CN111934911A

CN111934911A - FPGA firmware batch upgrading system and method based on network distribution

Info

Publication number: CN111934911A
Application number: CN202010678963.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 薛光皓; 洪诗聘; 孙艺宁; 王弈新
Original assignee: Beijing Automation Control Equipment Institute BACEI
Current assignee: Beijing Automation Control Equipment Institute BACEI
Priority date: 2020-07-15
Filing date: 2020-07-15
Publication date: 2020-11-13

Abstract

The invention provides a FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution, which comprises a user computer, a network router, a server, an Ethernet-to-serial module and FPGA products, wherein the server is used for managing the FPGA products, files and users accessed to a network, the network router is used for networking and accessing the network, the FPGA products are accessed to the network through the Ethernet-to-serial module, and the server transmits the FPGA firmware files to the FPGA products in batches through network-oriented connection. The invention also provides a FPGA firmware batch upgrading method based on network distribution, after the user computer sends the upgrading instruction, the server starts upgrading, distributes firmware to the FPGA product according to network connection, sequentially sends code matching, erasing, file transmission and verification instructions, and provides upgrading progress information to the user computer. The invention has the advantages of batch, long-distance, low cost and quick deployment.

Description

FPGA firmware batch upgrading system and method based on network distribution

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of network communication, and particularly relates to a system and a method for upgrading FPGA firmware in batches based on network distribution.

Background

The FPGA chip is widely applied to various electronic products in embedded systems, and is widely applied to the field of communication, vehicles, audio and video, aerospace, military industry and the like,

the FPGA product usually adopts a mode that the FPGA is externally connected with an external storage chip, the FPGA firmware is burnt into the storage chip in advance during production of the product, the FPGA chip is actively initiated when the product is powered on, and a firmware file is guided from the external storage chip to be configured.

For FPGA products with test serial ports, the serial ports can be used for online upgrade, and new firmware is transmitted point to point with the products through a test computer. However, such an upgrading method can only upgrade one product at a time, is slow in upgrading speed, cannot remotely deploy and upgrade, cannot perform upgrading operation on the FPGA firmware in parallel in a large batch, and is low in efficiency.

At present, the network technology is continuously developed, the distribution range of the network is gradually expanded, the network is distributed in downtown areas or unmanned areas, the network can be accessed in a wireless or wired mode, and the environment adaptability is realized, so that the network can be introduced into the product firmware upgrading process, and the product firmware upgrading process can be carried out in any distance in any environment. The capability of accessing to network upgrading products can be realized, the concurrent batch capability is provided, and the maintainability of FPGA software is greatly improved.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution and a FPGA firmware batch upgrading method based on network distribution, which can upgrade a plurality of FPGA products at one time and reduce the cost.

The invention relates to a FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution, which comprises a server 100, a network router 110, an Ethernet-to-serial port module 120, an FPGA product 130 and a user computer 140, wherein the server is connected with the network router through a network;

the server 100 is used for managing the FPGA product 130 to be upgraded, managing network access of the FPGA product 130 to be upgraded, managing network access and instructions of the user computer 140, managing firmware files for the FPGA product 130, sending corresponding firmware to the network router 110 during upgrading, controlling a batch upgrading process of the FPGA firmware, sending instructions and receiving instructions;

the network router 110 is configured to complete networking and data transmission between the server 100 and the ethernet to serial port module 120 and between the server 100 and the user computer 140, receive data sent by the server 100, and forward the data to the ethernet to serial port module 120 with a corresponding address;

the ethernet-to-serial port module 120 is used for interface conversion between the network router 110 and the FPGA product 130, maintaining connection with the server 100 as a Client, receiving the FPGA firmware sent by the network router 110, and sending the FPGA firmware to the FPGA product 130 through a serial port;

the FPGA product 130 is used for realizing product functions, receiving and using FPGA firmware sent by the Ethernet-to-serial port module 120, receiving instructions in an upgrading flow, executing corresponding operations and returning the instructions;

and the user computer 140 is used for accessing the server 100, sending an upgrading instruction, displaying the upgrading progress of the FPGA product 130, and uploading and displaying the firmware file in the server 100.

Further, the server 100 includes a device service 101, a file service 102, and a user service 103;

the device service 101 is used for managing the FPGA product 130 needing to be upgraded, managing the network access of the FPGA product 130 needing to be upgraded, sending corresponding firmware to the network router 110 during upgrading, controlling the batch upgrading process of the FPGA firmware, sending an instruction and receiving the instruction;

a file service 102 that manages firmware files for the FPGA product 130;

user services 103, manage network access and instructions for user computers 140.

Further, the FPGA product 130 includes an FPGA131 and a FLASH 132;

the FPGA131 is used for realizing product functions and upgrading functions;

and the FLASH132 is used for storing the FPGA firmware file.

Further, the FPGA131 includes a serial port 133 and an on-chip CPU upgrade module 134;

a serial port 133, configured to receive data sent by ethernet to serial port module 120;

and the on-chip CPU upgrading module 134 is configured to control an FPGA firmware upgrading process, receive the FPGA firmware file and the instruction sent by the server 100, return the instruction, and write the FPOA firmware file into the FLASH 134.

Further, the system comprises a plurality of ethernet to serial port modules 120 and FPGA products 130.

Further, the network router 110 is a wireless router or a wired router.

The invention also comprises a FPGA firmware batch upgrading method based on network distribution, which comprises the following steps:

(1) when the ethernet to serial port module 120 and the FPGA product 130 access the network router 110, registering online with the server 100, and establishing Socket connection;

(2) the user computer 140 sends an upgrade start instruction including an upgrade file and upgrade product information;

(3) the server 100 acquires a start instruction, selects an FPGA firmware file from a file service, and the equipment service inquires the FPGA product 130 connected online at present, judges whether an online product exists, if so, executes the next step, and if not, stops;

(4) sequentially sending a code matching instruction, an erasing instruction, a firmware file transmission instruction and a verification instruction to the online FPGA product 130 according to Socket connection in batch, checking the correctness of the back instruction, and if so, sending the next instruction; if no next instruction exists, executing the step 5; if not, re-executing the step 4;

(5) the facility service of the server 100 notifies the user that the service has completed upgrading the FPGA products 130 and displays them on the user computer 140 until all of the FPGA products 130 have been upgraded.

Further, before the step (1), the user computer uploads the FPGA firmware file required to be upgraded to a server.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following advantages:

(1) the FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution is provided, and FPGA products can be upgraded in a one-time batch parallel mode in a connection mode;

(2) the upgrading function of the FPGA product is completed by defining an on-chip CPU mode through a soft core or a hard core without adding an external device, and the cost of an additional device is avoided;

(3) the remote upgrading can be carried out by utilizing the network, the business trip cost of after-sale maintenance personnel is reduced, and the rapid deployment of new firmware versions is realized.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall framework diagram of the FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a basic flow diagram of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a typical work flow diagram of a server;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary operation of an on-chip CPU upgrade module.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an overall framework diagram of the system of the present invention, as shown in the figure, a server 100 and a user computer 140 form a local area network or access to the internet through a network router 110, an FPGA product 130 connects with the network router 110 through an ethernet to serial port module 120 to form a local area network or access to the internet, the user sends an upgrade instruction and displays an upgrade progress through the user computer 140, the server 100 receives the upgrade instruction and sends an FPGA firmware file to the ethernet to serial port module 120 that has established Socket connection, and the FPGA product 130 writes the file into a FLASH132 according to bytes after receiving the file.

(1) The Server 100, which forms a local area network or accesses the internet through the network router 110, establishes Socket connection with the ethernet to serial port module 120 as a network Server, and manages the FPGA products 130 to be upgraded in batches according to the connection. Managing network access of the FPGA product 130 needing to be upgraded, establishing Socket connection with the user computer 140 as a network Server end, managing the network access and instructions of the user computer 140, receiving a firmware file which is uploaded by the user computer and is used for the FPGA product 130, managing the firmware file by using a database, acquiring file firmware needing to be sent when receiving an upgrading instruction sent by the user computer 140, sending corresponding firmware and instructions to the network router 110 in batches according to the Socket connection established with the Ethernet serial port conversion module 120, receiving a back order sent by the FPGA product, and controlling the batch upgrading flow of the FPGA firmware. The server 100 includes three services, a device service 101, a file service 102, and a user service 103.

The device service 101, as a Server side in the network, manages the FPGA product 130 that needs to be upgraded. And receiving a TCP connection establishment request sent by the Ethernet-to-serial module 120 and the FPGA product 130 and transmitted by the network router, and establishing a new Socket connection. Receiving an equipment upgrading instruction of the user service 103, taking out a corresponding FPGA firmware file from the file service according to the instruction, sending corresponding firmware and instructions to the network router 110 in batches according to Socket connection, after receiving a return instruction sent by an FPGA product, the equipment service continuously sends the next instruction, controls a batch upgrading flow of the FPGA firmware, and sends an upgrading progress to the user service 103.

The file service 102 manages firmware files uploaded by the user computer 140 using a database, provides file contents to the device service at the start of upgrade, and provides database-managed files to the user computer 140.

The user service 103, serving as a Server side in the network, manages the user computer 140, receives a TCP connection establishment request sent by the user computer 140 from the network router, and establishes a new Socket connection. Receiving an upgrade instruction sent by the user computer 140 and notifying the device service 101, receiving the upgrade progress notified by the device service 101 and sending the upgrade progress to the user computer 140 for display.

(2) The network router 110 is configured to complete networking between the server 100 and the ethernet-to-serial module 120 and the user computer 140, and a local area network may be formed by the network router 110 or the local area network may be accessed to the internet, so as to implement a data transmission function between the server 100 and other parts. During upgrading, the user computer 140 is sent to the server 100, and the server 100 sends the FPGA product firmware file to the ethernet to serial port module 120 corresponding to the IP address and the port.

(3) The ethernet to serial port conversion module 120 is used for interface conversion between the network router 110 and the FPGA product 130, serving as a Client to maintain TCP connection with the Server 100, receiving the FPGA firmware file sent by the network router 110, and sending the FPGA firmware file to the FPGA product 130 through a serial port;

(4) and the FPGA product 130 is used for realizing product functions, wherein the product functions comprise an FPGA firmware online upgrading function. Receiving the FPGA firmware sent by the ethernet to serial port module 120, writing the firmware into the FLASH132 according to bytes after verification, receiving the instruction in the upgrade flow, executing the corresponding operation, and returning the instruction to the server.

The FPGA product 130 includes an FPGA131 and a FLASH 132; the FPGA131 is a programmable logic device and is used for realizing product functions and upgrading functions; the FLASH132 stores the firmware file loaded on the FPGA 131.

The FPGA131 comprises a serial port 133 and an on-chip CPU upgrading module 134, the FPGA is a logic part and an on-chip CPU part, the serial port is formed by a logic circuit of the FPGA131, and the on-chip CPU upgrading module 134 can be formed by a soft core or a hard core; a serial port 133, configured to receive data sent by ethernet to serial port module 120; the on-chip CPU upgrade module 134 is a control hub for on-line upgrade of an FPGA product, and is configured to control an FPGA firmware upgrade process, query whether data is received by the serial port 133, if so, take out a data judgment instruction, perform an operation according to the instruction, verify an FPGA firmware file, write the file into the FLASH134 according to bytes, and write a back instruction into the serial port.

(5) The user computer 140 is a human-computer interaction inlet in the whole system, and is used for providing functions of controlling, accessing and managing the whole upgrading system for a user, sending an upgrading instruction to the server 100 by accessing the server 100, displaying the upgrading progress of the FPGA product 130, and uploading and displaying firmware files in the server 100.

The basic flow of the method of the invention is shown in fig. 2, and mainly comprises the following steps:

(1) when the FPGA firmware to be upgraded does not exist in the database, a user uploads an FPGA firmware file to be upgraded to a server by using a user computer;

(2) the FPGA product to be upgraded and the Ethernet-to-serial module are accessed into a network router, after the FPGA product is accessed into a network, Socket connection is established with a server, new product registration online information is sent, and the sequence of the step (1) and the step (2) can be exchanged;

(3) a user sends an upgrading starting instruction through a user computer, wherein the upgrading starting instruction comprises an upgrading file and upgrading product information;

(4) the server obtains a start instruction, an FPGA firmware file is selected from a file service, an equipment service inquires an FPGA product connected online currently, whether the online product exists or not is judged, if yes, the next step is executed, and if not, an upgrading process is directly stopped;

(5) sequentially sending a code matching instruction, an erasing instruction, a firmware file transmission instruction and a verification instruction to the on-line FPGA product in batches according to Socket connection, checking the correctness of a return instruction returned by the FPGA product, if so, sending a next instruction until no next instruction exists, and executing the step (6); if not, re-executing the step (5), and sending the code matching instruction again;

(6) and the equipment service of the server informs the user of the FPGA product which is completely upgraded and displays the FPGA product on the user computer until all the FPGA products are completely upgraded.

A typical workflow of the server 100 is shown in fig. 3, which mainly includes the following steps:

(1) a user sends an upgrading starting instruction through a user computer, wherein the upgrading starting instruction comprises an upgrading file and upgrading product information;

(2) the server obtains an upgrading starting instruction sent by a user through a user computer, and selects an FPGA firmware file from the file service;

(3) the equipment service inquires whether an FPGA product connected online currently exists, if so, the next step is executed, and if not, the upgrading process is directly stopped;

(4) sequentially sending a code matching instruction, an erasing instruction, a firmware file transmission instruction and a verification instruction to the online FPGA products in batches according to Socket connection;

(5) checking the correctness of the return instruction received by the server, if so, sending a next instruction until no next instruction exists, and executing the step (6); if not, re-executing the step (4), and sending the code matching instruction again;

(6) the equipment service of the server informs the user of the FPGA product of which the service is upgraded and displays the FPGA product on a user computer;

(7) and judging whether all the connected and registered FPGA products are upgraded, if so, finishing, and if not, judging again after waiting for finishing the upgrading of one FPGA product.

A typical work flow of the on-chip CPU upgrade module 134 is shown in fig. 4, and mainly includes the following steps:

(1) receiving a code matching instruction, and returning the instruction to the server after checking that the code matching instruction is correct;

(2) receiving an erasing instruction, checking the erasing instruction to be correct, erasing the FLASH chip, and returning the instruction to the server after the erasing instruction is finished;

(3) receiving a firmware file transmission instruction, analyzing the correctness of the firmware file transmission instruction, writing transmission data into a FLASH chip according to bytes, reading the data which is just written from the FLASH chip after the writing is finished, comparing the data, and returning the instruction to the server after the comparison is finished;

(4) and receiving a verification instruction, analyzing the verification instruction, comparing the file length information written into the FLASH with the information of the verification instruction to determine whether the inhibition is caused, and returning the instruction to the server after the comparison is finished.

The above embodiments are only for explaining and explaining the technical solution of the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. It should be clear to those skilled in the art that any simple modification or replacement based on the technical solution of the present invention may be adopted to obtain a new technical solution, which falls within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution is characterized by comprising a server (100), a network router (110), an Ethernet-to-serial port module (120), an FPGA product (130) and a user computer (140);

the server (100) is used for managing the FPGA product (130) needing to be upgraded, managing the network access of the FPGA product (130) needing to be upgraded, managing the network access and instructions of the user computer (140), managing the firmware file for the FPGA product (130), sending the corresponding firmware to the network router (110) during upgrading, controlling the batch upgrading process of the FPGA firmware, sending the instructions and receiving the instructions;

the network router (110) is used for completing networking and data transmission between the server (100) and the Ethernet-to-serial port module (120) and between the server and the user computer (140), receiving data sent by the server (100) and forwarding the data to the Ethernet-to-serial port module (120) with a corresponding address;

the Ethernet-to-serial port module (120) is used for interface conversion between the network router (110) and the FPGA product (130), is used as a Client terminal to maintain connection with the server (100), receives the FPGA firmware sent by the network router (110), and sends the FPGA firmware to the FPGA product (130) through a serial port;

the FPGA product (130) is used for realizing the product function, receiving and using the FPGA firmware sent by the Ethernet-to-serial port module (120), receiving an instruction in the upgrading flow, executing corresponding operation and returning the instruction;

and the user computer (140) is used for accessing the server (100), sending an upgrading instruction, displaying the upgrading progress of the FPGA product (130), and uploading and displaying the firmware file in the server (100).

2. The FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution of claim 1, characterized in that the server (100) comprises a device service (101), a file service (102) and a user service (103);

the device service (101) is used for managing the FPGA product (130) needing to be upgraded, managing the network access of the FPGA product (130) needing to be upgraded, sending the corresponding firmware to the network router (110) during upgrading, controlling the batch upgrading process of the FPGA firmware, sending an instruction and receiving the instruction;

a file service (102) that manages firmware files for the FPGA product (130);

user services (103) manage network access and instructions for user computers (140).

3. The FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution of claim 1, wherein the FPGA product (130) comprises an FPGA (131), a FLASH (132);

the FPGA (131) is used for realizing product functions and upgrading functions;

and the FLASH (132) is used for storing the FPGA firmware file.

4. The FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution of claim 3, wherein the FPGA (131) comprises a serial port (133), an on-chip CPU upgrading module (134);

the serial port (133) is used for receiving data sent by the Ethernet-to-serial port module (120);

and the on-chip CPU upgrading module (134) is used for controlling the FPGA firmware upgrading process, receiving the FPGA firmware file and the instruction sent by the server (100), returning the instruction and writing the FPOA firmware file into the FLASH (134).

5. The FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of Ethernet to serial modules (120) and FPGA products (130).

6. The FPGA firmware batch upgrading system based on network distribution of claim 1, wherein the network router (110) is a wireless router or a wired router.

7. A FPGA firmware batch upgrading method based on network distribution is characterized by comprising the following steps:

(1) when the Ethernet-to-serial port module (120) and the FPGA product (130) are accessed to the network router (110), registering online with the server (100) and establishing Socket connection;

(2) the user computer (140) sends an upgrade starting instruction, including an upgrade file and upgrade product information;

(3) the method comprises the steps that a server (100) obtains a starting instruction, an FPGA firmware file is selected from a file service, a device service inquires an FPGA product (130) connected on line at present, whether the online product exists or not is judged, if yes, the next step is executed, and if not, the step is stopped;

(4) sequentially sending a code matching instruction, an erasing instruction, a firmware file transmission instruction and a verification instruction to the online FPGA product (130) in batches according to Socket connection, checking the correctness of the back instruction, and if so, sending the next instruction; if no next instruction exists, executing the step (5); if not, re-executing the step (4);

(5) the device service of the server (100) notifies the user that the service has completed upgrading the FPGA products (130) and displays it on the user computer (140) until all FPGA products (130) have been upgraded.

8. The FPGA firmware batch upgrading method based on network distribution as claimed in claim 7, further comprising uploading FPGA firmware files required to be upgraded to a server by a user computer before the step (1).