Server system and management method thereof

• US 10,031,876 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kopotev, Artem, Min, Jae-hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Alrobaye, Idriss N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis-Taylor, Dayton
• Application Number:
  US14/973,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

In a server system and a management method thereof, the management method includes generating at least one virtual device for transmitting option read-only memory (ROM) data that is necessary for using a target physical device of at least one physical device, allocating the at least one virtual device to at least one host to correspond to the at least one host, and transmitting the option ROM data to a host corresponding to the at least one virtual device. The switch device may comprise a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch device.

Claims

1. A management method of a server system including at least one host, a management system, and a switch device connecting the at least one host to the management system, the management method comprising:

generating at least one virtual device for transmitting option read-only memory (ROM) data that is necessary for the at least one host to perform at least one of a hardware function and a software function;

allocating the at least one virtual device to the at least one host to correspond to the at least one host; and

transmitting the option ROM data to at least one target host corresponding to the at least one virtual device,

wherein;

the server system comprises at least one physical device connected to the switch device,

the option ROM data is necessary for the at least one host to use a target physical device of the at least one physical device, and

the management method further comprises determining whether to generate the at least one virtual device for transmitting option ROM data, which is necessary for using the target physical device, to the at least one host, based on a connection relationship between the at least one host and the target physical device connected to each other through switch device.

2. The management method of claim 1, wherein

the management system comprises an option ROM manager, and

the option ROM manager comprises a processor, which generates the option ROM data, and a storage that stores the option ROM data.

3. The management method of claim 1, wherein the switch device is a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch device.

4. The management method of claim 1, wherein the allocating of the at least one virtual device comprises connecting the at least one virtual device to the at least one host through the switch device in one-to-one correspondence.

5. The management method of claim 1, wherein

the server system comprises at least one physical device connected to the at least one host, and

the at least one host connect the at least one physical device based on the option ROM data.

6. The management method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the option ROM data, by the at least one target host,

transmitting a memory read request signal, which requests the option ROM data, to a virtual device corresponding to the at least one target host; and

performing a redirection operation for the management system to receive the memory read request signal.

7. The management method of claim 6, further comprising, when the management system receives the memory read request signal, by the management system, transmitting a memory read response signal including the option ROM data to the at least one target host in response to the memory read request signal.

8. The management method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the at least one target host, a driver for performing at least one of the hardware function and the software function, based on the transmitted option ROM data.

9. The management method of claim 1, wherein

the server system comprises at least one virtual function block corresponding to the target physical device for the at least one host to use the target physical device, and

when the at least one host is connected to the at least one virtual function block through the switch device, the server system generates the at least one virtual device for transmitting the option ROM data, which is necessary for using the target physical device, to the at least one host.

10. A management method of a management system, which controls a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch device connected to a plurality of hosts and the management system, the management method comprising:

establishing, by the management system, a path through which the plurality of hosts receive option read-only memory (ROM) data that is necessary for the plurality of hosts to perform at least one of a hardware function and a software function; and

controlling, by the management system, the PCIe switch device for the plurality of hosts to receive the option ROM data, based on a result of the path establishment,

wherein;

the PCIe switch device is connected to at least one physical device,

the plurality of hosts use a target physical device of the at least one physical device for performing the hardware function, and

the establishing of the path comprises differently establishing, by the plurality of hosts, the path according to whether the plurality of hosts are connected to a plurality of virtual function blocks corresponding to the target physical device through the PCIe switch device, in order for the plurality of hosts to use the target physical device.

11. The management method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating, by the management system, a plurality of virtual devices for transmitting the option ROM data; and

allocating each of the plurality of virtual devices to each of the plurality of hosts, respectively.

12. The management method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the PCIe switch device comprises:

transmitting, by the plurality of hosts, a memory read request signal to the plurality of virtual devices for receiving the option ROM data;

performing a redirection operation for the management system to receive the memory read request signal; and

transmitting, by the management system, a memory read response signal including the option ROM data to the plurality of hosts.

13. The management method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, by the management system, whether to generate a plurality of virtual devices for transmitting the option ROM data, based on whether the option ROM data is necessary for each of the plurality of hosts.

14. The management method of claim 10, wherein the establishing of the path for receiving the option ROM data comprises, when the plurality of hosts are connected to the plurality of virtual function blocks, by the management system, establishing a first path through which the plurality of hosts receive the option ROM data from the management system.

15. The management method of claim 10, wherein the establishing of the path for receiving the option ROM data comprises, when the plurality of hosts are directly connected to the target physical device without being connected to the plurality of virtual function blocks, by the management system, establishing a second path through which the plurality of hosts receive the option ROM data from the target physical device.

16. The management method of claim 15, wherein the controlling of the PCIe switch device comprises:

transmitting, by the plurality of hosts, a memory read request signal to the target physical device for receiving the option ROM data; and

transmitting, by the target physical device, a memory read response signal including the option ROM data to the plurality of hosts.

17. A server system comprising:

an embedded processor;

at least one processor board that functions as a host;

at least one peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) device; and

a PCIe switch device that includes a plurality of ports connected to the embedded processor, the at least one processor board, and the at least one PCIe device,

wherein the embedded processor generates option read-only memory (ROM) data which is necessary for the at least one processor board to use the at least one PCIe device, and controls the at least one PCIe switch device to transmit the generated option ROM data to the at least one processor board,

wherein;

the option ROM data is necessary for the at least one processor board to use a target PCIe device of the at least one PCIe device, and the embedded processor determines whether to generate at least one virtual device transmitting option ROM data, which is necessary for using the target PCIe device, to the at least one processor board, based on a connection relationship between the at least one processor board and the target PCIe device connected to each other through the PCIe switch device.

18. The server system of claim 17, wherein the at least one PCIe device comprises at least one of a network card and a storage board.