Equipment information acquisition circuit and server

Abstract

The invention discloses an equipment information acquisition circuit and a server, and relates to the technical field of servers, in the equipment information acquisition circuit, a substrate management controller stores a corresponding relation between a mainboard connector and an acquisition port, so that the corresponding relation between the mainboard connector and the acquisition port is stored in the substrate management controller; the central processing unit sends the first equipment information of the expansion equipment and the collection port to the substrate management controller, and after the substrate management controller collects the second equipment information of the expansion equipment through the mainboard connector, the substrate management controller can collect the second equipment information of the expansion equipment based on the corresponding relation between the mainboard connector and the collection port. And establishing a corresponding relationship among the acquisition port, the first equipment information and the second equipment information. Therefore, a controller for storing the identification information does not need to be arranged on the expansion card, so that the size of a circuit board of the expansion card can be reduced. Besides, the microcontroller unit is small in size, so that the size of a circuit board of the expansion card can be greatly reduced by managing the expansion equipment through the microcontroller unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of server technology, and in particular to a device information acquisition circuit and a server. Background Art

[0002] Many servers currently allow the connection of one or more expansion devices via expansion cards. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) enumerates devices via the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus and collects some device information (such as manufacturer, device ID, and device model) from these expansion devices. The Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) collects additional device information (such as sensor data from these expansion devices) via the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bus. The CPU sends this collected device information to the BMC, which then aggregates and displays the device information collected by itself and the CPU.

[0003] Currently, in some servers, in order to realize device information collection, the circuit board of the expansion card is large and needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a device information acquisition circuit and a server to at least solve the problem of a large circuit board volume of an expansion card in the related art.

[0005] This application provides a device information collection circuit, including: A motherboard, comprising a central processing unit (CPU), a baseboard management controller (BMC), and a motherboard connector, wherein the BMC is connected to the motherboard connector; the CPU comprises an acquisition port, wherein the acquisition port is connected to the motherboard connector; and the BMC stores a correspondence between the acquisition port and the motherboard connector; An expansion card includes a card connector, a microcontroller unit and a slot. The motherboard connector is connected to the card connector, and the card connector is respectively connected to the slot and the microcontroller unit. The slot is used to connect an expansion device, and the microcontroller unit is connected to the slot for managing the expansion device connected to the slot.

[0006] The present application also provides a server, comprising: Chassis; The device information acquisition circuit as described above is located in the chassis.

[0007] In the technical solutions of some embodiments of the present application, on the one hand, since the baseboard management controller stores the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port, after the central processing unit sends the first device information and the acquisition port of the expansion device to the baseboard management controller, and the baseboard management controller collects the second device information of the expansion device through the motherboard connector, the baseboard management controller can establish a correspondence between the acquisition port, the first device information, and the second device information based on the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port. In this way, there is no need to set up a controller for storing the central processing unit identification information and the acquisition port identification information on the expansion card, thereby reducing the volume of the circuit board of the expansion card. On the other hand, since the microcontroller unit is small in size, managing the expansion device through the microcontroller unit can also greatly reduce the volume of the circuit board of the expansion card. In summary, the solution of the present application can solve the problem of the large volume of the circuit board of the expansion card in some technologies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] 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.

[0009] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the device information collection circuit in some servers; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a module of a device information acquisition circuit provided in the first embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a module of a device information acquisition circuit provided in a second embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a module of a device information acquisition circuit provided in a third embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a module of a device information acquisition circuit provided in the fourth embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a module of a device information acquisition circuit provided in the fifth embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 A module diagram of a server provided for some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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 also includes 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 specific order or precedence.

[0012] 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.

[0013] See also Figure 1 , which is a structural diagram of the device information collection circuit in some servers. Figure 1 In the present invention, the device information collection circuit includes a mainboard and an expansion card. The mainboard includes a central processing unit (CPU), a baseboard management controller (BMC), an arbitration controller, an internal integrated circuit (IC) interface (IIC), and at least one mainboard connector. The expansion card includes a card connector, an IIC interface (IIC), a multiplexing switch, an address expansion controller, a management expansion controller, and at least one slot. The slot may be a PCIe slot for connecting expansion devices that support the PCIe protocol (such as a network drive or network card). Different slots are used to connect different expansion devices. The mainboard connector and card connector may be multi-purpose cable input / output (MCIO) interfaces, and the address expansion controller and management expansion controller may be CA9555 controllers. The IIC interface may be an I2C header (I2C header). The multiplexing switch may be an I2C multiplexer (I2C switch).

[0014] The central processing unit includes at least one acquisition port (such as Figure 1(See P1 and P2 in the figure). Each acquisition port is connected to the motherboard connector in a one-to-one correspondence, with different acquisition ports connected to different motherboard connectors. For example, acquisition port P1 is connected to motherboard connector 1, and acquisition port P2 is connected to motherboard connector 2. The motherboard connectors are connected to the card connectors in a one-to-one correspondence, with each card connector connected to one of the slots. This forms a first communication link. In this first communication link, the CPU can communicate with the expansion devices connected to each slot based on the PCIe protocol.

[0015] Each motherboard connector can provide eight address pins for transmitting address signals. These address signals are used to identify the acquisition port connected to each motherboard connector and the CPU where the acquisition port resides. For example, motherboard connector 1 provides eight address pins for transmitting address signal 00000001. Address signal 00000001 identifies the port number of acquisition port P1 and the CPU where acquisition port P1 resides. Motherboard connector 2 provides eight address pins for transmitting address signal 00000010. Address signal 00000010 identifies the port number of acquisition port P2 and the CPU where acquisition port P2 resides. The address pins of each motherboard connector can be connected to an address expansion controller. The number of address expansion controllers is related to the number of address pins. For example, if there are three motherboard connectors (i.e., 24 address pins), and a single address expansion controller supports 16 address pins, two address expansion controllers are required. When the address pins are connected to the address expansion controllers, the address signals corresponding to each acquisition port can be read from the address expansion controllers.

[0016] The baseboard management controller is connected to the arbitration controller, which is connected to the multiplexer through the internal integrated circuit interface on the motherboard and expansion card. The multiplexer includes multiple output channels (such as Figure 1 Different slots are connected to different output channels of the multiplexer. For example Figure 1 In the example, slot 1 is connected to output channel T2, and slot 2 is connected to output channel T3. Thus, a second communication link is formed. In the second communication link, the baseboard management controller can communicate with each expansion controller and the expansion device connected to the slot based on the I2C protocol.

[0017] The management expansion controller is connected to each slot and can be used to detect the presence status of each expansion device. The management expansion controller and the address expansion controller can be connected to one of the output channels of the multiplexer. For example Figure 1 In the example, the address expansion controller and the management expansion controller are both connected to the output channel T1.

[0018] based on Figure 1The device information collection circuit shown can collect the device information of each expansion device according to the following steps: 1) The central processing unit can write the address signal corresponding to each acquisition port into the address expansion controller by setting the electrical signal of the address pin of each motherboard connector.

[0019] 2) The CPU enumerates devices via the PCIe bus and collects some device information about expansion devices. Specifically, the device information obtained by the CPU may include the expansion device's manufacturer, device ID, device model, and BDF information. BDF stands for Bus, Device, and Function.

[0020] 3) The CPU sends the correspondence between the collected device information and the collection port to the BMC. For example, after the CPU collects device information A1 from expansion device 1 through collection port P1, it can send the correspondence between device information A1 and collection port P1 to the BMC. Based on this correspondence, the BMC can determine that device information A1 was collected through collection port P1. Similarly, after the CPU collects device information B1 from expansion device 2 through collection port P2, it can send the correspondence between device information B1 and collection port P2 to the BMC. Based on this correspondence, the BMC can determine that device information B1 was collected through collection port P2.

[0021] 4) The baseboard management controller reads the status of each expansion device through channel T1 connected to the management expansion controller based on the I2C protocol.

[0022] 5) When an expansion device is in place, the baseboard management controller (BMC) uses the I2C protocol to sequentially obtain additional information about each expansion device via a second communication link formed by the arbitration controller, the inter-integrated circuit interface (ICI), and the multiplexing switch. For example, by enabling channel T2, the BMC can obtain device information A2 for expansion device 1. Similarly, by enabling channel T3, the BMC can obtain device information B2 for expansion device 2.

[0023] Under normal circumstances, the baseboard management controller needs to integrate the device information collected by the central processor and itself for the same expansion device and display it on the human-computer interaction interface for easy viewing by maintenance personnel. However, as shown in step 3 above, the information reported by the central processor to the baseboard management controller only includes the correspondence between the device information and the acquisition port P1, and does not include information such as the device identifier. Therefore, the baseboard management controller cannot directly integrate the device information it has collected with the information reported by the central processor. For example, after the baseboard management controller collects the device information of expansion device 1, it cannot find the device information related to expansion device 1 collected by the central processor in the correspondence reported by the central processor. Therefore, it cannot integrate the device information related to expansion device 1 collected by itself and the central processor. In view of this, the baseboard management controller can complete the integration through the following steps 6) to 7).

[0024] 6) The baseboard management controller (BMC) uses the I2C protocol to read the address signals written to each motherboard connector via channel T1, which is connected to the address expansion controller. Specifically, the pins used by the address expansion controller to connect to each motherboard connector can be pre-defined. For example, pins 00-08 of address expansion controller 1 connect to the address pins of motherboard connector 1, and pins 09-16 of address expansion controller 1 connect to the address pins of motherboard connector 2. This allows the BMC to determine the pin signals to read from the address expansion controller based on the mapping between motherboard connectors and slots. For example, after the BMC collects device information from expansion device 1 via channel T2, since expansion device 1 is connected to slot 1, which is connected to motherboard connector 1, and which is connected to pins 00-08 of address expansion controller 1, the BMC can read the address signals on pins 00-08 of address expansion controller 1. Based on this address signal, the BMC can determine the CPU acquisition port P1 connected to expansion device 1. Based on this acquisition port P1, the CPU can then retrieve the device information related to expansion device 1 collected by the CPU from the information reported by the CPU.

[0025] 7) The baseboard management controller integrates the device information collected by the central processor and itself, determines the mapping relationship between the acquisition port, the device information collected by the central processor, and the device information collected by itself, and displays these mapping relationships in the human-computer interaction interface for maintenance personnel to view. For example, the baseboard management controller can display device information in the format shown in Table 1.

[0026] Table 1 Mapping relationship

[0027] exist Figure 1In the technology shown, device information is collected by addressing expansion controllers, which requires the use of at least two expansion controllers. Since the expansion controllers are large, the expansion card circuit board is also large, which is not conducive to the spatial layout of the server.

[0028] In view of this, the present application provides a device information acquisition circuit that can reduce the volume of the expansion card circuit board and improve the spatial layout flexibility of the server. Figure 2 , which is a module diagram of the device information acquisition circuit provided in the first embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 In the example, the device information acquisition circuit includes a mainboard and expansion cards. The mainboard includes a central processing unit (CPU), a baseboard management controller (BMC), and a mainboard connector. The BMC is connected to the mainboard connector, and the CPU includes an acquisition port, which is connected to the mainboard connector. The BMC stores the correspondence between the acquisition ports and the mainboard connector. For example, if port C1 of the CPU is used as the acquisition port, the BMC stores the correspondence between port C1 and the mainboard connector. If port C2 of the CPU is used as the acquisition port, the BMC stores the correspondence between port C2 and the mainboard connector.

[0029] The expansion card includes a card connector, a microcontroller unit and a slot. The motherboard connector is connected to the card connector, and the card connector is connected to the slot and the microcontroller unit respectively. The slot is used to connect the expansion device, and the microcontroller unit is connected to the slot to manage the expansion device connected to the slot. Figure 1 Similar, I won’t go into details here.

[0030] In this embodiment, the motherboard connector and the card connector may each include multiple groups of pins. Different groups of pins can be used to connect different devices and implement different communication protocols. Specifically, the motherboard connector may include a first motherboard pin group and a second motherboard pin group. The first motherboard pin group is used to connect to the acquisition port of the central processing unit to implement the PCIe communication protocol, and the second motherboard pin group is used to connect to the baseboard management controller to implement the I2C communication protocol. Similarly, the card connector may include a first card pin group and a second card pin group. The first card pin group is connected to the first motherboard pin group in a one-to-one correspondence to implement the PCIe communication protocol. The second card pin group is connected to the second motherboard pin group in a one-to-one correspondence to implement the I2C communication protocol.

[0031] The first card pin group and the second card pin group of the card connector can be connected to the same slot, and the second card pin group of the card connector can also be connected to the microcontroller unit. When an expansion device is connected to the slot, the central processing unit can collect first device information of the expansion device through the first motherboard pin group and the first card pin group based on the PCIe communication protocol. The first device information may include at least one of the device attribute information and device network location information of the expansion device, such as the manufacturer, device ID, device model, BDF information, etc. of the expansion device. At the same time, the baseboard management controller can collect second device information of the expansion device from the expansion device and / or the microcontroller unit through the second motherboard pin group and the second card pin group based on the I2C protocol. The expansion device may include a sensor, and the second device information collected from the expansion device may include sensor data. The microcontroller unit is used to detect data such as the in-place status of each expansion device. The second device information collected from the microcontroller unit may include data such as the in-place status of each expansion device. The in-place status is used to indicate whether the expansion device has been successfully inserted into the slot and has established an electrical connection with the slot.

[0032] After the central processing unit collects the first device information of the expansion device, it can send the first device information and the collection port to the baseboard management controller. Since the baseboard management controller stores the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the collection port, the baseboard management controller can establish a correspondence between the collection port, the first device information, and the second device information based on the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the collection port. For example, after the central processing unit collects the first device information M1 of the expansion device 1 through port 1 and motherboard connector 1, it can send port 1 and the first device information M1 to the baseboard management controller. After the baseboard management controller collects the second device information M2 of the expansion device 1 through motherboard connector 1, based on the correspondence between motherboard connector 1 and port 1, it can determine that the first device information M1 collected by the central processing unit through port 1 and the second device information M2 collected by itself are device information of the same expansion device. Therefore, the first device information M1 and the first device information M2 can be integrated, and the correspondence between port 1, the first device information M1, and the first device information M2 can be displayed on the human-computer interaction interface.

[0033] In summary, in the technical solutions of some embodiments of the present application, on the one hand, since the baseboard management controller stores the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port, after the central processing unit sends the first device information and the acquisition port of the expansion device to the baseboard management controller, and the baseboard management controller collects the second device information of the expansion device through the motherboard connector, the baseboard management controller can establish a correspondence between the acquisition port, the first device information, and the second device information based on the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port. In this way, there is no need to set up a controller for storing the central processing unit identification information and the acquisition port identification information on the expansion card, thereby reducing the volume of the circuit board of the expansion card. On the other hand, since the microcontroller unit is relatively small in size, managing the expansion device through the microcontroller unit can also greatly reduce the volume of the circuit board of the expansion card. In summary, the solution of the present application can solve the problem of the large volume of the circuit board of the expansion card in some technologies.

[0034] See also Figure 3 , which is a module diagram of the device information acquisition circuit provided in the second embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the central processing unit includes multiple acquisition ports (i.e., C1 to C3), the mainboard includes multiple mainboard connectors, the expansion card includes multiple card connectors and multiple slots, the acquisition ports are connected to at least some of the mainboard connectors in a one-to-one correspondence, the baseboard management controllers are respectively connected to the multiple mainboard connectors, the mainboard connectors are connected to the card connectors in a one-to-one correspondence, at least some of the card connectors are connected to the slots in a one-to-one correspondence, and the microcontroller units are respectively connected to the multiple slots and the multiple card connectors.

[0035] In this embodiment, each motherboard connector may include a first motherboard pin group and a second motherboard pin group, and each card connector may include a first card pin group and a second card pin group. The first motherboard pin groups of different motherboard connectors may be connected to different acquisition ports of a central processing unit, and the second motherboard pin groups of different motherboard connectors may be connected to a baseboard management controller. The first card pin group and the second card pin group of the same card connector may be connected to the same slot, while different card connectors may be connected to different slots. A microcontroller unit is connected to the second card pin group of each card connector.

[0036] The baseboard management controller (BMC) can store the correspondence between each acquisition port and the motherboard connector. This allows the CPU to collect first device information from a target expansion device via the target acquisition port and send the target acquisition port and the collected first device information to the BMC. The BMC then searches for the target motherboard connector corresponding to the target acquisition port based on the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port, and collects second device information from the target expansion device via the target motherboard connector.

[0037] For example, after the CPU collects the first device information M1 of expansion device 1 through acquisition port 1 and motherboard connector 1, it can send the acquisition port 1 and first device information M1 to the baseboard management controller. Based on the correspondence between the motherboard connectors and acquisition ports, the baseboard management controller can determine the motherboard connector 1 that corresponds to acquisition port 1, and then collect the second device information M2 of expansion device 1 through motherboard connector 1. By integrating acquisition port 1, first device information M1, and first device information M2, the information of expansion device 1 can be displayed on the human-computer interaction interface.

[0038] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, since the baseboard management controller is connected to each motherboard connector respectively, and the acquisition port of the central processing unit is connected to the motherboard connector in a one-to-one correspondence, after the central processing unit collects the first device information of the target expansion device through the target acquisition port and sends the first device information and the target acquisition port to the baseboard management controller, the baseboard management controller can determine the target motherboard connector connected to the target acquisition port based on the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port, and use the second device information collected through the target motherboard connector as information that matches the first device information and the target acquisition port. In this way, a correspondence can be established between the target acquisition port, the first device information, and the second device information.

[0039] See also Figure 4 , which is a module diagram of the device information acquisition circuit provided in the third embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 In the embodiment, the motherboard connector includes a first-category motherboard connector and a second-category motherboard connector, and the card connector includes a first-category card connector and a second-category card connector. The first-category motherboard connector is connected to the acquisition port in a one-to-one correspondence and is also connected to the microcontroller unit. The first-category card connector is connected to the slot in a one-to-one correspondence, and the first-category card connector and the second-category card connector are connected in a one-to-one correspondence. The second-category motherboard connector is connected to the second-category card connector in a one-to-one correspondence, and the second-category card connector is connected to the microcontroller unit.

[0040] Specifically, the main difference between the first category motherboard connector and the second category motherboard connector is that the first category motherboard connector is connected to both the slot and the microcontroller unit, while the second category motherboard connector is only connected to the microcontroller unit. Figure 4 In the embodiment, motherboard connectors 1 to 3 can be used as first-category motherboard connectors, and motherboard connector 4 can be used as second-category motherboard connector.

[0041] Similarly, the main difference between the first category card connector and the second category card connector is that the first category card connector connects to both the slot and the microcontroller unit, while the second category card connector only connects to the microcontroller unit. Figure 4 In the embodiment, card connectors 1 to 3 may serve as first-category card connectors, and card connector 4 may serve as second-category card connector.

[0042] based on Figure 4 In the structure shown, when collecting device information, the baseboard management controller is further used to obtain the in-place status of each expansion device from the microcontroller unit through the first category motherboard connector and the first category card connector; When device information collection is not performed, the baseboard management controller is further configured to simultaneously obtain the in-place status of at least one expansion device from the microcontroller unit through the second category motherboard connector and the second category card connector.

[0043] Specifically, the microcontroller unit can store the presence status of multiple connected expansion devices. During device information collection, the presence status of each expansion device can be obtained from the microcontroller unit via the first-category motherboard connector and the first-category card connector. This allows simultaneous acquisition of sensor data and presence status data for the same expansion device using only a single communication line, significantly reducing communication resource consumption. When device information collection is not in progress, the presence status of at least one expansion device can be simultaneously obtained from the microcontroller unit via the second-category motherboard connector and the second-category card connector. This allows device information for multiple expansion devices to be obtained during a single communication, reducing the number of communications.

[0044] In some embodiments, the baseboard management controller can also obtain the presence status of multiple expansion devices through the second-category motherboard connector and the second-category card connector at preset intervals (i.e., polling). Based on the obtained presence status, the presence status of each expansion device displayed in the human-computer interaction interface is updated. This allows for dynamic updates of the presence status, facilitating prompting maintenance personnel to promptly address any abnormalities in the connection between an expansion device and its slot.

[0045] In other embodiments, when the in-place status of an expansion device changes, the microcontroller unit can also be configured to send an interrupt message to the baseboard management controller. In response to receiving the interrupt message, the baseboard management controller is further configured to reacquire the second device information of the expansion device via the motherboard connector and, based on the reacquired second device information, update the second device information in the correspondence between the acquisition port, the first device information, and the second device information. In these embodiments, the baseboard management controller can eliminate the need to poll the microcontroller unit via the second-category motherboard connector and the second-category card connector, thereby reducing communication resource consumption during the polling process. Furthermore, compared to the baseboard management controller's polling mechanism, having the microcontroller unit proactively send an interrupt message to the baseboard management controller allows for immediate reporting of any anomalies between the expansion device and the slot, thereby reducing delays during the polling process. For example, assuming the baseboard management controller polls the microcontroller unit every five minutes, the maximum delay for the baseboard management controller to detect an anomaly between the expansion device and the slot is five minutes. By proactively reporting via the microcontroller unit, this delay can be reduced.

[0046] In some embodiments, the interrupt message may include the device identification of the expansion device. Thus, after receiving the interrupt message, the baseboard management controller may update the in-place status of the designated device in the human-computer interaction interface based on the device identification in the interrupt message.

[0047] In other embodiments, if the interrupt message does not include the device identification of the expansion device, the baseboard management controller can obtain the in-place status of all expansion devices through the second category motherboard connector and the second category card connector after receiving the interrupt message, and update the in-place status of all expansion devices in the human-computer interaction interface based on the obtained in-place status.

[0048] In some embodiments, when an expansion device is not connected to a slot, the power supply in the server is disconnected from the slot. This reduces the server's power consumption and improves server security. Based on this, if the expansion device is successfully inserted into the slot based on the in-place status obtained from the microcontroller unit, the baseboard management controller is further configured to connect the expansion device to the power supply to power the expansion device. If power is successfully supplied to the expansion device, the central processing unit collects first device information of the expansion device via the motherboard connector, and the baseboard management controller collects second device information of the expansion device via the motherboard connector. This ensures that the expansion device can function normally.

[0049] See also Figure 5 , which is a module diagram of the device information acquisition circuit provided in the fourth embodiment of the present application. Figure 5In the embodiment, the expansion card further includes at least one functional module, the mainboard connector further includes a third-category mainboard connector, and the card connector further includes a third-category card connector; the third-category mainboard connector and the third-category card connector are connected one-to-one, and the third-category card connector is connected to the functional module.

[0050] Specifically, such as Figure 5 As shown, the third-category motherboard connector can be the same connector as the second-category motherboard connector, and the third-category card connector can be the same connector as the second-category card connector. Of course, the third-category motherboard connector can also be a different connector from the second-category motherboard connector, and the third-category card connector can also be a different connector from the second-category card connector. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0051] Functional modules may include, but are not limited to, temperature sensors and field replaceable units (FRUs) installed on expansion cards. The baseboard management controller can collect device information from expansion cards via the third-category motherboard connector and the third-category card connector, enabling better management of the expansion cards. For example, by collecting data from the expansion card's temperature sensor, the temperature of the expansion card's environment can be determined. If the temperature of the expansion card's environment is high, the server's fans can be controlled to cool the environment, preventing damage to the devices on the expansion card due to high temperatures.

[0052] See also Figure 6 , which is a module diagram of the device information acquisition circuit provided in the fifth embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 In the embodiment, the motherboard further includes a multiplexing switch, which includes an input channel and at least one output channel. The input channel is connected to the baseboard management controller, and the output channel is connected to each motherboard connector. Different output channels are connected to different motherboard connectors. The baseboard management controller establishes connections with different motherboard connectors by enabling different output channels.

[0053] By switching the communication lines through a multiplexing switch, the circuit complexity can be reduced.

[0054] In some embodiments, the slot and the microcontroller unit connected to the same motherboard connector share an output channel. Thus, by enabling one output channel, data can be collected from both the slot and the microcontroller unit at the same time, which is more convenient.

[0055] In some embodiments, the baseboard management controller or the central processing unit is further configured to issue control instructions to the microcontroller unit; the microcontroller unit is configured to control the expansion device based on the control instructions, thereby improving control flexibility.

[0056] See also Figure 7 , which is a module diagram of a server provided in some embodiments of the present application. Figure 7 In the server, the chassis and Figures 2 to 6 Any of the above-mentioned device information collection circuits, wherein the device information collection circuit is located in the chassis.

[0057] In the technical solutions of some embodiments of the present application, since the baseboard management controller is connected to each motherboard connector respectively, and the acquisition port of the central processing unit is connected to the motherboard connector in a one-to-one correspondence, after the central processing unit collects the first device information of the target expansion device through the target acquisition port and sends the first device information and the target acquisition port to the baseboard management controller, the baseboard management controller can determine the target motherboard connector connected to the target acquisition port based on the correspondence between the motherboard connector and the acquisition port, and use the second device information collected through the target motherboard connector as the information matching the first device information and the target acquisition port. In this way, a correspondence between the target acquisition port, the first device information, and the second device information can be established. In the device information acquisition circuit of the present application, the circuit structure is relatively simple, and there is no need to use a large circuit module, so the volume of the circuit board of the expansion card can be greatly reduced, and the spatial layout flexibility of the server can be improved. In summary, the solution of the present application can solve the problem of the large volume of the circuit board of the expansion card in some technologies.

[0058] The above is a detailed introduction to a device information acquisition circuit and server provided by the present application. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A device information acquisition circuit, characterized in that: The device information acquisition circuit includes: A motherboard, comprising a central processing unit (CPU), a baseboard management controller (BMC), and a motherboard connector, wherein the BMC is connected to the motherboard connector; the CPU comprises an acquisition port, wherein the acquisition port is connected to the motherboard connector; and the BMC stores a correspondence between the acquisition port and the motherboard connector; An expansion card includes a card connector, a microcontroller unit and a slot. The motherboard connector is connected to the card connector, and the card connector is respectively connected to the slot and the microcontroller unit. The slot is used to connect an expansion device, and the microcontroller unit is connected to the slot for managing the expansion device connected to the slot.

2. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central processing unit includes a plurality of the acquisition ports, the mainboard includes a plurality of the mainboard connectors, the expansion card includes a plurality of the card connectors and a plurality of the slots, the acquisition ports are connected to at least some of the mainboard connectors in a one-to-one correspondence, the baseboard management controller is respectively connected to the plurality of the mainboard connectors, the mainboard connectors are connected to the card connectors in a one-to-one correspondence, at least some of the card connectors are connected to the slots in a one-to-one correspondence, and the microcontroller unit is respectively connected to the plurality of the slots and the plurality of the card connectors.

3. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The central processing unit is used to collect first device information of the target expansion device through the target acquisition port, and send the target acquisition port and the collected first device information to the baseboard management controller. The baseboard management controller is used to find the target mainboard connector corresponding to the target acquisition port based on the correspondence between the mainboard connector and the acquisition port, and collect second device information of the target expansion device through the target mainboard connector.

4. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first device information includes at least one of device attribute information and device network location information of the target extension device; The second device information includes sensor data of the target extension device.

5. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The motherboard connector includes a first type motherboard connector and a second type motherboard connector, and the card connector includes a first type card connector and a second type card connector; The first-category motherboard connectors are connected to the acquisition ports in a one-to-one correspondence, the first-category card connectors are connected to the slots in a one-to-one correspondence and are connected to the microcontroller unit, and the first-category card connectors and the second-category card connectors are connected in a one-to-one correspondence; The second-category motherboard connector is connected to the second-category card connector in a one-to-one correspondence, and the second-category card connector is connected to the microcontroller unit.

6. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The microcontroller unit is used to detect the presence status of each of the expansion devices; When collecting device information, the baseboard management controller is further configured to obtain the in-place status of each expansion device from the microcontroller unit via the first category motherboard connector and the first category card connector; When device information collection is not performed, the baseboard management controller is further configured to simultaneously obtain the in-place status of at least one of the expansion devices from the microcontroller unit through the second category motherboard connector and the second category card connector.

7. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The expansion card further comprises at least one functional module, the mainboard connector further comprises a third-category mainboard connector, and the card connector further comprises a third-category card connector; The third category mainboard connector and the third category card connector are connected in a one-to-one correspondence, and the third category card connector is connected to the functional module.

8. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The mainboard further includes a multiplexing switch, the multiplexing switch including an input channel and at least one output channel, the input channel being connected to the baseboard management controller, the output channel being connected to each of the mainboard connectors, and different output channels being connected to different mainboard connectors; The baseboard management controller establishes connections with different mainboard connectors by enabling different output channels.

9. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 8, characterized in that: The slot connected to the same mainboard connector and the microcontroller unit share an output channel.

10. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The microcontroller unit is used to detect the presence status of each of the expansion devices; If it is determined based on the in-place status obtained from the microcontroller unit that the expansion device has been successfully inserted into the slot, the baseboard management controller is further used to connect the expansion device to the power supply, wherein, when the expansion device is successfully powered, the central processing unit collects first device information of the expansion device through the motherboard connector, and the baseboard management controller collects second device information of the expansion device through the motherboard connector.

11. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 10, characterized in that: When the in-place status of the expansion device changes, the microcontroller unit is further configured to send an interrupt message to the baseboard management controller; In response to receiving the interrupt message, the baseboard management controller is further used to re-collect the second device information of the expansion device through the mainboard connector, and based on the re-collected second device information, update the second device information in the correspondence between the collection port, the first device information and the second device information.

12. The device information acquisition circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The baseboard management controller or the central processing unit is further used to issue control instructions to the microcontroller unit; The microcontroller unit is used to control the expansion device based on the control instruction.

13. A server, characterized in that: The server includes: Chassis; The device information acquisition circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the device information acquisition circuit is located in the chassis.

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