 200, rack 100 can determine that there are other servers after server 200 based on the server lighting order. If the current server to be bound is server 310, rack 100 can determine that there are no other servers after server 310 based on the server lighting order.

[0197] When the rack 100 determines that the server to be bound is the last server, the rack 100 executes the following step S911 to end the U-position identification.

[0198] When the rack 100 determines that the server to be bound is not the last server, the rack 100 executes the above steps S902 to S910 to re-determine the new server to be bound and identify the U-position where the new server to be bound is located.

[0199] S911, rack 100, end U-position identification.

[0200] Figure 10 This illustration shows a hardware module interaction diagram of a rack server 10 executing an asset management method for a rack server, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0201] The following example, taking server 200 placed in U-position 1 as an example, illustrates the interaction of hardware modules during the process of rack server 10 executing the rack server asset management method.

[0202] After determining that the U-bit to be identified is U-bit 1, the rack management board 110 (or the processor 101 of the rack 100) in the rack 100 can send a lighting signal to the mounting board 103 in the rack 100 to instruct the mounting board 103 to light up the LED on U-bit 1.

[0203] After receiving the lighting signal sent by the cabinet management board 110, the mounting board 103 lights up the LED on U-position 1 in response to the lighting signal.

[0204] After the LED in U position 1 is lit, the sensor module 209 in the server 200 can detect the LED emitting light and send photosensitive information to the baseboard management controller 210 in the server 200. The photosensitive information is used to notify the baseboard management controller 210 that the LED in the U position of the server 200 is lit.

[0205] After receiving the photosensitive information, the baseboard management controller 210 can send the device information of the server 200 to the management network switch 105.

[0206] The management network switch 105 can send the device information of the server 200 sent by the baseboard management controller 210 to the rack management board 110 of the rack 100.

[0207] The rack management board 110 can determine the location information of the server 200 based on the device information of the server 200 and the U-position to be identified, that is, the server 200 is located in U-position 1 of the rack 100.

[0208] After identifying U-bit 1, the rack server 100 can update the U-bit to be identified and repeat the above process to complete the identification of other U-bits in the rack 100, which will not be elaborated here.

[0209] It should be noted that in some other embodiments, the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can also be disposed in the server 200, and a light sensor can be disposed on the mounting plate 103 of the rack 100 corresponding to the U-position. In this case, the rack management board 110 can send a lighting signal to the baseboard management controller 210 of the server 200. In response to the lighting signal, the baseboard management controller 210 can control the LEDs on the server 200 to emit light, and the rack 100 can determine the position information of the server 200 through the light sensing result of the mounting plate 103. This will not be described in detail here.

[0210] It is understandable that the above Figure 10 The hardware module interaction of the rack server 10 shown in the diagram, which executes the asset management method of the rack server, is just an example. Other interaction methods can also be used for the various modules in the rack server 10, which are not limited here.

[0211] The functional modules of a rack server 10 provided in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0212] like Figure 11 As shown, the rack server 10 may include a management module 11, a lighting module 12, a management network switching module 13, an information database 14, a brightness sensing module 15, and a server management module 16. The management module 11, lighting module 12, management network switching module 13, and information database 14 are located in the rack 100, while the brightness sensing module 15 and server management module 16 are located in the server 200.

[0213] The management module 11 can send control signals (e.g., control signal 1, control signal 2, etc.) to the lighting module 12 to control the LEDs in the lighting module 12 to turn on or off. The management module 11 can also receive device information of the server 200 sent by the management network switching module 13, etc. The management module 11 can also determine the location information of the server 200, for example, based on the device information of the server 200 and the state of the LEDs in the lighting module 12, or based on the device information of the server 200 and the control signals, etc. The management module 11 can send the location information and device information of the server 200 to the information database 14.

[0214] The lighting module 12 can receive control signals sent by the management module 11 and control the light-emitting diodes in the lighting module 12 to light up or turn off based on the control signals.

[0215] The management network switching module 13 can receive device information of server 200 sent by server management module 16. The management network switching module 13 can send the received device information of server 200 to management module 11.

[0216] The information database 14 can receive and store the location information of the server 200, the device information of the server 200, and the correspondence between the location information and the device information of the server 200 sent by the management module 11.

[0217] The brightness sensing module 15 can determine the sensing result based on one or more light-emitting diodes in the lighting module 12 that are in the light-emitting state, and send the sensing result to the server management module 16.

[0218] The server management module 16 can receive the sensing results sent by the brightness sensing module 15 and send the device information of the server 200 to the management network switching module 13.

[0219] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the lighting module 12 may be located in the server 200, and the brightness sensing module 15 may be located in the rack 100. In this case, the brightness sensing module 15 determines the sensing result based on one or more light-emitting diodes in the lighting module 12 that are in an illuminated state, and sends the sensing result to the management module 11.

[0220] It is understandable that the above Figure 11 The functional module structure of the rack server 10 shown is just an example; the rack server 10 may also include more... Figure 11 The application does not limit the number of functional modules shown.

[0221] It should be noted that in any of the above embodiments of this application, the light-emitting diode can be replaced with other signal transmitters, and the light sensor can be replaced with other signal receivers accordingly. This application does not limit this.

[0222] The various embodiments of this application can be combined arbitrarily to achieve different technical effects.

[0223] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0224] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM or random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0225] In summary, the above description is merely an embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made according to the disclosure of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rack-mount server, characterized in that, Includes a server rack, multiple signal transmitters, at least one server node, and at least one signal receiver; The rack includes multiple mounting positions, each mounting position is equipped with a signal transmitter, and each mounting position is used to install one server node. The cabinet is connected to multiple signal transmitters, and the cabinet is used to control each signal transmitter to emit a signal, which is a lighting signal. Each of the server nodes is equipped with a signal receiver, and each of the server nodes is connected to its respective signal receiver; Wherein, when at least one of the server nodes is installed in at least one of the mounting positions, the positions of the signal transmitter and the signal receiver in the same mounting position correspond to each other. The signal receiver is used to receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitter in the same mounting position. The server node in the same mounting position is used to send the device information of the server node to the rack in response to the signal. The rack is used to bind the mounting position to the device information of the server node. The cabinet is used to control the signal transmitter set in the installation position to send the lighting signal. The server node in the same installation position responds to the lighting signal and sends the device information of the server node to the cabinet. The cabinet receives the device information of the server node and binds the device information of the server node to the same installation position.

2. The rack server according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal transmitter and the signal receiver in the same mounting position are located on the same horizontal line, and the signal receiver is located on the side of the server node closer to the signal transmitter.

3. The rack server according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cabinet includes a processor, an input / output expansion module, and a mounting plate; the mounting plate is equipped with multiple signal transmitters, and the position of each signal transmitter corresponds to the position of one of the mounting slots in the cabinet; the processor is connected to the mounting plate through the input / output expansion module; or, The cabinet includes a processor, an input / output expansion module, and multiple mounting plates. The processor is connected to the multiple mounting plates through the input / output expansion module. Each mounting plate is equipped with a signal transmitter, and the position of each mounting plate corresponds to the position of a mounting slot in the cabinet.

4. The rack server according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal receiver on the server node is connected to the baseboard management controller of the server node, and the baseboard management controller is used to connect to the rack.

5. The rack server according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The signal transmitter includes: One or more of a visible light emitter, a light-emitting diode, or an infrared emitter, and / or the signal receiver includes one or more of a light sensor or an infrared signal receiver.

6. The rack server according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The device information of the server node includes: The server node's device name, product serial number (SN), media access control (MAC) address, and internet protocol (IP) address are one or more of the following:

7. A rack-mount server, characterized in that, Includes a server rack, multiple signal receivers, at least one server node, and at least one signal transmitter; The rack includes multiple mounting positions, each mounting position is equipped with a signal receiver, and each mounting position is used to install one server node. The cabinet is connected to multiple signal receivers; Each of the server nodes is provided with a signal transmitter, and each of the server nodes is connected to its respective signal transmitter; The cabinet is used to control the signal transmitter on each server node to emit a signal, which is a lighting signal; The server node is used to send the server node's device information to the rack; Wherein, when at least one of the server nodes is installed in at least one of the mounting positions, the position of the signal receiver in the same mounting position corresponds to that of the signal transmitter, the signal receiver is used to receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitter in the same mounting position, and the cabinet is used to bind the mounting position to the device information of the server node in response to the signal; The server node controls the signal transmitter to send the lighting signal and sends the server node's device information to the rack. The rack receives the server node's device information and, in response to the lighting signal, binds the server node's device information to the same mounting position.

8. A method for asset management of rack-mounted servers, characterized in that, include: The cabinet control emits a signal from the signal transmitter located in the mounting position; the signal is a lighting signal. If a server node is installed in the same mounting position, the signal receiver located on the server node receives the signal, and the server node responds to the signal by sending the server node's device information to the rack, wherein the same mounting position is the mounting position where the signal transmitter that sends the signal is located; The rack receives the device information of the server node and binds the device information of the server node to the same installation position.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, There are multiple installation positions, and each installation position is equipped with a signal transmitter. The cabinet controls the multiple signal transmitters to emit signals in a first order.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The signal receiver on the server node is connected to the baseboard management controller of the server node, wherein the signal receiver on the server node sends the received signal to the baseboard management controller, and the baseboard management controller responds to the signal by sending the device information of the server node to the rack.

11. A method for asset management of rack-mounted servers, characterized in that, include: When the server node is installed in a mounting position in the rack, the rack sends a transmission command to the server node; In response to the transmission command, the server node controls a signal transmitter located on the server node to emit a signal, which is a lighting signal; the server node sends its device information to the server rack. The cabinet receives device information from the server node; If the signal receiver located at the mounting position receives the signal, the cabinet responds to the signal by binding the device information of the server node to the same mounting position, wherein the same mounting position is the mounting position where the signal receiver receiving the signal is located.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, There are multiple mounting positions, and each mounting position is equipped with a signal receiver; With at least two of the server nodes installed in at least two of the mounting positions, the rack sends a transmission command to each of the server nodes in a second sequence.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The signal transmitter on the server node is connected to the baseboard management controller of the server node. The baseboard management controller receives a transmission command sent by the rack. In response to the transmission command, the baseboard management controller controls the signal transmitter on the server node to emit a signal. The baseboard management controller sends the device information of the server node to the rack.

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