Expander management method and system and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an expander management method and system and a storage medium, and relates to the field of SAS expander management. According to the invention, on the basis that the SAS expander and the SAS host are connected to form the in-band management channel, the substrate management controller is additionally introduced to be connected with the SAS expander to form the out-of-band management channel, so that a redundant dual-channel service management mechanism can be constructed for the SAS expander; according to the invention, the problems that the in-band service management function of the current SAS host is incomplete and the SAS host cannot support the in-band service management function due to reasons can be solved, the defect of a single service management channel of the SAS expander is overcome, and the service management availability and reliability of the SAS expander are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of SAS extender management, and particularly to an extender management method, system, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, the management of SAS extenders (Serial Attached SCSI interfaces) generally adopts an in-band management approach, meaning that the SAS host manages the SAS extender. However, when the SAS host does not fully support the in-band management communication protocol, or when the in-band management channel between the SAS host and the SAS interface fails, the SAS extender cannot be reliably managed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an extender management method, system, and storage medium that can effectively solve the technical problems of insufficient availability and reliability of SAS extender service management.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an extender management method applied to a SAS extender. The SAS extender is connected to a baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender is connected to a SAS host to form an in-band management channel. The method includes: Receive out-of-band management commands sent by the baseboard management controller, and determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management commands; Determine the activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel respectively, dynamically allocate permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to the activation status, and determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command; If the target permission is obtained, the out-of-band management command is processed to obtain a command response, and the command response is sent to the baseboard management controller; If the target permission is not obtained, error handling is performed on the management command.

[0005] Optionally, determining the activation status of the in-band management channel and the out-of-band management channel includes: Obtain the link connection status with the SAS host. If the link connection status is "link connected", then determine that the in-band management channel is enabled. If the link connection status is "link disconnected", then determine that the in-band management channel is not enabled. A handshake signal is sent to the substrate management controller. If the substrate management controller responds to the handshake signal, the out-of-band management channel is determined to be enabled. If the substrate management controller does not respond to the handshake signal, the out-of-band management channel is determined to be disabled.

[0006] Optionally, before determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command, the method further includes: Determine whether the out-of-band management channel is enabled; If the out-of-band management channel is enabled, proceed to the step of determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command; If the out-of-band management channel is not enabled, error handling is performed on the out-of-band management command.

[0007] Optionally, the process of obtaining a command response from the out-of-band management command includes: Convert the out-of-band management commands into in-band management commands; The in-band management command is sent to the standard firmware module so that the standard firmware module processes the in-band management command and obtains the command response.

[0008] Optionally, the SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller via an I2C bus; The receiving of out-of-band management commands sent by the substrate management controller includes: The first data frame is received via the I2C bus, and the first data frame is parsed according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller to obtain the out-of-band management command; Sending the command response to the baseboard management controller includes: According to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller, the command response is encapsulated into a second data frame and the second data frame is sent through the I2C bus.

[0009] Optionally, it includes: The system receives in-band management commands sent by the SAS host, calls the standard firmware module to process the in-band management commands, and detects whether there are any communication abnormalities in the SAS host during the command processing. If a communication anomaly is detected in the SAS host, the time of the anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command are recorded in the debug log, and the debug log is saved. The system receives an out-of-band management command from the baseboard management controller to obtain the debug log, and then sends the debug log to the baseboard management controller. Specifically, when the baseboard management controller detects an anomaly in the SAS host, it sends an out-of-band management command to the SAS extender to obtain the debug log.

[0010] This invention also provides an extender management method applied to a baseboard management controller. The baseboard management controller is connected to a SAS extender to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender is connected to a SAS host to form an in-band management channel. The baseboard management controller establishes a network connection with a management and maintenance terminal device. The method includes: Receive remote management commands for the SAS extender sent by the management and maintenance terminal equipment; According to the remote management command of the SAS extender, the corresponding out-of-band management command is sent to the SAS extender, so that the SAS extender dynamically allocates the permission to respond to each management and maintenance function for the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to their respective activation status. When it is determined that the out-of-band management channel has the permission to respond to the out-of-band management command, the out-of-band management command is processed to obtain the command response, and the command response is sent to the baseboard management controller. The system receives the command response and sends it to the management and maintenance terminal device.

[0011] Optionally, it also includes: Detect whether the SAS host is malfunctioning; When it is determined that the SAS host has encountered an anomaly, an out-of-band management command for obtaining the debug log is sent to the SAS extender, and the debug log sent by the SAS extender is received; wherein, the debug log is recorded by the SAS extender when it is determined that the SAS host has a communication anomaly, and the debug log includes the time of the anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command that the SAS extender is processing when the communication anomaly occurs; The fault location of the SAS host is performed based on the debugging log.

[0012] The present invention also provides an extender management system, including a SAS extender, a SAS host, a baseboard management controller, and a management and maintenance terminal device. The SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, the SAS extender is connected to the SAS host to form an in-band management channel, and the baseboard management controller establishes a network connection with the management and maintenance terminal device. The SAS extender is used to receive out-of-band management commands sent by the baseboard management controller and determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management commands; determine the activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel respectively; dynamically allocate permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to the activation status; and determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management commands; if it has the target permission, it processes the out-of-band management commands to obtain command responses and sends the command responses to the baseboard management controller; if it does not have the target permission, it performs error handling on the management commands. The baseboard management controller is configured to receive remote management commands for the SAS extender sent by the management and maintenance terminal device; send corresponding out-of-band management commands to the SAS extender according to the remote management commands for the SAS extender; receive the command response and send the command response to the management and maintenance terminal device.

[0013] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described expander management method applied to a SAS expander or the expander management method applied to a baseboard management controller.

[0014] This invention provides an extender management method applied to a SAS extender. The SAS extender is connected to a baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender is connected to a SAS host to form an in-band management channel. The method includes: receiving an out-of-band management command sent by the baseboard management controller and determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command; determining the activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel respectively; dynamically allocating permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to the activation status; and determining whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission permission to respond to the out-of-band management command; if it has the target permission permission, processing the out-of-band management command to obtain a command response and sending the command response to the baseboard management controller; if it does not have the target permission permission, performing error handling on the management command.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: In this invention, the SAS extender can be connected to the SAS host to form an in-band management channel, and connected to the baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, thereby providing a redundant dual-channel service management mechanism for the SAS extender. Furthermore, to enhance security, when the SAS extender receives an out-of-band management command from the baseboard management controller, it can determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command. Subsequently, the SAS extender can determine the activation status of the out-of-band and in-band management channels, dynamically allocate permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function according to the activation status, and determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command; if it has the target permission, it processes the out-of-band management command, obtains a command response, and sends the command response to the baseboard management controller; if it does not have the target permission, it performs error handling on the management command. Thus, this invention can supplement the management of the SAS extender through an additional out-of-band management channel, while ensuring that the SAS extender sends responses to the baseboard management controller under secure conditions, thereby guaranteeing management security.

[0016] The present invention also provides an extender management system and a computer-readable storage medium, which have the above-mentioned beneficial effects. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a SAS storage system in related technologies; Figure 2 A structural block diagram of a redundant dual-channel SAS expander management system provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an extender management method applied to a SAS extender, provided as an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of firmware design for redundant dual-channel management of a SAS extender provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a dual-channel control flow for a SAS expander provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an extender management method applied to a baseboard management controller, provided as an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7A schematic diagram of an IPMI / BMC subsystem supporting SAS extender management function provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a structural block diagram of an extender management system provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] In related technologies, the management of SAS extenders (Serial Attached SCSI interfaces) generally adopts an in-band management approach, meaning the SAS host manages the SAS extender. For easier understanding, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a SAS storage system in related technologies. Figure 1 In a SAS storage system, the main components include a CPU subsystem, a SAS host, SAS expanders, SAS / SATA hard drives, an operating system, SAS storage system business software, and SAS storage system management and maintenance software. The storage system manages and maintains the SAS expanders via the SAS interface between the SAS host and the SAS expanders, using the SSP / SMP protocol (Serial SCSI protocol / SCSI management protocol) and in-band communication. This management includes configuring parameters, routine maintenance (e.g., obtaining basic information and status of the SAS expanders), fault diagnosis (e.g., obtaining log information), and service activation / fault recovery (e.g., resetting SAS ports, resetting links, enabling / disabling SAS ports, resetting SAS expanders), etc.

[0021] However, in related technologies, some SAS hosts (such as certain RAID card or HBA card models) do not support in-band service management and maintenance of SAS extenders based on the SSP / SMP protocol. This limits the management and maintenance capabilities of SAS extenders, making it difficult to activate and use some advanced service functions of SAS extenders, such as zone management, link reset, and SAS port on / off. Furthermore, if the SAS host cannot perform in-band service management and maintenance of SAS extenders based on the SSP / SMP protocol due to unforeseen circumstances (such as SAS interface malfunction or failure), the SAS storage system and SAS host will be unable to perform configuration management, fault diagnosis, service recovery, and routine maintenance of SAS extenders through SAS in-band communication. Both of these situations weaken the manageability and service availability of SAS extenders.

[0022] In view of this, in response to the technical problem of how to improve the reliability of SAS extender management, the present invention provides an extender management method. On the basis of setting up an in-band management channel, an out-of-band management channel can be added between the SAS extender and the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). The Baseboard Management Controller can perform out-of-band management of the SAS extender, and out-of-band management can be used to supplement in-band management when in-band management fails.

[0023] For easier understanding, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of a redundant dual-channel SAS expander management system provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Compared to... Figure 1 , Figure 2A BMC subsystem is added, which can run BMC board-level applications, BMC middleware, embedded operating systems, and interface drivers. It can connect to the CPU subsystem via internal interconnect interfaces (such as LPC and PCIe interfaces) and to an IPMI management and maintenance terminal or a terminal running IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) software via an Ethernet interface. The SAS extender can connect to the SAS host via the SAS interface or to the BMC subsystem via a bus interface (such as an I2C bus interface). This embodiment uses an in-band management channel composed of the SAS interface and its SSP / SMP protocol as the first management channel, and an out-of-band management channel composed of the BMC subsystem and its I2C bus as the second management channel. Furthermore, to implement out-of-band management functions, this embodiment can add management functions for business management of the SAS extender to the BMC subsystem, and can add response functions for responding to the BMC subsystem to the SAS extender. Thus, this embodiment designs high-availability control and management functions for SAS extender service management, expands the BMC subsystem's support for SAS extender service management, and realizes a redundant dual-channel service management mechanism for SAS extender, thereby improving the manageability and high availability of SAS extender services.

[0024] Based on the above system architecture description, the expander management method provided in this embodiment will be described below. First, the implementation of this method on the SAS expander side will be introduced. Please refer to... Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an expander management method applied to a SAS expander, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a firmware design for redundant dual-channel management of a SAS extender, provided in an embodiment of the present invention. This method is applied to a SAS extender, where the SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender is connected to the SAS host to form an in-band management channel. The method may include: S11. Receive out-of-band management commands sent by the board management controller and determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management commands.

[0025] exist Figure 4 In order to realize the reception and transmission of I2C bus data, an I2C interface driver can be added to the SAS extender firmware to receive data frames from the I2C bus.

[0026] In addition, the baseboard management controller and the SAS extender can communicate using a specified communication protocol. To parse and encapsulate data frames according to this specified communication protocol, a BMC communication module can also be set in the SAS extender firmware to implement data frame parsing and encapsulation.

[0027] Based on this, in step S11, the baseboard management controller can send a first data frame containing management commands to the SAS extender via the I2C bus. The SAS extender can receive the first data frame via the I2C bus and parse the first data frame according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller to obtain the out-of-band management commands.

[0028] Based on this, the SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller via an I2C bus; it receives out-of-band management commands from the baseboard management controller, which may include: S111. Receive the first data frame via the I2C bus and parse the first data frame according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller to obtain the out-of-band management command.

[0029] Furthermore, for the SAS extender, this embodiment can be configured with several maintenance management functions, such as configuration parameters, routine maintenance, and fault diagnosis. Each maintenance management function can be configured with a corresponding out-of-band management command. Therefore, when the SAS extender receives an out-of-band management command, it can determine the type of management and maintenance function corresponding to that command.

[0030] S12. Determine the activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel, and dynamically allocate permission permissions for each management and maintenance function to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to the activation status.

[0031] S13. Determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to out-of-band management commands.

[0032] In steps 12 and 13, to enhance the security of SAS extender management, the SAS extender can dynamically assign permission permissions for responding to various management and maintenance functions based on the respective activation status of out-of-band and in-band management channels. These permission permissions specify which management and maintenance function types the SAS extender can respond to on which management channel. This prevents the SAS extender from responding to inactive management channels when some channels are not enabled, thus avoiding malicious attacks. After setting the permission permissions, the SAS extender can determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command currently issued by the baseboard management controller. If it does, the SAS extender can respond; otherwise, it can perform error handling for the out-of-band management command.

[0033] To achieve the identification of out-of-band management command types and the setting and determination of permission settings, in Figure 4 In the SAS expander, out-of-band management processing modules and dual-channel control modules can be configured.

[0034] For the out-of-band management processing module, it can be classified according to the SAS extender management and maintenance functions, including but not limited to: configuration parameters, daily maintenance (e.g., obtaining basic information and status of the SAS extender), fault diagnosis (e.g., obtaining log information), service activation / fault recovery (e.g., resetting the SAS port, resetting the link, enabling / disabling the SAS port, resetting the SAS extender), firmware update, and correctly identifying out-of-band management commands from the baseboard management controller.

[0035] The dual-channel control module features permission setting and judgment functions. Permission settings can be configured based on the enabling status of the in-band and out-of-band management channels. For example, when the in-band management channel is enabled and the out-of-band management channel is disabled, all permissions for the out-of-band management channel can be disabled. When the in-band management channel is disabled and the out-of-band management channel is enabled, no in-band management can be performed, therefore all permissions for the out-of-band management channel can be enabled. When both in-band and out-of-band management channels are enabled, to avoid operational conflicts and to prevent the baseboard management controller from performing high-risk management operations on the SAS extender, some permissions for the out-of-band management channel can be enabled.

[0036] Specific permission settings can be configured according to actual application needs; no restrictions are set here. For ease of understanding, the following are three ways to set permission permissions: Table 1. Permission Allocation Table for Management and Maintenance Functions in the Management Channel - 1 Table 2. Permission Allocation Table for Management and Maintenance Functions in the Management Channel - 2 Table 3. Permission Allocation Table for Management and Maintenance Functions in the Management Channel - 3 After the above-mentioned permission settings are configured, the dual-channel control module can determine whether to process out-of-band management commands issued by the baseboard management controller.

[0037] Furthermore, this embodiment does not limit how the activation status of the in-band management channel and the out-of-band management channel is determined. For example, both the in-band and out-of-band management channels can be manually started or stopped, so their activation status can be determined according to the settings of each channel. As another example, both the in-band and out-of-band management channels may fail; when the channel is not faulty, it remains enabled by default. When the channel fails, communication is impossible, so it can be disabled.

[0038] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit how to detect fault conditions in each channel; it can be configured according to actual application requirements. For example, for the in-band management channel, the SAS extender can obtain the link connection status (Phy Link) between itself and the SAS host. If the link connection status is "link connected," the in-band management channel is determined to be enabled; if the link connection status is "link disconnected," the in-band management channel is determined to be disabled. For the out-of-band management channel, the SAS extender can send a handshake signal to the baseboard management controller. If the baseboard management controller responds to the handshake signal, the out-of-band management channel is determined to be enabled; if the baseboard management controller does not respond to the handshake signal, the out-of-band management channel is determined to be disabled.

[0039] Based on this, determining the activation status of the in-band management channel and the out-of-band management channel can include: S1211. Obtain the link connection status with the SAS host. If the link connection status is "link connected", it is determined that the in-band management channel is enabled. If the link connection status is "link disconnected", it is determined that the in-band management channel is not enabled.

[0040] S1212. Send a handshake signal to the substrate management controller. If the substrate management controller responds to the handshake signal, it is determined that the out-of-band management channel is enabled. If the substrate management controller does not respond to the handshake signal, it is determined that the out-of-band management channel is not enabled.

[0041] It is worth noting that steps S1211 and S1212 can be executed periodically to achieve dynamic switching of response permissions. For example, in the first moment, if the SAS extender determines that both the in-band management channel and the out-of-band management channel are enabled, then some response permissions can be enabled for the out-of-band management channel. In the subsequent second moment, if the SAS extender determines that the in-band management channel is faulty while the out-of-band management channel is normal, then to avoid loss of control, the SAS extender can proactively switch to enabling all response permissions for the out-of-band management channel. In this way, when the baseboard management controller detects a SAS host fault, it can automatically enable all management functions for the SAS extender.

[0042] Furthermore, if the out-of-band management channel is not enabled, the SAS extender can directly determine that the out-of-band management channel does not have any permission, and can then perform error handling on the out-of-band management commands sent by the board management controller, such as ignoring the out-of-band management command or sending an error message to the board management controller. If the out-of-band management channel is enabled, the SAS extender then determines whether it has permission to respond to out-of-band management commands.

[0043] Based on this, before determining the management and maintenance function type of out-of-band management commands, this method may also include: S1221. Determine whether the out-of-band management channel is enabled.

[0044] S1222. If the out-of-band management channel is enabled, proceed to the step of determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command.

[0045] S1223. If the out-of-band management channel is not enabled, error handling will be performed on the out-of-band management command.

[0046] S14. If the target permission is available, process the out-of-band management command to obtain the command response, and send the command response to the board management controller.

[0047] In this embodiment, when the SAS extender determines that it has the permission to perform the management and maintenance function corresponding to the out-of-band management command, it can process the management command, obtain the command response, and send the command response to the baseboard management controller. For example, when the baseboard management controller issues a routine maintenance command, the SAS extender provides feedback on its basic information and status; when the baseboard management controller issues a fault diagnosis command, the SAS extender provides feedback on its log information.

[0048] Specifically, to ensure business consistency, management commands can be uniformly processed by the SAS extender's standard firmware module (i.e., the in-band firmware module). However, since the data format of out-of-band management commands may differ from that of in-band management commands, conversion of the out-of-band commands is necessary. Furthermore, the SAS extender requires a dedicated module to input management commands to the standard firmware module and receive command responses from the standard firmware module, which are then sent to the baseboard management controller. Therefore, the aforementioned out-of-band management processing module can also convert out-of-band management commands into in-band management commands and send them to the dual-channel control module, as well as send command response information from the dual-channel control module to the BMC communication module. The aforementioned dual-channel control module can also selectively send management commands from the BMC subsystem to the standard firmware module and send the command responses to the management commands to the out-of-band management processing module.

[0049] Based on this, the command response obtained from processing management commands may include: S1411. Convert out-of-band management commands to in-band management commands.

[0050] S1412. Send an in-band management command to the standard firmware module so that the standard firmware module can process the in-band management command and obtain a command response.

[0051] Furthermore, upon receiving the command response, the BMC communication module can encapsulate the command response into a second data frame according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller, and transmit it to the I2C interface driver. The I2C interface driver can then send this second data frame to the baseboard management controller via the I2C bus.

[0052] Based on this, sending a command response to the board management controller may include: S1421. According to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller, the command response is encapsulated into a second data frame and the second data frame is sent through the I2C bus.

[0053] S15. If the target does not have permission, perform error handling on the management command.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the SAS extender determines that it does not have the permission for the management and maintenance function type corresponding to the management command, it can perform error handling on the management command, such as ignoring the management command or outputting error information.

[0055] For a complete understanding of the SAS expander dual-channel control flow, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a dual-channel control flow for a SAS expander provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Based on the above embodiments, in this invention, the SAS extender can be connected to the SAS host to form an in-band management channel and to the baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, thereby providing a redundant dual-channel service management mechanism for the SAS extender. Furthermore, to enhance security, when the SAS extender receives an out-of-band management command from the baseboard management controller, it can determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command. Subsequently, the SAS extender can determine the activation status of the out-of-band and in-band management channels, dynamically allocate permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function according to the activation status, and determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command; if it has the target permission, it processes the out-of-band management command to obtain a command response and sends the command response to the baseboard management controller; if it does not have the target permission, it performs error handling on the management command. In this way, this invention can supplement the management of the SAS extender through an additional out-of-band management channel, while ensuring that the SAS extender sends responses to the baseboard management controller under secure conditions, thus guaranteeing management security.

[0057] Based on the above embodiments, after adding an out-of-band management channel, this embodiment can also conveniently locate anomalies in in-band management. The process of locating out-of-band management anomalies is described below. In one embodiment, the method may further include: S161. Receive in-band management commands sent by the SAS host, call the standard firmware module to process the in-band management commands, and detect whether there are any communication abnormalities in the SAS host during the command processing.

[0058] In this embodiment, while the SAS extender is responding normally to in-band management commands issued by the SAS host, it can detect in parallel whether there are any communication anomalies in the SAS host.

[0059] S162. If a communication anomaly is detected in the SAS host, the time of the anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command are recorded in the debug log and saved.

[0060] When a communication anomaly is detected on the SAS host, such as a link interruption displayed by PhyLink or a prolonged period of no response from the SAS host, the SAS extender can record the time of the communication anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the currently processed in-band management command to the debug log and save the debug log.

[0061] S163. Receive an out-of-band management command sent by the baseboard management controller to obtain debug logs, and send the debug logs to the baseboard management controller; wherein, when the baseboard management controller detects an anomaly in the SAS host, it sends an out-of-band management command to the SAS extender to obtain debug logs.

[0062] The baseboard management controller can monitor the SAS host within the server, such as retrieving its fault status. Upon detecting a SAS host fault, the baseboard management controller can send an out-of-band management command to the SAS extender to retrieve debug logs, triggering the SAS extender to send the debug logs back to the baseboard management controller. This allows the baseboard management controller to locate anomalies in in-band management based on the debug logs, overcoming the limitation in related technologies where anomalies in in-band management cannot be located when in-band management of the SAS extender is lost.

[0063] Based on the above embodiments, the implementation of the expander management method provided in this embodiment on the board management controller side will be described below. Please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an extender management method applied to a baseboard management controller, provided as an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an IPMI / BMC subsystem supporting SAS extender management functions, provided by an embodiment of the present invention. This method is applied to a baseboard management controller. An out-of-band management channel is established between the baseboard management controller and the SAS extender. The SAS extender is connected to the SAS host to form an in-band management channel. The baseboard management controller establishes a network connection with a management and maintenance terminal device. This method may include: S21. Receive the SAS extender remote management command sent by the management and maintenance terminal equipment.

[0064] exist Figure 7 In the firmware of the baseboard management controller, the following modules can be added: SAS Extender Management Command / Response Processing Module: This module parses SAS extender management commands and responses in the BMC middleware and sends management commands to the BMC communication module in the BMC firmware.

[0065] SAS Extender Management and Maintenance Module: Implements SAS extender management and maintenance functions in the BMC board-level application.

[0066] This allows for the addition of out-of-band management functionality for the SAS extender to the baseboard management controller, effectively supplementing the management of the SAS extender. Furthermore, this embodiment can configure SAS extender management and maintenance functionality in a management and maintenance terminal device equipped with IPMI management and maintenance terminal software. In this case, the management and maintenance terminal device can send remote management commands for the SAS extender to the baseboard management controller via the network. The baseboard management controller can then issue corresponding out-of-band management commands to the SAS extender based on these remote management commands.

[0067] S22. According to the remote management command of the SAS extender, send the corresponding out-of-band management command to the SAS extender so that the SAS extender can dynamically allocate the permission to respond to each management and maintenance function for the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to their respective activation status. When it is determined that the out-of-band management channel has the permission to respond to the out-of-band management command, process the out-of-band management command to obtain the command response and send the command response to the baseboard management controller.

[0068] In this step, the baseboard management controller can issue corresponding out-of-band management commands to the SAS extender based on the remote management command of the SAS extender. The SAS extender can dynamically allocate permission permissions for responding to various management and maintenance functions to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to their respective activation status. When it is determined that the out-of-band management channel has permission to respond to out-of-band management commands, it processes the out-of-band management command to obtain the command response and sends the command response to the baseboard management controller.

[0069] S23. Receive the command response and send the command response to the management and maintenance terminal equipment.

[0070] The baseboard management controller receives the command response and can send it over the network to the management and maintenance terminal device for remote management of the SAS extender.

[0071] Furthermore, by adding an out-of-band management channel, this embodiment can also facilitate the location of anomalies in in-band management. The process for locating out-of-band management anomalies is described below. In one embodiment, the method may further include: S241. Check if the SAS host is malfunctioning.

[0072] The baseboard management controller can monitor the SAS host inside the server, such as retrieving the fault status of the SAS host.

[0073] S242. When it is determined that an anomaly has occurred in the SAS host, an out-of-band management command for obtaining the debug log is sent to the SAS extender, and the debug log sent by the SAS extender is received; wherein, the debug log is recorded by the SAS extender when it is determined that there is a communication anomaly in the SAS host, and the debug log includes the time of the anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command that the SAS extender is processing when the communication anomaly occurs.

[0074] When a SAS host failure is detected, the baseboard management controller can send an out-of-band management command to the SAS extender to retrieve the debug log, triggering the SAS extender to send the debug log back to the baseboard management controller. Since the SAS extender can proactively detect communication anomalies in the SAS host and, upon detection, record the time of the anomaly, the type of the anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the currently processed in-band management command in the debug log, the baseboard management controller can then locate anomalies in in-band management based on the debug log. This addresses the deficiency in related technologies where it is impossible to locate anomalies in in-band management when in-band management of the SAS extender is lost.

[0075] S243. Locate the fault in the SAS host based on the debugging log.

[0076] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. The redundant dual-channel service management mechanism solves the problems of incomplete in-band service management functions of the existing SAS host and the inability of the SAS host to support in-band service management functions due to reasons such as SAS interface abnormality or failure, and significantly improves the availability and reliability of SAS extender service management.

[0077] 2. The BMC management and maintenance interface has the advantages of being visual and easy to operate. It can intuitively perform various configuration management and business control, such as managing the zone, resetting the link, and switching the port, which improves the efficiency of SAS extender management and maintenance.

[0078] 3. By using readily available hardware interfaces (I2C bus) and management platforms (BMC firmware, BMC management and maintenance software), both hardware costs are not increased, and compatibility and availability are guaranteed.

[0079] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 This invention provides a structural block diagram of an extender management system. The system may include a SAS extender, a SAS host, a baseboard management controller, and a management and maintenance terminal device. The SAS extender and the baseboard management controller are connected to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender and the SAS host are connected to form an in-band management channel. The baseboard management controller and the management and maintenance terminal device establish a network connection. The SAS extender receives out-of-band management commands from the baseboard management controller and determines the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command; it determines the activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel, dynamically assigns permission permissions to respond to each management and maintenance function based on the activation status, and determines whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command; if it has the target permission, it processes the out-of-band management command to obtain the command response and sends the command response to the baseboard management controller; if it does not have the target permission, it performs error handling on the management command. The baseboard management controller is used to receive remote management commands for the SAS extender sent by the management and maintenance terminal equipment; send corresponding out-of-band management commands to the SAS extender according to the remote management commands for the SAS extender; receive command responses and send the command responses to the management and maintenance terminal equipment.

[0080] Optionally, the SAS extender is also used to obtain the link connection status with the SAS host. If the link connection status is "link connected", it is determined that the in-band management channel is enabled. If the link connection status is "link disconnected", it is determined that the in-band management channel is not enabled. It also sends a handshake signal to the baseboard management controller. If the baseboard management controller responds to the handshake signal, it is determined that the out-of-band management channel is enabled. If the baseboard management controller does not respond to the handshake signal, it is determined that the out-of-band management channel is not enabled.

[0081] Optionally, the SAS extender is also used to determine whether the out-of-band management channel is enabled; if the out-of-band management channel is enabled, the step of determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command is entered; if the out-of-band management channel is not enabled, error handling is performed on the out-of-band management command.

[0082] Optionally, the SAS extender is also used to convert out-of-band management commands into in-band management commands; and to send in-band management commands to the standard firmware module so that the standard firmware module can process the in-band management commands and obtain command responses.

[0083] Optionally, the SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller via an I2C bus; The SAS extender is also used to receive a first data frame via the I2C bus, parse the first data frame according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller to obtain an out-of-band management command, encapsulate the command response into a second data frame according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller, and send the second data frame via the I2C bus.

[0084] Optionally, the SAS extender is also used to receive in-band management commands sent by the SAS host, call the standard firmware module to process the in-band management commands, and detect whether there is a communication abnormality in the SAS host during the command processing; if a communication abnormality is detected in the SAS host, the abnormality time, communication abnormality type, and management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command are recorded in the debug log and the debug log is saved; receive out-of-band management commands sent by the baseboard management controller to obtain the debug log, and send the debug log to the baseboard management controller; The baseboard management controller is also used to detect whether the SAS host is malfunctioning; when it is determined that the SAS host is malfunctioning, it sends an out-of-band management command to the SAS extender to obtain the debug log, and receives the debug log sent by the SAS extender; and it locates the fault in the SAS host based on the debug log.

[0085] This invention also provides a computer program product, including a computer program / instruction, which, when executed by a processor, implements the extender management method applied to a SAS extender or the extender management method applied to a baseboard management controller as described in the above embodiments.

[0086] Since the embodiments of the computer program product section correspond to the embodiments of the expander management method section described above, please refer to the description of the embodiments of the expander management method section described above for the embodiments of the computer program product section, and will not be repeated here.

[0087] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the extender management method applied to a SAS extender or the extender management method applied to a baseboard management controller as described in the above embodiments.

[0088] Since the embodiments of the computer-readable storage medium portion correspond to the embodiments of the expander management method portion described above, the embodiments of the storage medium portion are described in the description of the embodiments of the expander management method portion described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0089] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0090] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

[0091] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented directly by hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module can be located in random access memory (RAM), main memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0092] The above provides a detailed description of the extender management method, system, and storage medium provided by this invention. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the embodiments above are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this invention without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An extender management method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a SAS extender, wherein the SAS extender is connected to a baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender is connected to a SAS host to form an in-band management channel, includes: Receive out-of-band management commands sent by the baseboard management controller, and determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management commands; Determine the activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel respectively, dynamically allocate permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to the activation status, and determine whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command; If the target permission is obtained, the out-of-band management command is processed to obtain a command response, and the command response is sent to the baseboard management controller; If the target permission is not available, error handling is performed on the management command.

2. The extender management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the activation status of the in-band management channel and the out-of-band management channel includes: Obtain the link connection status with the SAS host. If the link connection status is "link connected", then determine that the in-band management channel is enabled. If the link connection status is "link disconnected", then determine that the in-band management channel is not enabled. A handshake signal is sent to the substrate management controller. If the substrate management controller responds to the handshake signal, the out-of-band management channel is determined to be enabled. If the substrate management controller does not respond to the handshake signal, the out-of-band management channel is determined to be disabled.

3. The extender management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command, the following steps are also included: Determine whether the out-of-band management channel is enabled; If the out-of-band management channel is enabled, proceed to the step of determining the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management command; If the out-of-band management channel is not enabled, error handling is performed on the out-of-band management command.

4. The extender management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of obtaining a command response from the out-of-band management command includes: Convert the out-of-band management commands into in-band management commands; The in-band management command is sent to the standard firmware module so that the standard firmware module processes the in-band management command and obtains the command response.

5. The extender management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller via an I2C bus; The receiving of out-of-band management commands sent by the substrate management controller includes: The first data frame is received via the I2C bus, and the first data frame is parsed according to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller to obtain the out-of-band management command; Sending the command response to the baseboard management controller includes: According to the communication protocol between the SAS extender and the baseboard management controller, the command response is encapsulated into a second data frame and the second data frame is sent through the I2C bus.

6. The extender management method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Also includes: The system receives in-band management commands sent by the SAS host, calls the standard firmware module to process the in-band management commands, and detects whether there are any communication abnormalities in the SAS host during the command processing. If a communication anomaly is detected in the SAS host, the time of the anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command are recorded in the debug log, and the debug log is saved. The system receives an out-of-band management command from the baseboard management controller to obtain the debug log, and then sends the debug log to the baseboard management controller. Specifically, when the baseboard management controller detects an anomaly in the SAS host, it sends an out-of-band management command to the SAS extender to obtain the debug log.

7. An extender management method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a baseboard management controller, wherein the baseboard management controller is connected to a SAS extender to form an out-of-band management channel, the SAS extender is connected to a SAS host to form an in-band management channel, and the baseboard management controller establishes a network connection with a management and maintenance terminal device, includes: Receive remote management commands for the SAS extender sent by the management and maintenance terminal equipment; According to the remote management command of the SAS extender, the corresponding out-of-band management command is sent to the SAS extender, so that the SAS extender dynamically allocates the permission to respond to each management and maintenance function for the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel according to their respective activation status. When it is determined that the out-of-band management channel has the permission to respond to the out-of-band management command, the out-of-band management command is processed to obtain the command response, and the command response is sent to the baseboard management controller. The system receives the command response and sends it to the management and maintenance terminal device.

8. The extender management method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Detect whether the SAS host is malfunctioning; When it is determined that the SAS host has encountered an anomaly, an out-of-band management command for obtaining debug logs is sent to the SAS extender, and the debug logs sent by the SAS extender are received; wherein, the debug logs are recorded by the SAS extender when it is determined that the SAS host has a communication anomaly, and the debug logs include the time of the anomaly, the type of communication anomaly, and the management and maintenance function category corresponding to the in-band management command that the SAS extender is processing when the communication anomaly occurs; The fault location of the SAS host is performed based on the debugging log.

9. An extender management system, characterized in that, It includes a SAS extender, a SAS host, a baseboard management controller, and a management and maintenance terminal device. The SAS extender is connected to the baseboard management controller to form an out-of-band management channel, and the SAS extender is connected to the SAS host to form an in-band management channel. The baseboard management controller establishes a network connection with the management and maintenance terminal device. The SAS extender is used to receive out-of-band management commands sent by the baseboard management controller and determine the management and maintenance function type of the out-of-band management commands; The activation status of the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel is determined. Based on the activation status, the permission permissions for responding to each management and maintenance function are dynamically allocated to the out-of-band management channel and the in-band management channel. It is also determined whether the out-of-band management channel has the target permission to respond to the out-of-band management command. If it has the target permission, the out-of-band management command is processed to obtain a command response, and the command response is sent to the baseboard management controller. If the target permission is not obtained, error handling is performed on the management command; The baseboard management controller is used to receive remote management commands for the SAS extender sent by the management and maintenance terminal equipment; According to the remote management command of the SAS extender, send the corresponding out-of-band management command to the SAS extender; receive the command response, and send the command response to the management and maintenance terminal device.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the extender management method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 or the extender management method as described in any one of claims 7 to 8.

Images