Server

Abstract

The utility model provides a server which comprises a first controller with a first serial port, a second controller with a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a USB connector capable of being exposed out of a shell of the server, and a signal processing circuit connected with the first serial port, the USB interface and the USB connector. Therefore, the USB connector is controlled to be communicated with the first serial port or the USB interface. Wherein under the condition that the USB connector is communicated with the first serial port, the signal processing circuit performs signal format conversion processing on a USB signal from the USB connector or a first serial signal from the first serial port, so that signal transmission between the first controller and the USB connector is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of serial port design, and particularly to a server. Background Art

[0002] Currently, for the design of the server serial port, it can be directly configured in the server's IO (Input / Output) panel. However, this will occupy the space of the IO panel and affect the deployment of other components. Especially for the infrequently used serial ports, it cannot meet the requirements of the compact development of the IO panel design.

[0003] In response to this, it is proposed that the serial port is no longer configured on the IO panel. When the serial port is needed, a serial port expansion card can be configured. However, this usually occupies the PCIE (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) slot, resulting in a reduction in the number of PCIE slots that the system can support, reducing the system configuration and increasing the equipment cost. Utility Model Content

[0004] To solve the above problems, the following technical solutions are proposed in this application:

[0005] This application proposes a server, which includes:

[0006] A first controller, which has a first serial port;

[0007] A second controller, which has a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface;

[0008] A USB connector, which can be exposed outside the housing of the server;

[0009] A signal processing circuit, which is respectively connected to the first serial port, the USB interface, and the USB connector, and controls the connection between the USB connector and the first serial port or the USB interface;

[0010] Wherein, when the USB connector is connected to the first serial port, the signal processing circuit performs signal format conversion processing on the USB signal from the USB connector or the first serial signal from the first serial port, so as to realize the signal transmission between the first controller and the USB connector.

[0011] Optionally, the signal processing circuit includes: a signal selection circuit and a signal conversion circuit, wherein:

[0012] The signal selection circuit is respectively connected to the USB connector, the signal conversion circuit and the USB interface, and is used to make the USB connector communicate with the signal conversion circuit in the first state; and make the USB connector communicate with the USB interface in the second state.

[0013] The signal conversion circuit is connected to the first serial port, and is used to convert the USB signal transmitted by the signal selection circuit in the first state into a first serial signal for the first serial port, and send the first serial signal to the first serial port.

[0014] Optionally, the signal selection circuit realizes the switching between the first state and the second state by unplugging and plugging a jumper cap;

[0015] Wherein, when the jumper cap is not connected to the signal selection circuit, it is in the second state.

[0016] Optionally, the signal selection circuit has a selection component, a firmware port, a first selection port and a second selection port, wherein:

[0017] The fixed port is connected to the selection component and the USB connector,

[0018] The first selection port is connected to the signal conversion circuit;

[0019] The second selection port is connected to the USB interface of the second controller;

[0020] The selection component is used to switch the connection between the first selection port and the second selection port, and correspondingly realize the communication between the USB connector and the first serial port or the USB interface of the second controller.

[0021] Optionally, it further includes:

[0022] A processor, which is used to connect to the selection component and control the selection component to switch between the first state and the second state according to the application instruction for the first serial port;

[0023] Wherein, in the first state, the selection component is connected to the first selection port; in the second state, the selection component is connected to the second selection port.

[0024] Optionally, the signal selection circuit is configured with a USB adapter with multiple pins;

[0025] When a jumper cap with matching pins is connected to the USB adapter, the signal selection circuit switches from the second state to the first state.

[0026] Optionally, the signal processing circuit is deployed on a mainboard of the server;

[0027] The first controller is a baseboard management controller, and the first serial port is a serial universal interface;

[0028] The second controller is an integrated south bridge chip PCH or a dedicated controller for the USB connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the related technical descriptions are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an optional embodiment 1 of the server proposed in this application;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optional embodiment 2 of the server proposed in this application;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optional third embodiment of the server proposed in this application;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optional fourth embodiment of the server proposed in this application;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of optional embodiment 5 of the server proposed in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Combined with the description in the background art section, the present application proposes a new design solution for the server serial port. When the connection device of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector exposed outside the housing of the server needs to use different communication functions of the server, such as serial port functions or non-serial port functions, etc., it can be realized by using the different signal format conversion functions of the server, so as to be compatible with the communication functions of different types of interfaces. In this way, the present application does not need to specifically reserve a large number of serial ports in the IO (Input / Output) panel, such as traditional DB9 interfaces, TypeC interfaces defined by dedicated serial port pins, RJ45 (Registered Jack 45, a type of information socket connector in the wiring system) interfaces, etc., reducing the occupation of the server IO panel interfaces, improving the compactness of the IO panel design, and the present application also does not need to additionally configure a serial port expansion card, does not occupy the PCIE (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard) slot resources, reduces the device cost, and reduces the impact on the system configuration.

[0036] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0037] Referring to Figure 1 , which is a schematic structural diagram of the first alternative embodiment of the server proposed by the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the server may include a first controller 110, a second controller 120, a USB connector 130, and a signal processing circuit 140, where:

[0038] The first controller 110 may be one or more controllers in the server having a first serial port. The first serial port may be at least one serial interface different from the USB interface, and may receive a first serial signal to meet the serial communication requirements of the first controller 110.

[0039] Optionally, the first controller 110 may be a baseboard management controller (Baseboard Management Controller, BMC), and the first serial port it has is a BMC serial port, which may be a universal serial interface, such as one or more of an RS232 (Recommended Standard, which may be an interface standard for serial data communication that complies with the Electronic Industries Alliance) interface, RS485 or RS422, etc., which may be determined based on the serial port communication requirements of the BMC. The present application does not impose any restrictions on the interface type and quantity of the first serial port.

[0040] The second controller 120 may be one or more controllers with USB interfaces configured by the server, which need to receive USB signals to meet the corresponding communication functions. Optionally, the second controller 120 may be an integrated south bridge chip (Platform Controller Hub, PCH), or a dedicated controller for the USB connector 130, which may be determined according to the deployment structure of the server itself. This application does not limit the type and value of the second controller 120, and the interface type and quantity of the deployed USB interfaces.

[0041] Among them, the interface types of the USB interface involved in this application may include but are not limited to Type A interface, Type B interface, Type C interface, Micro-USB (a small USB interface for connecting mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, Bluetooth headsets, etc.), Mini-USB (a small USB interface with an ID pin added to distinguish whether the device is a host or a peripheral to support OTG (On The Go, which allows data transfer between devices without a host) function) and one or more of USB2.0 / 3.0 / 3.1, etc., which can be flexibly configured according to the functional requirements of the server.

[0042] The USB connector 130 can be exposed outside the shell of the server so that users or staff can connect other devices, such as a display or storage device or other devices, to the USB connector 130 to meet the communication requirements between the server and the connected devices. Optionally, the USB connector 130 can include one or more USB interfaces, and the interface types of the multiple USB interfaces can be the same or different, which can be determined according to the actual communication requirements of the server.

[0043] The signal processing circuit 140 is connected to the first serial port of the first controller 110, the USB interface of the second controller 120 and the USB connector 130 respectively, and controls the USB connector 130 to communicate with the first serial port or the USB interface. Figure 1As shown, the USB connector 130 can form a first signal channel with the first serial port to realize signal transmission between the external device of the USB connector 130 and the first controller 110; the USB connector 130 can form a second signal channel with the USB interface to realize signal transmission between the external device of the USB connector 130 and the second controller 120.

[0044] Among them, since the types of input signals that the first serial port and the USB interface can receive respectively are different, when the signal formats of the USB signals output by them are inconsistent with the USB signals output by the USB connector 130, the signal processing circuit 140 will first perform signal format conversion processing and then transmit it to the corresponding type of interface.

[0045] In this way, combining the above descriptions of the first serial port and the USB interface, when the USB connector 130 is connected to the first serial port, the signal processing circuit 140 can perform signal format conversion processing on the USB signals from the USB connector 130 or the first serial signals from the first serial port, and transmit the processed signals to the opposite-end interface. For example, convert the input USB signals into first serial signals with corresponding content and then transmit them to the first serial port, and convert the input first serial interface into USB signals and then transmit them to the USB connector 130, so as to realize signal transmission between the first controller 110 and the USB connector 130.

[0046] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the implementation method of signal conversion processing between different format signals. It can be implemented by, but not limited to, a conversion chip with the conversion processing function of the corresponding two signal formats, or can also be implemented by calling software algorithms. Exemplarily, such as a chip with the function of mutually converting RS232 signals and USB signals, using the serial port function of the BMC controller to meet the communication requirements of the external device of the USB connector 130. It can be seen that in this case, the USB connector 130 is equivalent to being compatible with the RS232 serial port function.

[0047] Similarly, when the USB connector 130 is connected to the USB interface of the second controller 120, the signal processing circuit 140 can transmit the USB signals from the USB connector 130 to the USB interface of the second controller 120. For example, in a scenario where the serial port function of the BMC is not required, the connection between the USB connector 130 and the USB interface of the second controller 120 can be controlled so that the USB connector 130 is used as a normal USB interface.

[0048] In summary, in the embodiments of the present application, based on the inherent USB communication function of the USB connector 130 on the server, the server serial port function can be compatibly implemented. According to the actual communication requirements, the signal processing circuit 140 is used to control the connection between the USB connector 130 and the first serial port of the first controller 110 to implement the server serial port function, or to connect to the USB interface of the second controller 120 to implement the USB communication function. In this way, by configuring the USB connector 130 and the signal processing circuit 140 on the server of the present application, the compatibility of USB signals and the first serial signals can be achieved, without the need to configure corresponding interfaces for each type of signal on the server IO panel, especially for the less frequently used serial port interfaces, reducing the space occupation of the server IO panel and better meeting the requirements of the compact development. Moreover, the present application does not additionally configure a serial port expansion card, thus avoiding the occupation of PCIE slot resources and the increase in hardware costs by the serial port expansion card.

[0049] It should be noted that according to the technical concept proposed in the embodiments of the present application, the signal processing circuit 140 can be used to implement the conversion processing between any two or more types of signals, so that the USB connector or other types of connectors on the server can be compatible with the transmission of other types of signals (i.e., one or more signals different from the first serial signal described above). For example, according to the actual communication requirements, the connector is automatically controlled to connect to the corresponding type of interface to achieve the signal transmission between the external device and the controller where the type of interface is located. The implementation process can refer to the description content of the context embodiments. The present application only takes the compatibility scenario of the first serial signal and the USB signal as an example for illustration.

[0050] In some other embodiments proposed by the present application, as Figure 2 shown in the schematic structural diagram of the alternative embodiment two of the server proposed by the present application, the signal processing circuit 140 in the server described in the above embodiments can include a signal selection circuit 141 and a signal conversion circuit 142, so as to control the connection between the USB connector 130 and the first serial port of the first controller 110 or the USB interface of the second controller 120 through the signal selection circuit 141. When the USB connector 130 is connected to the first serial port, the signal conversion circuit 142 is used to implement the format conversion processing between the USB signal and the first serial signal, and the processed signal is transmitted to the corresponding type of interface.

[0051] Based on the above analysis, in this embodiment, the signal selection circuit 141 can be respectively connected to the USB connector 130, the signal conversion circuit 142, and the USB interface of the second controller 120, and the signal conversion circuit 142 is connected to the first serial port of the first controller 110. To implement different signal paths for the USB connector 130, the signal selection circuit 141 can be configured in multiple states. When the signal selection circuit 141 is in the first state, the USB connector 130 is connected to the signal conversion circuit 142, and the signal selection circuit 141 transmits the USB signal from the USB connector to the signal conversion circuit 142. The signal conversion circuit 142 converts the USB signal into a first serial signal for the first serial port, and then sends the first serial signal output by the signal conversion circuit 142 to the first serial port of the first controller 110. The first controller 110 responds to the first serial signal to implement the corresponding serial port function.

[0052] In another embodiment when the signal selection circuit 141 is in the first state, the signal conversion circuit 142 converts the first serial signal from the first serial port of the first controller 110 into a USB signal for output, and transmits the USB signal from the signal conversion circuit 142 to the USB connector 130 through the signal selection circuit 141. The USB connector 130 transmits the USB signal to an external USB device, and the USB device responds to the USB signal to implement the corresponding USB communication function, such as access control or data transmission of the USB device. This application does not limit the method for the signal conversion circuit 142 to implement the format conversion between the USB signal and the first serial signal.

[0053] When the signal selection circuit 141 is in the second state, the USB connector 130 will be connected to the USB interface of the second controller 120. At this time, the serial port function of the first controller 110 is not required, and there is no need to perform format conversion processing of the USB signal. The signal path between the external USB device of the USB connector 130 and the second controller 120 in the current state is used to implement USB signal transmission. It can be seen that the signal selection circuit 141 in the second state directly transmits the USB signal from the USB connector 130 to the USB interface of the second controller 120, or transmits the USB signal from the second controller 120 to the external USB device of the USB connector 130.

[0054] It should be noted that when the server is configured with controllers of other types of interfaces different from the first serial port and the USB interface, they can be sequentially recorded as the third controller, the fourth controller, etc. At this time, the signal selection circuit 141 can have a corresponding number of states, and control it to switch to the corresponding state, such as the third state or the fourth state, to realize the signal transmission between the USB connector 130 and the corresponding third controller or fourth controller. The implementation process is similar, and this application will not give detailed examples one by one.

[0055] In a possible implementation manner applicable to some of the above embodiments, the above signal selection circuit 141 can achieve the switching between different states by unplugging and plugging a jumper cap (header). For example, through a 2-pin header (2-pin jumper cap), the switching control between the first state and the second state of the signal selection circuit 141 can be achieved. Among them, when the jumper cap is connected to the signal selection circuit 141, it will be in the first state, that is, by connecting the jumper cap, the connection between the USB connector 130 and the USB interface of the second controller 120 is disconnected, and the connection between the USB connector 130 and the signal conversion circuit 142 is achieved; when the jumper cap is not connected to the signal selection circuit 141, it will be in the second state, that is, by unplugging the inserted 2-pin header, the connection between the USB connector 130 and the signal conversion circuit 142 is disconnected, and the connection between the USB connector 130 and the USB interface of the second controller 120 is achieved.

[0056] In actual applications, the above components in the server can be deployed on the motherboard of the server. During the server hardware design process, the staff can, according to the actual communication requirements, hold the jumper cap and insert it into the corresponding pins in the signal selection circuit 141, or pull out the inserted jumper cap, so that the signal selection circuit 141 enters the corresponding state to meet the corresponding communication requirements. This hardware configuration process can be achieved when the server is in a disconnected state, avoiding security risks caused by connecting to the network and improving the security of the server hardware configuration.

[0057] Based on the above analysis, the above signal selection circuit 141 can be configured with a USB adapter with multiple pins (pins). When a jumper cap (header) with matching pins is connected to the USB adapter (i.e., the scenario of inserting the jumper cap), the signal selection circuit 141 can switch from the second state to the first state; conversely, when the jumper cap is pulled out from the USB adapter, the signal selection circuit 141 can switch from the first state to the second state.

[0058] In another possible implementation, the control signal for implementing the switching control between different states of the signal selection circuit 141 may also come from the processor of the server or a remote device. The signal selection circuit 141 responds to the control signal and switches to the corresponding first state, second state, or other states, etc. The present application does not limit the implementation manner of the different state switching control of the signal selection circuit 141.

[0059] In some other embodiments proposed in the present application, the above-mentioned signal selection circuit 141 may be a single-pole double-throw switch, a multi-single multi-throw switch, a relay switch, etc. The present application takes a single-pole double-throw switch as an example for illustration. Referring to Figure 3 the structural schematic diagram of the third alternative embodiment of the server proposed in the present application shown in the figure, the signal selection circuit 141 may include a selection component 1411, a firmware port 1412, a first selection port 1413, and a second selection port 1414. The fixed port 1412 may be connected to the selection component 1411 and the USB connector 130. The first selection port 1413 may be connected to the signal conversion circuit 142. The second selection port 1414 may be connected to the USB interface of the second controller 120. The selection component 1411 may be used to switch the connection between the first selection port 1413 and the second selection port 1414, correspondingly realizing the connection between the USB connector 130 and the first serial port of the first controller 110 or the USB interface of the second controller 120.

[0060] Combined with the above description of the working principle of the signal selection circuit 141, in a scenario where the serial port function of the first controller 110 needs to be used, the selection component 1411 of the signal selection circuit 141 can be controlled to be in the first state (such as Figure 3 the state shown by the solid line in the figure), that is, controlling the selection component 1411 to switch to connect to the first selection port 1413, so that the firmware port 1412 is connected to the first selection port 1413. In this way, a signal path is formed between the USB connector 130 and the signal conversion circuit 142. In this way, the USB signal from the USB connector 130 can be transmitted to the signal conversion circuit 142. After the signal conversion circuit 142 converts the USB signal into a first serial signal, it is transmitted to the first controller 110; conversely, the first serial signal from the first controller 110 is transmitted to the signal conversion circuit 142. After the signal conversion circuit 142 converts the first serial signal into a USB signal, it is then transmitted to the USB connector 130, meeting the communication control requirements for its external USB device.

[0061] Similarly, in a scenario where the serial port function of the first controller 110 is not required, the selection component 1411 is controlled to be in the second state (such as Figure 3In the state shown by the dashed line in the figure, that is, the control selection component 1411 is switched to connect to the second selection port 1414, so that the firmware port 1412 is connected to the second selection port 1414. In this way, the USB connector 130 is disconnected from the signal conversion circuit 142, and a signal path is formed between the USB connector 130 and the second controller 120, realizing the direct transmission of the USB signal between the two.

[0062] Among them, for the switching control of different states of the above selection component 1411, it can be realized by plugging and unplugging the jumper cap, or by the remote device sending a control signal, etc. The implementation process can refer to the description of the corresponding part of the above embodiment, and this embodiment will not be elaborated here.

[0063] In some other embodiments proposed in this application, referring to Figure 4 the structural schematic diagram of the fourth optional embodiment of the server proposed in this application shown in the figure, the switching control of different states of the selection component 1411 can also be realized by the processor 150 in the server. In this case, the processor 150 can be connected to the selection component 1411 and control the selection component 1411 to switch between the first state and the second state according to the application instruction (such as the serial port control signal) for the first serial port. Combining the above analysis, in the first state, the selection component 1411 is connected to the first selection port 1413; in the second state, the selection component 1411 is connected to the second selection port 1414. Regarding the signal channels formed in these two states and the signal transmission process, reference can be made to the description of the corresponding part of the above embodiment.

[0064] Optionally, the above processor 150 may include one or more of the following: central processing unit CPU, microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), digital signal processing device (DSPD), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), strobe logic, transistor logic, discrete hardware circuit, processing circuit or other suitable hardware, firmware and / or a combination of hardware and software, for performing the control functions described above in this application.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, part of the processor 150 may include a non-volatile random access memory or other types of storage media to implement switching control of different states of the selection component 1411 by executing computer instructions. Exemplarily, the processor 150 determines the corresponding communication function type of the server by detecting the communication instructions of the USB device connected to the USB connector 130, or the control instructions of the server to the USB device. If it is a serial port function, it responds to the first switching instruction and controls the selection component 1411 to enter the first state; conversely, if it is not a serial port function, it responds to the second switching instruction and controls the selection component 1411 to enter the second state. The control process can be implemented by executing multiple computer instructions, which can be stored in a storage medium. The processor 150 reads and executes the computer instructions to implement the control process, but is not limited to this state switching control method.

[0066] It should be noted that the memory storing computer instructions can also be used as independent hardware, and is not limited to being integrated in the processor 150. The memory can be connected to the processor 150 as independent hardware, so that the processor 150 can read or write information from the memory to meet the control requirements of the server.

[0067] In summary, based on the above-mentioned signal selection circuit 141 and signal conversion circuit 142, the USB connector 130 usually configured on each server can realize the original USB signal communication function while being compatible with the communication function of the first serial port. There is no need to additionally configure an external serial port connector with the first serial port, thereby reducing the occupied space of the server IO panel and better meeting the compact design requirements. Compared with inserting a serial port expansion card into the PCIE slot to realize the serial port function of the first controller 110, the present application uses the USB connector 130 on the server to be compatible with the serial port hardware design, which saves hardware costs and reduces the impact of occupying the limited PCIE slot resources of the server on the system configuration.

[0068] In combination with the server described in the above embodiments, the following will take the scenario where the first controller 110 is a BMC controller, the second controller 120 is a PCH, and the first serial port is a BMC serial port of RS232 as an example for explanation. The signal processing circuit 140 proposed above can be deployed on the main board of the server. Of course, according to the functional configuration requirements of the server, the main board is also deployed with other hardware circuits to realize the corresponding functions, and this application will not give detailed examples one by one. Figure 5Schematic diagram of the fifth alternative embodiment of the server proposed in the present application shown. The USB connector 130 is connected to the USB signal switch 141 (i.e., the signal selection circuit 141 mentioned above). The staff can insert and remove the USB select header (such as a 2-pin header) to realize the switching control of the two signal paths. The first path can be switched to the USB-to-RS232 conversion chip 142 (i.e., the signal switching circuit 142 mentioned above), convert the USB signal from the USB connector 130 into an RS232 signal, and then transmit it to the serial port of the BMC (i.e., a type of the first controller 110 mentioned above) (i.e., the first serial port mentioned above). The second path can be switched to the PCH (i.e., a type of the second controller 120 mentioned above), and directly transmit the USB signal from the USB connector 130 to the PCH.

[0069] In this way, in the scenario where the BMC serial port function needs to be used, the staff can connect the USB select header with a jumper, switch the USB signal switch 141 to the first path, transmit the received USB signal to the RS232 conversion chip 142, and then transmit the output RS232 signal to the BMC to realize the serial port function. In the scenario where the BMC serial port function does not need to be used, the USB select header can default to not be connected with a jumper, and the USB signal switch 141 is in the second path, directly transmitting the received USB signal to the PCH to realize normal USB control.

[0070] It should be noted that in the case where the USB connector of the server needs to be compatible with other types of signals, according to the technical concept proposed above, a chip with a format conversion function between the corresponding type of signal and the USB signal can be configured, as well as a signal switching circuit for realizing the corresponding switching state, or more selection ports can be configured for the above-mentioned signal switching circuit to realize the switching connection of the chip and achieve the compatibility with the extended type of signal. Even other types of connectors of the server can be used to replace the above-mentioned USB connector to achieve the compatibility of multiple signals. The implementation process can refer to the circuit structure described in any of the above embodiments, and the present application will not give detailed examples one by one.

[0071] In addition, it should be understood that the hardware structure of the server corresponding to the drawings in the above embodiments does not constitute a limitation to the server in the embodiments of the present application. In practical applications, the server may include more components than shown in the drawings, or combine some components, and the hardware structure can be determined according to the functional requirements of the server. The present application will not list them one by one here.

[0072] Finally, in the above embodiments, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "a", "an", "one", and / or "the" are not specifically singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of the clearly identified components or circuits, and these components and circuits do not constitute an exclusive list. The server or circuit may also include other components. An element defined by the statement "comprising one..." does not exclude the existence of another identical element in the product or server including the element.

[0073] Moreover, terms such as "first", "second", etc. involved in this application are only for descriptive purposes, used to distinguish one component or circuit from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual connection relationship or signal transmission order between these components or circuits. And it cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first", "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0074] In addition, the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive or parallel manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application will not be limited to these embodiments shown herein, but rather to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A server, characterized in that: The server comprises: A first controller, the first controller having a first serial port; A second controller, wherein the second controller has a universal serial bus (USB) interface; A USB connector, wherein the USB connector can be exposed outside a housing of the server; a signal processing circuit, the signal processing circuit being connected to the first serial port, the USB interface and the USB connector respectively, and controlling the USB connector to communicate with the first serial port or the USB interface; Wherein, when the USB connector is connected to the first serial port, the signal processing circuit realizes signal transmission between the first controller and the USB connector by performing signal format conversion processing on the USB signal from the USB connector or the first serial signal from the first serial port.

2. The server according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal processing circuit comprises: a signal selection circuit and a signal conversion circuit, wherein: The signal selection circuit is connected to the USB connector, the signal conversion circuit and the USB interface respectively, so that when the USB connector is in a first state, the USB connector is connected to the signal conversion circuit; when the USB connector is in a second state, the USB connector is connected to the USB interface; The signal conversion circuit is connected to the first serial port, and is used for converting the USB signal transmitted by the signal selection circuit in the first state into a first serial signal for the first serial port, and sending the first serial signal to the first serial port.

3. The server according to claim 2, characterized in that: The signal selection circuit switches between the first state and the second state by plugging and unplugging the jumper cap; Wherein, when the signal selection circuit is not connected to the jumper cap, it is in the second state.

4. The server according to claim 2, characterized in that: The signal selection circuit has a selection component, a firmware port, a first selection port and a second selection port, wherein: The firmware port connects the selection component and the USB connector, The first selection port is connected to the signal conversion circuit; The second selection port is connected to a USB interface of the second controller; The selection component is used to switch the connection between the first selection port and the second selection port, and correspondingly realize the connection between the USB connector and the first serial port or the USB interface of the second controller.

5. The server according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes: a processor, connected to the selection component, and controlling the selection component to switch between the first state and the second state according to an application instruction for the first serial port; Wherein, in the first state, the selection component is connected to the first selection port; in the second state, the selection component is connected to the second selection port.

6. The server according to claim 3, characterized in that: The signal selection circuit is configured with a USB adapter having a plurality of pins; When a jumper cap with matching pins is connected to the USB adapter, the signal selection circuit switches from the second state to the first state.

7. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The signal processing circuit is deployed on the main board of the server; The first controller is a baseboard management controller, and the first serial port is a serial universal interface; The second controller is an integrated south bridge chip PCH or a dedicated controller for the USB connector.

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