Modular computing system forming at least one computer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular computing system (1) forming at least one computer, the system comprising: a motherboard comprising a plurality of PCIe slots and at least one PCIe switch, the PCIe switch being able to route the data communication between the various PCIe slots; a plurality of expansion cards, each expansion card being provided with a PCIe connector and one or more electronic components, the plurality of expansion cards comprising at least one expansion card of a first type, the one or more electronic components of each expansion card of the first type comprising at least one central processing unit and at least one memory, the expansion cards each being plugged into a slot of the respective motherboard, the PCIe switch being configured to define at least one expansion card of the first type as a root complex, RC, to form a computer.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] TITLE: Modular computing system comprising at least one computer

[0003] The present invention relates to a modular computing system comprising at least one computer.

[0004] Computing platform manufacturers, such as those producing servers, generally aim to offer complete, turnkey solutions, but with proprietary components that lock the consumer into a closed ecosystem where any upgrades require remaining within that ecosystem. Blade servers, for example, offer a degree of modularity but come with proprietary connectivity or form factor constraints.

[0005] However, when such a system fails, replacing the faulty component can be difficult. These platforms do not allow the use of components from different manufacturers. Furthermore, upgrading a computer component can be challenging. Often, a server that no longer meets requirements is replaced entirely, as this is often cheaper and more practical than reusing individual parts. This leads to the disposal of perfectly functional servers to maintain a coherent and even compatible system.

[0006] Furthermore, to avoid these problems, such systems are often oversized to prevent being constrained by limited computing power over time and with application evolution. The consequence is that servers are often underutilized in terms of computing resources (processors, accelerators, etc.), and are also excessively large and heavy relative to their needs, which significantly impacts their carbon footprint during manufacturing and operation.

[0007] US2008235429A1 relates to systems and products that enable the use of peripheral component interconnect (“PCI”) Express resources in a logically partitioned computer system.

[0008] W02007 / 084422 relates to a blade server comprising a chassis; a first plurality of bays, this first plurality of bays being designed to receive and house at least partially a plurality of Central Processing Unit (CPU) modules, and being accessible via a first side of the chassis; a second plurality of bays located within the chassis, this second plurality of bays being designed to receive and house at least partially a plurality of PCI-Express modules, and being accessible via a second side of the chassis; and a central backplane card arranged to transmit at least one PCI-Express signal between the plurality of CPU modules and the plurality of PCI-Express modules. In this system, the number of combinations is limited.

[0009] The aim of the invention is therefore to propose a system to avoid the problems mentioned above, in particular to define a system that is as close as possible to the needs while minimizing the volume occupied and reducing the carbon footprint of use.

[0010] To this end, the invention relates to a modular computing system comprising at least one computer, the system comprising: a motherboard comprising a plurality of PCIe slots and at least one PCIe switch, the PCIe switch being suitable for routing data communication between the different PCIe slots;a plurality of expansion cards, each expansion card being provided with a PCIe connector and one or more electronic components, the plurality of expansion cards comprising at least one expansion card of a first type, the electronic component(s) of each expansion card of the first type comprising at least one central processing unit and at least one memory, the expansion cards being each plugged into a slot of the respective motherboard, the PCIe switch being configured to define at least one upstream port, US, which can respectively accommodate one of the expansion cards of the first type as a root complex (RC) to form respectively a computer. .;

[0011] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the system comprises one or more of the following features, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations:

[0012] • the motherboard cannot be defined as RC;

[0013] • the PCIe switch is configured to define at least one downstream port, DS, comprising respectively one expansion card among other expansion cards of the plurality of expansion cards as an end point (EP), this or these expansion cards defined as EP being assigned as devices to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC to form the computer;

[0014] • the plurality of expansion cards includes at least one expansion card of a second type, the electronic component(s) of each expansion card of the second type including a graphics accelerator, memory and / or a network interface; • the system includes at least two expansion cards of the first type, at least two expansion cards of the first type being defined as a root complex (RC), the PCIe switch thus forming at least two computers;

[0015] • at least one of the expansion cards defined as end-point (EP) is assigned by the PCIe switch to a first of the first type of expansion cards defined as Root Complex (RC) to form a first computer and at least one of the expansion cards defined as end-point (EP) is assigned by the PCIe switch to a second of the first type of expansion cards defined as root complex (RC) to form a second computer;

[0016] • the system includes at least one expansion card defined as an endpoint (EP), the PCIe switch being suitable for assigning each of the expansion cards defined as EP respectively to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC so as to form, at will: the first computer with all the expansion cards defined as EP and one of the expansion cards defined as RC, the other expansion cards defined as RC forming other computers; or at least two computers comprising respectively one of the expansion cards defined as RC and at least one expansion card defined as EP; the other possible expansion cards defined as RC forming other computers; or being suitable for not assigning any of the expansion cards defined as EP respectively to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC;

[0017] • the PCIe switch is capable of changing, particularly during system operation, the assignment of at least one of the expansion cards defined as EP to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC to another of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC or to none of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC in order to change the configuration of at least one computer;

[0018] • each expansion card being a card of the first type, the PCIe switch is configured to define all ports as upstream ports to accommodate each expansion card of the first type as a root complex to form respectively a computer with each expansion card;

[0019] • The PCIe switch is designed to establish communication between at least two computers, specifically by translating memory addresses; and / or

[0020] • The system includes a bracket to support the motherboard, the bracket being suitable for mounting in a computer bay; • The motherboard includes a single PCIe switch that is connected to each PCIe slot; and / or

[0021] • The PCIe switch comprises several PCIe sub-switches which together functionally form the PCIe switch.

[0022] The invention will become clearer upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the drawings in which: [Fig. 1] Figure 1 schematically shows a system according to one embodiment;

[0023] [Fig. 2] Figure 2 schematically shows a motherboard of a system according to one embodiment;

[0024] [Fig. 3] Figure 3 schematically shows a PCIe connection; and

[0025] [Fig. 4] Figure 4 shows the logic flowchart of a system using a PCIe bus.

[0026] Data centers often use server racks that have a fixed width, for example, 19 inches (48.26 cm) or 21 inches (53.34 cm). Servers and computers typically have this same width. Since the width is always the same, manufacturers offer different heights, expressed in "U"s for Rack Unit, which corresponds to 1.75 inches or 44.45 mm. The depth of a rack can vary, for example, from 60 cm to 1.20 m.

[0027] [Fig. 1] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a modular computing system 1 according to one embodiment. The system 1 comprises a housing 3 with a basket 5. The basket 5 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 3. The housing 3 is designed to be inserted into and secured within a computer rack (not shown). In other embodiments, the housing 3 and the basket 5 may also have different shapes. The housing 3 and / or the basket 5 thus form a support for at least one computer and / or a motherboard.

[0028] In addition, the 3, 5 support also houses a power supply and / or ventilation, for example for the motherboard and one or more expansion cards.

[0029] [Fig. 2] Figure 2 schematically shows the motherboard 10 of a system according to one embodiment, in particular supported by the support 3, 5.

[0030] The motherboard includes multiple PCIe 12 slots and a PCIe 14 switch, specifically a single PCIe 14 switch. The PCIe 14 switch is responsible for routing communication between the various PCIe 12 slots. A PCIe slot is a connector in the form of a slot designed to accommodate an expansion card with a PCIe (male) connector (see Figure 3). The number of slots is determined by the requirements and available space in the case. For example, the motherboard may have between 4 and 12 PCIe 12 slots. In one embodiment, the PCIe switch (14) comprises several PCIe sub-switches that together functionally form the PCIe switch. In other words, the sub-switches operate as a single PCIe switch.

[0031] PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express - PCIe) is a standard used for communication between expansion cards and a computer motherboard. It is defined by the PCI-SIG (Special Interest Group).

[0032] According to the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model proposed by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), the PCI Express standard specifies a physical layer, including a local bus (called the "PCI Express bus"), a data link layer and a transaction layer.

[0033] The length of PCIe 12 slots depends on the number of lane connectors they have. For example, we refer to PCIe ports as x11, x2, x4, x8, x16, and x32. The number defines the available communication lanes, so PCIe slots have a maximum of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 lanes, respectively.

[0034] [Fig. 3] Figure 3 schematically shows a PCIe (physical) connection between an expansion card 16 and a motherboard 10.

[0035] The expansion cards 16 are equipped with a PCIe connector 18 (male) and one or more electronic components 20. The electronic component(s) 20 are electronically connected to the PCIe connector.

[0036] Expansion cards 16 can be of a first type. The electronic components of a first-type expansion card include a central processing unit (CPU) and at least one memory chip. A first-type expansion card 16 may also have other electronic components, such as a network interface. This type of card often plays the role of Root Complex in the PCIe topology, defined below.

[0037] Expansion cards 16 can be of a second type. The electronic components of a second-type expansion card include, for example, a graphics accelerator, memory, and / or a network interface. For example, the graphics accelerator is a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). This type of card acts as an Endpoint (EP) in the PCIe topology.

[0038] During the operation of the modular computing system 1, the expansion cards 16 are respectively plugged into a slot 12 of the motherboard 10.

[0039] A card 10, 16 according to the present invention is a printed circuit on which the electronic component(s) are fixed.

[0040] [Fig. 4] Figure 4 shows the logical flowchart of a system using a PCIe bus. A PCIe-based communication structure includes the following elements: the "Root Complex" (RC), one or more "End Points" (EP), and a point-to-point interconnection between the different peripherals that compose it.

[0041] The Root Complex (RC) is used to enumerate and / or initialize PCIe devices, including the accessible memory range. The Root Complex is at the root of a tree topology. This element also enables the connection to the system's memory and central processing unit (CPU). In one embodiment, the RC is the system's CPU (or one of the CPUs if it has multiple CPUs). Only the RC can create requests and send them to the EPs (Elementary Processing Units). The RC only has downstream ports (to the EPs). For example, an expansion card of the first type can be defined as the RC by the PCIe switch.

[0042] Endpoints (EPs) are the peripherals that, together with the RC (Remote Controller), can make up a computer. For example, EPs are specific to certain roles: acceleration, networking, storage. EPs are, for instance, expansion cards of the second type. EPs are specific to communicating with the RC or other EPs. For example, during EP-to-EP communication, one EP sends data to an address on another EP. Each EP is specific to responding to requests from the RC. An EP has only one upstream port (to the RC). EPs are the leaves of a tree topology.

[0043] Generally, the interconnection between peripherals (for example, between two EPs) and between the RC and the EPs is most often achieved through the PCIe links of a configuration processor. An RC can thus interconnect one or more PCIe ports.

[0044] However, it is also possible to have more PCIe links than the RC has thanks to PCIe switches (or PCIe switches).

[0045] Each PCIe 14 switch has upstream ports and downstream ports. Each upstream port of the PCIe 14 switch is oriented towards a RC, and each downstream port of the PCIe 14 switch towards the EP.

[0046] In one example, the PCIe 14 switch is designed to associate each upstream port with one or more downstream ports. This allows for the creation of different, distinct computers. According to the invention, each PCIe 12 slot is connected to a port on the PCIe 14 switch, and the PCIe 14 switch is designed to define this port as either an upstream or downstream port. Configuring a port as upstream or downstream in the system therefore allows for modification of the system topology by changing an RC card to an EP card and vice versa without rebuilding the system.

[0047] The PCIe 14 switch is designed to redirect communication packets, particularly to the memory of the correct recipient(s); other nodes in the tree do not have access to them, or do not belong to the same address space as the others (use case of an NTB or Non-Transparent Bridge).

[0048] In one embodiment, the PCIe 14 switch enables point-to-point interconnection, in particular between the different expansion cards 16 via the PCIe 12 slots.

[0049] It should be noted that each PCIe 12 slot is designed to accommodate either a Type 1 or Type 2 expansion card. The PCIe 16 switch can be configured to designate any PCIe slot as upstream or downstream, to accommodate either an RC or EP card. For example, the upstream port(s) of the PCIe 16 switch are associated with Type 1 expansion cards configured as RC. Optionally, the downstream ports of the PCIe 16 switch are associated with expansion cards configured as EP.

[0050] In one embodiment, the PCIe 14 switch is configured to define at least one upstream (US) port to accommodate an expansion card of the first type as the RC to form the computer. Optionally, the PCIe 14 switch is configured to associate at least one downstream (DS) port containing an expansion card from among other expansion cards of the plurality of expansion cards as an EP, at least one of the expansion cards defined as EP being assigned as a device to one of the expansion cards of the first type used as the RC to form the computer.

[0051] For example, if the motherboard has eight PCIe slots, in one configuration, the port containing an RC expansion card in the first slot can be set by the PCIe switch as upstream, and the other ports containing EP expansion cards as downstream. In another configuration, the eighth slot can be set by the PCIe switch as upstream to accommodate an RC card, and the other expansion cards as EP.

[0052] In a third example configuration, the expansion cards in the second and seventh slots, which are configured by the switch as upstream, are used as RC (Remote Controller), and the expansion cards in the other downstream slots are used as EP (External Power). In this exemplary case, the EP expansion card in the first slot can be assigned to the RC expansion card in the second slot to form a first computer, and the EP expansion cards in the third slot can be assigned to the third slot.ième at 6 ième and 8 ième are assigned to the RC expansion card in the 7 ième slot to form a second computer.

[0053] In one embodiment, a computer according to the invention consists only of one RC. Therefore, for example, an expansion card defined by the PCIe switch as an RC is plugged into each PCIe slot. In one embodiment, the PCIe 14 switch is used to define the port type for each device connected to a PCIe 12 slot, specifically upstream (US) or downstream (DS).

[0054] Therefore, the PCIe 14 switch is suitable for routing communication between expansion cards.

[0055] In one example, the PCIe 14 switch is used to establish communication between the two computers, specifically by translating memory addresses. For instance, the switch can support the NTP (Non-Transparent Bridge) function. For example, in the third example configuration, the first and second computers can communicate using this NTP function.

[0056] This allows for a flexible configuration of system 1.

[0057] The PCIe 14 switch allows for isolation of data transfers between different expansion cards. This enables several different configurations with the same expansion cards through a single PCIe switch configuration. For example, with n being the number of PCIe slots, and with the same volume and depending on different implementations, the system can offer a combination of 2 ncomputers, ranging from a single computing unit (CU) or computer with one RC and n-1 EP to n CUs each composed of one RC (i.e., in each PCIe slot there is an RC expansion card and each port is defined as an upstream port).

[0058] Any reconfiguration of the PCIe switch can be performed dynamically, that is, while the system is running, for example, by modifying the PCIe switch configuration. The configuration can be adapted to a specific task. In another embodiment, the PCIe switch reconfiguration is performed offline, that is, when the computers are not connected to a system external to the modular system.

[0059] In one embodiment, the motherboard 10 does not include a central processing unit (CPU) and / or memory. In other words, the motherboard 10 cannot be defined as an RC.

[0060] In another embodiment, when computing power requirements change, System 1 can be adapted. For example, if the requirement calls for the use of an accelerator (GPU or FPGA, for instance), this can be inserted into a free port, configured as downstream, which the RC card inserted into a port configured as upstream can then control. If the requirement calls for another server, simply inserting another RC card increases the available resources. Each PCIe port containing an RC card is configured by the PCIe 14 switch as upstream and on a different partition, thus providing separate systems that can communicate via the switch (NTB).

[0061] In one example, System 1 offers very practical flexibility. For instance, with three RC cards and three EP cards (e.g., three GPUs), it's possible to have, as desired, three computers each with one GPU, one computer with three GPUs and two computers without an accelerator, one computer with two GPUs, or one computer with one GPU and one computer without an accelerator. The only modification required is a change in configuration via the PCIe switch for its PCIe ports.

[0062] In another example, the same EP can be used by different RCs. It is therefore possible for several computers to have access to the same shared disk used sporadically, or to an accelerator used sporadically.

[0063] According to the invention, computer security can be implemented between the systems thus proposed thanks to the possible separation of the different computers by the PCIe 14 switch, in particular by a logical isolation of data transfers which can make each system invisible from the other despite the sharing of many resources, including the same case and the same motherboard.

[0064] When first set up, the PCIe 14 switch is configured by an external computer or by an RC card connected to this switch.

[0065] The modularity and flexibility offered by the invention thus makes it possible to have servers sized according to need, using components that can be heterogeneous and from different manufacturers, since they comply with the same standard that allows interchangeability. These components can be of different types (RC or EP), with different roles (CPU, accelerator, network, storage), and with different computing power or power consumption. This also makes it possible to replace only the parts that do not (or no longer) meet the need, or that fail, thus avoiding the need to replace an entire hardware configuration. Ultimately, this reduces the carbon footprint of use, since power and consumption will be adapted to the specific requirements.This also allows for the reuse of certain components, particularly the core parts of the server which remain unchanged (power supply, motherboard, case, cooling), thus reducing the carbon footprint as well (manufacturing, transport, recycling).

[0066] Ultimately, the modular computing system offers a higher density than blade servers, for example in the size of more than 3 servers / U, while reducing energy consumption.

Claims

DEMANDS 1. Modular computing system (1) comprising at least one computer, the system comprising: a motherboard (10) comprising a plurality of PCIe slots (12) and a PCIe switch (14), the PCIe switch (14) being suitable for routing data communication between the different PCIe slots;a plurality of expansion cards (16), each expansion card being provided with a PCIe connector (18) and one or more electronic components, the plurality of expansion cards comprising at least one expansion card of a first type, the electronic component(s) of each expansion card of the first type comprising at least one central processing unit and at least one memory, the expansion cards being each plugged into a slot of the respective motherboard, the PCIe switch (14) being configured to define at least one upstream port, US, which can respectively accommodate one of the expansion cards of the first type as a root complex, RC, to form respectively a computer.; 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the motherboard (10) cannot be defined as RC.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the PCIe switch (14) is configured to define at least one downstream port, DS, comprising respectively one expansion card among other expansion cards of the plurality of expansion cards as end point, EP, this or these expansion cards defined as EP being assigned as peripherals to one of the expansion cards (16) of the first type defined as RC to form the computer.

4. System according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the plurality of expansion cards comprises at least one expansion card of a second type, the electronic component(s) of each expansion card of the second type comprising a graphics accelerator, memory and / or network interface.

5. System according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, comprising at least two expansion cards (16) of the first type, at least two expansion cards of the first type being of the Root Complex (RC) type, the PCIe switch (14) thus forming at least two computers.

6. System according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one of the expansion cards defined as end point (EP) is assigned by the PCIe switch to a first among expansion cards of the first type defined as Root Complex (RC) to form a first computer and at least one of the expansion cards defined as end point (EP) is assigned by the PCIe switch to a second among expansion cards of the first type defined as Root Complex (RC) to form a second computer.

7. System according to claim 5, characterized in that the system comprises at least one expansion card defined as an end point (EP), the PCIe switch (14) being adapted to assign each of the expansion cards defined as EP respectively to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC so as to form, at will: the first computer with all the expansion cards defined as EP and one of the expansion cards defined as RC, the other expansion cards defined as RC forming other computers; or at least two computers comprising respectively one of the expansion cards defined as RC and at least one expansion card defined as EP; the other possible expansion cards defined as RC forming other computers;or being such that it does not assign any of the expansion cards defined as EP respectively to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC.; 8. System according to claim 7, characterized in that the PCIe switch (14) is capable of changing, in particular during system operation, the assignment of at least one of the expansion cards defined as EP to one of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC to another of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC or to none of the expansion cards of the first type defined as RC in order to change the configuration of at least one computer.

9. System according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 2, characterized in that each expansion card being a card of the first type, the PCIe switch (14) is configured to set all ports as upstream ports to accommodate each expansion card of the first type as a root complex to form respectively a computer with each expansion card.

10. System according to any one of claims 5 or 9, characterized in that the PCIe switch (14) is suitable for establishing communication between at least two computers, in particular by translating memory addresses.

11. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the system comprises a support (3, 5) for supporting the motherboard (10), the support being suitable for being fixed in a computer bay.

12. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the motherboard (10) comprises a single PCIe switch (14) which is connected to each PCIe slot.

13. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the PCIe switch (14) comprises several PCIe sub-switches together functionally forming the PCIe switch.

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