Method for recovering VPX case board card with electronic identity tag

Abstract

The invention discloses a recovery method of a VPX case board card with an electronic identity tag. The recovery method comprises the following steps: inserting a functional board card to be recovered into a backboard connector of a maintenance tool; the maintenance tool obtains the RFID tag information of the functional board card in the passive mode through an RFID reading module, and identifies the type of the current board card; according to the type of the board card, dynamically configuring a SerDes channel mapping relation of the backboard connector through an FPGA module of the maintenance tool, and starting a functional board card; the BMC module of the function board card controls the RFID module to switch to an active mode, establishes communication with the maintenance tool, and transmits configuration parameters stored in the BMC module; the maintenance tool packages the received configuration parameters into an ISO recovery mirror image of the corresponding board card type, generates an updated recovery mirror image and simulates the USB CD driver to be mounted to the functional board card; and restarting the functional board card to complete board card recovery. According to the method, the fault board card is recovered, plug-and-repair is achieved, manual configuration is not needed, and dependence on technicians is reduced; and the maintenance complexity is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of VPX chassis boards, and more specifically to a recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag. Background Art

[0002] Currently, VPX chassis are commonly used in high-reliability scenarios (such as military and aerospace). Most of their boards support hot-swap replacement. In case of a board failure during a mission, the mission can be supported by replacing the faulty board with a spare one, greatly improving the maintainability of the equipment. However, the recovery of the replaced board is very difficult. It is impossible to use the chassis to maintain the damaged board during the mission execution, and offline maintenance depends on a debugging tooling board.

[0003] There are currently the following difficulties and limitations in board recovery:

[0004] 1. The configuration parameters (such as system configuration and software configuration) of the same type of board in different slots need to be configured differently, which requires high requirements for on-site technicians.

[0005] 2. There are differences in the VPX connector signals of different types of boards, and different tooling boards need to be matched, and the maintenance configuration items are different, further increasing the operation complexity.

[0006] 3. If the board system is damaged and cannot be started, the original configuration parameters cannot be directly read, and reconstruction depends on external records, which is time-consuming and error-prone.

[0007] In summary, although the VPX architecture optimizes the fault response speed through the hot-swap mechanism, the configuration complexity and hardware compatibility issues of board offline recovery still pose significant challenges to maintenance convenience. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of this, the present invention provides a recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag, which can solve the problems of complex recovery process after board failure, manual configuration of parameters, loss of parameters if the board is completely damaged, and low efficiency and error-proneness of existing methods.

[0009] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0010] The present invention provides a recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag, including the following steps:

[0011] S1. Insert the functional board to be recovered into the backplane connector of the maintenance tooling.

[0012] S2. The maintenance tooling obtains the RFID tag information of the functional board in the passive mode through the RFID reading module to identify the current board type;

[0013] S3. According to the type of the board card, dynamically configure the SerDes channel mapping relationship of the backplane connector through the FPGA module of the maintenance tooling, and start the functional board card;

[0014] S4. After the functional board card is powered on, the BMC module of the functional board card controls the RFID module to switch to the active mode, establish communication with the maintenance tooling, and transmit the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module;

[0015] S5. The maintenance tooling encapsulates the received configuration parameters into the ISO recovery image corresponding to the board card type, generates an updated recovery image, and simulates a USB optical drive to be mounted to the functional board card;

[0016] S6. Restart the functional board card, so that it boots the system through the recovery image, automatically executes the system reinstallation and configuration recovery program, and completes the board card recovery.

[0017] Further, the functional board card includes:

[0018] An RFID module, supporting passive mode and active mode;

[0019] A BMC module, connected to the board card CPU and the RFID module respectively through serial ports, used to store system configuration parameters, and control the RFID module to communicate with the maintenance tooling in the active mode;

[0020] A board card CPU, used to execute corresponding business calculation tasks, and cooperate with the BMC module to complete the intelligent repair of the board card by executing automation scripts and configuration programs during the recovery process;

[0021] In the passive mode, the RFID module only returns the pre-stored board card type identifier; in the active mode, the BMC module dynamically generates the return data of the RFID module according to the stored configuration parameters.

[0022] Further, the maintenance tooling includes:

[0023] A main control MCU module, used to parse the RFID tag information in the passive mode of the functional board card, identify the current board card type, and control the recovery process;

[0024] An RFID reading module, used to communicate with the RFID module of the functional board card;

[0025] An FPGA module, with a programmable switch matrix built-in, used to dynamically allocate the mapping relationship between the backplane connector and the SerDes channel according to the board card type;

[0026] A backplane connector, which is a aviation plug interface compatible with the insertion of different board cards;

[0027] The configuration of the FPGA module enables the same backplane connector interface to adapt to the signal differences of different boards.

[0028] Furthermore, in step S5, the configuration parameters are encapsulated in a specified folder of the ISO recovery image in JSON format, and a corresponding MD5 check file is generated;

[0029] In step S6, the configuration recovery program reads the file in JSON format when the system starts, and executes the configuration commands one by one after passing the verification.

[0030] Furthermore, in step S6, when the configuration recovery program is executed, if a single configuration command fails, it will be retried after a delay for n times, where n is greater than or equal to 2; if it finally fails, a log will be recorded and the subsequent configuration commands will continue to be executed.

[0031] Furthermore, the ISO recovery image is a board type image, which contains basic system files and reserved interfaces for injecting configuration parameters.

[0032] Furthermore, the BMC module is a Feiteng E2000 chip, which interacts with and stores configuration parameters with the board CPU through a serial port.

[0033] Furthermore, the switch matrix of the FPGA module supports real-time dynamic allocation of SerDes channels, including adaptive adjustment of signal rate, protocol type, and channel number.

[0034] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical advantages:

[0035] Plug and repair: No manual configuration is required, reducing the dependence on technical personnel.

[0036] Universal tooling: The same device supports multiple board types, eliminating the need for a dedicated adapter.

[0037] Prevent data loss: The configuration parameters are pre-stored in an independent chip on the board, and can be read even if the system crashes. Description of the Drawings

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the provided drawings without creative efforts.

[0039] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of the recovery method for the VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag provided by the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of the VPX chassis provided by the present invention.

[0041] Figure 3 Internal structure diagram of the functional board provided by the present invention.

[0042] Figure 4 Structural diagram of the maintenance tooling provided by the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0043] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0044] The embodiment of the present invention discloses a recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag. Different types of boards and the configuration parameters (such as system configuration, software configuration) when the board operates normally can be identified through the board electronic tag. When the board needs to be recovered due to a fault, the VPX connection relationship is dynamically adjusted according to different board types, the board is guided to recover, and the system is reset according to the configuration parameters in the electronic tag. Refer to Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the method includes the following steps:

[0045] S1. Insert the functional board to be recovered into the backplane connector of the maintenance tooling;

[0046] S2. The maintenance tooling obtains the RFID tag information of the functional board in the passive mode through the RFID reading module to identify the current board type;

[0047] S3. According to the board type, the SerDes channel mapping relationship of the backplane connector is dynamically configured through the FPGA module of the maintenance tooling, and the functional board is started;

[0048] S4. After the functional board is powered on, the BMC module of the functional board controls the RFID module to switch to the active mode, establish communication with the maintenance tooling, and transmit the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module;

[0049] S5. The maintenance tooling encapsulates the received configuration parameters into the ISO recovery image corresponding to the board type, generates an updated recovery image, and simulates a USB optical drive to be mounted to the functional board;

[0050] S6. Restart the functional board, and make it boot the system through the recovery image to automatically execute the system reinstallation and configuration recovery program, completing the board recovery.

[0051] The overall process of this method includes: after the functional board is inserted into the maintenance tooling, the board type is identified through the RFID tag. The FPGA dynamically configures the backplane SerDes channel mapping to adapt to different board signals. The board BMC module communicates with the maintenance tooling, transmits the configuration parameters and encapsulates them into the recovery image. Automatically reinstall the system and execute the configuration recovery program to complete the repair. This method reduces manual intervention and lowers the technical threshold by automatically restoring the functions of the faulty board. Among them, the used maintenance tooling has hardware compatibility and can adapt to various board types. The parameters are stored in the BMC module to avoid data loss; in addition, new board types can be supported through software upgrades, reducing the maintenance cost.

[0052] As Figure 2 shown, the VPX chassis includes a computing board, a storage board, a main control board and a switching module. The VPX chassis is an industrial chassis that conforms to the VPX standard (VITA 46) and is designed for high-reliability scenarios (such as military, aerospace, communication base stations). It supports inserting multiple functional boards to flexibly expand the system capabilities; it can provide a high-speed data transmission channel through the backplane, adapt to harsh environments (seismic resistance, high temperature resistance, electromagnetic interference resistance), and allows replacing faulty boards during system operation to ensure continuous operation.

[0053] Among them, as Figure 3 shown, the functional board, for example, contains a Feiteng E2000 chip as the BMC module. The BMC module obtains the configuration parameters (such as system configuration, software configuration) through the serial port connecting to the board CPU and stores them in the BMC module. The BMC module is also connected to the RFID module through the serial port.

[0054] The RFID module supports passive mode and active mode;

[0055] The BMC module is connected to the board CPU and the RFID module respectively through the serial port, used to store the system configuration parameters, and control the communication between the RFID module and the maintenance tooling in the active mode;

[0056] The board CPU is used to execute the corresponding business calculation tasks, and in the recovery process, it cooperates with the BMC module to complete the intelligent repair of the board by executing automation scripts and configuration programs;

[0057] When the RFID module operates in the passive mode, it only returns the pre-stored basic number, and the current board type can be determined through the basic number. When the RFID module operates in the active mode, the BMC module takes over the communication, and according to the board configuration parameters, dynamically generates the data returned by the radio frequency chip. At this time, through the RFID reading module, the board configuration parameters can be read.

[0058] As Figure 4 shown, the maintenance tooling includes:

[0059] The main control MCU module is used to parse the RFID tag information of the functional board in the passive mode, identify the current board type, and control the recovery process;

[0060] The RFID reading module is used to communicate with the RFID module of the functional board;

[0061] The FPGA module is built-in with a programmable switch matrix, which is used to dynamically allocate the mapping relationship between the backplane connector and the SerDes channel according to the board type;

[0062] The backplane connector is an aviation plug interface that is compatible with the insertion of different boards.

[0063] When the functional board is inserted into the backplane connector of the maintenance tooling for recovery, the main control MCU module first reads the RFID tag information of the lower board in the passive mode, obtains the current board type, partially reconfigures the FPGA module according to the board information, and dynamically allocates the SerDes channels of the backplane connector to different functional modules through the internal switch matrix of the FPGA module, and uses the same aviation plug interface to be compatible with the insertion of different boards. After the aviation plug interface is configured according to the board type, the board is powered on and started for board recovery.

[0064] After the functional board is powered on, the board RFID module operates in the active mode, takes over the communication through the BMC module, and communicates with the RFID reading module of the maintenance tooling by simulating the tag communication protocol (for example, ISO 14443), and transfers the board system configuration to the main control MCU module of the maintenance tooling. That is: transfer the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module to the main control MCU module of the maintenance tooling.

[0065] The BMC module first communicates with the board CPU through the serial port, and can obtain various configuration information of the operating system and related application software in the operating system. There is a service program in the operating system. If the configuration changes, it will tell the BMC module through the serial port to record the latest configuration parameters.

[0066] The maintenance tooling stores the ISO recovery images of different boards. After the main control MCU module reads the board system configuration, it generates a configuration file for the board configuration information, adds it to the specified folder of the ISO recovery image, repackages the image, and mounts the recovery image to the board by simulating a USB optical drive according to the board type. The board defaults to booting the system from the optical disc to perform system recovery.

[0067] Among them, the ISO recovery image needs to be prepared in advance. The maintenance tooling stores the recovery images of this type of board according to the board type. The systems and software to be installed on the same type of board are the same, so the recovery images are the same. However, the specific software configurations of the same type of board are different. For example, different IP addresses will be set, and the configurations of the same software in different slots are also different. These need to be configured separately. The recovery images corresponding to different types of boards are different, so they are compatible.

[0068] Boards such as computing boards, storage boards, and management boards have different focuses on functions, so there will be differences in hardware configurations. For example, some have more network ports, some have larger hard disk capacities, but the CPU performance is a bit worse. Also, because of different functional focuses, there will be differences in the types of software. Therefore, different recovery images are required.

[0069] The recovery process of the method of the present invention is described in detail as follows:

[0070] 1. Insert the functional board into the backplane connector of the maintenance tooling.

[0071] 2. The RFID reading module of the maintenance tooling reads the type of the functional board;

[0072] 3. The FPGA configures the corresponding relationship of the SerDes ports of the backplane connector according to the board type and starts the functional board;

[0073] There is a SerDes module in the FPGA for serial data transmission. The data ports such as USB, network, and HDMI of various types of boards are connected to the backplane connector through the SerDes module interface. However, the connection pin positions of the corresponding interfaces for different types of boards are different. The FPGA calls the SerDes module, configures the SerDes of the corresponding backplane connector pins according to the board type, and connects the correct SerDes interface positions of USB, network, and HDMI to the MCU, so that the MCU can process the same interfaces of different types of boards.

[0074] 4. After the functional board is powered on, the board BMC module is also powered on. The board RFID module works in the active mode. The board BMC module controls the board RFID module to search for the RFID reading module of the maintenance tooling. If there is one, communication is established, and the configuration parameters saved in the board BMC module are sent to the RFID reading module of the maintenance tooling.

[0075] 5. After the maintenance tooling RFID reading module obtains the configuration parameters, it adds them in JSON format to the specified folder in the ISO recovery image of this type of board, and saves the MD5 checksum of the JSON file to the specified file, overwriting the configuration and checksum files in the previous image, and then repackages to generate the ISO recovery image.

[0076] 6. The maintenance tooling simulates a USB optical drive to mount the ISO recovery image, and then restarts the function board, allowing the function board to boot the system through the USB optical disc.

[0077] 7. During the startup process of the function board, the system corresponding to the board type will be reinstalled automatically (because the system image is packaged according to the board type).

[0078] 8. After the system reinstallation is completed and the system is entered, a self-written configuration recovery program will run. The recovery program reads the configuration parameters in JSON format from the specified folder, and checks the checksum value. If the checksum value is correct, it will configure each item according to the configuration parameters to complete the system recovery work. If the configuration command returns a failure during the configuration process, it will retry the configuration after a 10s delay, and try up to three times. If it still fails, it will record a log in the specified file and then proceed to the next configuration until all configurations are completed.

[0079] The configuration information is saved in JSON format, and the format is as follows:

[0080] {

[0081] "System Configuration":{

[0082] "Network Configuration":{

[0083] "enp2s1f0":{

[0084] "ip":" 192.168.12.2 / 24",

[0085] "gateway":" 192.168.12.1",

[0086] },

[0087] },"Other Configurations":{

[0088] "Waiting Time for System Selection Interface at Startup":30,

[0089] },"XX Configuration":{

[0090] XXXX

[0091] },

[0092] },"Software 1 Configuration":{

[0093] XXXX

[0094] },

[0095] },

[0096] }

[0097] When the system starts for the first time after recovery, the configuration program runs by default. The configuration program reads the JSON information in the configuration file and configures the board card item by item according to the JSON information to complete the recovery of the board card.

[0098] The recovery method of the VPX chassis board card with an electronic identity tag provided by the present invention has the following effects:

[0099] 1. Automatic and intelligent board card recovery

[0100] Through the combination of the electronic identity tag (RFID) and the BMC chip, the type and configuration parameters of the board card can be automatically read without manual recording and input of configuration information. The configuration information and other records are stored in the BMC chip without the need to add an additional separate storage module, and this processing also increases the amount of data transmitted by the RFID module in the active mode. In actual tasks, if a board card fails, it can be quickly recovered through the maintenance tooling without the need for manual recording of various configuration parameters of each board card.

[0101] 2. Dynamically adjust the VPX connection relationship

[0102] Through the dynamic configuration function of the FPGA module, the SerDes channels of the VPX backplane connector can be dynamically allocated according to the type and requirements of different board cards. This dynamic adjustment mechanism enables the system to flexibly adapt to the connection requirements of different board cards, avoiding the complexity of designing a dedicated tooling board for each type of board card in the traditional method. For subsequent expansion of new types of board cards or board cards for other projects, it can be expanded through software changes. This method reduces the complexity of maintenance, reduces the types of maintenance tooling, reduces the average maintenance cost, and improves the compatibility and scalability of the system.

[0103] 3. Reduce dependence on on-site personnel

[0104] Since the recovery process is highly automated, on-site technicians do not need to have advanced technical capabilities and only need to operate according to the process to complete the recovery of the board card.

[0105] The present invention can be applied to scenarios such as aerospace and vehicle-mounted communication that require highly reliable VPX systems, significantly shortening the recovery time of faulty board cards (from several hours to the minute level), and supporting a unified maintenance tooling for board cards of different models, reducing the equipment procurement cost.

[0106] In the present specification, the various embodiments are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts among the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the devices disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the method part.

[0107] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. Insert the functional board to be restored into the backplane connector of the maintenance tooling; S2. The maintenance tooling obtains the RFID tag information of the functional board in the passive mode through the RFID reading module to identify the current board type; S3. According to the board type, the FPGA module of the maintenance tooling dynamically configures the SerDes channel mapping relationship of the backplane connector and starts the functional board; S4. After the functional board is powered on, the BMC module of the functional board controls the RFID module to switch to the active mode, establishes communication with the maintenance tooling, and transmits the configuration parameters stored in the BMC module; S5. The maintenance tooling encapsulates the received configuration parameters into the ISO recovery image corresponding to the board type, generates an updated recovery image, and simulates a USB optical drive to be mounted to the functional board; S6. Restart the functional board so that it boots the system through the recovery image and automatically executes the system reinstallation and configuration recovery program to complete the board recovery.

2. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, characterized in that, The functional board includes: An RFID module, supporting passive mode and active mode; A BMC module, connected to the board CPU and the RFID module through serial ports respectively, for storing system configuration parameters and controlling the RFID module to communicate with the maintenance tooling in the active mode; A board CPU, used to execute corresponding business calculation tasks, and cooperate with the BMC module to complete the intelligent repair of the board by executing automation scripts and configuration programs during the recovery process; In the passive mode, the RFID module only returns the pre-stored board type identifier; in the active mode, the BMC module dynamically generates the return data of the RFID module according to the stored configuration parameters.

3. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maintenance tooling includes: A main control MCU module, used to parse the RFID tag information of the functional board in the passive mode, identify the current board type, and control the recovery process; An RFID reading module, used to communicate with the RFID module of the functional board; An FPGA module, with a built-in programmable switch matrix, used to dynamically allocate the mapping relationship between the backplane connector and the SerDes channel according to the board type; A backplane connector, which is a aviation plug interface compatible with the insertion of different boards; The configuration of the FPGA module enables the same backplane connector interface to adapt to the signal differences of different boards.

4. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, the configuration parameters are encapsulated in a specified folder of the ISO recovery image in JSON format, and a corresponding MD5 check file is generated; In step S6, the configuration recovery program reads the file in JSON format when the system starts, and executes the configuration commands one by one after passing the verification.

5. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 4, characterized in that, In step S6, when the configuration recovery program is executed, if a single configuration command fails, it will be retried after a delay, and tried n times, where n is greater than or equal to 2; if it finally fails, a log will be recorded and the subsequent configuration commands will continue to be executed.

6. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ISO recovery image is a board type image, which contains basic system files and reserved interfaces for injecting configuration parameters.

7. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 1, characterized in that, The BMC module is a Feiteng E2000 chip, and configures parameter interaction and storage with the board CPU through a serial port.

8. The recovery method for a VPX chassis board with an electronic identity tag according to claim 3, characterized in that, The switch matrix of the FPGA module supports real-time dynamic allocation of SerDes channels, including adaptive adjustment of signal rate, protocol type, and number of channels.

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