CN104166450A - Method for distinguishing FW versions of VR chip - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for distinguishing the FW version of a VR chip. In the user-defined register of the VR chip, the code for distinguishing the version is brushed into, and in the production link of the main board, the content of the register is read out with a software tool, and the content Compare with the officially imported information to determine whether the VR chip FW on the motherboard is missing. The present invention can add this method at the quality control end to avoid risks. During the production process of the motherboard, it can avoid missing the official version of FW, and reduce the occurrence of catastrophic problems such as burning CPU and memory caused by FW version errors.

Description

A method for distinguishing FW versions of VR chips

technical field

The invention relates to the field of quality control of server motherboards, in particular to a method for distinguishing FW versions of VR chips.

Background technique

With the advent of the digital age, digital technology has penetrated into all areas of people's daily lives. For example: TVs, washing machines, mobile phones, and even servers in data centers. Digital signals have the advantages of strong anti-interference, easy computer identification and processing, good confidentiality, and high accuracy of signal transmission information. With the wide application of digital technology, the power supply, which is the cornerstone of the server's stable work, has also begun to use digital methods to realize the control of switching conversion, that is, digital power supply technology.

The digital power supply belongs to a closed-loop control system. By sampling the voltage at the output terminal of the power supply, and then digitizing the sampled voltage value, and inputting the processed digital signal to the power supply control chip for calculation and processing, a suitable PWM signal is generated to control The switch MOS tube is turned on and off, and finally the stable output of the voltage is realized through the output filter link. To ensure the normal pulse of the server in all client applications.

Due to the feature of online upgrade, the digital power supply has become the mainstream solution in the current server motherboard power supply design. However, due to the digital VR chip on the motherboard, when the FW inside is different, the voltage output controlled by it is also different. Once there is an error in the version of FW, it will cause catastrophic problems such as burning CPU and memory. In the motherboard production process, it is often encountered that the official version of FW is missed, and no relevant measures are taken in the quality control link, and it is easy to flow into the client in the end.

Contents of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: in order to avoid this risk, this application proposes: a method for distinguishing VR FW versions, so that this method can be added at the quality control end to avoid risks.

The technical scheme adopted in the present invention is:

A method for distinguishing the FW version of a VR chip. In the user-defined register of the VR chip, brush the code for distinguishing the version. The information is compared to determine whether the VR chip FW of the motherboard is missing.

The operating steps of the distinction method are as follows:

1) For the memory VR chip and CPU VR chip FW files, modify the content corresponding to the user-defined address in these files, assuming that the initial value is 0, and the modified value is 1;

2) Save the modified FW file, software tool VRPro.exe and batch file VR_CODE.bat to the directory of the startup U disk;

3) When programming the FW, the hardware preparations are as follows: install the CPU and memory on the motherboard, plug the bootable U disk into the USB interface of the motherboard, and use the PSU to supply power to the motherboard; after the motherboard is turned on, enter the DOS environment, Run the following command at the command prompt: VR_CODE.bat;

4) FW burning will be executed automatically. If the current version of VR CODE on the motherboard is: 0, the updated version is 1. At this time, it means: the VR chip FW of the motherboard is missing; if the current version of VR CODE on the motherboard is: 1, The refreshed version is 1. At this time, it means that the VR chip FW of the motherboard has not been refreshed, and it is currently the latest version.

In the storage space in the VR chip, the storage unit inside is addressed by a combination of a column address and a row address; it contains address information for storing the VR chip, I2C communication protocol information, VR chip FW and a storage unit reserved for the chip;

The VR chip has an initial FW after leaving the factory. In the memory matrix of the chip, a user-defined storage unit will be reserved. The information of the storage unit corresponding to the address is read out through software tools, which is the version information of the current VR FW. , assuming that the current version is 0;

After optimizing and adjusting the VR circuit, there will be an optimized FW document, and the value corresponding to the user-defined storage unit address in the document will be changed to 1, assuming that version 1 at this time is the latest version of FW;

In the process of burning the VR chip FW to the VR chip, use software tools to judge whether the content of the user-defined storage unit is version 0 or version 1. If it is version 0, it means that the VR chip FW on the motherboard has missed flashing; , it means that the VR chip FW of the main board has not been missed.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a method for distinguishing VR FW versions proposed by the present invention can be added to the quality control end to avoid risks. There is a version error, which leads to catastrophic problems such as burning CPU and memory.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the memory matrix of the chip.

Detailed ways

Below with reference to accompanying drawing, by specific embodiment, the present invention is further described:

A method for distinguishing the FW version of a VR chip, characterized in that: in the user-defined register of the VR chip, the code for distinguishing the version is brushed in, and in the production link of the main board, the content of the register is read out with a software tool, and the content is read out. Compare it with the officially imported information to determine whether the VR chip FW on the motherboard is missing.

Take a server motherboard including 2 CPUs and 4 sets of memory VR chips as an example,

1) Assume that the names of the 4 sets of memory VR chip FW are: AB.txt, CD.txt, EF.txt, GH.txt, and the corresponding I2C addresses are: addr1, addr2, addr3, addr4;

The names of CPU0 and CPU1 VR chip FW are: CPU0.txt, CPU1.txt, and the corresponding I2C addresses are: addr5, addr6;

2) Modify the content corresponding to the user-defined address in the six files of FW: AB.txt, CD.txt, EF.txt, GH.txt, CPU0.txt, CPU1.txt (assuming the initial value is 0 , modified to 1);

3) Save the modified 6 FW files, the software tool VRPro.exe and the batch file to the directory of the bootable USB disk, and the content of the batch file VR_CODE.bat is as follows:

VRPro.exe addr1 AB.txt

VRPro.exe addr2 CD.txt

VRPro.exe addr3 EF.txt

VRPro.exe addr4 GH.txt

VRPro.exe addr5 CPU0.txt

VRPro.exe addr6 CPU1.txt;

4) When programming FW, the hardware preparations are as follows: install the CPU and memory on the motherboard, plug the bootable U disk into the USB interface of the motherboard, and use the PSU to supply power to the motherboard; after the motherboard is turned on, enter the DOS environment, Run the following command at the command prompt: VR_CODE.bat;

5) FW burning will be executed automatically. If the current version of VR CODE on the mainboard is 0, the refreshed version is 1. At this time, it means that the VR chip FW on the mainboard is missing; if the current version of VR CODE on the mainboard is 1, the refreshed version If the version is 1, it means that the VR chip FW on the mainboard has not been flashed and is currently the latest version.

As shown in Figure 1, in the storage space in the VR chip, the storage unit inside is addressed by a combination of column address and row address; the inside includes address information for storing the VR chip, I2C communication protocol information, VR chip FW and chip reserved storage unit;

The VR chip has an initial FW after leaving the factory. In the memory matrix of the chip, a user-defined storage unit will be reserved. As shown in Figure 1, its address is: 0x67. Then, the storage unit corresponding to the address is The information read out is the version information of the current VR FW (assuming that the version at this time is: 0);

After optimizing and adjusting the VR circuit, there will be an optimized FW document, and the value corresponding to the address of the user-defined storage unit 0x67 in the document can be changed to 1 (assuming that the version at this time is: 1, which is the latest FW Version).

Then, during the process of burning the VR chip FW to the VR chip, you can use software tools to judge whether the content of the user-defined storage unit address 0x67 is version 0 or version 1. If it is version 0, it means that the VR chip FW on the motherboard If there is a missing flash; if it is version 1, it means that the VR chip FW of the motherboard has not missed flashing (it is the latest version).

Claims (3)

1. A method for distinguishing the FW version of a VR chip, characterized in that: in the user-defined register of the VR chip, the code for distinguishing the version is brushed into, and in the production link of the main board, the content of the register is read out with a software tool, and the This content is compared with the officially imported information to determine whether the VR chip FW on the motherboard is missing. 2. the distinguishing method of a kind of VR chip FW version according to claim 1, is characterized in that, described distinguishing method operating steps are as follows: 1) For the memory VR chip and CPU VR chip FW files, modify the content corresponding to the user-defined address in these files, assuming that the initial value is 0, and the modified value is 1; 2) Save the modified FW file, software tool VRPro.exe and batch file VR_CODE.bat to the directory of the startup U disk; 3) When programming the FW, the hardware preparations are as follows: install the CPU and memory on the motherboard, plug the bootable U disk into the USB interface of the motherboard, and use the PSU to supply power to the motherboard; after the motherboard is turned on, enter the DOS environment, Run the following command at the command prompt: VR_CODE.bat; 4) FW burning will be executed automatically. If the current version of VR CODE on the motherboard is: 0, the updated version is 1. At this time, it means: the VR chip FW of the motherboard is missing; if the current version of VR CODE on the motherboard is: 1, The refreshed version is 1. At this time, it means that the VR chip FW of the motherboard has not been refreshed, and it is currently the latest version. 3. The method for distinguishing the FW version of a VR chip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: in the storage space in the VR chip, the storage unit inside is addressed by a combination of a column address and a row address; It contains address information for storing VR chips, I2C communication protocol information, VR chip FW and storage units reserved for chips; The VR chip has an initial FW after leaving the factory. In the memory matrix of the chip, a user-defined storage unit will be reserved. The information of the storage unit corresponding to the address is read out through software tools, which is the version information of the current VR FW. , assuming that the current version is 0; After optimizing and adjusting the VR circuit, there will be an optimized FW document, and the value corresponding to the user-defined storage unit address in the document will be changed to 1, assuming that version 1 at this time is the latest version of FW; In the process of burning the VR chip FW to the VR chip, use software tools to judge whether the content of the user-defined storage unit is version 0 or version 1. If it is version 0, it means that the VR chip FW on the motherboard has missed flashing; , it means that the VR chip FW of the main board has not been missed.