Port80 and EC information output system and method for X86 platform

Abstract

The invention provides an X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system and method.The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system comprises a device to output information, the device is provided with a master control MCU and an EC controller, the MCU and the EC controller are in signal connection through a data line, and the system further comprises a serial port debugging board and a host machine; a signal line is led out from a serial port signal output pin of the EC controller to be connected with the input end of the serial port debugging board, the output end of the serial port debugging board is connected with the input end of the host machine, the EC controller comprises an EC MCU and a register, the EC MCU is used for communicating with a master controller, obtaining Port 80 information of an X86 platform and outputting the Port 80 information and the EC information to the host machine through the serial port debugging board, and the register is used for storing the Port 80 information and the EC information. And the printer is used for converting received information and printing. Debugging information can be obtained in real time, and equipment can be debugged conveniently and rapidly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of X86 platform equipment debugging, and in particular to an X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system and method. Background Art

[0002] In the X86 Power On stage, BIOS / EC information cannot be viewed through simple tools and requires professional analysis with the help of EC download debugging tools. Currently, X8680Port debugging information viewing is still in the process of being obtained by the EC end and parsed through ECDownloadBoard, which causes high maintenance costs for the maintenance end and untimely log capture. The EC end is urgently needed to use the existing interface for transformation and innovation.

[0003] In addition, the existence of this mode blocks the debugging information of the X86PowerOn stage, which is not convenient for hardware and testing colleagues to intervene. Instead, during the research and development process, information viewing will be concentrated on a certain colleague, which is not convenient for project debugging. It is urgent to quickly change and simplify the current debugging process, so as to greatly improve the debugging progress. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides an X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system and method. After the EC obtains the debugging information of the X86 PCH end through the ESPI and LPC bus, the state of the debugging information is timely output through the Uart TX signal of the EC local end, thereby greatly reducing the cost of the existing method. The EC controller can directly output the debugging information to the serial port terminal of the user debugger by effectively encapsulating the 80Port information.

[0005] The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system of the present invention comprises a device set up with information to be output, wherein the device is provided with a CPU and an EC controller, wherein the CPU is connected to the EC controller via a data line signal, wherein the X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system further comprises a serial port debugging board and a host machine, wherein a serial port signal output pin of the EC controller leads out a signal line connected to an input end of the serial port debugging board, wherein the output end of the serial port debugging board is connected to an input end of the host machine, wherein the EC controller comprises an ECMCU and a register, wherein the ECMCU is used to communicate with the CPU, obtain Port80 information of the X86 platform, and output Port80 and EC information to the host machine via the serial port debugging board, wherein the register is used to store information, and wherein the host machine is used to convert and print received information.

[0006] Furthermore, the output end of the serial port debugging board is connected to the input end of the host machine via a USB data cable.

[0007] Furthermore, the serial port debugging board is integrated on the device or the host machine.

[0008] Furthermore, the device also includes a serial port, and the serial port signal output pin of the EC controller is connected to one end of the serial port through a serial port line, and the other end of the serial port is connected to the input end of the serial port debugging board.

[0009] Furthermore, the GPH2 pin controlled by the EC is configured as a serial port signal output pin to output the UART TX signal to the serial port.

[0010] The present invention also provides an X86 platform Port80 and EC information output method, which is implemented based on the X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system, and includes the following steps:

[0011] Step 1: Device burning: Connect the device to be burned to the adapter, then download the EC binary generated file to the MCU of the EC controller to be debugged, and then power off;

[0012] Step 2: Information output: When the device is powered on, the EC controller obtains the Port80 information transmitted by the PCH in real time;

[0013] Step 3: Information transmission: The EC controller synchronously outputs the real-time acquired Port80 information and EC operation information to the host machine through the serial port debugging board;

[0014] Step 4: Information conversion and printing: The host receives the Port80 information and EC operation information sent by the serial port debugging board, and converts the Port80 information and EC operation information into specific meanings that can be understood by the debugging personnel according to the preset content, and prints them.

[0015] Furthermore, in step one, an EC binary generation file is generated by software programming. After the EC binary generation file is run, the operation logic of the EC controller can be modified, so that the CPU-side debugging information is output to the host machine according to the set rules.

[0016] Furthermore, in step 3, the specific processing method of the EC control number output information is:

[0017] S301: Implement serial port printing function;

[0018] S302: Enter the storage information round-robin training, and determine in real time whether the information stored in the EC register has changed according to the set order, and send the changed information to the host through the serial port;

[0019] S303: During the training process, if the serial port signal received is a low level, the signal sending is stopped; if the power adapter has been removed signal is received, the EC is powered off and shut down.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention can not only accurately print all debugging information about X86 transmission to the eSPI bus, but also use the bandwidth of the existing serial port to print the device information data of the EC operation stage to the serial port terminal. Hardware, software developers, and testers can quickly find the operating status of the PCBA according to the debugging information, and make a comprehensive judgment and analysis on the existing problems, providing a faster, simpler and more popular method for debugging the X86 platform. The method of the present invention can enable each project personnel to more conveniently obtain the operating status information of the X86 system, thereby quickly debugging the X86 platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the present invention or the solutions in the prior art, a brief introduction is given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the information output system of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of the information output method of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of the specific processing method of the EC controller of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a screenshot of some of the captured Port80 information;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the correspondence between the EC controller information output content and the printed content. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present invention have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs; the terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention; the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention or the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order.

[0028] Reference to "embodiments" in the present invention means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative to other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in the present invention may be combined with other embodiments.

[0029] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system includes a device set up to output information, the device is provided with a CPU and an EC controller, the CPU is connected to the EC controller through a data line signal, the X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system also includes a serial port debugging board and a host machine, the serial port signal output pin of the EC controller leads to a signal line connected to the input end of the serial port debugging board, the output end of the serial port debugging board is connected to the input end of the host machine, the EC controller includes an EC MCU and a register, the EC MCU is used to communicate with the CPU, obtain the Port80 information of the X86 platform, and output the Port80 and EC information to the host machine through the serial port debugging board, the register is used for information storage, and the host machine is used to convert the received information and print it.

[0031] As an embodiment of the present invention, the device in this example is an IDN819S machine, the EC controller in this example is an IT5570 EC controller with its own register, and the master CPU in this example can transmit debugging information to the EC controller through the eSPI Bus, and store the information in the EC register. The EC controller in this example is provided with a GPH2 Tx Pin, and this example creatively uses the GPH2 Tx Pin to configure the EC-controlled GPH2 Tx Pin as a serial port signal output pin, outputs a UART TX signal to the serial port, and then leads a data line out from the GPH2 Tx Pin for outputting information separately, thereby creating a data transmission channel between the host machine and the EC controller. In this example, the operating logic of the EC controller can be modified by software programming, so that the CPU-side debugging information can be output to the host machine according to the set rules.

[0032] Preferably, the device further comprises a serial port, and the serial port signal output pin of the EC controller is connected to one end of the serial port through a serial port line, and the other end of the serial port is connected to the input end of the serial port debugging board. In this example, based on the use of the existing serial port, there is no need to modify the structure of the device and the host machine, and the serial port debugging board can be used to conveniently realize information acquisition and debugging.

[0033] In this example, the output end of the serial port debugging board is connected to the input end of the host machine through a USB data cable. Of course, in this example, the serial port debugging board can also be integrated into the device or the host machine, and the data transmission in this example can also be realized.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the present invention also provides an X86 platform Port80 and EC information output method, comprising the following steps:

[0035] Step 1: Device burning: Connect the device to be burned to the adapter, then download the EC binary generated file to the MCU of the EC controller to be debugged, and then power off;

[0036] Step 2: Information output: When the device is powered on, the EC controller obtains the Port80 information transmitted by the PCH in real time;

[0037] Step 3: Information transmission: The EC controller synchronously outputs the real-time acquired Port80 information and EC operation information to the host machine through the serial port debugging board;

[0038] Step 4: Information conversion and printing: The host receives the Port80 information and EC operation information sent by the serial port debugging board, and converts the Port80 information and EC operation information into specific meanings that can be understood by the debugging personnel according to the preset content, and prints them.

[0039] Specifically, in step 1, an EC binary generation file is generated by software programming. After the EC binary generation file is run, the operation logic of the EC controller can be modified and downloaded to the IT5570 EC MCU of the IDN819S device to be debugged by Download Board.

[0040] In step 2, after the information output system is built, the IDN819S device can be powered on by the Power ON. During the Power ON stage, the relevant information is output to the EC controller in real time.

[0041] After EC is powered on, it can obtain the PORT80Log information transmitted by PCH (the south bridge chip in the motherboard chipset) in real time. Since the EC controller is running in real time and according to the designed process, it regularly synchronizes the information to be printed to the serial port and prints it out.

[0042] like Figure 3 As shown, in step 2 and step 3, the specific processing method of the EC control number output information is:

[0043] S301: Implement the serial port printing function. In this example, in the source code of the IT5570 EC controller, after the uart serial port initialization function is executed, it is necessary to further write and encapsulate the serial port printing function, so that the 80PORT data information that the EC needs to display can be printed out through the serial port;

[0044] S302: Enter the round-robin training of each storage information, and determine in real time whether the information stored in the EC register has changed according to the set order, and send the changed information to the host through the serial port. Based on the characteristics of fast serial port transmission rate, convenient use, low cost, and easy operation, the EC controller can output additional charging and battery status, QEVNT (transmission keyboard), CPU Temperature (CPU temperature), NTC (thermistor) temperature, Fan (fan) and other status information from the UART TX PIN foot, which brings new ideas to EC debugging and speeds up the entire debugging process;

[0045] S303: During the training process, if the serial port signal received is a low level, that is, a shutdown signal, the signal sending is stopped, and a signal indicating that the power adapter has been removed is received, and the EC is powered off and shut down.

[0046] In this example, a table is preset in the EC controller, one of which is the correspondence table between code values ​​and related functions for the EC controller to call. When the related function detects that the corresponding 80Port value has changed, it will update the register of the EC controller in time. The EC controller can confirm the value transmitted from the eSPI Bus. The EC controller will output the value stored in the register after the change in time through logical judgment.

[0047] When debugging log information, you need to refer to two tables to roughly sort out the specific meanings of PORT80 Log and EC log, as shown in Table 1.

[0048]

[0049] Table 1 PORT 80 roughly runs the code output Debug value

[0050] Through the corresponding table above and the specific information output in the EC log, we can confirm the running status of the BIOS at that time. If the CPU is stuck in a certain PORT 80Log, the independently running EC can quickly locate the abnormal function status of the CPU at that time through PORT 80Log. Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the content of the screenshot is part of the 80PORTLog information captured at that time. The specific meaning can be queried through the preset value of BIOS PORT to correspond to each 80PORT CODE.

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, another table of the present invention is an output debugging information and print information comparison table, which can realize a one-to-one mapping relationship between the EC controller information output content and the print content. Figure 5 , it will enable hardware, software developers, and testers to quickly find the operating status of the PCBA based on the debugging information and make a comprehensive judgment and analysis on existing problems.

[0052] As can be seen from the above, the present invention only needs to modify and burn the software, and make very small changes to the EC controller, so as to accurately print all debugging information about the transmission of X86 to the eSPI bus, and can also use the bandwidth of the existing serial port to print the device information data of the EC operation stage to the serial port terminal, so that personnel in each process of the project development and testing process can make comprehensive judgments and analyses on existing problems, and provide a faster, simpler and more popular method for debugging the X86 platform. The method of the present invention can enable each project personnel to more conveniently obtain the status information of the X86 system operation, so as to quickly debug the X86 platform.

[0053] The specific implementation modes described above are preferred implementation modes of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention includes but is not limited to the specific implementation modes, and all equivalent changes made according to the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system, characterized in that: It includes a device for outputting information, wherein the device is provided with a CPU and an EC controller, wherein the CPU is connected to the EC controller via a data line signal, wherein the X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system also includes a serial port debugging board and a host machine, wherein a signal line is led out from a serial port signal output pin of the EC controller to connect to an input end of the serial port debugging board, wherein the output end of the serial port debugging board is connected to an input end of the host machine, wherein the EC controller includes an EC MCU and a register, wherein the EC MCU is used to communicate with the CPU, obtain Port80 information of the X86 platform, and output Port80 and EC information to the host machine via the serial port debugging board, wherein the register is used to store information, and wherein the host machine is used to convert and print received information.

2. The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The output end of the serial port debugging board is connected to the input end of the host machine through a USB data line.

3. The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serial port debugging board is integrated and arranged on the device or the host machine.

4. The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device also includes a serial port, a serial port signal output pin of the EC controller is connected to one end of the serial port through a serial port line, and the other end of the serial port is connected to the input end of the serial port debugging board.

5. The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Configure the GPH2 pin controlled by EC as the serial port signal output pin, and output the UART TX signal to the serial port.

6. A method for outputting Port80 and EC information on an X86 platform, implemented based on the X86 platform Port80 and EC information output system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The steps include: Step 1: Device burning: Connect the device to be burned to the adapter, then download the EC binary generated file to the MCU of the EC controller to be debugged, and then power off; Step 2: Information output: When the device is powered on, the EC controller obtains the Port80 information transmitted by the PCH in real time; Step 3: Information transmission: The EC controller synchronously outputs the real-time acquired Port80 information and EC operation information to the host machine through the serial port debugging board; Step 4: Information conversion and printing: The host receives the Port80 information and EC operation information sent by the serial port debugging board, and converts the Port80 information and EC operation information into specific meanings that can be understood by the debugging personnel according to the preset content, and prints them.

7. The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output method according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step 1, an EC binary generation file is generated by software programming. After the EC binary generation file is run, the operation logic of the EC controller can be modified, so that the CPU-side debugging information is output to the host machine according to the set rules.

8. The X86 platform Port80 and EC information output method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 3, the specific processing method of the EC control number output information is: S301: Implement serial port printing function; S302: Enter the storage information round-robin training, and determine in real time whether the information stored in the EC register has changed according to the set order, and send the changed information to the host through the serial port; S303: During the training process, if the serial port signal received is a low level, the signal sending is stopped; if the power adapter has been removed signal is received, the EC is powered off and shut down.

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