JP2935312B2 - Software implementation method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a software mounting system, and more particularly to a software mounting system in which software of a computer system is built in a detachable program-equipped extension device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, regarding software implementation of a computer system, software provided by a recording medium such as a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, a CD-ROM, or the like can be used by the computer system by inputting commands such as copying and saving. It was transferred to a magnetic disk and used. Furthermore, the system environment information necessary for the operation of these software is set by the user using an editor or a configuration support program for each piece of software to be used.

[0003]

In a conventional soft computer mounting system, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape,
Since a command was input to copy and save software recorded on the CD-ROM, an error in inputting this command sometimes prevented the software from being moved to a predetermined environment and caused a state in which the software did not operate. Further, even if the software is moved to a predetermined environment, it is necessary to set a plurality of system environment information necessary for the operation of the software. In many cases, an error in the setting makes the system inoperable or malfunctions. Furthermore, even if all of them are normally prepared, the main memory of the computer system to be used may be insufficient, and the computer may not be able to operate.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a data processing system in which a central processing unit, a main storage unit, and a file device are shared on a system bus, a software mounting method of the present invention is provided. An adapter is provided, and the switch on the expansion adapter is activated when the expansion device is installed, and after the power is turned on, the system environment file (system configuration information and device driver settings) is updated when the operating system starts, and the operating system recognizes the expansion. The device includes a file device on which software is recorded, a recording device necessary for operating the software, and a non-rewritable flash which records a program for setting and controlling a system environment necessary for operation of the software. Operating system with a recording device Beam of configured to generate a software operating environment stored in said additional device at startup.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in accordance with embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a central processing unit, 2
Denotes a system bus, and 3 denotes a main storage unit provided on the main unit side and used for OS operation, swap, window control, network management, and the like.

[0007] Instructions from outside the apparatus are input from a keyboard 6 through an input / output control unit 4 and the central processing unit 1
Is displayed on the display 5. There is a file device 8 for controlling the central processing unit 1 and recording and storing general software such as an OS, and is controlled by the file control unit 7. There is an extension adapter 9 for mounting the extension device 10 with a built-in program according to the present invention. The extension adapter 9 is connected to the system bus 2 and
And an interface for exchanging electrical signals with other control units connected similarly to the input control unit 4 and the file device control unit 7. However, this additional adapter 9
Has a switch for recognizing whether or not the built-in add-on device 10 is installed. When the built-in add-on device 10 is in the mounted state, a specific electric signal is turned on and can be controlled from the OS. State. An extension device 10 with a built-in program according to the present invention includes a storage device 11, a non-rewritable program-built-in device 12 having a built-in program, a file device 14 for recording software provided by the device, and a control device And a file control unit 13 for performing the operation.

The storage device 11, the storage device 12 with built-in program, and the file device 14 included in the extension device
From the viewpoint of the main storage 3 and the extension area of the file device 8, respectively, and can be accessed by exactly the same method. In the storage device 12 with built-in program, the system environment information necessary for operating the software of the file device 14 at the time of expansion is updated, and a procedure for saving old system environment information is recorded as a executable program. It starts up and performs processing according to an instruction from the OS that has recognized the state. The program written in the storage device 12 cannot be erased, and the OS can start the program written in the storage device 12 by calling a program start name (address). The capacities of the storage devices 11 and 12 and the file device 14 are sufficient for the operation of the software provided by this device, and there is no need to use the main storage unit 3 or the file device 8 for the operation of this software.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the hardware shown in the embodiment of the present apparatus. Therefore, the operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the extension device 10 with a built-in program is attached to the extension adapter 9, a switch indicating the attached state of the extension adapter 9 is turned on. The extension device 10 with a built-in program is mounted with the power of the main body turned off. For this reason, when a power supply in, for example, an input / output control unit of the main body is turned on, an interrupt signal indicating a mounting state is transmitted to the OS, and the storage device 1 in the extension device 10 with a built-in program is transmitted.
1, the program built-in storage device 12 and the file device 14 are configured to be usable. The extension state is recognized by the signal from the extension adapter 9, and the main storage capacity is expanded and the file device is reconfigured. (For example, in the case of the UNIX system, the expansion of the main memory reconfigures the core by issuing a make command, and the file device is added to the main unit by the main system by allocating the partition and mounting.) Further, after the OS is configured, The program for calling a program stored in the storage unit 12 in the extension device is given a name (or storage address) of a specific table (for example, AP_INSTL), and is automatically started by these calls. The activated program updates the system environment necessary for executing the software recorded in the file device 14 in the program-containing extension device 10 after setting it.

In setting the system environment, information at the time of expansion is saved in order to restore the apparatus to its original state after detachment. FIG. 3 shows an example in the UNIX system. UNIX
In the system, the execution environment of the application is recorded in / etc, but this content is given another name (for example, / etc_
OLD) and save ([B] in FIG. 3). The program started in the storage unit 12 in the extension system
Change, update, or add various information in / etc and environment variable settings. After setting these information, mount the file system required for the application (ap) (mo
unt) ([A] in FIG. 3) and root in FIG.
Primary file corresponding to (root) temp, us
The command is specified for r. In order to execute the software provided by the file device 14 when the above preparation is completed, the executable program is loaded into the storage device 11 and the display 5 shows that the executable program has been executed.

As described above, if the extension device is mounted and the power is turned on, the user can start using the provided software without any special operation. In normal operation, this expansion unit is used without detachment, so when the power is turned on again, the program built in the storage device checks that a series of work has been completed in the expansion state, and Do not work (no need to update because system environment information has already been rewritten). The detachment of this apparatus is performed in a state where the power supply of the main body is turned off as in the case of mounting. If the power is turned on and then turned on again, there is no system environment for expansion and a system error occurs. Since the switch of the extension adapter 9 is also turned off, it can be recognized that the extension adapter 9 is not in the extension state. If it is not in the expanded state, the storage unit and file system are degraded (system reorganization),
Further, the system environment information is restored as in the example of FIG. 3B, and is restored to the state before the expansion.

After the main unit is detached, if another extension device (the structure and the configuration are completely the same) in which another software is recorded is installed, the main unit is turned on and the built-in storage device 12 is used. The program recognizes the difference between the systems, and once restored to the state before the expansion, changed the configuration again and recommended a series of work.

[0014]

As described above, the present invention provides a file device that records provided software, its control unit,
Copying, saving, and environment setting with software implementation by making it a one-component extension device including a recording device necessary for operation and a device storing a program for automatically setting a system environment necessary for its execution. Has the effect that the operation can be omitted and the usable state can be made without mistake.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the hardware shown in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a directory configuration and saving and restoring when the present invention is applied to a UNIX system;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Central processing unit 2 System bus 3 Main storage unit 4 Input / output control unit 5 Display 6 Keyboard 7 File device control unit 8 File device 9 Extension adapter 10 Program built-in extension device 11 Storage device 12 Program built-in storage device 13 File control unit 14 File

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 9/06 G06F 3/00-3/06

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In a data processing system in which a central processing unit, a main storage unit, and a file device are shared on a system bus, an extension adapter for an extension device is provided on the system bus, and the extension adapter is mounted by mounting the extension device. A switch is activated to update the system environment file (system configuration information and device driver settings) when the operating system is started after the power is turned on. The operating system recognizes the expansion and the device is a file device on which software is recorded. And a recording device necessary for the operation of the software, a non-rewritable non-flash recording device recording a program for setting and controlling a system environment required for the operation of the software,
A software implementation method, wherein an operating environment of software stored in the extension device is generated when an operating system is started.