Satellite-borne computing cluster with operating system automatic repair function

Abstract

The application provides a satellite-borne computing cluster design scheme with an automatic operating system repairing function. The scheme accurately determines the operating system running state and diagnoses the node fault by synchronously monitoring the heartbeat information and serial port output data of each computing node. Meanwhile, the scheme is configured with an automatic operating system reinstallation mechanism. Once a fault is detected, the control node will automatically trigger the operating system reinstallation process of the fault computing node to realize the automatic operating system reinstallation. In addition, in order to ensure the reliability of the repair operation, the scheme adopts a multiple PXE server redundancy mechanism. By deploying multiple PXE servers, it is ensured that even if some servers fail, the system can still quickly obtain the boot file and image file from the remaining servers, so as to ensure that the computing node accurately obtains the required resources, and lay a solid foundation for the stable operation of the satellite-borne computing cluster.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of spaceborne computing technology, specifically to the field of system repair for spaceborne computing clusters, and more specifically, to a spaceborne computing cluster with automatic operating system repair capabilities. Background Technology

[0002] It should be noted that the background information presented here is only for illustrating relevant information about the present invention to aid in understanding the technical solutions of the present invention, and does not imply that the relevant information is necessarily prior art. In the absence of evidence indicating that the relevant information was disclosed before the filing date of this invention, the relevant information should not be considered prior art.

[0003] With the increasing complexity and diversification of spaceborne missions, spaceborne computing clusters are playing an increasingly crucial role in the aerospace field. In this area, system stability and fault recovery capabilities are paramount. Current spaceborne computing nodes primarily improve system stability through hardware redundancy, automatic restarts, and employ hardware health monitoring (such as heartbeat signals) and basic fault detection mechanisms. However, for operating system-level faults, existing technologies lack mature automatic repair solutions, which to some extent restricts the reliability of spaceborne computing clusters and the continuity of mission execution, urgently requiring further technological breakthroughs and innovations.

[0004] Existing methods for handling faults in spaceborne computing clusters mainly fall into two categories: one is hardware redundancy switching, where when a computing node fails, operation is resumed by switching to a redundant node. This method relies heavily on hardware stability and neglects operating system-level repair and maintenance. The other method involves remote repair via remote monitoring and maintenance interfaces (such as IPMI) provided by the spaceborne computing cluster. This includes manual remote login and execution of specific repair commands to fix the fault. However, this method is primarily used for system restart and cannot automatically identify and resolve faults during the operating system startup phase. Therefore, both existing methods for handling spaceborne computing cluster faults have significant shortcomings. While redundancy switching can temporarily resolve the problem of a faulty node, it cannot fundamentally repair it, and the faulty node may still experience problems in subsequent tasks. Manual intervention relies on remote operation channels, which is impractical for spaceborne computing clusters that are unattended for extended periods. Furthermore, the timeliness and accuracy of manual operations are difficult to guarantee, and delays or errors may affect the overall system performance and the smooth execution of tasks.

[0005] In summary, existing fault handling methods for spaceborne computing clusters have significant shortcomings. While hardware redundancy switching can temporarily address faults, it cannot fundamentally solve the problem of faulty nodes. Manual remote operation cannot guarantee the timeliness and accuracy of operations, which can easily affect system performance and task execution. Furthermore, it cannot automatically identify and resolve operating system startup phase faults. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a solution that can automatically identify and handle operating system faults in spaceborne computing clusters. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a spaceborne computing cluster with automatic operating system repair function.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a spaceborne computer cluster is proposed, the spaceborne computer cluster comprising multiple PXE servers, multiple compute nodes, and a control node, wherein: each PXE server is used to store the boot files and image files of the operating system; each compute node is configured with a heartbeat service, a serial port output mechanism, and a remote management interface, and is configured to transmit a heartbeat signal to the control node in real time during the operating system startup process, and to send operating system status information to the control node in real time based on the configured serial port output mechanism; the control node is used to monitor the heartbeat signals of all compute nodes, and when an abnormal heartbeat is detected, it determines the operating system status of the compute node. The system diagnoses whether computing nodes have operating system failures based on status information, and configures computing nodes with operating system failures to PXE network boot mode via a remote management interface, and sends system reinstallation commands to computing nodes with operating system failures. Each computing node is configured with a predefined installation script and is configured to: communicate with all PXE servers, send heartbeat signals and operating system status information to the control node in real time, and, upon receiving a system reinstallation command from the control node, obtain the operating system boot file and image file from an available PXE server and run the predefined installation script to reinstall and start the operating system.

[0009] Preferably, the serial port output mechanism is configured with operating system status information corresponding to each boot step of the operating system. The boot steps of the operating system include, in sequence, BIOS / UEFI boot step, MBR / GPT loading step, GRUB boot step, kernel loading step, Init process startup step, system service startup step, and user login step.

[0010] Preferably, each computing node is configured to send the operating system status information corresponding to each operating system startup step to the control node after the computing node completes the startup step of the operating system.

[0011] Preferably, the control node is configured to perform fault diagnosis on each computing node in the following manner: the control node monitors in real time whether the computing node periodically sends a heartbeat signal at a preset time interval. If so, the computing node is determined to be fault-free; otherwise, the control node reads the latest operating system status information sent by the computing node. If the startup step corresponding to the latest operating system status information sent by the computing node is the MBR / GPT loading step or any step after the MBR / GPT loading step, the computing node is determined to have an operating system fault.

[0012] Preferably, when a compute node needs to obtain the operating system boot file and image file from a PXE server, the compute node interacts with the PXE server as follows: the compute node sends a boot file request to each PXE server in a preset order until it receives a response from a PXE server to the boot file request; the compute node pulls the boot file from the responding PXE server and executes the boot file to enable the compute node to download the image file from that PXE server.

[0013] Preferably, the computing node communicates with each PXE server using the PXE protocol.

[0014] Preferably, the computing node is configured to download the image file from the PXE server using the Simple File Transfer Protocol.

[0015] Preferably, the remote management interface is any one of IPMI, RDP, RFB, Telnet, and SSH.

[0016] Preferably, the predefined installation script is configured with operation instructions that sequentially execute image loading, automated partitioning and formatting, operating system installation, operating system configuration, and service startup.

[0017] Preferably, the parameters of each operation instruction in the predefined installation script can be customized in advance according to the user's needs.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0019] This invention proposes a scheme for automatically identifying and handling operating system failures in spaceborne computing clusters. This scheme accurately determines operating system failures by monitoring the serial port output information and heartbeat service status of computing nodes. Furthermore, it reinstalls and repairs the operating system without manual intervention based on an automated network boot mechanism to fix the faulty nodes. In addition, the spaceborne computing cluster is configured with multiple PXE servers to ensure that computing nodes accurately obtain boot files and image files, thereby ensuring the reliability of the repair operation. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the computing node and the control node according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection between a computing node and a PXE server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of control node fault diagnosis according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of automatic repair of computing nodes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a boot file request according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention is further described in detail below through specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0027] As mentioned in the background technology section, the existing fault handling methods of spaceborne computing clusters have obvious defects. Although hardware redundancy switching can temporarily deal with faults, it cannot fundamentally solve the problem of faulty nodes. Manual remote operation cannot guarantee the timeliness and accuracy of the operation, which can easily affect system performance and task execution, and cannot automatically identify and resolve faults in the operating system startup phase.

[0028] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes a solution capable of automatically identifying and handling operating system failures in onboard computing clusters. This solution accurately identifies operating system failures by monitoring the serial port output information and heartbeat service status of computing nodes. Furthermore, it reinstalls and repairs the operating system without manual intervention based on an automated network boot mechanism to fix faulty nodes. In addition, by configuring multiple PXE server redundancy mechanisms, it ensures that computing nodes accurately obtain boot files and image files, thereby guaranteeing the reliability of the repair operation.

[0029] To better understand the present invention, the following detailed description of the solution is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0030] Under current technology, spaceborne computing clusters lack fault diagnosis capabilities. Once a fault occurs, they can often only be repaired by manual intervention or hardware switching. However, for spaceborne computing clusters that are unattended for a long time, the timeliness of manual intervention is difficult to guarantee. In addition, although hardware switching can temporarily bypass the faulty node, it cannot fundamentally repair the faulty node. To address the aforementioned issues, this invention improves the computing and control nodes within the spaceborne computing cluster by equipping each node with a heartbeat service, serial port output mechanism, and remote management interface. During operating system startup, each computing node periodically sends heartbeat signals and operating system status information to the control node, allowing the control node to monitor the operational status of each node in real time. Based on the data reported by the computing nodes, the control node performs fault diagnosis on each node. If an operating system fault is detected in a computing node, a system command is sent to trigger a reinstallation of the operating system, thus achieving self-healing of the spaceborne computing cluster. Furthermore, this invention enhances the fault tolerance and robustness of the spaceborne computing cluster by deploying multiple PXE servers storing operating system boot files and image files. Even if some PXE servers experience sudden failures, the computing nodes can still reliably obtain the necessary boot files and image files during operating system reinstallation.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in this scheme, each computing node is connected to a control node, such as... Figure 1 As shown, each compute node sends a heartbeat signal to the control node in real time. Furthermore, after each boot step, the operating system sends the corresponding operating system status to the control node's serial port via a serial port output mechanism, enabling the control node to obtain the real-time running status of the compute nodes. It should be noted that the serial port output mechanism is configured with operating system status information corresponding to each boot step. These boot steps sequentially include the BIOS / UEFI boot step, MBR / GPT loading step, GRUB boot step, kernel loading step, Init process startup step, system service startup step, and user login step. It should be understood that the operating system boot steps are well-known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in this scheme, when the heartbeat signal of a computing node fails to be delivered to the control node on time, the control node will consider that the computing node is faulty. In order to more accurately determine the fault type, the control node further parses the operating system status information in the serial port to determine in which boot step the computing node failed. For example, if the latest operating system status is the BIOS / UEFI boot step, it is determined that the computing node failed during the BIOS / UEFI boot. If the latest operating system status is the MBR / GPT loading step, it is determined that the computing node failed during the MBR / GPT loading.

[0033] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in this scheme, multiple PXE servers are configured in the onboard computing cluster, and the same computing node is connected to multiple PXE servers. The connection method is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the diagram, each compute node establishes connections with multiple PXE servers. Based on this, the compute nodes interact with the PXE servers using the PXE communication protocol. This solution employs a multi-PXE server redundancy mechanism, providing strong fault tolerance. Even if a PXE server fails due to hardware failure, network interruption, or other reasons, the compute node can still quickly obtain the operating system boot files and image files from other connected PXE servers. Ensuring the stable and reliable acquisition of boot files and image files by the compute nodes is crucial for the fault repair of the spaceborne computing cluster. This solution, configuring multiple PXE servers, effectively guarantees the continuous and stable operation of the spaceborne computing cluster in the complex and ever-changing space environment, greatly improving the overall reliability and anti-interference capability of the spaceborne computing cluster, and providing solid technical support for the successful execution of space missions.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in this scheme, the control node is used to perform fault diagnosis on each computing node based on the heartbeat information reported by each computing node and the operating system status transmitted by the computing node through the serial port. Specifically, when the control node detects an abnormal heartbeat signal of a computing node (i.e., it fails to send a heartbeat signal periodically), it determines that the computing node has a fault. To further determine the cause of the computing node's fault, the control node reads the latest operating system status transmitted by the computing node in the serial port to determine at which startup step the computing node encountered a problem. If the latest operating system status transmitted by the computing node is the MBR / GPT startup step or any step after the MBR / GPT startup step, it indicates that the computing node has an operating system fault. For system-level faults, the control node uses the compute node's remote management interface (such as IPMI, RDP, RFB, Telnet, SSH, or other remote management interfaces) to guide the compute node into the BIOS setup interface and select the PXE network boot option. This switches the compute node's boot mode to network boot. Then, a system reinstallation command is sent to the compute node to automatically reinstall the operating system. Conversely, if the compute node transmits the latest operating system status BIOS / UEFI boot steps, the fault is not an operating system fault and cannot be repaired by reinstalling the system. Nodes with this type of fault are added to the troubleshooting list and await manual intervention. This solution automatically diagnoses compute node faults based on the compute node's heartbeat information and operating system status, without relying on physical contact or manual intervention, greatly improving the stability and reliability of the cluster and reducing the risk of system failure.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when a computing node with an operating system malfunction receives a reinstallation command sent by a control node, it enters an automatic repair process to reinstall the operating system. For example... Figure 2 As shown in the diagram, the automatic repair process is as follows: Step S1: Request PXE boot file. The compute node communicates with the PXE server using the PXE protocol and obtains the boot file from an available PXE server. Step S2: The compute node loads the PXE bootloader and downloads the operating system image from the PXE server that obtained the boot file using the TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol). Step S3: Automatically install the operating system. The compute node automatically executes a predefined installation script based on the downloaded operating system image to install the operating system. The installation script can be customized according to user needs, such as selecting the operating system version and the system components to be installed. Step S4: The compute node automatically restarts the operating system and sends a heartbeat signal and operating system status to the control node.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in step S2 of the automatic repair process, the communication process between the computing node and the PXE server is as follows: Figure 3 As shown in the diagram, this illustrates the steps a compute node takes to obtain a boot file from a PXE server. Specifically, when a compute node requests a boot file, it uses the PXE protocol and sends requests to multiple PXE servers in a pre-defined order. If a PXE server fails to respond in time due to a malfunction, network anomaly, or other reasons, the compute node automatically triggers a failover mechanism, seamlessly connecting to the next available PXE server until one responds, and then obtains the boot file from that server. If all PXE servers fail to respond, the onboard computing cluster will be unable to repair the compute node. In this case, the onboard computing cluster reports a PXE server error, awaiting manual intervention. This solution utilizes a multi-PXE server redundancy mechanism to significantly enhance the system's fault tolerance and robustness. Even if some PXE servers experience sudden anomalies, the compute node can reliably and stably obtain the required files, thus laying a solid foundation for the operating system repair process and effectively maintaining the stability and continuous operation of the entire computing environment.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the predefined installation script in this solution is used to automatically install an operating system based on an acquired image file, and is configured with multiple operation instructions to execute the following steps: Step S31, Boot Image Loading: The operating system image downloaded from the PXE server is loaded into the node's memory, and the boot installation program is started; Step S32, Automated Partitioning and Formatting: The installation script automatically performs disk partitioning and formatting operations to ensure that the operating system can be correctly installed on the faulty node; Step S33, System Installation: The operating system image file is copied to the node's hard disk, and the installation operation is performed, wherein all configurations in the installation operation are completed by the predefined script; Step S34, System Configuration and Service Startup: After the operating system installation is completed, the operating system is automatically started, and network configuration, user settings, and other operations are performed to ensure that the node can join the onboard computing cluster normally. It should be understood that the implementation of the operating system installation script is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. In addition, this solution aims to achieve the function of automatically installing the operating system on computing nodes through predefined installation scripts. The steps contained in the above installation script are only illustrative, and users can add or delete steps in the installation script or adjust the order of the various installation steps in the installation script according to their needs.

[0038] To ensure the accuracy of system recovery, according to one embodiment of the present invention, after the reinstalled operating system of a computing node starts, the control node continues to monitor the computing node to ensure that its various services can operate normally. Specifically, after the computing node starts the reinstalled operating system, the heartbeat service will also restart to report heartbeat information to the control node. If the control node receives a normal heartbeat signal, it indicates that the operating system of the computing node has been successfully recovered. If the control node does not receive a normal heartbeat signal, it indicates that the computing node repair has failed, and the control node sends a system reinstallation command to the computing node again to repair the computing node again.

[0039] This solution improves upon existing spaceborne computing clusters by accurately identifying operating system failures through real-time monitoring of the serial port output information and heartbeat service status of computing nodes. It automatically triggers a system reinstallation and repair process to fix faulty computing nodes, thus addressing the issue of poor timeliness in manual intervention. Furthermore, the spaceborne computing cluster is configured with multiple PXE servers that store operating system boot and image files, ensuring that even if some servers malfunction, the redundant configuration can stably and reliably retrieve files, thereby guaranteeing repair reliability and enhancing the fault tolerance and stability of the spaceborne computing cluster.

[0040] It should be noted that although the steps are described in a specific order above, it does not mean that the steps must be executed in the above specific order. In fact, some of these steps can be executed concurrently, or even in a different order, as long as the required function can be achieved.

[0041] The various embodiments of the present invention have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or technical improvements to the embodiments in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A satellite computer cluster comprising a plurality of PXE servers, a plurality of computing nodes and a control node, wherein: each PXE server is configured to store a boot file and an image file of an operating system; each computing node is configured with a heartbeat service, a serial output mechanism and a remote management interface, and is configured to transmit a heartbeat signal to the control node in real time during a booting process of the operating system, and transmit operating system status information to the control node in real time based on the configured serial output mechanism; the control node is configured to monitor the heartbeat signals of all the computing nodes, and when an abnormal heartbeat is monitored, diagnose whether the computing node has an operating system failure based on the operating system status information of the computing node, and configure the computing node with the operating system failure to a PXE network boot mode through the remote management interface, and send a system reinstallation instruction to the computing node with the operating system failure; wherein each computing node is configured with a predefined installation script, and is configured to: communicate with all the PXE servers, and transmit the heartbeat signal and the operating system status information to the control node in real time, and when receiving the system reinstallation instruction fed back by the control node, obtain the boot file and the image file of the operating system from an available PXE server and run the predefined installation script to reinstall and boot the operating system.

2. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 1, characterized in that, the serial output mechanism is configured with operating system status information corresponding to each booting step of the operating system, wherein the booting steps of the operating system include, in sequence, a BIOS / UEFI booting step, an MBR / GPT loading step, a GRUB booting step, a kernel loading step, an Init process booting step, a system service booting step and a user login step.

3. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 2, characterized in that, each computing node is configured to: send the operating system status information corresponding to each booting step of the operating system to the control node after the computing node completes the booting step.

4. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 3, characterized in that, the control node is configured to diagnose the failure of each computing node by: monitoring whether the computing node periodically transmits the heartbeat signal at a preset time interval in real time, and if so, determining that the computing node is not faulty, otherwise, reading the latest operating system status information transmitted by the computing node, and if the latest operating system status information transmitted by the computing node corresponds to the MBR / GPT loading step or any step after the MBR / GPT loading step, determining that the computing node has an operating system failure.

5. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the computing node needs to obtain the boot file and the image file of the operating system from the PXE server, the computing node and the PXE server interact as follows: the computing node sends a boot file request to each PXE server in a preset order one by one until receiving a response to the boot file request from a PXE server; the computing node pulls the boot file from the PXE server that responds, and executes the boot file to enable the computing node to download the image file from the PXE server.

6. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 5, characterized in that, the computing node and each PXE server communicate using the PXE protocol.

7. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 5, characterized in that, the computing node is configured to: The image file is downloaded from the PXE server by using a simple file transfer protocol.

8. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The remote management interface is any one of IPMI, RDP, RFB, Telnet and SSH.

9. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The predefined installation script is configured with operation instructions for sequentially performing image loading, automatic partitioning and formatting, operating system installation, operating system configuration and service starting.

10. The cluster of on-board computers according to claim 9, characterized in that, Parameters of each operation instruction in the predefined installation script can be individually configured according to user's requirements in advance.

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