TW201624267A - Determining reliability of a computer card - Google Patents

Abstract

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a computer assembly includes a computer card that allows for determining its reliability. The computer card may have an installation tracker that increments a count when the computer card is plugged into to a computer board. The installation tracker does not require a power source prior to the computer card being plugged into the computer board in order to increment the count. The computer assembly includes the computer board, which may have a power source that connects to the installation tracker only upon the computer card being plugged into the board.

Description

Technology for determining the reliability of computer cards Field of invention

The present invention relates to techniques for determining the reliability of a computer card.

Background of the invention

In various modern computing systems, a computer card or module (eg, a printed circuit assembly, or simply "PCA") can be mounted (eg, tucked into) on a computer board (eg, a primary motherboard) Or other system boards, which can also be a PCA type). These computer cards can provide additional or upgrade functionality to the computing system.

Summary of invention

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer assembly is specifically provided, comprising: a computer card allowing determination of reliability thereof, the computer card having an installation tracker, when the computer card is inserted into a computer board The installation tracker increments by one count, wherein the installation tracker does not require a power source before the computer card is inserted into the computer board to increment the count; and the computer board has a power supply only when the computer The power is connected to the installation tracker when the card is jammed into the computer board.

100‧‧‧ circuit assembly

110‧‧‧ computer board

112‧‧‧Connector

114‧‧‧Power supply

116‧‧‧Battery

117‧‧‧ switch

118‧‧‧System Manager

120‧‧‧ computer card

122‧‧‧Connector

124‧‧‧ card hardware

126‧‧‧Installation tracker

128‧‧‧Reliability indicator

130‧‧‧Counter Tracker

132‧‧‧Counting storage

134‧‧‧Delay module

135, 136‧‧‧ wires

138‧‧‧Counter comparator

140‧‧‧Report interface

200‧‧‧ circuit assembly

210‧‧‧ computer board

216‧‧‧Power supply

220‧‧‧ computer card

226‧‧‧Installation tracker

236‧‧‧Wire

300‧‧‧Determining the reliability of computer cards

302-312‧‧‧Determining the reliability steps of the computer card

400‧‧‧Determining the reliability of computer cards

402-416‧‧‧Determining the reliability of the computer card

The following is a detailed description with reference to the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a circuit assembly for determining the reliability of a computer card; and FIG. 2 is a circuit for allowing the reliability of a computer card to be determined. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for determining the reliability of a computer card; and FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for determining the reliability of a computer card.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

As described above, a computer card (eg, a printed circuit assembly or "PCA") can be mounted (eg, tucked into) on a computer board (eg, a primary motherboard or other system board, It can also be a PCA type). In some cases, the computer card can be mounted on a computer board via a connector on the computer card that interfaces with a connector on the computer board. These connectors may have some metal contact points (e.g., with metal plating, such as gold) such that the metal contacts on the card connector may form electrical contact with metal contact points on the board connector. In some cases, a computer card will be installed and unmounted many times during the card's active period, and each time the card is installed or unmounted (eg, tucked in or removed), the card connector These metal contacts may rub or scratch by touching the board connector. The connector of the card may deteriorate after a number of installations. For example, metal contacts or plating on the card connector may wear or scrape. This may lead to reliability issues regarding the good electrical or communication connection of the computer card to the computer board. Therefore, a user of a computer card (eg, a system administrator, system assembler, etc.) may need to be able to determine the reliability of the computer card.

In some cases, a computer card may have (e.g., from a manufacturer) a specification indicating a rough estimate of how many times the computer card can be installed before it may have reliability issues. However, in such cases, the user of the computer card is forced to track the number of installations and there is no automated way to record or track the number of times the card has been installed. In addition, a user may not have noticed the installation guidelines in the specification, and thus the user may encounter reliability issues without knowing the cause or any direct indication of connectivity issues. Further, if a computer card with reliability problems will be analyzed after the problem occurs to determine what may be the problem, it may be necessary to use a complicated tool (for example, a microscope) and expert analysis to check the connector of the computer card. Plating on. Therefore, one of the problems with the computer card may need to be sent back to the manufacturer for this analysis.

Some solutions allow for automatic determination of whether a computer card is securely connected to a computer board. However, these solutions do not indicate what might be the problem if the connection is bad. Other solutions allow for detecting the number of times a board is jammed in and out of another board. However, for these solutions, the board that performs the insertion/extraction count needs to have a permanent power source before the insertion/extraction occurs, for example, so that a monitoring circuit has power to detect the insertion/extraction. For example, some of these solutions Among the boards that are monitored for the number of insertions/extractions, they need to have their own unique power supply (for example, from an AC power converter). This power need to limit the practical utility of such solutions because many computer cards do not have their own unique permanent power supply.

The present disclosure describes determining the reliability of a computer card. The computer card can have an installation tracker that counts up when the computer card is jammed into a computer board. The installation tracker does not require a power source until the computer card is jammed into the computer board to increment the count. The installation tracker can use a single wire to power the installation tracker and initiate an increment of the count. The computer board can have a power source (e.g., a coin-type battery) that is coupled to the installation tracker (e.g., via the single wire) only when the computer card is tucked into the board. The computer card of the present disclosure can count the number of times the computer card is installed on the computer board or any other computer board. The computer card can provide the count and/or how the count approaches an indication of one of the defined maximum counts (eg, a visible indication or indication on the card to a system manager). The user of the card (eg, the system administrator) can use this indication to understand the useful life of the card and understand any possible reliability issues. The card supplier can use this indication to determine the loss of the card in a reliable manner. For example, the supplier can set a guarantee that one of the number of times the card is installed.

1 is a block diagram of an example circuit assembly 100 that allows for determining the reliability of a computer card. The circuit assembly 100 includes a computer board 110 and a computer card 120. The computer card 120 can be installed and unmounted (eg, tucked in or removed) from the computer board 110. In some cases, the computer card 120 can be installed and unmounted many times, for example, with respect to the computer board 110. And / or a variety of other computer boards. The computer card 120 can include a connector 122 that can be coupled to the connector 112 of the computer board 110 to facilitate the installation of the computer card 120 on the computer board 110. For example, the connector 122 can slide at least partially within the connector 112.

The computer board 110 can be any type of computer board, such as a computer or one of the main motherboards of a server, or any other type of system board. The computer board 110 can be a printed circuit assembly (PCA) and can include a processor, system memory, I/O chip sets, and the like.

The computer board 110 can include a motherboard power supply 114. This power source 114 can supply power to most or all of the circuits on computer board 110. This power source 114 can be, for example, a 3V or 5V direct current (DC) power source, where the power is derived from an external power supply. The computer board 110 can include at least one battery, such as battery 116. The battery 116 can be powered to at least one circuit component of the computer board 110, or the battery 116 can be unpowered to the components of the computer board 110. Battery 116 can provide power to computer card 120 (e.g., provide power and a count increment signal to installation tracker 126), as described in greater detail herein. In some examples, battery 116 can be a coin-type battery. When the computer board 110 does not have motherboard power (eg, from an external power supply), the battery 116 can allow the computer board 110 to continue to function (eg, with a restricted function).

The computer board 110 can include a switch 117 that can be selected between a plurality of power sources (eg, between the motherboard power supply 114 and the battery 116) to determine which power source provides power to the computer card 120 (eg, to the installation tracker 126) ). In some examples, when the computer board 110 is not powered, the switch 117 can arrange a power path from the battery 116, and once the computer board 110 is powered, The power path is arranged from the motherboard power supply 114. These examples may allow the life of the battery 116 to be extended because the battery 116 will not be de-energized when the computer board 110 is powered. In some examples, computer board 110 may not include switch 117, in which case a power source (eg, power source 114 or battery 116) may be routed directly to computer card 120.

In some examples, computer board 110 can include a system manager 118 that can allow a system administrator to perform various functions on computer board 110, such as from a remote location. For example, a system administrator can access system manager 118 to view various pieces of status information about computer board 110 and/or associated components with respect to the board. In some examples, system manager 118 is an iLO (Full Automated Integrated) chip, but various other types of server management techniques can be used.

The computer board 110 can include a connector 112. The connector 112 can be coupled to the connector 122 of the computer card 120 to facilitate the installation of the computer card 120 on the computer board 110. Connector 112 can be any type of conductive or communication connector. For example, connector 112 can be a PCIE (Peripheral Component Interconnect Fast) connector. A PCIE connector can be designed to accept a gold finger type connector for a computer card. A PCIE connector can also accept other types of connectors. Connector 112 can be any other type of connector suitable for computer card installation.

The computer card 120 can be any type of computer card, such as an up/down card, a selection card, an expansion card, a small back card, a memory module (eg, a DIMM), or the like. The computer card 120 can be a printed circuit assembly (PCA). The computer card 120 can, once installed, expand or add functionality to the computer board 110. The computer card 120 can include a card hardware 124 that can include circuitry, Hardware, processor, machine - readable storage media, executable instructions, and any other components necessary to perform the primary functional use of the computer card 120.

The computer card 120 can also include an installation tracker 126 and a reliability indicator 128. The installation tracker 126 and the reliability indicator 128 may allow for determining the reliability of the computer card 120 and may allow a user of the card to easily recognize when there is a reliability issue. Installation tracker 126 and reliability indicator 128 are described in greater detail herein.

The computer card 120 can include a connector 122. The connector 122 can be coupled to the connector 112 of the computer card 110 to facilitate the installation of the computer card 120 on the computer board 110. Connector 122 can be any type of conductive or communication connector. For example, connector 122 can be a gold finger connector. A gold finger connector is a thin, long connector that extends from the edge of a computer card. The connector includes a plurality of thin metal plate (e.g., gold plate) strips that span the length of the connector in a row. The gold finger connector can be used, for example, to erect/insert a card, a selection card, an expansion card, a small back card, a memory module (eg, a DIMM), or the like.

The installation tracker 126 can track the number of times the computer card 120 has been installed on the computer board 110 or any other computer board. The installation tracker 126 can include a count tracker 130, a count storage unit 132, a delay module 134, and a count comparator 138. The count tracker 130 can maintain a count of the number of times the computer card 120 has been installed, and can advance or increment the count when appropriate. The count storage unit 132 can store a count of the number of recent times the computer card 120 has been installed. The count tracker 130 may, at various times, read the current count from the count storage unit 132, advance or increment the count (eg, One is added, and then the new count is caused to be stored back to the count storage unit 132. The count storage unit 132 can be a machine-readable storage medium, such as any other physical storage device that is electronic, magnetic, optical, or digitally stored. In some examples, the count storage unit 132 can be a non-electrical memory such as NVRAM (non-electrical random access memory), flash, a storage drive, or the like.

The installation tracker 126 can use a single wire 136 to power the installation tracker 126 and initiate an increment of the number of times the computer card 120 has been installed. As seen in FIG. 1, the wires 136 directly route the path to the count tracker 130 for power to the count tracker 130. In addition, the wires 136 route the path to the delay module 134, and the wires 135 exit the delay module 134 and route the path to the count tracker 130. Wire 135 is directed to count tracker 130, which should advance or increment the count (i.e., wire 135 acts as the same trigger signal). Thus, by using a single wire 136 to power the mounting tracker 126 and initiate the increment of the count, the installation tracker 126 does not require a power source until the computer card 120 is tucked into the computer board 110 to increment the count. . Conversely, when the card 120 is tucked into the board 110, the wire 136 carries power to the count tracker 130, and after a short time (when the count tracker is powered), a signal is transmitted to the count tracker via wire 135. Where the signal is a delayed version of the power signal traveling on one of the wires 136 when the card is inserted.

In addition to the benefit of a single conductive lead 136 providing power to the installation tracker 126 and initiating the increment of the count, the single lead can also be powered by the battery 116, which can be a coin-type battery. In this regard, the install tracker 126 can be powered and can advance the count even if the computer The board 110 is motherboardless.

The count comparator 138 can determine if the computer card 120 has been installed more than a defined maximum count. For example, the count storage unit 132 may store a maximum count along with the current count. The count comparator 138 can then read the maximum count and the current count (e.g., read from the count storage 132 or the self count tracker 130) and can compare the values to determine if the current count is greater than the maximum count. When the current count is greater than the maximum count, the computer card 120 may begin to have reliability issues in some cases. Therefore, it can appropriately inform the user of this possible problem.

Count comparator 138 can communicate with reliability indicator 128. For example, when the count comparator 138 determines that the current count is greater than the maximum count, the count comparator 138 can send a signal to the reliability indicator 128 to actuate the indicator. In some examples, when the reliability indicator is actuated, it may produce a visual indication that the user can easily understand that reliability issues may occur by viewing the computer card. In some examples, the count comparator 138 can communicate with the reliability indicator 128 to indicate more than one state regarding the reliability of the card 120. For example, the count comparator 138 can compare the current count to a plurality of defined count values, for example, to track how the current count is close to the maximum count. In this example, the count storage unit 132 can store the plurality of defined count values.

The reliability indicator 128 can include a visual indicator that enables a direct user of the card 120 to understand by viewing the card. For example, the reliability indicator 128 can be an LED or other notification unit. The reliability indicator 128 can notify or alert the user based on the number of times the computer card 120 has been installed. The card may start to have some reliability issues. In some examples, the reliability indicator 128 can inform the user how the current count is approaching the maximum count. For example, if the current count is 75% of the maximum count, an indicator LED can be orange. Then if the current count is 90% of the maximum count, the LED can be darker orange. Then, once the count is greater than the maximum count, the LED can be red. Therefore, a user can be warned that the card has begun to wear before the card is completely disabled. Various other visual indications of how the count is close to the maximum count can be used, for example, to illuminate more adjacent LEDs as the count approaches the maximum count, or to flash at least one LED as the count approaches the maximum count.

Count comparator 138 (in installation tracker 126) can also communicate with a system manager (e.g., 118) of computer board 110. Similar to how the counter comparator communicates with the reliability indicator 128, the count comparator 138 can indicate to the system manager 118 when the current count is greater than a maximum count and/or how the current count is close to the maximum count. In some examples, the count comparator 138 can report (eg, on a forward or continuous basis) the current count to the system manager 118. In some examples, when the current count is greater than a maximum count, the count comparator 138 can report a warning or information message to the system manager 118 warning of possible reliability issues. The system manager 118 can keep track of and/or record various pieces of information about how many times the number of installs is counted and/or how the current count is close to the maximum count.

Installation tracker 126 can be coupled to system manager 118 via a signal or bus bar (e.g., 140). In some examples, this signal or sink The row can be a standard reporting interface, for example, an i2C (integrated inter-circuit) bus, SMBus (system management bus), or other signals or buss that follow an industrial serial bus protocol. Thus, the standard interface can already exist on various computer cards and the installation tracker 126 can branch into the standard interface without having to add more pins or lines for this communication. In these examples, because the reporting interface (140) already exists, the solution described herein may only require the unique use of a total latch (eg, latch 136).

The installation tracker 126 (and/or at least one of its components 130, 132, 134, 138), in some examples, may be electronic (eg, hardware, circuit logic, programmable logic, etc.) The form was implemented. In these examples, the installation tracker can include at least one electronic circuit that includes some of the electronic components used to perform the function of the installation tracker 126. In other examples, the installation tracker 126 (and/or at least one of its components 130, 132, 134, 138) can include a controller or processor type, such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, and / or applicable to obtain and execute other hardware devices stored in a machine-readable storage medium. In these examples, the machine readable storage medium can be included on computer card 120 and can be part of installation tracker 126. In these examples, the controller or processor can retrieve, decode, and execute instructions stored on the machine readable storage medium for installation of tracker 126 functionality.

2 is a block diagram of an example circuit assembly 200 that allows for determining the reliability of a computer card. Circuit assembly 200 can be similar to circuit assembly 100 and, in some examples, can include components of circuit assembly 100 that are not shown in some or all of FIG. The circuit assembly 200 includes an electric The brain board 210 and a computer card 220. The computer card 220 can be mounted on the computer board 210 and unmounted (eg, tucked in or removed) from the computer board 210. In some cases, computer card 220 can be installed and unmounted many times, for example, relative to computer board 210 and/or various other computer boards. For example, computer board 210 can be similar to computer board 110. The computer board 210 can include a power source 216. The power source 216 can be, for example, a battery (e.g., a coin-type battery), or a different power source, such as from an external power supply. For example, computer card 220 can be similar to computer card 120. The computer card 220 can include an installation tracker 226.

Whenever the computer card 220 is mounted on the computer board 210, an electrical connection can be established between the computer card 220 and the computer board 210. More specifically, whenever the computer card 220 is mounted on the computer board 210, an electrical connection can be established across the wires 236 between the installation tracker 226 and the power source 216. Similar to the above example, 236 can be a single wire and can be powered to the installation tracker while also initiating a count increment of the number of installations of the indicator card 220. Whenever the computer card 220 is unmounted from the computer board 210, the electrical connection across the wire 236 is severed. While the wire 236 is shown as a solid line between the card 220 and the board 210, the electrical connection will actually be severed when the card 220 is removed from the board 210.

Similar to the example described above, the wire 236 directly routes the track to one of the count trackers within the installation tracker 226 to power the count tracker. In addition, the wires 236 are routed to a delay module that is internally mounted with the tracker 226. A delayed version of one of the wires 236 then routes the path to the count tracker to initiate a count increment of the number of times the representative card 220 has been installed. therefore, Wire 236 delivers power to installation tracker 226 so that it can function, and also transmits a delay trigger signal to indicate that the count tracker should increment the count.

Installation tracker 226, in some examples, may be implemented in the form of electronic circuitry (e.g., hardware, circuit logic, programmable logic, etc.). In these examples, the installation tracker can include at least one electronic circuit that includes some of the electronic components used to perform the function of the installation tracker 226. In other examples, the installation tracker 226 can include a controller or processor type, such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, and/or application for retrieval and execution stored in a machine-readable storage medium. Other hardware devices of the instructions. In these examples, the machine readable storage medium can be included on computer card 220 and can be a component of installation tracker 226. In these examples, the controller or processor can retrieve, decode, and execute instructions stored on the machine readable storage medium for installation of tracker 226 functionality.

3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 300 for determining the reliability of a computer card. Method 300 can be described below as being performed or performed by an installation tracker, such as installation tracker 226 of FIG. 2 or installation tracker 126 of FIG. Other suitable circuit modules, controllers, processors or the like can be used as well. The method 300 can be implemented in the form of executable instructions stored on at least one machine-readable storage medium of the installation tracker and executed by at least one processor of the installation tracker. Alternatively or additionally, method 300 can be implemented in the form of an electronic circuit (eg, a hardware). Alternative implementation in this disclosure In an example, one or more of the steps of method 300 can be performed substantially simultaneously or in an order different than that shown in FIG. In an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, method 300 can include more or fewer steps than those shown in FIG. In some embodiments, one or more steps of method 300 may, at certain times, advance and/or repeat.

The method 300 can begin at step 302 and continue to step 304 where the installation tracker can receive a power signal from a single wire when the computer card is tucked into a computer board. At step 306, the installation tracker can use the single wire to power a count tracker. At step 308, the installation tracker can delay the power signal and use the delayed power signal to trigger the count tracker to increment a count. At step 310, when the count is greater than a defined maximum count, the installation tracker can cause a visual indication of one of the computer card indicators. Method 300 can finally continue to step 312 where method 300 can be stopped.

4 is a flow chart of an example 400 of a method for determining the reliability of a computer card, for example, the computer card is in communication with a system manager of a computer board. Method 400 can be illustrated below as being performed or performed by an installation tracker, such as installation tracker 226 of FIG. 2 or installation tracker 126 of FIG. Other suitable circuit modules, controllers, processors or the like can be used as well. The method 400 can be implemented in the form of executable instructions stored on at least one machine-readable storage medium of the installation tracker and executed by at least one processor of the installation tracker. Alternatively or additionally, method 400 can be implemented in the form of an electronic circuit (eg, a hardware). In an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, One or more steps of method 400 may be performed substantially simultaneously or in an order different than that shown in FIG. In an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, method 400 can include more or fewer steps than those shown in FIG. In some embodiments, one or more steps of method 400 may, at certain times, advance and/or repeat.

The method 400 can begin at step 402 and continue to step 404, wherein the installation tracker can receive a power signal from a single wire when the computer card is tucked into a computer board. At step 406, the installation tracker can use the single wire to power a count tracker. At step 408, the installation tracker can delay the power signal and use the delayed power signal to trigger the count tracker to increment a count. At step 410, the installation tracker can report (e.g., on a forward or continuous basis) the current count to a system manager (e.g., similar to system manager 118). At step 412, the installation tracker causes a visual indication of one of the computer card indicators when the current count is greater than a maximum count. At step 414, when the current count is greater than the maximum count, the install tracker reports a warning or information message to the system manager warning of possible reliability issues. Method 400 can finally continue to step 416 where method 400 can be stopped.

100‧‧‧ circuit assembly

110‧‧‧ computer board

112‧‧‧Connector

114‧‧‧Power supply

116‧‧‧Battery

117‧‧‧ switch

118‧‧‧System Manager

120‧‧‧ computer card

122‧‧‧Connector

124‧‧‧ card hardware

126‧‧‧Installation tracker

128‧‧‧Reliability indicator

130‧‧‧Counter Tracker

132‧‧‧Counting storage

134‧‧‧Delay module

135, 136‧‧‧ wires

138‧‧‧Counter comparator

140‧‧‧Report interface

Claims (15)

A computer assembly comprising: a computer card allowing for determining the reliability thereof, the computer card having an installation tracker, the installation tracker incrementing a count when the computer card is inserted into a computer board, The installation tracker does not require a power source before the computer card is inserted into the computer board to increase the count; and the computer board has a power source, and the power source is only when the computer card is inserted into the computer board. Connect to the install tracker. The computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the power source is coupled to the installation tracker via a single wire that supplies power to the installation tracker and also initiates the increment of the count. The computer assembly of claim 2, wherein the single wire directly routes a path to one of the installation trackers to power the count tracker, and also arranges a path to one of the installation trackers a group, wherein one of the delay modules outputs a routing path to the count tracker to initiate an increment of the count. The computer assembly of claim 2, wherein the single wire is powered by a circuit responsible for incrementing the count, and wherein a delayed version of the single wire sends a signal to the circuit to increment the count. The computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the power source is a coin type battery. A computer assembly according to claim 4, wherein the computer board has a switch for selecting between the coin type battery of the computer board and the power of the main board. The computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the computer card has a golden finger connection To facilitate the computer card being jammed into the computer board. The computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the computer card includes a reliability indicator that produces a visual indication when the count is greater than a defined maximum count. The computer assembly of claim 1, wherein the computer board includes a system manager, the manager is connected to the installation tracker via a bus and wherein the installation tracker indicates to the system manager at least the following items One: the count; when the count is greater than a defined maximum count; and how the count is close to the defined maximum count. The computer assembly of claim 9, wherein the bus is a standard integrated circuit (i2C) bus, a system management bus (SMBus), or other bus that follows an industrial serial bus protocol. A method for determining the reliability of a computer card, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a power signal from a single wire when the computer card is inserted into a computer board; using the single wire, supplying power to the Counting the tracker; delaying the power signal and using the delayed power signal to trigger the count tracker to increment by one count; and when the count is greater than a defined maximum count, causing one of the computer card indicators to produce a visual Instructions. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises One of the current values of the count is read from one of the non-volatile memory of the computer card after the count tracker but before incrementing the count. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises, after incrementing the count, storing the count value to one of the non-volatile memory of the computer card. A computer card that allows for determining the reliability thereof, the computer card being connectable to a computer board, the computer card comprising: an installation tracker that increments a count when the computer card is electrically connected to the computer board Where the installation tracker uses a single wire to power the installation tracker and initiate an increment of the count. The computer card of claim 14 further comprising a gold finger connector to facilitate insertion of the computer card into the computer board.