CN103176581A - Power management device and power management method - Google Patents

Abstract

A power management device and a power management method are provided. The power management device suitable for a computer system comprises a reset counting unit, an interval recording unit and a comparison unit. The reset counting unit receives the reset request and counts the reset times of the computer system according to the reset request. The interval recording unit receives the reset request to record the interval time between the reset request and the previous reset request enable. The comparing unit is coupled to the reset counting unit and the interval recording unit and is used for comparing the reset times and the interval time with an original setting so as to judge whether the computer system is reset or shut down and judge whether the reset time of the computer system is set. Therefore, the power management device can avoid repeated and continuous resetting of the computer system so as to protect the computer system.

Description

Power management device and power management method

technical field

The invention relates to a power management technology of a computer system, and in particular to a power management device and a power management method thereof.

Background technique

Most of today's computer systems are equipped with a power management device on the motherboard, and the power management device will monitor the corresponding signals of each device in the computer system at any time, so as to start or reset the computer system.

For example, if the computer system is to be turned on, the power-on signal, reset signal, etc. and other power-related signals are sent to the power management device, and the corresponding computer system startup and reset procedures are performed by the power management device. Or, when some devices in the computer system are abnormal, such as: the central processing unit (CPU) is overheated, a peripheral device sends a setting error signal and the computer system needs to be restarted/reset...etc., the above The device will also send corresponding signals to the power management device through its normal path, and the power management device will faithfully and immediately execute the boot and reset procedures according to these signals.

However, when the jumpers of some devices in the computer system are not connected completely, the settings of the basic input and input system are incorrect, and some devices in the computer system are not properly set during initialization... etc., it will lead to The peripheral devices of the computer system will continuously send out abnormal error signals, and provide them to the power management device through normal paths.

When the above situation occurs, since the above-mentioned booting and reset signals are transmitted to the power management device through a normal path, the power management device must immediately execute the reset procedure of the computer system. Therefore, the lack of protection and judging mechanism of the power management device will cause the computer system to reset/reboot continuously and intensively, which may shorten the service life of the devices in the computer system and greatly increase the probability of damage.

Contents of the invention

The present invention provides a power management device and a power management method. When receiving a reset request from a computer system, it will perform the reset according to the type of each device, the reset times of the computer system, and the interval time between each reset request. It is judged whether to execute the restart procedure of the computer system, so as to protect each device in the computer system and avoid repeated reset procedures.

The invention provides a power management device, which is suitable for computer systems. The power management device includes a reset counting unit, an interval recording unit and a comparing unit. The reset counting unit receives and counts the reset times of the computer system according to a reset request. The interval recording unit receives and records an interval time between the current reset request and the previous reset request according to the reset request. The comparing unit is coupled to the reset counting unit and the interval recording unit. The comparison unit compares the reset times and the interval time with an original setting to determine whether to reset or shut down the computer system, and to determine whether to set the reset time of the computer system.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above comparison unit determines whether the reset request is a normal reset request. When the reset request is not a normal reset request, the comparison unit sets a safety default value and prolongs the reset time, so as to reset the computer system according to the reset time, and when the reset times of the computer system are greater than the safety preset value, shut down the computer system.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the comparison unit determines that the reset request is a normal reset request, the comparison unit will normally reset the computer system.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned reset request is generated by the power switch, the BIOS, the chipset, the baseboard management controller, the temperature sensing device and/or the voltage regulation module.

On the other hand, the invention provides a power management method, which is suitable for computer systems. The power management method includes the following steps: receiving a reset request. Count the reset times of the computer system according to the reset request. According to the reset request, an interval time between the current reset request and the previous reset request is recorded. Comparing the reset times and enabling time with an original setting, it is judged whether to reset or shut down the computer system, and it is judged whether to set a reset time of the computer system.

For the rest of the implementation details of the power management method, please refer to the above description, and will not be repeated here.

Based on the above, when the power management device of the embodiment of the present invention receives a computer system reset request, it will judge whether to reset or Shut down the computer system, and decide whether to extend the time for the computer system to reset again depending on the comparison result. In this way, the embodiment of the present invention prolongs the time for resetting the computer system, and shuts down the computer system when the number of reset times exceeds a preset value, so as to avoid repeated reset procedures and protect each device in the computer system .

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a power management device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram illustrating a power management device and a comparison unit according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a computer management method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of main component symbols:

100: Computer system

110: power management device

120: Power switch

130: Basic Input Output System

140: chipset

150: Baseboard Management Controller

160: temperature sensing device

170: Error signal generating device

180: circuit device

190: Voltage regulation module

210: Reset counting unit

220: interval recording unit

230: Comparison unit

240: Voltage module control unit

250: voltage regulation module

310: Comparison module

320: Security Module

330: normal module

332: Power status interpretation module

334: Power Error Program Module

340: Voltage module control switch

S410-S490: Steps

RR: reset request

RN: number of resets

P1: interval time

SWS: switch signal.

Detailed ways

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In addition, wherever possible, elements/members/symbols with the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and the detailed description to represent the same or similar parts.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram illustrating a computer system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , in the power management technology of the computer system 100 , the computer system 100 is provided with a power management device 110 and many other devices on the motherboard. When other devices need to start/reset the computer system 100 , they will notify the power management device 110 through a corresponding signal, so that the power management device 110 executes the start/reset procedure of the computer system 100 .

For example, to start/reset the computer system, the user can use the external power switch 120, the basic input output system (BIOS) 130, the chipset 140, or use the network and cooperate with the baseboard management controller. The (BMC) 150 sends corresponding boot request, reset (reset) request... and other signals to the power management device 110, and the power management device 110 performs corresponding boot and reset procedures of the computer system 100. If the circuit device 180 in the computer system 100 needs to reset the computer system 100 under normal circumstances, the power management device 110 can be notified through the chipset 140 or the BMC 150 through a normal path.

On the other hand, when some devices in the computer system are abnormal and the computer system 100 needs to be reset, for example, the temperature sensing device 160 finds that the central processing unit (CPU) or a part of the circuit device 180 is overheated and sends an overheating signal. configuration request, error signal generating device 170 or chipset 140 or BMC 150 when it is found that some circuit devices 180 have errors and cannot operate, error requests generated by jumpers of some devices are not connected completely, resulting in continuous output, BIOS 130 is incorrectly set, some devices are not properly set during initialization, the power supply error signal generated by the voltage regulation module 190, etc., these devices will use their normal paths to send corresponding resets The configuration request is given to the power management device 110.

In the conventional power management technology, the power management device 110 will faithfully and immediately execute the boot and reset procedures according to these signals. In this way, the computer system 100 will be continuously and intensively reset, and the service life of the devices in the computer system 100 may be shortened, which greatly increases the probability of damage.

Here, the spirit of the embodiment of the present invention is to add a judging mechanism for an abnormal reset request in the power management device 110 , so as to prevent the computer system 100 from repeatedly performing reset procedures, thereby protecting each device in the computer system 100 . In other words, when the power management device 110 receives the reset request from the computer system 100, it will base on the reset times of the computer system 100, the interval between the previous reset request and the current reset request, or even the The type of each device is used to determine whether the current reset request is an abnormal reset request. The power management device 110 further determines whether to reset or shut down the computer system 100 according to the above judgment result, and decides whether to extend the time for the computer system 100 to reset again according to the judgment result.

An example is given here to realize the spirit of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a power management device 110 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the power management device 110 can be realized by a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. Referring to FIG. 2 , the power management device 110 suitable for the computer system 100 includes a reset counting unit 210 , an interval recording unit 220 and a comparison unit 240 . In this embodiment, the power management device 110 further includes a voltage module control unit 240 .

The reset counting unit 210 and the interval recording unit 220 simultaneously receive a reset request RR (reset request) generated by each device in the computer system 100 . The reset request RR can be generated by the power switch 120, BIOS 130, chipset 140, BMC 150, temperature sensing device 160, error signal generating device 170, circuit device 180 and/or voltage regulation module 190 in FIG. 1 . The reset counting unit 210 can count and store the reset times RN of the computer system 100 according to the reset request RR, and RN can be an integer not less than zero. The interval recording unit 220 calculates the interval period (interval period) P1 between this reset request and the previous reset request based on the reset request RR enabled this time and the reset request enabled last time. , and record the interval time P1.

The comparing unit 230 is coupled to the reset counting unit 210 and the interval recording unit 220 . The comparing unit 230 receives the reset times RN counted by the interval recording unit 220 and the interval time P1 recorded by the interval recording unit 220 . Then, the comparison unit 230 uses the reset times RN and the interval time P1 to compare with the original setting (original setting) recorded in advance by the user in the comparison unit 230, so as to judge whether the reset request RR is a normal reset. configuration request, or an abnormal reset request, and then determine whether to reset or shut down the computer system 100. In other words, the pre-recorded original setting is to define the normal reset request and/or the abnormal reset request, so as to determine whether to reset or close in accordance with the normal reset request and/or the abnormal reset request Computer system 100.

In other embodiments of the present invention, in addition to using the reset number RN and the interval time P1 to compare with the original setting, the comparing unit 230 can also compare the original setting according to the source device of the reset request , making it easier to determine whether each source device sends out a reset request RR under normal conditions. For example, when the computer system 100 is restarted, since each device has not been initialized, if it is detected that a peripheral device of the computer system 100 has sent a reset request RR, the reset request RR should be abnormal. reset request.

In addition, if the comparison unit 230 determines that the computer system 100 needs to be reset instead of shutting down the computer system 100, the comparison unit 230 also needs to determine whether to reset the reset time of the computer system 100 between two resets.

The voltage module control unit 240 is coupled to the comparison unit 230 . The voltage module control unit 240 receives the switch signal SWS generated by the comparison unit 230 for judging whether to reset or shut down the computer system 100, and controls the voltage regulation module (Volatge RegulatorModule; VRM) 250 according to the switch signal SWS to determine whether to reset or shut down the computer system 100. The system 100 is powered. In this embodiment, the voltage regulation module 250 should be configured on the motherboard and independent from the power management device 110 . The power management device 110 controls the voltage regulation module 250 through the voltage module control unit 240 .

FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the power management device 110 and the comparison unit 230 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a computer management method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 3 , the difference is that the comparison unit 230 of this embodiment includes a setting comparison module 310 , a security module 320 and a normal module 330 . The voltage module control unit 240 is realized by a voltage module control switch 340 . For elements and descriptions not mentioned in this embodiment, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments.

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 at the same time. In step S410 , the reset counting unit 210 and the interval recording unit 220 of the power management device 110 receive each reset request RR of the computer system 100 . In step S420 , the reset counting unit 210 counts and stores the reset times RN of the computer system 100 according to the reset request RR. In step S430, the interval recording unit 220 calculates the interval time between the current reset request and the previous reset request according to the current enabled reset request RR and the previous enabled reset request. P1, and record the interval time P1. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the reset counting unit 210 and the interval recording unit 220 can receive the reset request RR at the same time, so step S420 and step S430 can be executed simultaneously.

The setting comparison module 310 of the comparison unit 230 will first store a preset or an original setting that the user can adjust and set through the original setting control signal OSCS, and in step S440, the setting comparison module 310 The reset number RN and the interval time P1 are used to compare with the original setting to determine whether the current reset request RR is a normal reset request. In this embodiment, if the reset times of the computer system 100 are within 5 times, and both the reset times RN and the interval time P1 are within the originally set range, the reset request RR is considered to be a normal reset request, Otherwise, it is an abnormal reset request. In other embodiments, the configuration comparison module 310 may also determine whether the current reset request RR is a normal reset request according to the type of each device, which will not be repeated here.

In step S440, when the reset request RR is a normal reset request, it will enter the normal mode of steps S450-460, and use the power state judgment module 332 and power error program module 334 in the normal module 330 to reset normally Computer system 100. Therefore, in the step S450 of this embodiment, the normal module 330 utilizes the power state judging module 332 to execute a normal reset procedure of the computer system 100 . And, in step S455, it is determined whether a power error occurs. When an error occurs in the power supply, go to step S460 to use the power error program module 334 to execute a processing program for power error.

On the other hand, in step S440, when the reset request RR is not a normal reset request, in other words, when the reset request RR is an abnormal reset request, it will enter into the security mode of steps S470-490, using security module 320 to reset or shut down the computer system 100. Specifically, in step S470, the security module 320 in the comparison unit 230 sets a security default value, and resets the time for the computer system to be reset again (herein, "the time for the computer system to be reset again" is referred to as is "reset time") to extend the reset time. Thus, the security module 320 resets the computer system 100 according to the reset time. In step S480, if the computer system 100 has been turned on normally, then enter step S482, the reset counting unit 210 and the interval recording unit 220 respectively reset the reset times RN and the interval time P1 recorded by them to zero, and the security module 320 can also Reset security presets and reset time to zero.

If the computer system 100 cannot be turned on normally, proceed from step S480 to step S485 to count and determine whether the number of resets of the computer system 100 is greater than a security preset value. If the reset times of the computer system 100 are not greater than the safety preset value, then return to step S480 to continue to reset the computer system 100 according to the extended reset time. In contrast, if the number of resets of the computer system 100 is greater than the security preset value, then step S485 enters step S490, and the security module 320 sends a signal to make the voltage module control switch 340 stop supplying power to the computer system 100, thereby shutting down the computer system 100, or stop running the computer system 100.

To sum up, when the power management device 110 of the embodiment of the present invention receives a reset request from the computer system 100, it will judge according to the number of reset times of the computer system 100 and the interval between each reset request Whether to reset or shut down the computer system 100, and determine whether to extend the time for the computer system 100 to reset again depending on the comparison result. In this way, the power management device 110 prolongs the time for resetting the computer system 100 ("reset time"), and shuts down the computer system 100 when the number of resets RN exceeds a safe preset value, so as to avoid repeated Reset the program to protect each device in the computer system 100 .

In addition, the user can adjust the original setting through the original setting control signal OSCS, that is, the standard comparison information of "normal reset request" can be preset in advance, so as to make it easier for the user or to check the stability of the computer system 100 Proactive testers can more easily detect errors.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any person skilled in the art may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. an electric power controller, be applicable to a computer system, and this electric power controller comprises:

One replacement counting unit receives and resets request to count a replacement number of times of this computer system according to one;

One interval record cell receives and should replacement asks and interval time between last time this replacement asked to enable to record this according to this replacements request; And

One comparing unit, couple this replacement counting unit and this interval record cell, in order to should the replacement number of times and this interval time and an original start compare, reset or close this computer system judging whether, and judging whether to set the replacement time of this computer system.

2. electric power controller according to claim 1, wherein this comparing unit judges whether this replacement request is a normal request of resetting, when this replacement request is not this normal replacement request, this comparing unit is set a safe preset value and is extended this replacement time, with this computer system of resetting according to this replacement time, and during greater than this safe preset value, close this computer system when this replacement number of times.

3. electric power controller according to claim 2, when this computer system normal boot-strap, this comparing unit should make zero the replacement time.

4. electric power controller according to claim 2, when this computer system normal boot-strap, this replacement counting unit should make zero by the replacement number of times.

5. electric power controller according to claim 1, wherein this comparing unit judges whether this replacement request is a normal request of resetting, when this replacements request is this normal replacement when asking, this comparing unit this computer system of normally resetting.

6. electric power controller according to claim 1, wherein this replacement request is produced by a power switch, a Basic Input or Output System (BIOS), a wafer set, a baseboard management controller, a temperature-sensing device and/or a Voltage Regulator Module.

7. electric power controller according to claim 1 also comprises:

One voltage module control module couples this comparing unit, according to this comparing unit because of the switching signal that produces of judgement to control a Voltage Regulator Module.

8. a method for managing power supply, be applicable to a computer system, and this method for managing power supply comprises:

Receive a replacement request;

According to this replacement number of times of resetting this computer system of request counting;

According to this replacement request with record this should replacements ask and last time this replacement ask to enable between an interval time; And

Should the replacement number of times and this interval time and an original start compare, reset or close this computer system judging whether, and judging whether to set the replacement time of this computer system.

9. method for managing power supply according to claim 8, should the replacement number of times and this interval time and this original start compare also and comprise the following steps:

Set a replacement preset value;

Judge whether this replacement request is a normal request of resetting; And

When this replacement request is not this normal replacement during request, set a safe preset value and also extend this replacement time, with this computer system of resetting according to this replacement time, and during greater than this safe preset value, close this computer system when this replacement number of times.

10. method for managing power supply according to claim 9, should the replacement number of times and this enable time and this original start and compare also and comprise the following steps:

When this replacement request is this normal replacement during request, comparing unit this computer system of normally resetting.

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