Chapter 413 Take Care of Yourself (5423)
Single byte flip in FPGA chip?
Bai Yuheng's head buzzed.
The basis of semiconductors is binary 0 and 1. Through the state of semiconductors, countless combinations of 0 and 1 are created, and these binary data are used to represent everything.
Each 0 or 1 is a byte.
Under certain extreme conditions, such as high or low temperature or voltage fluctuations, a single byte may flip from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.
At this time, if the flip occurs in the data storage unit, it may cause erroneous data to be returned; if it occurs in the control unit, it may cause a logical error.
Therefore, modern chips have built-in error detection and correction as well as parity checking functions to automatically detect flipped bytes and make corrections.
FPGA chips are naturally no exception.
FPGA chips are often used to accelerate specific computing tasks, such as data encryption, compression, network traffic management, etc. In the search field, FPGA can be used to accelerate search algorithms, especially when it comes to large-scale indexing and keyword matching.
At the same time, FPGA can also be used in storage controllers to improve storage access speed and efficiency. A large number of FPGA chips are used in Qianxun's IDC.
"This is impossible!" Bai Yuheng's body shook violently again and again, and he even forgot his previous cautiousness.
"We have previously checked the consistency of FPGA registers and cache data and found no incorrect data! The return results of the instruction chain are also completely normal!
"Really? Wait a minute, let me ask about the specific situation of Telomere." Sun Jing's fingers clattered on the keyboard for a while, and soon Telomere's terminal sent back a more detailed analysis of the cause of the failure.
"So that's how it is!"
Sun Jing suddenly realized what was going on and turned to Bai Yuheng, saying, "Brother Bai, the flipped byte was 11010110 (0xD6). For some reason, it became 11010111 (0xD7), and 0xD7 corresponds to 'whitelisted, non-censored.' Because the corresponding byte has content, the system didn't report an error and returned a normal result."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Is it that simple?" The muscles on Bai Yuheng's face twitched, and he could hardly believe his ears.
It was just a single-byte flip of the chip cache, but hundreds of super technical geniuses and thousands of top technicians at Qianxun failed to discover this problem after a month of hard work?
Moreover, if only one FPGA chip had a single-byte reversal problem, it would not cause the entire "content management" of the Qianxun server to fail. Qianxun uses more than 36,000 Virtex-7 FPGA chips!
"It's actually not that simple," Sun Jing said, pushing up his glasses and pointing at his laptop screen. "What's clear now is that the FPGA chip that initially failed was likely located in the system's core scheduling nodes, such as the review control server, rights management server, and primary cache server, causing the global review logic to be overwritten or bypassed."
"Originally, this failure should have been detected within seconds, and the system would have automatically transferred the task to the backup node."
"But it just so happened that the glitch occurred at the moment the rules were distributed. The window period was extremely short. It's possible that a reversal had just occurred, and a few milliseconds later, it happened to coincide with the system's automatic rule distribution."
"Look, the rule distribution time in the system log also supports this speculation."
“Because the distribution logic is instantaneous and has no fault-tolerance checks, the error is replicated on a large scale and propagated to all child nodes within the time window through batch distribution.”
"In theory, if it's a normal byte flip, it will most likely point to a blank memory area, causing a data miss error. In that case, although it will also cause 'content management' to fail, it will be easy to detect the problem."
"However, this flipped address happened to point to the whitelisted, non-censored content area. The data link did not encounter any error return and continued to execute smoothly. This resulted in the Qianxun 'content management' module failing without any errors being found."
"As you know, when the system distributes and calls rules, it usually assumes that the data is correct unless the fault-tolerance check logic is triggered. However, since this operating logic is error-free from the computer's perspective, the fault-tolerance check will naturally not be triggered."
"A single-byte flip isn't a very serious error, nor is it a very difficult error to detect. However, it requires a data error. If there isn't a data error, finding that flipped byte among trillions of bytes is nearly impossible using conventional inspection methods."
"Telomere also gave its own guess as to the cause of this single-byte flip through the Orange Big Model API. Ten minutes before the Qianxun server first experienced problems in May, the sun experienced an M-class solar flare. While not very strong, it's possible that the neutrons from the flare hit the corresponding byte, causing the byte flip."
"Qianxun's IDC should also have a shielding design, but you know, this thing doesn't have a 100% shielding rate. High-energy particles can occasionally penetrate the protective layer."
"As for why Qianxun's 'content management' returned to normal over a month ago, there's no corresponding information in the logs, and the erroneous process has been overwritten, making the original reason for the restoration unreliable. All we can confirm is that this outage, which lasted over a month, was a continuation of the previous outage in May."
Sun Jing pushed up his glasses, his eyes sparkling as he read the report sent back by Telon. "It can be said that the failure of Qianxun's 'content management' module wasn't just a simple technical malfunction, but the result of a series of coincidental, low-probability events."
"From the instantaneous occurrence of a single-bit flip in the core FPGA node, to the extreme triggering of the rule distribution window, to the flipped byte accidentally pointing to the 'whitelist non-review' area, and finally being covered up by normal logs with no error reports. These factors combined allowed this error to lurk like a ghost for a whole month."
Bai Yuheng looked at the densely packed fault reports on Sun Jing's computer screen, his face filled with mixed emotions.
Was it just such a failure that caused Qianxun, a company with a market value of hundreds of billions of Da Zhou coins, to collapse overnight?
It was just such a failure that not only caused me to lose my job, but also almost lost my life?
"Now that we've found the cause of the problem, the rest is easy." Sun Jing tapped a few times on the keyboard. "It's nothing more than flipping the corresponding bytes or changing the mapping address, then forcing a cache refresh, and finally redistributing it..."
Sun Jing lightly hit the Enter key, and then began to test whether the "content management" module of the mirror server had returned to normal.
The familiar Qianxun search page once again showed the familiar "No results found".
“Done!”
Sun Jing snapped his fingers and chuckled.
——
IDC No. 5.
"Mr. Qin, Mr. Zhang, this is a mirror server. It's just a virtual link to the network. There's no need to check the ports, right?" A young man wearing a short-sleeved plaid shirt and looking like a programmer checked every port with a frown on his face.
Seeing CTO Qin Zhixing, who was wearing a suit and Prada black-framed glasses, and Zhang Xiangzheng, who was also wearing a short-sleeved shirt, walking over, the programmer complained to the two bosses with a reluctant look on his face.
What the hell?
Now there is no connection to the network itself, it is just a virtual network connection in the sandbox system. What is the port detection for?
Yes, this is what our operating regulations require, but let’s not talk about the fact that the mirror server that is currently assigned is not connected to the external network at all. Even if it is now connected to the external network, who will really work according to the operating regulations?
If we follow the rules completely, can we achieve the labor efficiency ratio you set?
When you set this efficiency ratio, you didn't expect us to really follow the regulations. You just wanted to find someone to take the blame if something went wrong, but now you have installed it.
Zhang Xiangzheng glanced at Qin Zhixing, who patted the programmer on the shoulder. "Standardization is the bottom line, not an option. Even in the sandbox, we must ensure that every link is flawless. Security incidents often begin with carelessness."
The programmer almost threw his keyboard.
This crappy company is no longer viable!
Zhang Xiangzheng and Qin Zhixing looked at each other and shook their heads tacitly.
The people below had such poor awareness and a narrow mindset that they thought they were really there to help Chihiro solve the problem.
720 has poached a lot of people from Qianxun and has also asked these people to find out in detail what Qianxun's specific problem is, so they are not completely ignorant of this issue.
Qianxun is the Changzhou Military Academy in the industry. Even Ali and Penguin dare not say that they are better than Qianxun in technical ability. A problem that Qianxun can't solve in a month can be solved by five groups of unfamiliar people?
Boss Qiu always says that the person he looks down upon the most is Chihiro, but actually he is just envious!
You don’t even need to think carefully!
It is estimated that the five teams will spend a month here, and the situation will remain the same. In the end, the higher-ups will have to designate a team to clean up Qianxun's mess.
Who will be designated then?
Of course, it is the one that makes you feel most at ease.
Therefore, the focus this time is not to find a way to fix Qianxun’s vulnerability, but to appear to be reassuring to the higher-ups!
Of course, if a blind cat collides with a dead mouse and really stumbles upon a solution, that would be even better. If not, it doesn’t matter if Penguin or Ali solves the problem after more than ten days. It takes them so long to solve it that they can’t get a very high score. At that time, impression points will still be the most important.
They're all being watched through cameras.
This is also the "essence" that Qiu Hongyi thought he had found after two meetings with the 720 management.
When passing by a camera, Qin Zhixing even adjusted his tie.
And Zhang Xiangzheng's expression couldn't help but become a little more majestic.
Just at this moment, both of their cell phones rang at the same time.
"It has been confirmed that Ysou has completed the repair of the A03 mirror server. The review team has confirmed the technical effectiveness of the backup A06 mirror server. The bidding competition is over. The technical demonstration meeting will be held in half an hour at..."
Qin Zhixing and Zhang Xiangzheng stood there in shock.
Ysou completed the fault repair?
We haven't even started yet and they're already done?
Is this true? The port scan hasn't been completed in such a short time!
They definitely didn't scan ports!
"Two hours and forty-five minutes, a little slower than I expected. It seems the 'telomere' module needs more training data and parameter adjustment."
Fang Yu looked at the countdown on his phone and saw that there were still 15 minutes left until three hours.
"Fortunately, I left some room for myself when I said it just now, so I didn't get embarrassment."
Fang Yu stood up, raised his eyebrows, clasped his fists, and smiled: "My apologies, bosses. Thank you for letting me take over."
Almost everyone was speechless in an instant because of the pressure that Fang Yu unintentionally exuded.
Chen Wei touched his chin with a flickering look in his eyes.
Mahua Teng's face was as gloomy as water, and he looked a little panicked.
Ma Yun lowered his head and looked at his phone, and it was unknown who he was communicating with or what he was talking about.
There was silence in the monitoring room of Qianxun Yu County Data Center.
Although the technical review has not yet given its final opinion, everyone knows that the competition is over.
This kind of result, which allows you to obtain real evidence and raise formal doubts with just one try, is impossible to fake.
Unless verification is not allowed.
Sure enough, within three minutes, the head of the technical review team came forward to announce that the "content management" module of the Qianxun A03 server had passed a series of automated test scripts or simulation verification of actual data flows, and the business logic was clear, and it could be preliminarily determined that the existing fault problems had been eliminated.
According to the existing process determined in advance, the A03 mirror server will undergo a five-day internal test. At the same time, during the five days, any other bidding companies are welcome to conduct repeated verification of the repair status and raise reasonable questions.
Is this the five-day public notice period? After the five-day public notice period ends, if there is no reasonable doubt, will Ysou be declared the winner?
Question it! Of course you should question it!
Erma and Qiu Hongyi have made up their minds that no matter whether it is useful or not, they must question it.
The question is, what to question?
This fault is very hidden, but surprisingly easy to fix. Even a kid who has just learned programming can do it.
The simpler things are, the harder they are to question.
It is difficult to question but we must question it. We have been in the Internet industry for so many years, spent so much money, and employed so many people, isn’t it just for today’s use?
The two Ma looked at each other and found a rare tacit understanding.
Even if Youzi Technology finally acquires Qianxun, we must make them pay a higher price, slow down their development speed, and give us more time!
Five days, five days, we must find a good solution.
"I have doubts!"
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind Erma.
There is no need to look back, just listen to the voice and you will know it is the old troll Qiu Hongyi.
Er Ma made careful plans, but Qiu Hongyi just did what he said.
Everyone at the scene turned their eyes to Qiu Hongyi.
Qiu Hongyi's forehead was shiny, and she scratched her messy hair. "Let me be clear, this is just a reasonable speculation. I have no evidence. But Y-search was able to accurately locate the cause of the problem in such a short time, even pinpointing the specific location and resolving the issue. This is beyond my understanding of the current development of Internet technology."
"Mr. Fang just mentioned that they're using AI technology, something called a 'telomere' model or module, to handle faults. It sounds impressive, but I'm a technical person and I'm more concerned with technical rationality. Whether it's handled by AI or humans, finding the corresponding fault requires a meticulous and complex reasoning process."
“As far as I know, there is no AI model that can do this.”
“So, I think Ysou shoots the arrow first and then draws the target.”
"To put it bluntly, Ysou already knew the cause of the Qianxun server failure. Going a step further, I believe we can't rule out the possibility that the Qianxun server failure was caused by Ysou!"
"After all, it's all just too coincidental. Ysou had just been released when Qianxun had its first outage, and Ysou was the company that benefited the most from both of Qianxun's outages. From the perspective of the beneficiary, Ysou is also the most suspicious."
"Therefore, I disagree with the results of this competition. I also demand that Yi'an Prefecture, the Winter Palace, the Taifu Temple, and the police jointly investigate the role of Ysou and Youzi Technology in the Qianxun incident and give an explanation to everyone in the internet community."
Qiu Hongyi spoke softly and in a gentle tone, but as soon as she said this, almost everyone at the scene, including Fang Yu, was shocked.
Others: Lao Qiu is awesome, he is worthy of being a professional troll with twenty years of experience.
Fang Yu: Can this guy predict the future?
Er Ma looked at Qiu Hongyi with admiration.
Is that even fair to say? This is pure slander without any evidence, and it's such a serious accusation. Are you trying to fight Youzi Technology to the death?
It seems that this guy is not targeting anyone in particular, but rather - "Don't get me wrong, everyone here, I will kill whoever I catch."
But... this is indeed an offensive direction.
Just can't be as stupid as Lao Qiu, you have to work behind the scenes...
"Ahem." Qu Lingshi coughed twice, breaking the silence. "It's our responsibility to ensure the stable and rapid development of the Great Zhou internet ecosystem. We need to further investigate and understand President Qiu's questions. From the beginning of this bidding process, we established fair and just bidding principles. If other bidders wish to raise questions on-site, they can do so together. They can also submit written questions to the emergency command team during the five-day public notice period."
Ma Yun's eyes flickered, and he was considering whether to interject and fan the flames when he heard Chen Wei's steady voice beside him: "Didi has no objection to the results of the technical competition."
!!!
The two Ma turned their eyes to Chen Wei.
They are very familiar with Chen Wei.
Chen Wei was originally from Ali. After founding Didi, he received support and investment from Penguin. After the subsidy war a year ago, SuDi and Didi merged, and Ali became a shareholder of Didi.
But what’s interesting is that neither Ali nor Penguin actually has much influence on Didi.
In essence, Didi and they actually take different paths.
Chen Wei didn't raise any questions?
What's going on?
What are you guys here for? To bid for me?
Ma Yun, who originally wanted to open his mouth to join in the conversation, closed his mouth again.
Something is not right. Let's wait and see.
Qiu Hongyi glared at Chen Wei.
You treacherous villain! Didn’t you say that Didi was determined to acquire Qianxun’s map business?
Could it be that they made some PY transaction in private?
"Hehe." Fang Yu chuckled, took two steps, and came to Qiu Hongyi.
What does this guy want to do? Is he really going to hit someone?
Qiu Hongyi straightened her neck with an indifferent expression. She glanced at the emergency exit from the corner of her eye, but found that Fang Yu did not make any other movements. He just lowered his head and said in a very low voice:
"You're right, it was indeed me who did it."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Qiu Hongyi's face changed drastically, her body shook violently, and she almost fell to the ground.
What he just said was complete nonsense. This kind of failure could not be caused by an external attack.
Did he really do it?! Is this true?
He just admitted it like that? Aren't you afraid that I'll tell everyone?
Didn’t Chihiro notice anything at all?
If it is true, how did Youzi Technology do it?
No, these are not important. Since he has admitted it, I will expose him now!
Qiu Hongyi was about to open her mouth to scold when she heard Fang Yu's voice again.
"Hudson, Robespierre, Dingxin, Qiming, Lion City, plus a publicly known 'Balance Point'. Mr. Qiu better be careful next time he moves funds. If these trusts are 'hit,' you might not even have money to rent an apartment."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Qiu Hongyi looked up suddenly, but saw Fang Yu smiling with a hint of contempt on his lips.
"Boss Qiu, take care of yourself."
(End of this chapter)
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