WO2017097180A1

WO2017097180A1 - Method and apparatus for quickly starting base station

Info

Publication number: WO2017097180A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/108681
Authority: WO
Inventors: 余勇; 吴永航; 曹厚华; 叶青林
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2015-12-07
Filing date: 2016-12-06
Publication date: 2017-06-15
Also published as: CN106851676A

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for quickly starting a base station, relating to the field of radio base station access communications. The base station comprises a main control board and one or more controlled boards controlled by the main control board. The method comprises: after the main control board is powered on, starting the main control board by using the latest version software stored therein; and after the controlled boards are powered on, starting the controlled boards by using the latest version software stored therein, the main control board and the controlled boards being powered on simultaneously, so that the main control board and the controlled boards are started in parallel. The present invention can shorten the restart time of a base station, shorten the version upgrade time, and shorten the service interruption time of the base station.

Description

Method and device for quickly starting base station

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless base station access communication, and in particular, to a method for quickly starting a base station.

Background technique

1 is a block diagram of a base station apparatus and a system provided by the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1 , a conventional base station system usually includes a main control board and a controlled board. The controlled board has a large dependence on the main control board, and thus is in the main control. After the board is successfully booted, it is started again, which is equivalent to serial boot. The flash space on the traditional controlled board is usually very small, and only the boot data (BOOT) can be stored, and the version software cannot be stored. The version software of all controlled boards is stored in the Flash or DDR of the main control board and is read by the controlled board when the controlled board is started.

2 is a flowchart of starting a base station according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 2, the steps include:

Step S101: The controlled board is reset, and the version software is requested from the main control board.

Step S102: The controlled board waits for the main control board to operate normally, and acquires parameters from the main control board.

Step S103: The controlled board determines whether the main control board has version software. If not, step S104 is performed first, otherwise step S105 is directly executed.

It should be noted that the controlled board downloads the version software from the main control board every time it starts, and the downloading time is long. After the download is completed, the controlled board loads the downloaded version software. It can be seen that the controlled board can only be started after the main control board, that is, the controlled board and the main control board are serially started, which increases the base station startup time.

Step S104: Download the version software from the background to the main control board.

It should be noted that the execution time of step S104 is long, and the Flash, RAM space, CPU of the main control board is occupied, and even the base station service is affected.

Step S105: The controlled board downloads the version software from the main control board and runs.

3 is a schematic diagram of a base station startup time provided by the prior art. As shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that a startup time of a main control board in a conventional base station is T1, a startup time of a controlled board is T2, and a total startup time Told of a conventional base station system is T1 and The sum of T2, that is, Told=T1+T2.

When there is no controlled board version software on the main control board, you need to download the controlled board version software from the background. Assume that the download time is T3. At this time, the total startup time of the traditional base station system will be the sum of T1, T2 and T3. That is, Told=T1+T2+T3, which greatly increases the base station startup time.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for quickly starting a base station, which can better solve the problem that the serial control of the base station main control board and the controlled board is slow.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for quickly starting a base station is provided, the base station comprising a main control board and one or more controlled boards controlled by the main control board, the method comprising:

After the main control board is powered on, the main control board is started by using the latest version software stored therein;

After the controlled board is powered, the controlled board is started by using the latest version of the software stored therein;

The main control board and the controlled board are powered on at the same time, so that the main control board and the controlled board are started in parallel.

Preferably, after the version software is updated, each of the controlled boards stores the updated version software in the respective Flash via the main control board after startup.

Preferably, after storing the updated version software in the respective Flash via the main control board, the updated version software stored in the Flash is used as the default startup version software, and the Flash is stored in the Flash. The original version of the software as a backup version of the software.

Preferably, starting the controlled board with the latest version software stored by the controlled board after the power is included includes:

After the controlled board is powered on, the latest version software stored in the Flash is read into the memory;

The controlled board performs a controlled board boot operation by running the latest version of the software in the memory.

Preferably, the controlled board checks the power-on parameter before the controlled board reads the latest version software stored in the flash into the memory, and if the check fails, the power-on is performed The parameter is deleted, and a new power-on parameter is obtained from the main control board.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for quickly starting a base station, the base station comprising a main control board and a plurality of controlled boards controlled by the main control board, the apparatus comprising:

The main control board version management module is configured to start the main control board by using the latest version software stored by the main control board after the main control board is powered on;

a controlled version version management module, configured to start the controlled board by using the latest version software stored by the controlled board after the controlled board is powered;

Preferably, the method further comprises:

And a pre-downloading module, configured to store, after the startup of the version software, the updated version software in the respective Flash via the main control board after the startup.

Preferably, after the pre-download module stores the updated version software in the Flash of each controlled board via the main control board, the controlled board version management module stores the updated updated in the Flash. The version software is the version software that is started by default, and the original version software stored in the Flash is used as the backup version software.

Preferably, after the controlled board is powered on, the controlled version management module reads the latest version software stored in the Flash into the memory, and executes the latest version software in the memory to execute the The control board starts the operation.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

a parameter management module, configured to check a power-on parameter in the reserved memory of the controlled board before the controlled board reads the latest version software stored in the flash into the memory, and if the check fails, Then The power-on parameter is deleted, and a new power-on parameter is obtained from the main control board.

Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

Through the invention, during the startup of the base station, the reset start time can be shortened, the version upgrade time can be reduced, and the base station service interruption time can be reduced.

DRAWINGS

1 is a block diagram of a base station apparatus and system provided by the prior art;

2 is a flow chart of starting a base station provided by the prior art;

3 is a schematic diagram of a base station startup time provided by the prior art;

4 is a block diagram of a base station apparatus and a system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a fast start base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a schematic diagram of a base station startup time according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a version pre-download provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a device for quickly starting a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a block diagram of a base station apparatus and a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the base station includes a main control board and one or more controlled boards controlled by the main control board. For three, each control board integrates a large-capacity flash for storing version software. Compared with FIG. 1, the controlled board version software of the present invention does not occupy the main control board Flash, DDR, and the like.

After the main control board is powered on, the main control board is started by using the latest version software stored therein; after the controlled on-board power, the controlled board is started by using the latest version software stored therein; The main control board and the controlled board are powered on at the same time, so that the main control board and the controlled board are started in parallel to reduce the startup time of the base station; wherein the version software may be system software.

After the startup of each controlled board, if the version software is updated, the updated version software is stored in the respective Flash via the main control board, and the updated version software stored in the Flash is used as The version software that is started by default uses the original version software stored in the Flash as the backup version software.

It should be noted that, after the controlled board is powered on, the controlled board first obtains a power-on parameter in its reserved memory, and checks the power-on parameter, and if the test fails, the upper board is The electrical parameters are deleted, and new power-on parameters are obtained from the main control board until the test passes. After the power-on parameter verification is passed, the controlled board reads the latest version software stored in the Flash into the memory, and performs controlled by running the latest version software in the memory by using the power-on parameter of the verification pass. Board start operation. Wherein, the reserved memory is part of the memory. The power-on parameters include IP, MAC, working mode, system standard, and the like of the controlled board.

The working process is as follows:

Step 1: Integrate the large-capacity Flash used to store the version software on the controlled board.

Step 2: After the power supply is started, the controlled board downloads the version software from the background and stores related parameters (ie, power-on parameters).

Step 3: After the controlled board is reset, boot from the flash of this board.

Step 4: Reset the whole station, that is, both the main control board and the controlled board are reset. Since the version software and power-on parameters are stored on the controlled board, the controlled board and the main control board are started in parallel, so that the base station starts up. Significantly shortened.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a fast start base station according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the steps include:

Step S201: The controlled board is reset.

Step S202: The controlled board loads the version software stored in the Flash of the board.

Step S203: The controlled board determines whether the version software stored in the Flash is consistent with the version of the main control board version. If not, the updated version software is stored in the Flash through the main control board.

It should be noted that, because the controlled board and the main control board are started in parallel, the control board version software is not stored on the main control board, so the startup time is not affected, and the resources of the main control board such as Flash, RAM, CPU, etc. are not occupied, and the controlled board is not used. The power-on parameters need to be obtained from the main control board only during power-on. Compared with Figure 2, the startup process is simpler and faster.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a base station startup time according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the aspect integrates a large-capacity flash for storing version software on a controlled board. It is assumed that the startup time of the main control board of the base station is T1, and the startup time of the controlled board is T2. The base station startup time Tnew after using the present invention is equal to T2, that is, Tnew=T2, and Tnew<Told is visible. The Told is the startup time of the conventional base station system, or the base station startup time of the prior art. When the main control board is downloaded from the background without the controlled board version software, the base station startup time of the present invention will be much smaller than the prior art base station startup time.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a version pre-download provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the steps include:

Step S301: Update the version software to the server's version repository.

Step S302: Download the latest version software from the server's repository to the main control board.

Step S303: Download the latest version software from the main control board to the controlled board, for example, to the Flash of the baseband processing unit.

Step S304: Download the latest version software from the Flash of the baseband processing unit to the radio unit.

Step S305: Modify the latest version software stored in the Flash of the controlled board to the version software that is started by default.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a device for quickly starting a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.

The version storage module 20, which is a large-capacity flash integrated on the controlled board, is initialized to a file system for storing version software and data. The existing control board flash generally only has a few M (megabytes), and can only be placed in BOOT, and the version storage module 20 of the controlled board of the present invention uses a large-capacity flash, so that the controlled board can store the version software.

The parameter management module 40 is configured to check the power-on parameter in the reserved memory of the controlled board. If the check fails, the power-on parameter is deleted, and a new power-on parameter is obtained from the main control board. And save to reserve RAM. That is to say, the parameter management module 40 is mainly responsible for saving and reading the power-on parameters, and each time the power supply is started, the key parameters (ie, the power-on parameters) obtained are saved, and the CRC check is added to the key parameters, if the CRC is If the verification error occurs, the data is discarded and re-acquired from the main control board.

The version management module 10 includes: after the main control board is powered on, the main control board version management module 10 of the main control board is started by using the latest version software stored by the main control board, and the controlled board is powered on the board. The controlled version management module 10 is then launched using the latest version of software stored by the controlled board. The main control board and the controlled board are powered on at the same time, so that the main control board and the controlled board are started in parallel. Further, after the pre-download module 30 stores the updated version software in the Flash of each controlled board via the main control board, the controlled board version management module 10 updates the update stored in the Flash. The later version of the software is used as the default version of the software, and the original version of the software stored in the Flash is used as the backup version software. After the controlled board is powered on, the controlled version management module 10 reads the latest version software stored in the Flash into the memory after confirming that the power-on parameter verification in the reserved memory is passed, and runs through The latest version of the software in the memory performs a controlled board startup operation. That is to say, the version management module 10 is responsible for downloading and storing the version software from the main control board, and modifying the version name to the current running version, and directly loading the downloaded version software at the next startup. Further, when the controlled board starts up next time, the parameter management module 40 is called, and if the power-on parameter is correct (ie, the CRC check is correct), it is directly started from the currently running version.

The pre-download module 30 is configured to, after the version software is updated, store the updated version software in the respective Flash via the main control board after the startup of the controlled board. Further, in order to reduce the version interruption time, when the main control board and the controlled board are in normal operation, the pre-download module 30 calls the version management module 10 and the version storage module 20 to download the new version software to the controlled board, that is, pre- The download module 30 saves the new version software downloaded from the main control board to the version storage module 20 by calling the version management module 10, and then the version management module 10 modifies the version name to the current running version. During the version update, the board still works normally and the service is still normal. Compared with the traditional base station system, the version is downloaded during the reset period, which greatly shortens the service interruption time.

It should be noted that, each time the power supply is started, if the controlled board has no version, the controlled board downloads the version from the background via the main control board, stores it to the flash, and the power-on parameters are stored to the reserved memory. In the case of subsequent reset, the board is removed from the board. Flash starts. In the case of subsequent unpowered reset, the startup time of this solution can be greatly shortened.

Embodiment 1. Version upgrade scenario

1. The first time after the power supply of the chassis is started, the power-on parameters of the controlled board are saved to the reserved memory, and the running version software is downloaded to the flash.

2. The pre-download module 30 is responsible for downloading the new version software to all the boards and setting them as the default startup version, and the original version is changed to the backup version, which does not affect the service.

3. Reset the entire station.

The main control board and the controlled board are started together, and the controlled board is started from the version software saved on the board, and the power-on parameters are used in the reserved memory.

The power-on parameter ensures correctness through the CRC check, and if it is not correct, it is still obtained from the main control board.

4. After the controlled board is started, the controlled board version management module 10 confirms whether the current version software is the latest version through the main control board, and if not, re-downloads the version software and resets the controlled board, so that the next startup can ensure the acceptance. The control board runs the correct version (ie the latest version of the software).

The traditional solution downloads the whole station version from the background, and then all the controlled boards are started. It may take nearly 30 minutes. During this period, the service is interrupted. In the present invention, the service is not interrupted when the version software is pre-downloaded, and the whole station is reset. The time for the new version of the software is reduced to about 5 minutes.

Case 2. Control board is reset individually

1. The first time after each power supply, the controlled board stores the power-on parameters to the reserved memory.

2. The controlled board is reset when the key configuration parameters of the controlled board (ie, the power-on parameters) are changed, or when the abnormal operation needs to reset the controlled board.

3. After the controlled board reset is started, the parameter management module 40 checks the power-on parameters.

4. If the power-on parameters are correct, the version management module 10 controls the boot from the board Flash. Otherwise, obtain the power-on parameters from the main control board and then start again.

Because the flash space of the main control board is limited, especially in the multi-standard mode, the version of all controlled boards cannot be stored. Therefore, when the traditional scheme controlled board is reset, the version software may be downloaded from the background to the main control board, and then from the main control board. Download, the entire process may reach nearly 8 minutes, during which time the business will be interrupted, and the controlled board startup of the present invention only takes 3 minutes.

In summary, the present invention has the following technical effects:

The invention achieves the effect of shortening the service interruption time, greatly shortens the base station version upgrade time, greatly shortens the base station reset start time, reduces the service interruption time during reset, does not occupy the main control board Flash, RAM, CPU, and improves the normality of the base station. Service time has improved the user experience.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the foregoing embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and can also be implemented by hardware.

The main control board version management module 10, the controlled version version management module 10, the pre-download module 30, and the like may be software loaded on the hardware (such as a processor) of the base station, and may be different functional modules in the integrated software system. It can also be separate software. The flash in the present invention refers to a flash memory.

Industrial applicability

The invention is applicable to the field of wireless base station access communication, and relates to a method for quickly starting a base station, so as to shorten the reset start time, reduce the version upgrade time, and reduce the service interruption time of the base station during the startup of the base station.

Although the invention has been described in detail above, the invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the principles of the invention. Therefore, modifications made in accordance with the principles of the invention are to be understood as falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

A method for quickly starting a base station, where the base station includes a main control board and one or more controlled boards controlled by the main control board, where the method includes:

After the main control board is powered on, the main control board is started by using the latest version software stored therein;

After the controlled board is powered, the controlled board is started by using the latest version of the software stored therein;

The main control board and the controlled board are powered on at the same time, so that the main control board and the controlled board are started in parallel.
The method according to claim 1, wherein, after the version software is updated, each of the controlled boards stores the updated version software into the respective Flash via the main control board after startup.
The method according to claim 2, wherein after the updated version software is stored in the respective Flash via the main control board, the updated version software stored in the Flash is used as the default startup version software. And the original version software stored in the Flash is used as the backup version software.
The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the booting the controlled board with the latest version software stored thereon after the controlled board is powered comprises:

After the controlled board is powered, the latest version software stored in the Flash is read into the memory;

The controlled board performs a controlled board boot operation by running the latest version of the software in the memory.
The method of claim 4, wherein the controlled board checks the power-on parameter before the controlled board reads the latest version software stored in its flash into the memory, if the check is not After passing, the power-on parameter is deleted, and a new power-on parameter is obtained from the main control board.
An apparatus for quickly starting a base station, the base station comprising a main control board and one or more controlled boards controlled by the main control board, wherein the apparatus comprises:

The main control board version management module is configured to start the main control board by using the latest version software stored by the main control board after the main control board is powered on;

a controlled version version management module, configured to start the controlled board by using the latest version software stored by the controlled board after the controlled board is powered;

The main control board and the controlled board are powered on at the same time, so that the main control board and the controlled board are started in parallel.
The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

And a pre-downloading module, configured to: after the version software is updated, each of the controlled boards stores the updated version software in the respective Flash via the main control board after startup.
The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the controlled board version management module after the pre-download module stores the updated version software in the Flash of each of the controlled boards via the main control board The updated version software stored in the Flash is used as the default startup version software, and the original version software stored in the Flash is used as the backup version software.
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controlled version version management module is on the controlled board After power-on, the latest version of the software stored in the Flash is read into the memory, and the controlled board startup operation is performed by running the latest version of the software in the memory.
The method of claim 9 further comprising:

a parameter management module, configured to check a power-on parameter in the reserved memory of the controlled board before the controlled board reads the latest version software stored in the flash into the memory, and if the check fails, Then, the power-on parameter is deleted, and a new power-on parameter is obtained from the main control board.