Server PXE starting system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a server PXE starting system and method, and the system comprises a starting disk which is preset with an operating system file; the switch is connected with the startup disk through a high-speed computing interconnection CXL link, and is used for being connected with the server through the CXL link, receiving PXE startup application messages sent by the server, and sequentially establishing CXL connection between the corresponding server and the startup disk in an idle state according to the sequence of the application messages; and the startup disk is configured to enable the server to perform PXE startup by using the operating system file in the corresponding startup disk through the CXL connection, so that the PXE startup efficiency of the server can be greatly improved, the complete machine can be quickly replaced when the server fails, and the hot switching time of the server is greatly shortened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of servers, and in particular to a server PXE boot system and method. Background Art

[0002] PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) boot is a technology that allows a computer to boot up through a network when it is turned on. It allows a computer to load an operating system through a network to boot up. PXE boot is usually used to automatically deploy an operating system, remotely install, or recover a system.

[0003] In the related art, a bare metal server (also called a bare metal server) uses Ethernet to obtain boot data from a remote end during PXE booting, and transmits the boot data from a remote end to the bare metal server via Ethernet. This booting method has a slow boot data transmission speed, which causes PXE to boot slowly over the network. In addition, the PXE remote end only provides boot data, and no permanent storage device is configured to save modifications and status. Therefore, the operating environment cannot be maintained after PXE boots, and needs to be reloaded when switching to another bare metal server.

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a server PXE boot system and method to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a server PXE boot system and method, which can solve the technical problems in the prior art that a server obtains boot data from a remote end via Ethernet for PXE boot, but the boot speed is slow and the operating environment cannot be maintained.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a server PXE boot system, the server PXE boot system comprising: A boot disk, which is pre-installed with operating system files; A switch connected to the boot disk via a high-speed computing interconnect CXL link, used to connect to the server via the CXL link, receive a PXE boot application message sent by the server, and sequentially establish a CXL connection between the corresponding server and the boot disk in an idle state according to the order of the application messages; And the boot disk is configured to enable the server to perform PXE booting using the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one implementation, enabling the server to perform PXE boot using the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection specifically includes: The server copies the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to the local memory through the CXL connection, and executes the operating system files in the local memory to perform PXE boot.

[0008] In one embodiment, the switch is further configured to: After the server completes copying the operating system files, the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk is disconnected, and the corresponding boot disk is released to an idle state.

[0009] In one embodiment, the method of enabling the server to perform PXE boot using the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection further includes: The server is connected through CXL to execute the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk for PXE boot.

[0010] In one embodiment, the switch is further configured to: After the server completes the PXE boot, the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk is disconnected, and the corresponding boot disk is released to an idle state.

[0011] In one embodiment, the switch is further configured to: A fault message sent by the server is received, and according to the fault message, a CXL connection between the faulty server and a corresponding boot disk is disconnected, and a CXL connection between the boot disk corresponding to the faulty server and a standby server corresponding to the faulty server is established.

[0012] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a server PXE boot method implemented by using the above-mentioned server PXE boot system, and the server PXE boot method includes: Receive the PXE boot request message sent by the server through the switch; According to the order of the application messages, CXL connections are established between the corresponding servers and the boot disks in the idle state in sequence, so that the servers use the operating system files in the corresponding boot disks to perform PXE booting through the CXL connections.

[0013] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one implementation, the server uses the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through the CXL connection, specifically including: The server copies the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to the local memory through the CXL connection, and executes the operating system files in the local memory to perform PXE boot.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: After the server completes the copying of the operating system files, the switch disconnects the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk, and releases the corresponding boot disk to an idle state.

[0015] In one embodiment, the server uses the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through the CXL connection, and further includes: The server executes the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection to perform PXE boot.

[0016] The embodiment of the present application provides a server PXE boot system and method, the server PXE boot system comprising: a boot disk, which is pre-installed with an operating system file; a switch, which is connected to the boot disk through a high-speed computing interconnect CXL link, and is used to connect to the server through the CXL link, and receive a PXE boot application message sent by the server, and establish a CXL connection between the corresponding server and the boot disk in an idle state in sequence according to the order of the application messages; and the boot disk is configured to: enable the server to use the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection to perform PXE boot, which can greatly improve the efficiency of the server PXE boot, and can quickly replace the entire machine when a server fails, greatly shortening the server hot switching time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of the structure of a server PXE boot system provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of the structure of the server PXE boot system when two servers share a boot disk; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the server PXE boot process when two servers share a boot disk; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the server PXE boot process when N servers share M boot disks; Figure 5 It is a schematic block diagram of the structure of the server PXE boot system in the standby server switching scenario; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the standby server switching process; Figure 7 A flow chart of a server PXE boot method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0019] First, some technical terms in the present application are explained to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the present application.

[0020] PXE: Preboote Xecution Environment, pre-boot execution environment; CXL: Compute Express Link, high-speed computing interconnect technology; BMC: Baseboard Management Controller, baseboard management controller; BIOS: Basic Input Output System Basic Input Output System.

[0021] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the implementation methods of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a server PXE boot system.

[0023] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flow chart of the first embodiment of the server PXE boot system of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the server PXE boot system includes: A boot disk, which is pre-installed with operating system files; A switch connected to the boot disk via a high-speed computing interconnect CXL link, used to connect to the server via the CXL link, receive a PXE boot application message sent by the server, and sequentially establish a CXL connection between the corresponding server and the boot disk in an idle state according to the order of the application messages; And the boot disk is configured to enable the server to perform PXE booting using the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection.

[0024] It is worth noting that the switch in this embodiment can be a CXL switch, and the boot disk is a CXL boot disk. A switch can be connected to one or more boot disks pre-installed with operating system files, and the other end of the switch is used to connect to one or more servers through a CXL link. The switch establishes a CXL connection between the server and the boot disk, so that the server uses the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through the CXL connection.

[0025] The boot disk can be configured in two modes for the server to perform PXE boot.

[0026] The first mode is file copy mode. The boot disk is further configured to enable the server to copy the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to the local memory through the CXL connection, and execute the operating system files in the local memory to perform PXE boot.

[0027] In one embodiment, the switch is further used to: after the server completes copying the operating system file, disconnect the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk, and release the corresponding boot disk to an idle state.

[0028] The second type: the boot disk execution mode, the boot disk is also configured to enable the server to execute the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection to perform PXE boot.

[0029] In one embodiment, the switch is further used to: after the server completes PXE booting, disconnect the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk, and release the corresponding boot disk to an idle state.

[0030] The following describes two modes of PXE booting of a server in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0031] Exemplary, such as Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , taking the example that one end of the switch is connected to a boot disk through a CXL link, server 1 and server 2 are connected to the switch through a CXL link, and server 1 and server 2 share a switch, the boot process of server 1 and server 2 in the first boot mode is as follows Figure 3 As shown: Server 1 and Server 2 are powered on at the same time. The two servers enter their respective BIOS configuration pages, set the boot mode to CXL PXE boot, and then send a PXE boot request message to the switch. Taking the case where the switch receives the request message from Server 1 first, the switch first establishes a CXL connection between Server 1 and the boot disk, and Server 2 is in a waiting state. Server 1 first obtains control of the boot disk from the switch, and copies the operating system files pre-installed in the boot disk to the local memory of Server 1. After the operating system files are successfully copied, it sends a boot disk release message to the switch. Server 1 boots into the copied operating system files from the local memory to start, and Server 1 completes the PXE boot.

[0032] After receiving the release message sent by Server 1, the switch disconnects the CXL connection between Server 1 and the boot disk, releasing the boot disk to an idle state. The switch then establishes a connection between the waiting Server 2 and the boot disk, and Server 2 takes over the CXL boot disk, also copies the operating system files from the boot disk to the local memory, and boots into the operating system from the memory. At this point, Server 2 also completes the startup.

[0033] It is worth mentioning that the CXL link has low latency and high bandwidth capabilities. Compared with Ethernet, the speed at which the server obtains operating system files through the CXL link is greatly improved, thereby greatly improving the server PXE boot rate.

[0034] For the second startup mode, such as Figure 2 The startup process of Server 1 and Server 2 in Figure 4 As shown: Server 1 and Server 2 are powered on at the same time. The two servers enter their respective BIOS configuration pages, set the boot mode to CXL PXE boot, and then send a PXE boot request message to the switch. Taking the case where the switch first receives the request message from Server 1, the switch first establishes a CXL connection between Server 1 and the boot disk, and Server 2 is in a waiting state. Server 1 first obtains control of the boot disk from the switch. Server 1 can choose to exclusively use the boot disk without copying the boot disk data to the memory of Server 1. Then, it can choose to directly execute the operating system file in the boot disk to complete the PXE boot. And after the boot is completed, Server 1 sends a boot disk release message to the switch.

[0035] After receiving the release message sent by server 1, the switch disconnects the CXL connection between server 1 and the boot disk, releasing the boot disk to an idle state. Then the switch establishes a connection between the waiting server 2 and the boot disk, and server 2 takes over the boot disk to complete the startup.

[0036] It is worth mentioning that the CXL protocol allows peripherals to be used as memory. Therefore, when the boot disk establishes a CXL connection with the server, the boot disk can be used as the server's memory, allowing the server to directly load the operating system in the boot disk, greatly improving the efficiency and convenience of server PXE boot.

[0037] The server can choose to use the first startup mode (file copy mode), the second startup mode (boot disk execution), or the third startup mode adaptive mode, that is, if an exclusive boot disk can be applied for, the operating system files will be executed in the boot disk to start from the boot disk. If it cannot be applied for, the operating system files will be copied to the local memory for startup. The corresponding mode configuration can be set in the server's BIOS.

[0038] For example, if Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, taking the example that one end of a switch is connected to M boot disks through CXL links, and N servers are connected to the other end of the switch through CXL links, the values of M and N can be the same or different. When N is less than or equal to M, when the switch receives the application messages sent by each server, it can immediately allocate the corresponding boot disk to the server to establish a CXL connection. At this time, each server can choose to exclusively occupy one boot disk. When N > M, the switch distributes the boot disks to the servers that send the application messages first. The servers that do not obtain a boot disk enter the waiting mode first, and the servers complete the startup according to the above startup mode process based on the startup mode configuration.

[0039] In an optional embodiment, the switch is further configured to: receive a fault message sent by a server, disconnect the CXL connection between the faulty server and the corresponding boot disk according to the fault message, and establish a CXL connection between the boot disk corresponding to the faulty server and the standby server corresponding to the faulty server.

[0040] Exemplarily, as Figure 5 shown, one end of the switch is connected to M boot disks through CXL links, N servers and one standby server are connected to the switch through CXL links, and N < M. Each server exclusively occupies one CXL boot disk. As Figure 6 shown, after the server is powered on, the BIOS startup mode is set to start from the CXL boot disk, that is, the CXL boot disk is used as memory, and the server operating system files run and start in the CXL boot disk. At the same time, the standby server is also powered on and enters the BIOS setup, sets the startup mode to start from the CXL boot disk, and makes the standby server in a waiting startup state (if power saving is required, it can be in the soft shutdown state). When a certain server fails, the BMC of the faulty server can detect the fault, and notify the switch of the fault situation by sending a fault message. The switch switches the boot disk of the faulty server to the standby server (if necessary, relevant peripheral devices in the faulty server can be replaced to the standby server). After the standby server obtains the CXL boot disk, it boots into the system of the boot disk and continues to execute the tasks of the previous server to complete the standby switch.

[0041] It should be noted that when the boot disk establishes a CXL connection with the server, the boot disk can be used as the peripheral memory of the server. The peripheral storage can keep the power off without losing data, and also provides hot plug technology. CXL is used as the extension of the server memory, so that the whole server can be quickly replaced when the server fails, greatly shortening the server hot standby switch time.

[0042] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a server PXE startup method.

[0043] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is the process intention of an embodiment of the server PXE boot method of this application. Figure 7 As shown, the server PXE boot method includes: Step S101: receiving a PXE startup application message sent by a server through a switch; Step S102: Establish CXL connections between corresponding servers and idle boot disks in sequence according to the order of the application messages, so that the server uses the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE booting through the CXL connection.

[0044] Further, in one embodiment, the server uses the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through the CXL connection, specifically including: The server copies the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to the local memory through the CXL connection, and executes the operating system files in the local memory to perform PXE boot.

[0045] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the method further includes: After the server completes the copying of the operating system files, the switch disconnects the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk, and releases the corresponding boot disk to an idle state.

[0046] Further, in one embodiment, the server uses the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through the CXL connection, and further includes: The server executes the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection to perform PXE boot.

[0047] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the method further includes: After the server completes the PXE boot, the switch disconnects the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk, and releases the corresponding boot disk to an idle state.

[0048] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the method further includes: The switch receives a fault message sent by the server, disconnects the CXL connection between the faulty server and the corresponding boot disk according to the fault message, and establishes a CXL connection between the boot disk corresponding to the faulty server and the standby server corresponding to the faulty server.

[0049] The functional implementation of the above-mentioned server PXE boot method corresponds to the above-mentioned server PXE boot system embodiment, and its functions and implementation processes are not repeated here one by one.

[0050] It should be noted that the serial numbers of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application are only for description and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0051] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. The terms "first", "second" and "third" are used to distinguish different objects, etc., and do not represent a sequence, nor do they limit "first", "second" and "third" to different types.

[0052] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, "exemplary", "for example" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary", "for example" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary", "for example" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0053] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; the “and / or” in the text is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, “multiple” refers to two or more than two.

[0054] In some processes described in the embodiments of the present application, multiple operations or steps that appear in a specific order are included, but it should be understood that these operations or steps may not be executed in the order in which they appear in the embodiments of the present application or in parallel, and the sequence number of the operation is only used to distinguish the different operations, and the sequence number itself does not represent any execution order. In addition, these processes may include more or fewer operations, and these operations or steps may be executed in sequence or in parallel, and these operations or steps may be combined.

[0055] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, disk, CD) as described above, and includes a number of instructions for a terminal device to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0056] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A server PXE boot system, characterized in that: The server PXE boot system includes: A boot disk, which is pre-installed with operating system files; A switch connected to the boot disk via a high-speed computing interconnect CXL link, used to connect to the server via the CXL link, receive a PXE boot application message sent by the server, and sequentially establish a CXL connection between the corresponding server and the boot disk in an idle state according to the order of the application messages; And the boot disk is configured to enable the server to perform PXE boot using the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection.

2. The server PXE boot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of enabling the server to perform PXE boot using the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection specifically includes: The server copies the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to the local memory through the CXL connection, and executes the operating system files in the local memory to perform PXE boot.

3. The server PXE boot system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The switch is also used for: After the server completes copying the operating system files, the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk is disconnected, and the corresponding boot disk is released to an idle state.

4. The server PXE boot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of enabling the server to perform PXE boot using the operating system file in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection also includes: The server is connected through CXL to execute the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk for PXE boot.

5. The server PXE boot system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The switch is also used for: After the server completes the PXE boot, the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk is disconnected, and the corresponding boot disk is released to an idle state.

6. The server PXE boot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The switch is also used for: A fault message sent by the server is received, and according to the fault message, a CXL connection between the faulty server and a corresponding boot disk is disconnected, and a CXL connection between the boot disk corresponding to the faulty server and a standby server corresponding to the faulty server is established.

7. A server PXE boot method implemented by using the server PXE boot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The server PXE boot method comprises: Receive the PXE boot request message sent by the server through the switch; According to the order of the application messages, CXL connections are established between the corresponding servers and the boot disks in the idle state in sequence, so that the servers use the operating system files in the corresponding boot disks to perform PXE booting through the CXL connections.

8. The server PXE boot method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The server uses the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through CXL connection, including: The server copies the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to the local memory through the CXL connection, and executes the operating system files in the local memory to perform PXE boot.

9. The server PXE boot method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further includes: After the server completes the copying of the operating system files, the switch disconnects the CXL connection between the server and the corresponding boot disk, and releases the corresponding boot disk to an idle state.

10. The server PXE boot method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The server uses the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk to perform PXE boot through CXL connection, including: The server executes the operating system files in the corresponding boot disk through the CXL connection to perform PXE boot.

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