TW201314576A - Method for accessing pre-boot information - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for accessing a pre-boot information is provided. The method is adapted for a computer host system having a baseboard management controller (BMC). The method includes the following steps. First, the computer host system is start or reset. A serial over LAN (SOL) function is launched by the BMC. The pre-boot information and a timestamp of starting or resetting the computer host system are recorded by the BMC. Next, whether an operating system (OS) is runned on the computer host system is determined. If yes, the pre-boot information is not recorded and the SOL function is stopped by the BMC. A commend message is transmitted so as to capture the pre-boot information and the timestamp.

Description

Boot information access method

The present invention relates to a method for accessing boot information, and more particularly to a method for accessing boot information of a computer host system using a smart platform management interface.

After the computer host system is started, before the operating system (OS) obtains control, the computer host system has a series of mechanisms for detecting and initializing the computer host system and its surrounding hardware devices, which is called booting (Pre -boot) stage. Once the display device is initialized, the display device facilitates the display of various types of devices and debug messages on the screen. For example, the display device includes an initialization message that displays Basic Input Output System (BIOS) information, processor information, memory information, etc., and these initialization messages are mostly presented in text form. However, most of these initialization messages It’s fleeting.

In general, when the operating system takes control and begins to manage the entire host computer system, the user cannot trace back the various initialization messages presented during the boot phase. However, when it is found that the host computer system has abnormal behavior or error records, the user wants to use various initialization messages during the boot process to find out whether there is any information for judging an abnormality, and it is necessary to restart the computer. If the host computer system is used as a server, the reboot is in addition to the complicated and lengthy operating system on/off program, and all the service programs provided as the server must be temporarily stopped.

In view of this, the present invention provides a method for accessing boot information, so that the user can access various boot information without rebooting.

The invention provides a method for accessing boot information, which is suitable for a computer host system having a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). The method of accessing the boot information includes the following steps. First, start or reset the computer host system. And the base station management controller is used to enable the Serial over LAN (SOL) function through the area network. The boot management information is recorded by the baseboard management controller and the start time stamp of the start or reset of the host computer system is recorded. Next, it is determined whether the host system is loaded with the operating system program. If so, the recording of the boot information is stopped and the sequence management command is transmitted through the area network by the baseboard management controller. Send a command message to retrieve the boot message and the start timestamp.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the step of recording the boot information by the baseboard management controller and recording the start time stamp of starting or resetting the host system includes recording with an Extensible Markup Language (XML). Boot information and start time stamp, and use the label function of the extendable markup language to classify the boot information and the start time stamp. Then, the boot information and the start time stamp are stored in the storage unit of the baseboard management controller.

In an embodiment of the present invention, before the step of transmitting the serial port command function through the area network by the baseboard management controller, the first step is to send the first through a basic input output system (BIOS). The notification message is sent to the baseboard management controller, wherein the first notification message is used to notify the baseboard management controller to enable the transmission of the serial sequence command function through the area network.

In an embodiment of the present invention, before the transmitting the sequence command function through the area network by the baseboard management controller, the method further includes: sending, by the basic input/output system, the second notification message to the baseboard management controller, where The second notification message is used to notify the baseboard management controller to close the transmission sequence command function through the area network.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first notification message and the second notification message are both in accordance with a message format defined by an Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification.

In an embodiment of the invention, the command message is in accordance with a customized command message format defined by the smart platform management interface specification.

In an embodiment of the present invention, after the step of capturing the boot information and the start time stamp, the method further includes displaying the boot information and the start time stamp on a screen connected to the computer host system.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the method for accessing the boot information further includes providing a user to read the boot information and the start time stamp through the browser.

In an embodiment of the invention, the step of recording the booting information by the baseboard management controller includes recording basic input/output system information, processor information, memory information, and Power On Self Test (POST) information. One or a combination thereof as a boot information.

Based on the above, the method for accessing the booting information provided by the present invention uses the extensibility and substrate management control of the smart platform management interface by storing the text message in the booting stage in the substrate management controller in an extendable markup language. The network interface provided by the user is convenient for the user to read various boot information through the browser.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

The access method of the booting information of the present invention is applicable to a computer host system having a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). The computer host system is, for example, a server or a personal computer, but the invention is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the computer host system includes one or more processors, memory, a PCI-based bus, and Basic Input Output System (BIOS) information.

In detail, the baseboard management controller is the core of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). Therefore, the baseboard management controller can be connected to the computer host system by using a bus bar conforming to the smart platform management interface. For example, the bus bar conforming to the smart platform management interface includes an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus bar and a parallel address/data sink. Row, system management bus (SMBus), network interface, serial port, etc.

1 is a schematic diagram of communication between a substrate management controller and a computer host system according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the baseboard management controller 110 has a network interface controller (NIC) 112 and can connect the baseboard management controller 110 to the local area network port (LAN Port) 120. Therefore, the baseboard management control is performed. The device 110 can communicate with the host computer system 160 via a local area network. Alternatively, the baseboard management controller 110 can also be connected to the serial port connector 140 via the switch 130, and the host system 160 can use the serial port connector 140 to import the output input messages on the serial port. To the substrate management controller 110. In addition, the switch 130 of the present embodiment is also connected to a substrate sequence controller 150.

The present invention utilizes the two-way information sharing function of the substrate management controller 110 and the computer host system 160, and can store various initialization messages of the computer host system 160 in the booting stage of the baseboard management controller 110 in the storage unit 114 of the baseboard management controller 110. The storage unit 114 is, for example, any type of fixed or removable random access memory (RAM). Thereafter, the user can retrieve or read the initialization message stored in the storage unit 114 of the baseboard management controller 110 by using a command message defined by the smart platform management interface specification.

2 is a flow chart of a method for accessing boot information according to an embodiment of the invention. The method of this embodiment is applicable to the hardware architecture shown in FIG. 1, and the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.

First, as shown in step S210, the power of the computer host system 160 is started or the computer host system 160 is cold-booted/warm-up reset. At this time, the host computer system 160 enters a pre-boot phase. Prior to the start of the operating system, the host computer system 160 performs a number of hardware-related initialization procedures and testing procedures to facilitate the execution environment of the operating system. In addition to the basic system BIOS, these initialization and detection processes include specific peripheral devices such as display devices and BIOS of the storage device. Once the sequence 埠 initialization is completed, in step S220, the base station management controller 110 is enabled to transmit a Serial over LAN (SOL) function through the area network.

In step S230, the booting information generated during the initialization and detection process of the BIOS is recorded by the baseboard management controller 110, and the start timestamp of starting or resetting the computer host system 160 is recorded. In this embodiment, the boot information and the start time stamp are recorded by using an eXtensible Markup Language (XML). The extensible markup language is an information symbol that can be understood by a computer. Through this markup language, articles containing various information can be processed between computers.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of recording boot information and a start time stamp in an extendable markup language according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the labeling function of the extendable markup language further classifies the boot information and the start time stamp, which is more convenient for the user to access the boot information. The extendable markup language 300 includes recorded BIOS information 310, processor information 320, memory information 330, Power On Self Test (POST) information 340, other information 350, and time stamp information 360, wherein each information is separately With detailed details. For example, the memory information 330 records the memory type 332, the memory access frequency 334, and the memory capacity 336. Then, the boot information and the start time stamp are stored in the storage unit 114 of the baseboard management controller 110.

Next, as shown in step S240, it is determined whether the host system 160 is loaded with the operating system program. If not, the baseboard management controller 110 continuously records various booting information; if yes, that is, the computer host system 160 enters the operating state of the operating system, then in step S250, the baseboard management controller 110 stops recording the booting information and closes the transmission through the local area network. Sequence 埠 command function.

Finally, in step S260, the substrate management controller 110 sends a command message to retrieve the boot information and the start time stamp stored in the storage unit 114 of the baseboard management controller 110. The command message is a custom command (OEM Command) message format defined by the smart platform management interface specification. The customized command message is an extension function of the smart platform management interface. Therefore, if the upper application of the host computer system 160 knows the definition of the customized command message, the substrate management controller 110 can be sent to the boot controller. Information and start time stamp command messages. Furthermore, the method for accessing the boot information of the present invention further provides a user to read the boot information and the start time stamp through the browser. This is because the base of the baseboard management controller 110 usually includes a web interface, which is an interface conforming to the Http protocol, so that the user can browse through the browser.

Accordingly, the access method of the booting information of the present invention can provide the user with various booting information through the command message at any time when the computer host system 160 enters the operating state of the operating system, and the invention also simplifies the operation complexity. Users can browse various boot information through the web interface of the browser, and the simple operation method is beneficial to the general consumers.

An embodiment will be described below as an example. 4 is a flow chart of a method for accessing boot information according to another embodiment of the present invention. The access method of this embodiment is also applicable to a computer host system having a substrate management controller, such as the hardware architecture of the substrate management controller 110 and the computer host system 160 of FIG.

First, the computer host system is started or reset (step S410). The first notification message is sent by the BIOS to the baseboard management controller, wherein the first notification message is used to notify the baseboard management controller to enable the transmission of the sequence command function through the area network (step S420). In detail, when the BIOS starts various initialization procedures and detection procedures for the host system, when the sequence between the host system and the baseboard management controller is initialized, the BIOS can send the first notification through the system bus. Message to the baseboard management controller. The first notification message shall conform to the message format defined by the smart platform management interface standard to notify the baseboard management controller to enable the transmission of the sequence/command command function through the regional network.

After receiving the first notification message, the baseboard management controller can start the function of transmitting the sequence command through the area network (step S430). Next, the baseboard management controller continuously records the boot information and records the start time stamp of starting or resetting the host computer system (step S440). And determining whether the computer host system loads the operating system program (step S450). If not, it means that the computer host system has not completed the initialization procedure and the detection procedure, so the process returns to step S440 to continuously record various booting information. If the host computer system has actually entered the operating state of the operating system, the second notification message is sent to the baseboard management controller by the BIOS, wherein the second notification message is used to notify the baseboard management controller to close the transmission sequence command function through the local area network. (Step S460). The second notification message also conforms to the message format defined by the smart platform management interface standard, and is used to notify the baseboard management controller to disable the function of transmitting the sequence command through the local area network.

After receiving the second notification message, the baseboard management controller can stop recording the booting information and turn off the transmission of the serial port transmission command function (step S470). Finally, a command message is sent to retrieve the boot information and the start time stamp (step S480). If the computer host system includes a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), various initialization and detection messages such as the boot information and the start time stamp can be displayed on the liquid crystal display, which is convenient for the user. Browse through the browser.

The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that when the serial sequence of communication between the host computer system and the baseboard management controller is completed, the BIOS will know the information earlier than the baseboard management controller, so the BIOS transmits The system bus sends a notification message to start recording the boot information to the baseboard management controller, so that the baseboard management controller can quickly start recording the boot information without any omission. Similarly, when the computer host system completes various BIOS initialization and detection procedures, the BIOS will first determine whether the computer host system enters the normal operating system operation state. Therefore, the BIOS also sends a notification message to the baseboard management controller, thereby allowing The baseboard management controller immediately stops recording the boot information. Other detailed procedures of the present embodiment are included in the above embodiments, and thus will not be described herein.

In summary, the method for accessing the booting information of the present invention stores the text message in the booting stage in the substrate management controller in an extendable markup language, and uses the wisdom after the computer host system enters the operating state of the operating system. The scalability of the platform management interface allows users to retrieve various boot messages through customized command messages. And the network interface provided by the baseboard management controller is convenient for the user to read various booting information through the browser, and the simple operation method is beneficial to the general consumer.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

110. . . Baseboard management controller

112. . . Network interface controller

114. . . Storage unit

120. . . Regional network connection埠

130. . . Exchanger

140. . . Serial port connector

150. . . Substrate sequence controller

160. . . Computer host system

300. . . Extensible markup language

310~350. . . News

S210~S260. . . Steps for accessing the boot information

S410~S480. . . Steps for accessing the boot information

1 is a schematic diagram of communication between a substrate management controller and a computer host system according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a flow chart of a method for accessing boot information according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of recording boot information and a start time stamp in an extendable markup language according to an embodiment of the invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method for accessing boot information according to another embodiment of the present invention.

S210~S260. . . Steps for accessing the boot information

Claims (9)

The method for accessing the booting information is applicable to a computer host system having a baseboard management controller (BMC), and the method for accessing the booting information includes: starting or resetting the host computer system; The baseboard management controller activates a Serial over LAN (SOL) function; the base management controller records the boot information and records a start time stamp of starting or resetting the host system of the computer Determining whether the computer host system is loaded with the operating system program; if so, stopping recording the booting information and turning off the transmission of the serial network transmission sequence command function by the baseboard management controller; and sending a command message to retrieve the booting Information and the starting timestamp. The method for accessing booting information as described in claim 1, wherein the step of recording the booting information by the baseboard management controller and recording the start time stamp of starting or resetting the computer host system comprises: Recording the boot information and the start time stamp by using an Extensible Markup Language (XML), and classifying the boot information and the start time stamp by using a label function of the extendable markup language; The boot information and the start time stamp are stored in a storage unit of the baseboard management controller. The method for accessing the booting information as described in claim 1, wherein before the step of transmitting the serial port transmission sequence command function by the baseboard management controller, the method further comprises: using a basic input and output The system (Basic Input Output System, BIOS) sends a first notification message to the baseboard management controller, wherein the first notification message is used to notify the baseboard management controller to enable the transparent area network transmission sequence command function. The method for accessing the booting information as described in claim 3, wherein before the transmitting the network transmission sequence command function by the baseboard management controller, the method further comprises: sending, by the basic input/output system A second notification message is sent to the baseboard management controller, wherein the second notification message is used to notify the baseboard management controller to close the transparent area network transmission sequence command function. The access method of the booting information described in claim 4, wherein the first notification message and the second notification message conform to a message format defined by an Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) specification. The method for accessing boot information as described in claim 1 wherein the command message conforms to a customized command message format defined by a smart platform management interface specification. The method for accessing the booting information as described in claim 1, wherein after the step of extracting the booting information and the starting time stamp, the method further comprises: displaying the booting information and the starting time stamp in the The computer host system is connected to a screen. The method for accessing the booting information as described in claim 1 further includes: providing a user to read the booting information and the starting time stamp through a browser. The method for accessing the booting information as described in claim 1, wherein the step of recording the booting information by the baseboard management controller comprises: recording a basic input/output system information, a processor information, and a memory information. One of the Power On Self Test (POST) information or a combination thereof is used as the boot information.