Server firmware repair system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a server firmware repairing system and method, and relates to the technical field of servers, and the system comprises a firmware mirror image transmission controller and a substrate management controller; the firmware mirror image transmission controller comprises a receiving end and a sending end, the receiving end is connected with the target client and receives a server firmware mirror image transmitted by the target client, and the sending end is connected with the substrate management controller and refreshes the server firmware mirror image into the substrate management controller; the substrate management controller is installed on a target server mainboard, and the substrate management controller is configured to call and refresh an interface of target firmware corresponding to the server firmware mirror image under the condition that the server firmware mirror image is different from the substrate management controller mirror image, restart a component associated with the target firmware and take effect, and refresh the target firmware. According to the method and the device, the problems that only firmware of the substrate management controller can be repaired, the maintenance cost is high and the convenience is poor in the prior art are solved, and the effects of supporting recovery and refreshing of various firmware, reducing the maintenance cost and improving the maintenance convenience are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of server technology, and in particular to a server firmware repair system and method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of big data, cloud computing and other businesses, servers have gradually become popular in all walks of life.

[0003] In the related art, the recovery solution for firmware hang in the server can generally only repair a single firmware of the baseboard management controller or the basic input and output system, which has high maintenance costs and poor convenience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a server firmware repair system and method to at least solve the problem in the related art that the repair tool deployed in the server system can only repair the baseboard management controller firmware.

[0005] The present application provides a server firmware repair system, which includes: a firmware image transmission controller and a baseboard management controller;

[0006] The firmware image transmission controller includes a receiving end and a sending end, the receiving end is configured to connect to the target client and receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client, and the sending end is configured to connect to the baseboard management controller and refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller;

[0007] The baseboard management controller is installed on the target server motherboard. The baseboard management controller is configured to call the interface of refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image when the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, restart the components associated with the target firmware and make it take effect.

[0008] The present application also provides a server firmware repair method, which is performed based on any of the above-mentioned server firmware repair systems, and includes:

[0009] The receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller receives the server firmware image transmitted by the target client;

[0010] The sending end of the firmware image transmission controller refreshes the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller;

[0011] Installing the baseboard management controller on the target server mainboard;

[0012] When the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, the baseboard management controller calls an interface for refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image, restarts components associated with the target firmware, and makes the firmware effective.

[0013] Through the present application, since the server firmware repair system includes a firmware image transmission controller and a baseboard management controller; wherein the firmware image transmission controller includes a receiving end and a sending end, the receiving end is connected to the target client and can receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client, and the sending end is connected to the baseboard management controller and can refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller; the baseboard management controller is installed on the target server motherboard, and the baseboard management controller can call the interface of refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image when the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, restart the components associated with the target firmware and take effect; therefore, the server firmware repair system can restore and refresh accessories that are not limited to the baseboard management controller, which solves the problem in the related technology that the repair tools deployed in the server system can only repair the baseboard management controller firmware, the maintenance cost is high and the convenience is poor, and achieves the technical effect of supporting the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reducing maintenance costs and improving convenience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the refresh process of the server BMC and BIOS in the related art;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the server BMC firmware repair process in the related art;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a server firmware repair system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an application process of the server firmware repair system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 Another application flow diagram of the server firmware repair system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 A flowchart of a server firmware repair method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] It should be noted that, in the description of this application, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. The terms "first," "second," etc., in this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a particular order or sequence.

[0023] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0024] First, the technical terms and related technical contents in this article are explained.

[0025] The Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) is a server-specific management controller. Its primary function is to automatically monitor the server's operating status, primarily the health of each hardware component. By monitoring the health of each hardware component and obtaining information about it, the BMC helps operations personnel understand the server's operating status and ensure proper operation. If a server problem occurs, the BMC sends fault information to operations personnel via logs, assisting them in troubleshooting.

[0026] The server BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is the firmware loaded on the computer hardware system. Its main functions are power-on self-test, loading the boot program, and providing a configuration interface.

[0027] A server BIOS and BMC hang occurs when the BIOS and BMC firmware become completely inoperable due to improper settings, flashing incompatible firmware, communication errors during the flash, or corrupted firmware conf files. Specifically, this can manifest as an inability to log in to bmcweb, making the IPMI and Redfish services provided by the BMC completely unusable. Alternatively, the server BIOS may fail to boot, preventing the server from starting. Both of these situations can impact server operation and maintenance.

[0028] The firmware image transfer controller can be a microcontroller unit (MCU). A microcontroller, also known as a single-chip microcomputer, is a microcomputer system that integrates a processor core (CPU), memory (RAM, ROM / Flash), input / output interfaces (I / O), and other peripherals (such as timers, serial ports, and ADCs). It is often used in embedded systems to perform specific control tasks.

[0029] SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) is a synchronous serial communication protocol commonly used for short-distance communication, especially in embedded systems connecting microcontrollers, sensors, memory devices, and other devices. Electronic devices communicate through physical connections via pins. Specific pins include the following: 1. SCLK (Serial Clock): A clock signal line generated by the master device (Master) and used to synchronize data transmission. The master device uses SCLK to control the communication rate. 2. MOSI (Master Out Slave In): A data line output by the master device and input by the slave device. The master device sends data to the slave device through MOSI. 3. MISO (Master In Slave Out): A data line input by the master device and output by the slave device. The slave device sends data to the master device through MISO. 4. SS / CS (Slave Select / Chip Select): A chip select signal line used to select a slave device. The master device activates a specific slave device by pulling the SS / CS pin low. Each slave device requires a separate SS / CS pin.

[0030] UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter) is a serial communication protocol used for data transmission between devices. It can be implemented using serial communication tools. Compared to SPI tools, it does not rely on a clock signal connection, but instead relies on a baud rate agreed upon by both communicating parties for synchronization.

[0031] An open-source firmware reading and writing tool used to detect, read, write, verify, and erase various firmware images. By providing a command-line interface, users can import and export firmware images.

[0032] An open-source serial communication tool that can be used on Linux and other Unix-like systems. It is suitable for communicating with external devices (such as microcontrollers and embedded devices) via UART. Its functions include serial communication, terminal emulation, file transfer, and serial port configuration saving.

[0033] In related technologies, the refresh methods of server BMC and BIOS are as follows: Figure 1 As shown, when the server firmware BMC is running normally and the server BMC's local area network (BMC web) is communicating normally, server BMC and BIOS firmware updates are usually performed through the BMC web. The user uploads the locally downloaded server BMC firmware image / BIOS firmware image to BMCweb. The BMC web verifies and uploads the image to the server BMC / BIOS via the local area network, writes to it, and restarts the BMC / BIOS. This method can achieve batch refresh of machines by deploying batch management software and is a common method for refreshing firmware in server rooms.

[0034] If the server BMC cannot be logged in and cannot be restored due to reasons such as firmware incompatibility, BMC important process hang, network disconnection, etc., maintenance engineers usually use the BMC firmware recovery tool to refresh the BMC in the band, such as Figure 2 shown.

[0035] Among them, if the BMC firmware recovery tool is deployed in the server operating system, you can log in to the server operating system through remote desktop or physical keyboard and mouse, log in to the server operating system, upload the recovery BMC firmware and run the BMC firmware recovery tool. The in-band transmission function provided by the BMC firmware recovery tool can replace the faulty BMC image with the recovery BMC image, and restart the BMC to take effect. This is the emergency BMC refresh method currently used by maintenance engineers after a BMC hangs.

[0036] Using the BMC firmware recovery tool to resolve the BMC hang problem, or replacing the motherboard or BMC / BIOS chip to resolve the server BIOS and BMC hang problem, as mentioned above, has the following disadvantages: increased maintenance costs, dependence on the server operating system, and inconvenience in execution (for example, BMC developers' R&D machines usually do not have an operating system installed, making the BMC firmware recovery tool unavailable; server operations and maintenance personnel do not have server operating system operation permissions, etc.). In addition, the BMC firmware recovery tool can only refresh the server BMC but not the server BIOS, thereby increasing maintenance costs and reducing convenience.

[0037] To address this, embodiments of the present application provide a server firmware repair system and method that can support the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reduce maintenance costs, and improve maintenance convenience.

[0038] Specifically, the server firmware repair system can be implemented based on a firmware image transmission controller, which includes a receiving end and a sending end. The receiving end is connected to the target client and can receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client. The sending end is connected to the baseboard management controller and can refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller; the baseboard management controller is installed on the target server motherboard. When the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, the baseboard management controller can call the interface of the target firmware corresponding to the refresh server firmware image, restart the components associated with the target firmware and make it effective; thus, the server firmware repair system can restore and refresh accessories that are not limited to the baseboard management controller, thereby achieving the technical effect of supporting the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reducing maintenance costs and improving maintenance convenience.

[0039] The embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] For example, Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a server firmware repair system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 The server firmware repair system 10 includes: a firmware image transmission controller 11 and a baseboard management controller 12.

[0041] The firmware image transmission controller can be configured as a firmware image transmission controller such as a micro single-board computer or an open-source electronic prototyping platform. For example, the micro single-board computer can be low-cost (e.g., a few hundred yuan), small (e.g., about the size of a credit card), and programmable. Furthermore, it can provide GPIO (general purpose input and output) pins for developing custom projects. For example, the open-source electronic prototyping platform can be a platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software, specifically consisting of a microcontroller-based circuit board and an integrated development environment (IDE). Users can use the IDE to write code and upload it to the circuit board to control various electronic components and sensors.

[0042] Among them, the firmware image transmission controller 11 includes a receiving end 111 and a sending end 112. The receiving end 111 is configured to connect to the target client 100 and receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client 100. The sending end 112 is configured to connect to the baseboard management controller 12 and refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller 12.

[0043] The target client 100 may be a work laptop of a maintenance engineer, and the server firmware image is downloaded into the target client 100. The target client 100 connects to the receiving end 111 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 and uploads the server firmware image to the firmware image transmission controller 11.

[0044] In some embodiments, the server firmware image includes at least one of a basic input / output system storage device image (i.e., BIOS image), a baseboard management controller image (i.e., BMC image), a power supply firmware (i.e., PSU firmware), an editable controller firmware (e.g., CPLD firmware), a baseboard management controller configuration file (e.g., BMC conf file), a heat dissipation control strategy file, and a basic input / output system configuration file (i.e., BIOS configuration file).

[0045] Exemplarily, the server firmware image may include a BIOS / BMC image, a PSU / CPLD firmware, a BMC conf file, a heat dissipation control policy file, and a BIOS configuration file.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, the receiving end 111 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 opens a communication interface to receive the server firmware image uploaded by the target client 100, so as to facilitate the recovery and refresh of a variety of different server firmwares, so as to support the recovery and refresh of multiple firmwares, reduce maintenance costs and improve maintenance convenience.

[0047] The transmitting end 112 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 is connected to the baseboard management controller 12 and can refresh the received server firmware image to the baseboard management controller 12, so as to repair the target firmware in the server based on the baseboard management controller 12 and restart and restore the components associated with the target firmware in the server. The target firmware may include the firmware corresponding to the baseboard management controller itself, the BIOS firmware, other configuration files, PSU firmware, CPLD firmware, etc., which are not limited here. In this way, it is possible to support the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reduce maintenance costs, and improve maintenance convenience.

[0048] The baseboard management controller 12 is installed on a target server mainboard 20. The target server may be a server with a firmware hang.

[0049] Specifically, the baseboard management controller 12 can be a baseboard management controller 12 removed from the target server motherboard 20 and reinstalled on the corresponding target server motherboard 20. Alternatively, the baseboard management controller 12 can be a baseboard management controller 12 provided by a maintenance engineer and installed on the target server motherboard 20 to repair the server firmware based on the server firmware image. Specifically, if both the serial port communication and the network interface communication of the baseboard management controller 12 are suspended, the baseboard management controller 12 needs to be removed from the target server motherboard 20 and reinstalled to restore communication. If the serial port communication of the baseboard management controller 12 is not suspended, the baseboard management controller 12 does not need to be removed. If the network interface communication of the baseboard management controller 12 is suspended and cannot be restored, the serial line communication can be used to restore communication. In this way, a corresponding communication channel between the firmware image transmission controller 11 and the baseboard management controller 12 can be established according to the degree of suspension of the baseboard management controller 12, enabling rapid maintenance of the functions of various server components and repair of software faults when the baseboard management controller 12 is suspended, thereby improving the maintainability of the server.

[0050] The baseboard management controller 12 is configured to call an interface for refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image when the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, and restart components associated with the target firmware to take effect.

[0051] The server firmware image may include a BIOS image, a BMC image, PSU firmware, a CPLD firmware, a BMC conf file, a heat dissipation control policy file, and a BIOS configuration file. After the baseboard management controller 12 is installed and restarted, it can determine whether the server firmware image is the BMC image itself. If it is not the BMC image itself, it calls the interface for refreshing other firmware, automatically performs the next component refresh, and restarts the component module to take effect, thereby achieving the refresh and repair of other firmware except the BMC.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present application, a server firmware repair system 10 can be implemented based on a firmware image transmission controller 11, which includes a receiving end 111 and a sending end 112. The receiving end 111 is connected to the target client 100 and can receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client 100. The sending end 112 is connected to the baseboard management controller 12 and can refresh the server firmware image into the baseboard management controller 12; the baseboard management controller 12 is installed on the target server motherboard 20, and the baseboard management controller 12 can call the interface of the target firmware corresponding to the refresh server firmware image when the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, restart the components associated with the target firmware and take effect; thus, the server firmware repair system can restore and refresh accessories that are not limited to the baseboard management controller, and can support the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reduce maintenance costs and improve maintenance convenience.

[0053] In some embodiments, in the server firmware repair system 10 , the baseboard management controller 12 is further configured to restart the baseboard management controller 12 when the server firmware image is the baseboard management controller image itself.

[0054] Specifically, if the server firmware image received by the BMC 12 includes the BMC image itself, and after installing and restarting the BMC 12 , the BMC 12 determines that the current server firmware image is the BMC image itself, restarting the BMC 12 takes effect.

[0055] In some embodiments, Figure 1 On the basis of, in the server firmware repair system 10, the receiving end 111 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 is provided with at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a serial line interface and a remote file copy (linuxscp) command interface.

[0056] Specifically, the receiving end 111 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 can develop a USB interface, the scp command of the Linux console, and the serial line transmission method to support receiving the server firmware image uploaded by the target client 100, and can store the received uploaded recovery image (i.e., the server firmware image) in the firmware image transmission controller system.

[0057] In some embodiments, Figure 1 On the basis of, in the server firmware repair system 10, the firmware image transmission controller 11 has a built-in firmware reading and writing tool; the firmware reading and writing tool is configured to refresh the server firmware image received by the firmware image transmission controller 11 to the baseboard management controller 12.

[0058] Specifically, a firmware reading and writing tool may be installed in the firmware image transmission controller 11 , and the firmware image transmission controller 11 refreshes the server firmware image into the baseboard management controller 12 through the firmware reading and writing tool.

[0059] In some embodiments, Figure 1 On the basis of this, in the server firmware repair system 10, at the sending end 112 of the firmware image transmission controller 11, the extended pins of the firmware image transmission controller 11 include a clock pin, a master input slave output pin, a master output slave input pin and a chip select signal line pin; the system 10 also includes a level converter (not shown in the figure), and the extended pins are matched and connected with the corresponding pins of the baseboard management controller 12 through the level converter; the firmware reading and writing tool refreshes the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller 12 through synchronous serial communication.

[0060] The level converter realizes level matching between corresponding connected pins based on components such as resistors, so that both the firmware image transmission controller 11 and the baseboard management controller 12 can work normally, and thus the server firmware repair system 10 can work normally.

[0061] Among them, at the sending end 112 of the firmware image transmission controller 11, the clock (SCLK) pin, the master input slave output (MOSI) pin, the master output slave input (MISO) pin and the chip select signal line (SS / CS) pin are selected from the pins reserved by the firmware image transmission controller 11, and the pins of the baseboard management controller 12 on the server motherboard are matched with the levels of the above pins of the sending end 112 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 through a level converter. The chip pins of the baseboard management controller 12 that has been removed or provided by the maintenance engineer can be connected to the pins of the firmware image transmission controller 11 through slot embedding and communicate, and the server firmware image received by the firmware image transmission controller 11 is refreshed to the baseboard management controller 12, thereby realizing the firmware refresh of the target server, supporting the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reducing maintenance costs and improving convenience.

[0062] For example, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an application process of the server firmware repair system provided by the embodiment of the present application, which shows the application mode of the server firmware repair system based on SPI communication. Figure 4, wherein, at the receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller, the firmware image transmission controller can open at least one of a USB interface, a serial line transmission, and a linuxscp command method to receive a server firmware image uploaded from a maintenance engineer's work laptop. The server firmware image may include a BIOS image, a BMC image, or PSU firmware, CPLD firmware, or a BMC configuration file, a heat dissipation control policy file, and a BIOS configuration file. At the sending end of the firmware image transmission controller, a clock (SCLK) pin, a master input slave output (MOSI) pin, a master output slave input (MISO) pin, and a chip select signal line (SS / CS) pin are selected from the expansion pins of the firmware image transmission controller motherboard (i.e., the pins reserved by the firmware image transmission controller), and the voltage levels are matched with those of the baseboard management controller. The above-mentioned pins of the firmware image transmission controller are connected to corresponding pins of the baseboard management controller through a level converter. wherein the baseboard management controller can be removed from the server motherboard or provided by a maintenance engineer. The received server firmware image is refreshed to the baseboard management controller through SPI communication using a firmware refresh tool installed in the firmware image transmission controller. After installing and restarting the baseboard management controller, the baseboard management controller determines whether the file uploaded using the firmware image transfer controller SPI communication is the BMC image itself. If it is the BMC image itself, the BMC is restarted to take effect. If it is not the BMC image itself, the baseboard management controller calls the interface for refreshing other firmware, automatically performs the next component refresh, and restarts the module to take effect. For example, if it is CPLD firmware, the corresponding interface is called to refresh the CPLD. Components are the hardware structures on the motherboard corresponding to the firmware, and firmware is the software program corresponding to the hardware structure.

[0063] In some embodiments, at the sending end of the firmware image transmission controller, the operating system built into the firmware image transmission controller can also deploy a UART interface, and the interface with the serial line (such as a type C interface or a USB interface) is connected to the baseboard management controller serial line interface on the front window of the target server through the serial line and communicates with the baseboard management controller through the serial communication tool built into the firmware image transmission controller and transfers files (server firmware image).

[0064] Specifically, when the UART communication of the server baseboard management controller is not hung, but only the baseboard management controller network is hung and cannot communicate through conventional communication methods (such as network interface communication methods), the firmware image transmission controller can use UART to communicate with the baseboard management controller and upload various firmware images. This method is connected to the serial port line of the baseboard management controller of the target server through the serial port line interface reserved on the firmware image transmission controller system.

[0065] Specifically, in Figure 1On the basis of, in the server firmware repair system 10, the sending end 112 of the firmware image transmission controller 11 includes a serial communication interface (i.e., a UART interface); the system 10 also includes a serial port line, and the serial communication interface is connected to the serial port line interface of the baseboard management controller 12 through the serial port line; a serial port communication tool is also set inside the firmware image transmission controller 11; the firmware image transmission controller 11 communicates with the baseboard management controller 12 based on the serial port communication tool and transmits the server firmware image, and refreshes the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller 12 based on the firmware reading and writing tool.

[0066] For example, Figure 5 Another application flow diagram of the server firmware repair system provided in the embodiment of the present application. It shows the application mode of the server firmware repair system based on UART communication. Figure 5 , in this application Figure 4 The application method of the server firmware repair system based on SPI communication shown is the same in the receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller, and the different part is the sending end of the firmware image transmission controller. Specifically: at the receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller, the firmware image transmission controller can open at least one of the USB interface, serial line transmission, and linuxscp command methods to receive the server firmware image uploaded from the maintenance engineer's work laptop. The server firmware image may include a BIOS image, a BMC image, or a PSU firmware, a CPLD firmware, or a BMC configuration file, a heat dissipation control strategy file, and a BIOS configuration file. At the sending end of the firmware image transmission controller, the operating system deployment UART interface built into the firmware image transmission controller is connected to the serial line interface of the baseboard management controller on the front window of the target server through a serial line, and communicates with the baseboard management controller and transfers files through the serial communication tool built into the firmware image transmission controller, and uses the firmware refresh tool built into the firmware image transmission controller to refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller.

[0067] After installing and restarting the baseboard management controller, the baseboard management controller follows the same steps as for systems using SPI communication. The baseboard management controller determines whether the file uploaded using the firmware image transfer controller SPI communication is the BMC image itself. If it is the BMC image itself, the BMC is restarted to take effect. If it is not the BMC image itself, the baseboard management controller calls the interface for refreshing other firmware, automatically performs the next component refresh, and restarts the module to take effect. For example, if it is CPLD firmware, the corresponding interface is called to refresh the CPLD. Components are the hardware structures on the motherboard corresponding to the firmware, and firmware is the software program corresponding to the hardware structure.

[0068] Therefore, a firmware repair system based on serial line communication is provided in the event that a network interface is hung. The system communicates with the baseboard management controller through the serial communication tool built into the firmware image transmission controller, and uses the firmware refresh tool built into the firmware image transmission controller to refresh the server firmware image into the baseboard management controller, install and restart the baseboard management controller, so as to realize the refresh and recovery of multiple different firmware in the server, reduce maintenance costs and improve convenience.

[0069] In some embodiments, the server firmware repair system 10 may also include a control component; the control component is configured to restore the baseboard management controller communication based on synchronous serial communication (i.e., SPI communication) when both the serial port communication and the network interface communication (websession) of the baseboard management controller 12 are hung; or to restore the baseboard management controller communication based on the serial port communication when the serial port communication of the baseboard management controller 12 is not hung; or to restore the baseboard management controller communication based on the serial communication interface when the network interface communication of the baseboard management controller 12 is hung and cannot be restored.

[0070] Specifically, the embodiments of the present application can establish communication between the firmware image transmission controller and the baseboard management controller in a corresponding manner according to the degree of hang of the baseboard management controller, so as to realize the rapid maintenance of the functions of various components of the server and the repair of software faults when the baseboard management controller is hung, thereby improving the maintainability of the server. Specifically, when the serial port communication and websession of the baseboard management controller are both hung, the SPI communication method is used for recovery, and at this time, the baseboard management controller needs to be removed from the target server motherboard); when the serial port communication of the baseboard management controller is not hung, the baseboard management controller does not need to be removed; when the websession of the baseboard management controller is hung and cannot be recovered, the serial communication interface (i.e., UART interface) is used to restore the communication. In this way, a new firmware recovery system and method can be provided when the traditional BMC web refresh BMC / BIOS / and other firmware functions are unavailable, and the server firmware repair system provided by the embodiments of the present application can support the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, improve convenience, and reduce maintenance costs.

[0071] In some embodiments, the firmware image transmission controller establishes a communication channel with the baseboard management controller based on the UART interface or SPI communication method, and after debugging and negotiating the rate, uses the firmware refresh tool to refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present application, a new server firmware repair system is provided by expanding the functions of a firmware image transmission controller. For example, a USB interface, a Linux console scp command, and a serial line transmission method can be developed at the receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller to support the storage of the received and uploaded recovery image in the firmware image transmission controller system; a clock (SCLK) pin, a master input slave output (MOSI) pin, a master output slave input (MISO) pin, and a chip select signal line (SS / CS) pin can be selected from the pins reserved at the sending end of the firmware image transmission controller, and the levels of the above pins can be matched to the levels of the corresponding pins of the server baseboard management controller through a level converter. The corresponding pins of the baseboard management controller removed or provided by the maintenance engineer are connected to the above pins of the firmware image transmission controller through slot embedding and communicated, thereby realizing SPI communication; a built-in operating system deployment UART interface can also be developed at the sending end of the firmware image transmission controller, and the interface of the serial line (such as a Type C interface or a USB interface) is connected to the serial line interface of the baseboard management controller on the front window of the target server through a serial line, and the baseboard management controller is communicated and transferred files through a serial communication tool. After the communication channel is established, the rate is negotiated, and the error checking preparations are completed, the server firmware image stored in the firmware image transfer controller system is refreshed to the baseboard management controller through the firmware refresh tool; after reinstalling and restarting the baseboard management controller, the baseboard management controller determines whether the server firmware image is the BMC image itself. If it is not the BMC image itself, it calls the interface for refreshing other firmware, automatically performs the next step of component refresh, and restarts the component module to take effect. In addition, the server maintenance engineer can classify the baseboard management controller hang phenomenon based on the control component, and take corresponding measures to establish communication between the firmware image transfer controller and the baseboard management controller, so as to achieve rapid maintenance of the functions of various server components and repair of software faults when the baseboard management controller hangs.

[0073] An embodiment of the present application also provides a server firmware repair method, which can be executed based on any server firmware repair system provided in the above-mentioned embodiments, has corresponding beneficial effects, and can be understood with reference to the above text.

[0074] For example, Figure 6 This is a flow chart of a server firmware repair method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 , the server firmware repair method may include the following steps.

[0075] S31. The receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller receives the server firmware image transmitted by the target client.

[0076] S32: The sending end of the firmware image transmission controller refreshes the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller.

[0077] S33. Install the baseboard management controller on the target server mainboard.

[0078] S34: When the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, the baseboard management controller calls an interface for refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image, restarts components associated with the target firmware, and makes the refresh effective.

[0079] In an embodiment of the present application, a firmware image transmission controller includes a receiving end and a sending end. The receiving end can receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client, and the sending end can refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller; the baseboard management controller is installed on the target server motherboard. When the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, the baseboard management controller can call the interface of the target firmware corresponding to the refresh server firmware image, restart the components associated with the target firmware and make it effective; thus, the server firmware repair system can restore and refresh accessories that are not limited to the baseboard management controller, and can support the recovery and refresh of multiple firmware, reduce maintenance costs and improve maintenance convenience.

[0080] In some embodiments, the server firmware repair method further includes: if the server firmware image is the baseboard management controller image itself, restarting the baseboard management controller, thereby achieving refresh and repair of the baseboard management controller itself.

[0081] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course can also be implemented by hardware.

[0082] An embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any of the above server firmware repair method embodiments.

[0083] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is configured to execute the steps of any of the above-mentioned server firmware repair method embodiments when running.

[0084] In an exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media that can store computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0085] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above-mentioned server firmware repair method embodiments are implemented.

[0086] An embodiment of the present application further provides another computer program product, including a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above-mentioned server firmware repair method embodiments are implemented.

[0087] Professionals may further appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the above description has generally described the components and steps of each example according to their functions. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0088] The above is a detailed introduction to the server main card, server, server firmware repair method, product, device and medium provided by this application. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of this application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of this application, several improvements and modifications can be made to this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A server firmware repair system, characterized in that: The system includes: a firmware image transmission controller and a baseboard management controller; The firmware image transmission controller includes a receiving end and a sending end, the receiving end is configured to connect to the target client and receive the server firmware image transmitted by the target client, and the sending end is configured to connect to the baseboard management controller and refresh the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller; The baseboard management controller is installed on the target server motherboard. The baseboard management controller is configured to call the interface of refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image when the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, restart the components associated with the target firmware and make it take effect.

2. The server firmware repair system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The baseboard management controller is further configured to restart the baseboard management controller when the server firmware image is the same as the baseboard management controller image.

3. The server firmware repair system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller is provided with at least one of a universal serial bus interface, a serial line interface and a remote file copy command interface.

4. The server firmware repair system according to claim 1, wherein: The firmware image transmission controller has a built-in firmware reading and writing tool; The firmware reading and writing tool is configured to refresh the server firmware image received by the firmware image transmission controller into the baseboard management controller.

5. The server firmware repair system according to claim 4, characterized in that: At the transmitting end of the firmware image transmission controller, the extended pins of the firmware image transmission controller include a clock pin, a master input slave output pin, a master output slave input pin, and a chip select signal line pin; The system further includes a level converter, and the expansion pins are matched and connected with corresponding pins of the baseboard management controller through the level converter; The firmware reading and writing tool refreshes the server firmware image into the baseboard management controller through synchronous serial communication.

6. The server firmware repair system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sending end of the firmware image transmission controller includes a serial communication interface; The system further comprises a serial line, wherein the serial communication interface is connected to the serial line interface of the baseboard management controller via the serial line; A serial communication tool is also provided inside the firmware image transmission controller; The firmware image transmission controller communicates with the baseboard management controller based on the serial port communication tool and transmits the server firmware image, and refreshes the server firmware image into the baseboard management controller based on the firmware reading and writing tool.

7. The server firmware repair system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The system further includes a control component; The control component is configured to restore the baseboard management controller communication based on the synchronous serial communication mode if both the serial port communication and the network interface communication of the baseboard management controller are hung; or to restore the baseboard management controller communication based on the serial port communication mode if the serial port communication of the baseboard management controller is not hung; or to restore the baseboard management controller communication based on the serial communication interface if the network interface communication of the baseboard management controller is hung and cannot be restored.

8. The server firmware repair system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The server firmware image includes at least one of a BIOS storage device image, a baseboard management controller image, a power supply firmware, an editable controller firmware, a baseboard management controller configuration file, a heat dissipation control policy file, and a BIOS configuration file.

9. A server firmware repair method, characterized in that: Executed based on the server firmware repair system according to any one of claims 1 to 8; the method comprises: The receiving end of the firmware image transmission controller receives the server firmware image transmitted by the target client; The sending end of the firmware image transmission controller refreshes the server firmware image to the baseboard management controller; Installing the baseboard management controller on the target server mainboard; When the server firmware image is different from the baseboard management controller image, the baseboard management controller calls an interface for refreshing the target firmware corresponding to the server firmware image, restarts components associated with the target firmware, and makes the firmware effective.

10. The server firmware repair method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The baseboard management controller further restarts the baseboard management controller when the server firmware image is the same as the baseboard management controller image.

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