TW201942743A - Boot testing apparatus, system and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for boot testing is applicable to an computing apparatus having a communication unit and a basic input output system unit. The method includes: executing a monitoring code stored in the basic input output system unit to initialize the communication unit; executing a boot code stored in the basic input output system unit to perform a boot process; and based on the monitoring code to send a boot information corresponding to the boot code through the communication unit. Herein, boot testing apparatus and system are also disclosed.

Description

Start-up detection device, system and method

The present invention relates to a boot detection device, system and method thereof, in particular to a boot detection device, system and method thereof for real-time detection and debugging.

In the boot process of a personal computer or server, a basic input / output system (BIOS) chip is usually responsible for initializing the hardware, detecting the hardware, and guiding the operating system. Among them, The boot code associated with the above initialization hardware is mainly burned into the BIOS chip.

Generally speaking, in order to detect the booting process of computing devices such as personal computers or servers (ie, the machine under test), it is often only through a single communication interface, such as: Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Ttransmitter (UART), To detect and debug the hardware status of the machine under test or to check whether the BIOS code is damaged; or, there are also detection schemes to open the case of the machine under test and add an additional chip line detection on the motherboard In-Circuit Probe Port (ITP) is used to connect to an In-Circuit Emulator (ICE) to perform the debugging process.

However, most of the above detection technical solutions are limited to a single communication interface or need to add a communication port or communication interface to detect and debug, which is very inconvenient for users. It is worth noting that no matter what technical solution is adopted, the existing technology does not allow or support the BIOS debug tool to communicate with the machine under test through a variety of communication interfaces.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a boot detection device, system, and method thereof, which mainly use a monitoring code and a BIOS code stored in a basic input-output system unit of a machine under test. After the machine under test is turned on, the monitoring code is executed to initialize the communication unit, and then the startup code is executed to perform a startup process, and the startup data corresponding to the startup code is transmitted synchronously through the communication unit. Because the communication unit is initialized in the initial stage, and the communication unit is not limited to a single communication interface and does not need to add a port, but has a variety of communication interfaces existing on the machine under test, so the machine under test can use the machine under test The existing communication interface is used for transmission for users to perform subsequent detection and debugging.

The startup detection method of an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a computing device having a communication unit and a basic input / output system unit. The startup detection method includes: executing a monitoring code stored in the basic input / output system unit, The communication unit is initialized; a boot code stored in a basic input / output system unit is executed to perform a boot process; and a boot data corresponding to one of the boot codes is transmitted through the communication unit according to the monitoring code.

The startup detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a first communication unit, a basic input / output system unit, and a processing unit. A monitoring code and a boot code are stored in the basic input / output system unit. The processing unit is logically connected with the first communication unit and the basic input / output system unit. The processing unit executes the monitoring code to initialize the first communication unit, executes the startup code to perform a startup process, and transmits the startup data corresponding to one of the startup codes through the first communication unit according to the monitoring code.

A boot detection system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a boot detection device and a control device. The startup detection device includes a first communication unit, a basic input-output system unit and a processing unit. A monitoring code and a boot code are stored in the basic input / output system unit. The processing unit is logically connected with the first communication unit and the basic input / output system unit. The processing unit executes the monitoring code to initialize the first communication unit, executes the startup code to perform a startup process, and transmits the startup data corresponding to one of the startup codes through the first communication unit according to the monitoring code. The control device includes a second communication unit and a control unit. The second communication unit is communicatively connected with the first communication unit. The control unit is logically connected with the second communication unit, and the control unit receives the startup data.

In the following, detailed description will be given through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to make it easier to understand the purpose, technical content, characteristics and effects achieved by the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, and illustrated with drawings. In addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention can also be widely implemented in other embodiments, and easy replacements, modifications, equivalent changes of any of the embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the patent application is quasi. In the description of the specification, in order to make the reader have a more complete understanding of the present invention, many specific details are provided; however, the present invention may be implemented without omitting some or all of the specific details. In addition, well-known steps or elements have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily limiting the invention. The same or similar elements in the drawings will be represented by the same or similar symbols. It is particularly noted that the drawings are for illustration purposes only and do not represent the actual size or number of components. Some details may not be fully drawn in order to make the drawings concise.

The boot process of a traditional computing device is mainly controlled by a BIOS code, which is a kind of firmware and is stored in a read-only memory (ROM), for example, it is burned into the basic input-output system chip ( BIOS IC). During the startup process after the computing device is started, the processing unit reads and executes the startup code stored in the basic input-output system unit to initialize the hardware and detect the hardware to perform a startup process.

Please refer to FIG. 1. However, the boot process of the boot detection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is determined by the monitoring code and the boot code. The monitoring code and the boot code are stored in the basic input and output together. In the system unit 12, as shown in FIG. 1, the startup detection device 1 to be detected includes a communication unit 10, a basic input / output system unit 12, and a processing unit 14.

In one embodiment, the monitoring code is stored in the basic input / output system unit 12 from the beginning.

In another embodiment, the basic input / output system unit 12 of the boot detection device 1 only stores a boot code and no monitoring code. However, under the requirement of detecting and debugging, the processing unit 14 controls the communication unit 10 to receive a monitoring code from an external device, and then burns the monitoring code into the basic input / output system unit 12 (S10), so that After the boot-up detection device 1 is activated once, the processing unit 14 executes the boot-up process of the monitoring code and the boot-up code. After the final detection and debugging process is completed, the processing unit 14 deletes the monitoring code stored in the basic input / output system unit 12.

It should be noted that the communication unit 10 includes, but is not limited to, the following communication interfaces: Universal Serial Bus (USB), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIE), Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Ttransmitter (UART), or system management bus (System Management Bus, SM Bus) and other communication interfaces, that is, the communication unit 10 can use the various communication interfaces of the boot detection device 1 to transmit boot data or receive monitoring programs Code, without being limited by a specific communication interface and without the need to add additional ports or device hardware.

For example, the machine under test is a notebook computer sent for repair. During the test, only the USB communication interface can be enabled normally. The remaining communication interfaces are temporarily unavailable due to unexplained failures. The traditional asynchronous receiver transmitter detection method It will not be possible to establish a communication connection with the machine to be tested for the startup process detection, or the user needs to add additional ports or communication lines required on the notebook computer motherboard. However, the above-mentioned traditional solutions may result in failure to detect and remove Wrong or difficult to repair.

However, the boot detection method of some embodiments of the present invention is not limited to a single communication interface and does not require additional ports. Instead, it uses multiple existing communication interfaces of the machine under test to send boot data or receive monitoring code. For users to carry out subsequent detection and debugging, thereby realizing the function of supporting multiple communication interfaces, which is highly practical and convenient. If only the SM Bus of the machine under test can be operated, the startup detection method of some embodiments of the present invention can still be implemented.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 together, and the following describes a startup detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In order to fully monitor the startup process of the machine under test (ie, the startup detection device 1), first, under the condition that the machine under test can still be turned on, the processing unit 14 first performs one of the monitoring stored in the basic input and output system unit 12. Code to initialize the communication unit 10 (S12), and then execute the boot code to perform the corresponding boot process (S14). It should be noted that when the machine under test executes the startup detection method of this embodiment, the initialization sequence of the device hardware is different from the traditional startup process. Traditional computing devices do not have priority after startup and before the startup process. Initialize its communication unit.

Then, the processing unit 14 may transmit the initialization status corresponding to each hardware device in the machine under test according to the requirements of the monitoring code when executing the booting process specified by the startup code, that is, the processing unit 14 performs monitoring according to the monitoring The instruction of the code controls the communication unit 10 to transmit the boot data A1 corresponding to the boot code (S16). For example, the boot data A1 includes, but is not limited to, a memory value, an input / output device (IO) value, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) value, and a register value. The register includes special module registers (Model Specific Registers, MSR) of the processing unit, but is not limited thereto. In this way, the user can detect and debug according to the boot data A1 transmitted by the communication unit 10, such as, but not limited to, tracking the execution of the boot code, step-by-step inspection of each command of the boot code, and monitoring the register Values and memory values, setting hardware and software break points, recording the boot time and boot flow, updating the BIOS ROM, etc., as detailed below.

In an embodiment, the monitoring code controls the machine under test to execute each step of the boot code step by step, and the communication unit 10 transmits the boot data A1 corresponding to each step of the boot code to diagnose the boot code. Damage location. One embodiment of the present invention can be performed in a single step and debugs in a single step instead of segmented detection. That is, by monitoring the code, an embodiment of the present invention provides a source level debbuger to find the location of the error source code and make it appear in the integrated development environment / detection system, and Provide data access and control functions without affecting the boot process.

In an embodiment, if there is a problem with the boot code or the initialization status of the device hardware is abnormal, the user may provide a modification instruction A2 to the machine 1 to be tested. For example, the modification instruction A1 may be a multilingual instruction and combination. Therefore, when the user sees a command error in the boot code in the integrated development environment / detection system, he can set a breakpoint for hardware or software execution, find the location of the error source code or command, and modify or update the boot program in real time. code.

In an embodiment, the processing unit 14 modifies the boot code or changes the register value and the memory value according to the modification instruction A2 for abnormal diagnosis and elimination; or the user may provide a new version of the boot code to cover the original The damaged version is burned into the 12 chip of the basic input output system unit to update the boot code (ie update the BIOS ROM). That is, the processing unit 14 receives a modification instruction A2 through the communication unit 10, and modifies the boot code according to the modification instruction A2 (S18). In the same way, the above-mentioned steps A1 (S16) of transmitting boot data and step A2 (S18) of receiving modification instructions are to use multiple existing communication interfaces of the machine under test. It can realize the function of detecting and debugging. The detailed technical content is as mentioned above, and it will not be repeated here.

Based on the above, the startup detection method of an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a single communication interface and does not require additional hardware. Instead, it uses multiple existing communication interfaces of the machine under test to receive modifications from the user. Instructions for subsequent detection and debugging, thereby achieving the function of supporting multiple communication interfaces, which is highly practical and convenient. Since the above boot detection method is not limited to the communication interface of the machine to be tested, as far as the hardware is concerned, the cost of hardware such as adding ports or external lines can be eliminated, which can greatly improve the efficiency of detection and debugging. Therefore, it can support a variety of communication interfaces or transmission protocols, as well as a variety of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) architecture boot code (BIOS Code). In addition, by monitoring the source-phase debugging module provided by the code, the location of the error source code can be found and displayed in the integrated development environment / detection system.

Referring to FIG. 1, a startup detection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 10, a basic input / output system unit 12, and a processing unit 14. The processing unit 14 is logically connected with the communication unit 10 and the basic input / output system unit 12, and the logical connection refers to an electrical connection and a physical connection. The basic input-output system unit 12 stores a monitoring code and a startup code. The processing unit 14 executes the monitoring code to initialize the communication unit 10, executes the startup code to perform a startup process, and transmits the startup data corresponding to one of the startup codes through the first communication unit according to the monitoring code. For example, the boot data A1 includes, but is not limited to, a memory value, an input / output device value, a peripheral device interconnection value, and a register value. The related embodiments, detailed technical contents, and advantages have been described above. This is no longer redundant. The technical content of the communication unit 10, a basic input-output system unit 12, and a processing unit 14, the cooperative operation relationship among each other, and related embodiments have been described above, and are not repeated here.

Referring to FIG. 3, a boot detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a boot detection device 1 and a control device 2. The technical content of the first communication unit 10a, a basic input / output system unit 12, and a processing unit 14 included in the startup detection device 1 and the cooperative operation relationship with each other, the related embodiments and their technical effects are as described above, and are not repeated here. Long description.

The control device 2 includes a second communication unit 20 and a control unit 22. The second communication unit 20 is communicatively connected with the first communication unit 10a. In one example, the second communication unit 20 includes, but is not limited to, the following communication interfaces: a general-purpose serial bus, a fast peripheral interconnect standard bus, an asynchronous receiving transmitter, or a system management bus. The unit 20 can establish a communication connection with the first communication unit 10a by using various existing communication interfaces of the boot detection device 1. It is not limited to passing a single communication interface and does not need to add additional ports or hardware. The technical content and advantages are as described above, and are not repeated here.

The control unit 22 is logically connected to the second communication unit 20, and the control unit 22 receives the booting data A1. In one embodiment, the control device 2 further includes a display unit 24, and the display unit 24 is logically connected to the control unit 22. The display unit 24 can display the booting data A1 received by the control device 2. Therefore, the user can detect and debug according to the booting data A1 displayed by the display unit 24, that is, the source stage provided by the monitoring program The debug module finds the location of the error source code and displays it on the display unit 24 of the control device 2 of the boot detection system.

If the boot code is damaged or the initialization state of the device hardware is abnormal, the user can provide a modification instruction A2 to the boot detection device 1. In an embodiment, the control device 2 further includes an input unit 26, and the input unit 26 is logically connected to the control unit 22 for the user to input a modification instruction A2, wherein the control unit 22 transmits the modification instruction A2 through the second communication unit 20 To the first communication unit 10a. Therefore, the user can find the location of the error source code through the boot detection system, and then can modify or update the boot code in real time through the appropriate programming language instructions and combinations.

In an embodiment, the display device 24 and the input unit 26 are integrated into one. For example, the display device 24 is a touch panel and has a graphical user interface for users to access through the graphical user window. The improvement countermeasures required for the data or operation to generate a modification instruction A2. Therefore, the learning time for the user to learn various debugging tools can be saved, and no time is needed to memorize the text instructions of the debugging tool, so as to reduce the burden of memorizing the instructions.

To sum up, the start-up detection device, system and method of some embodiments of the present invention mainly use a monitoring code stored in a basic input-output system unit of a machine under test. After the machine under test is activated, Execute the monitoring code to initialize the communication unit, execute the boot code stored in the basic input output system unit to perform a boot process, and synchronously transmit the boot data corresponding to the boot code or receive the modification command through the communication unit. Because the communication unit is initialized in the initial stage, and the communication unit is not limited to a single communication interface and does not need to add a port, but has a variety of communication interfaces existing on the machine under test, so the machine under test can use the machine under test The existing communication interface is used for transmission for users to perform subsequent detection and debugging. In this way, it can realize the support of multiple communication transmission interfaces, support of multiple bootable code under the unified extensible firmware interface structure, and real-time detection and debugging of the boot process detection scheme. Through the source phase debugging module provided by the monitoring program, find out the location of the error source code, which can be displayed in the boot detection system for users to access data or generate modification instructions through the graphical user interface. Reduce the user's burden of memorizing the text commands of the debugging tool.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only for explaining the technical ideas and characteristics of the present invention. The purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. When the scope of the patent of the present invention cannot be limited by this, That is, any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the patent scope of the present invention.

A1‧‧‧ boot data

A2‧‧‧ modify instructions

S10 ~ S18‧‧‧step

1‧‧‧machine under test, startup detection device

10‧‧‧ communication unit

10a‧‧‧First communication unit

12‧‧‧ Basic I / O System Unit

14‧‧‧ processing unit

2‧‧‧control device

20‧‧‧Second communication unit

22‧‧‧Control unit

24‧‧‧Display Unit

26‧‧‧Input unit

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a startup detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a startup detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a boot detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

A power-on detection method is applicable to a computing device having a communication unit and a basic input-output system (BIOS) unit. The power-on detection method includes: executing a monitoring code stored in the basic input-output system unit to Initialize the communication unit; execute a boot code stored in the basic input / output system unit to perform a boot process; and transmit boot data corresponding to the boot code through the communication unit according to the monitoring code. The boot detection method according to claim 1, wherein the boot data includes a memory value, an input / output device (I / O) value, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) value, and a temporary register (MSR) )value. According to the startup detection method described in claim 1, before the step of executing the monitoring code, the method further includes: receiving the monitoring code, and storing the monitoring code in the basic input / output system unit. The boot detection method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the boot data includes: transmitting the boot data corresponding to each step instruction in the boot code. According to the boot detection method described in claim 1, after the step of transmitting the boot data, the method further includes: receiving a modification command, and modifying the boot code according to the modification command. A startup detection device includes: a first communication unit; a basic input-output system unit storing a monitoring code and a startup code; and a processing unit, the first communication unit and the basic input-output The system unit is logically connected; wherein the processing unit executes the monitoring code to initialize the first communication unit, executes the startup code to perform a startup process, and transmits a response through the first communication unit according to the monitoring code. Boot code is one of the boot codes. The boot detection device according to claim 6, wherein the boot data includes a memory value, an input / output device (I / O) value, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) value, and a temporary register (MSR) )value. The boot detection device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit transmits the boot data corresponding to each step instruction in the boot code. The startup detection device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit receives a modification instruction through the first communication unit, and modifies the startup code according to the modification instruction. A power-on detection system, comprising: the power-on detection device according to any one of claims 6 to 9; and a control device, comprising: a second communication unit for communicating with the first communication unit; and The control unit is logically connected with the second communication unit and is used for receiving the booting data. The startup detection system according to claim 10, wherein the control device further comprises: an input unit logically connected to the control unit to generate the modification instruction according to claim 9, wherein the control unit passes the first Two communication units transmit the modification instruction. The startup detection system according to claim 10, wherein the control device further comprises: a display unit logically connected to the control unit for displaying a graphical user interface, wherein the modification instruction according to claim 9 Is generated through this graphical user interface.