JP5117366B2 - Program supply device, program supply method, and optical drive including the program supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a program supply apparatus that mediates between a host computer and an optical drive and causes a host computer to execute processing based on a predetermined program at the time of booting, and an optical drive including the program supply apparatus.

  In recent years, as the recording capacity of optical discs has increased, there are also many opportunities to start up the OS using an optical drive in order to share the operating system (OS) environment of computers between different computers. .

  However, there are many differences between an optical drive that uses an optical disk as a recording medium and a hard disk drive that uses a magnetic disk as a recording medium, and there are some problems with OS startup processing using an optical drive.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known as techniques for solving some of these problems.

The technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the throughput of the optical disk device is lower than that of a hard disk device, including the problem that new hardware or software is required to connect the optical disk device to a computer. This is a technique for solving the problem that the processing speed during the write operation of the optical disk apparatus is significantly reduced as compared with the hard disk apparatus. In addition, the technique described in Patent Document 2 does not fix the emulation mode in accordance with the hard disk input / output processing prepared by the host computer OS in order to make the optical disk drive look like a hard disk drive. It is a technology that improves the degree of freedom.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-19975 (released on January 29, 1993) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-328761 (published on December 13, 1996)

  However, there are problems other than the problems solved in Patent Documents 1 and 2 for starting up the OS using an optical drive. Below, the problem which cannot be solved even if it uses the technique of patent document 1 and 2 is demonstrated.

  When the OS is started, that is, when a host computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a host PC) is turned on, the host PC first initializes each device connected to itself. Since the OS is normally recorded in the hard disk drive, the host PC sends a command (IDENTIFY DEVICE command) for inquiring specific information including its own recording capacity information to the hard disk drive via the ATA. Then, initialization is executed in response to a response from the hard disk drive to the transmitted IDENTIFY DEVICE command. When the initialization of the hard disk drive is completed, the host PC loads the OS from the recording medium by executing a program (bootstrap loader) stored in an MBR (Mater Boot Record) read from the hard disk drive.

  At this time, the hard disk drive needs to notify (transmit) a response to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command transmitted from the host PC within a few seconds (generally within 1 to 2 seconds). Usually, in a disk-shaped recording medium, information can be read only after the rotation of the recording medium is stabilized. However, since it is impossible to take out the installed recording media in the hard disk drive, this problem is cleared by responding to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command using a fixed value that is predetermined as its recording capacity information. is doing.

  However, in the optical drive, unlike the hard disk drive, it is possible to replace (take out) the mounted recording medium (that is, the optical disk). Therefore, it is necessary to check the recording capacity information (hereinafter also referred to as media information) of the mounted optical disk, and it is impossible to respond using a predetermined fixed value as in a hard disk drive. That is, in the case of an optical drive, the media information of the mounted optical disk cannot be acquired until the rotation of the optical disk is stabilized.

  As described above, in the case of an optical drive, since a response to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command cannot be made within a predetermined time, it is processed as a device recognition error in the host PC. That is, it is determined as a defective device in the host PC. As a matter of course, the OS startup process using the optical drive is stopped at this point.

  As described above, unlike the hard disk drive, the optical drive has a problem in that it cannot notify the host PC of the media information of the optical disk mounted within several seconds after the power is turned on. Yes.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to supply a predetermined program to a host PC while avoiding an optical drive recognition error that occurs at the time of initialization of a boot device. The present invention is to realize a program supply apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, a program supply apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A program supply apparatus that supplies a predetermined program to a host computer that loads an operating system from an optical drive, and that inquires about unique information of a device having a recording medium having a program for loading the operating system. When the above command is received from the host computer, unique information output means for outputting virtual unique information with the recording capacity of the recording medium as a predetermined dummy value, and a second command for reading the sector storing the program, And a program output means for outputting a predetermined dummy program when received from the host computer.

  The program supply apparatus according to the present invention sets the recording capacity of the recording medium to a predetermined dummy value in response to the first command inquiring about the unique information of the device having the recording medium having the program for loading the OS. A second command that outputs virtual unique information and reads a sector (hereinafter also referred to as a boot sector) that stores a program for loading an OS from a virtual recording medium mounted on a device having virtual unique information. On the other hand, a predetermined dummy program is supplied.

  In the program supply apparatus according to the present invention, when the first command transmitted from the host PC is received, the recording capacity of the recording medium is responded as a predetermined dummy value. Can be returned within.

  Further, in the program supply apparatus according to the present invention, when a command (second command) for reading information from a virtual recording medium mounted on a device having virtual unique information is received, a predetermined dummy program is output. Even a device having virtual unique information can avoid problems when reading information. In addition, it is possible to cause the host PC to execute processing corresponding to the dummy program output for the second command.

  Therefore, the program supply apparatus according to the present invention can supply a predetermined program to the host PC while avoiding an optical drive recognition error that occurs when a device connected to the host PC is initialized. There is an effect.

  In the program supply device according to the present invention, the dummy program output from the program output means may be determined whether or not the acquisition process of the recording capacity information of the recording medium mounted on the optical drive is completed from the optical drive. It is preferable that the program controls the host computer so as to inquire the program supply apparatus at regular intervals.

  According to said structure, there exists an effect which can produce the time (Wait time) for acquiring the recording capacity information of the recording medium mounted in the optical drive.

  In the program supply device according to the present invention, an acquisition unit that acquires recording capacity information of a recording medium mounted on the optical drive from the optical drive, and completion of the acquisition process of the recording capacity information in the acquisition unit is performed on the host. Notification means for notifying the computer, and the specific information output means receives the first command from the host computer that has been reset in response to the notification from the notification means. It is preferable to output unique information in which the recording capacity of the recording medium is the recording capacity information acquired by the acquisition means.

  According to the above configuration, the host PC resets information related to a device having virtual unique information, triggered by reception of a notification indicating that the recording capacity information of the recording medium mounted on the optical drive has been acquired. . That is, the information regarding the dummy device is reset. As a result, in the host PC, the initialization process of the connected device is executed again.

  At this time, it is possible to respond to the first command received from the host PC using the recording capacity information of the recording medium installed in the optical drive. That is, the host PC can recognize a device having a recording capacity of a recording medium mounted on the optical drive.

  As a result, when the OS is started up from a recording medium (that is, an optical disk) mounted on the optical drive using the above configuration, a special operation such as rewriting information on the boot sector is not required. The OS can be started from the optical disk. Therefore, even if it is a user unfamiliar with computer operation, there exists an effect that starting of OS from an optical disk can be performed easily.

  The program supply apparatus according to the present invention further includes a storage unit that stores the recording capacity information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the unique information output unit stores the recording capacity acquired by the acquisition unit in the storage unit. When the information is stored, the unique information using the recording capacity information is output. When the recording capacity information acquired by the acquiring unit is not stored in the storage unit, a predetermined dummy value is set. It is preferable to output the virtual unique information used.

  According to said structure, the recording capacity information of the acquired recording medium can be memorize | stored in a memory | storage part. Therefore, when the recording capacity information of the recording medium is stored in the storage unit, it is possible to respond to the first command from the host PC using the recording capacity information stored in the storage unit.

  Thus, for example, when the OS is started from the optical disk, it is possible to respond to the first command from the host PC within a predetermined time, so that the recording capacity information of the optical disk is obtained while the host PC is processing the dummy program. The acquisition process can be skipped. That is, there is an effect that the time required for loading the OS can be shortened.

  In the program supply apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the predetermined program output from the program output means is a diagnostic program for the optical drive.

  According to said structure, there exists an effect which can perform the self-diagnosis process of an optical disk drive with respect to host PC.

  The program supply apparatus according to the present invention preferably further includes a switch for switching a predetermined program output by the program output means.

  According to said structure, the predetermined program output from a program output means can be suitably changed according to a switch. As a result, the host PC can be made to execute processing according to various types of programs at the time of booting.

  An optical drive provided with the program supply device according to the present invention is also included in the scope of the present invention.

  In the optical drive according to the present invention, the storage unit that detects that the mounted recording medium is removed and stores the recording capacity information of the recording medium at the time that the recording medium is detected is detected. From the above, it is preferable to further include detection means for erasing the recording capacity information of the removed recording medium.

  According to the above configuration, when the recording medium mounted on the optical drive is removed, the recording capacity information of the removed recording medium is erased.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the recording capacity information of the wrong recording medium from being transmitted to the host PC.

In order to solve the above problems, a program supply method in a program supply apparatus according to the present invention is as follows.
A program supply method in a program supply apparatus for supplying a predetermined program to a host computer that loads an operating system from an optical drive, wherein a first command for inquiring specific information of a device on which a recording medium is installed A unique information output step of outputting virtual unique information with the recording capacity of the recording medium as a predetermined dummy value when loaded from the recording medium, and for loading an operating system on the virtual recording medium mounted on the device having the virtual unique information And a program output step of outputting a predetermined dummy program when a second command for reading the sector storing the information is received from the host computer.

  According to said structure, there exists an effect similar to the program supply apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Further, a program for operating the program supply apparatus according to the present invention, which is characterized in that the computer is driven as each of the above-described means and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded. Included in the category.

  As described above, the program supply apparatus according to the present invention sets the recording capacity of the recording medium in response to the first command for inquiring the unique information of the device equipped with the recording medium having the program for loading the operating system. A predetermined dummy program is supplied to specific information output means for outputting virtual specific information having a predetermined dummy value and a second command for reading a sector storing a program for loading an operating system.

  Thus, the program supply apparatus according to the present invention can cause the host PC to execute processing based on a predetermined program while avoiding an optical drive recognition error that occurs when the device is initialized. Play.

  An embodiment of an optical drive provided with a program supply device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Configuration of Optical Drive Device 100)
The configuration of the optical drive provided with the program supply device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of an optical drive device 100 including a boot control unit 120 (program supply device).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical drive device 100 includes an interface 110, a boot control unit 120, a disk ejection detection unit 130, an ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140, and an optical drive unit 150. These members will be described below.

  The optical disk 151 mounted on the host computer 200 (hereinafter referred to as the host PC 200) and the optical drive 150 shown in FIG. 1 is not a member constituting the optical drive device 100, but facilitates understanding of the present invention. Therefore, it is shown in FIG. 1 for convenience.

(Interface 110)
The interface 110 transmits and receives information between the host PC 200 and the optical drive device 100. A bus (data line) extending from the interface 110 is connected to the optical drive unit 150 via the boot control unit 120 or from the boot control unit 120 via the ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140.

  Examples of the standard of the interface 110 include ATA (AT attachment). Note that the ATA may use SATA (Serial AT attachment), which is a serial ATA transfer method, or may use ATA, which is a parallel transfer method.

(Boot control unit 120)
The boot control unit 120 mediates reading of data in the optical drive unit 150 from the host PC 200 before the OS is started, that is, at the time of booting. As shown in FIG. 1, the boot control unit 120 includes a control unit 121, a response unit 122, a program output unit 123, a program storage unit 124, a media information acquisition unit 125, a notification unit 126, a storage unit 127, and a switch 128. Yes. Each of these members provided in the boot control unit 120 will be described below.

(Control unit 121)
The control unit 121 controls the overall processing in the boot control unit 120. That is, various commands input from the host PC 200 to the optical drive device 100 via the interface 110 before the OS is started are first input to the control unit 121. The control unit 121 allocates processing to each member in accordance with various input commands.

(Response unit 122)
When the response unit 122 receives a command (hereinafter, referred to as an IDENTIFY DEVICE command) for inquiring specific information of the hard disk from the host PC 200, the response unit 122 stores the value of the recording capacity information of the mounted recording medium in the storage unit 127. Respond with the value that is present.

  In response to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command from the host PC 200, the response unit 122 responds using the true value when the storage unit 127 records the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151, and is not recorded. Is responded using a dummy value recorded in advance.

(Program output unit 123, program storage unit 124)
The program output unit 123 outputs a program stored in the program storage unit 124 in response to a program read request from the host PC 200 for a recording medium recognized according to the value output from the response unit 122.

  The program storage unit 124 is a memory that stores a program output from the program output unit 123. When a plurality of programs are stored in the program storage unit 124, the output program is determined according to the switch 128 provided in the boot control unit 120.

(Media information acquisition unit 125)
The media information acquisition unit 125 acquires media information including the value of the recording capacity of the optical disc 151 from the optical disc 151 mounted on the optical drive unit 150.

(Notification unit 126)
The notification unit 126 outputs completion information indicating that the media information reading process in the media information acquisition unit 125 is completed to the host PC 200 via the interface 110.

(Storage unit 127)
The storage unit 127 is a memory that stores the value of the recording capacity of the optical disk 151 mounted on the optical drive unit 150. The storage unit 127 is virtually divided into two storage areas. One storage area stores a dummy value, and the other storage area stores a true value. It only has to be. At this time, it is preferable that the storage area in which the dummy value is stored is set so that data cannot be rewritten, and the storage area in which the true value is stored is set so that data can be rewritten. .

  In this embodiment, the case where the dummy value and the true value are stored in one storage unit is described as an example. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the storage unit storing the dummy value and the true value are not limited thereto. And a storage unit for storing values. In this case, the storage unit that stores the true value may be a volatile memory.

(Switch 128)
The switch 128 is for determining a program to be output from the program output unit 123. That is, the program read from the program storage unit 124 is appropriately changed by appropriately switching the switch 128. The switch 128 can be rephrased as a switch for switching a mode executed in the host PC 200.

  Although FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the switch 128 is provided in the boot control unit 120, the present invention is not limited to this and may be provided in the optical drive device 100.

(Disc removal detection unit 130)
The disk removal detection unit 130 detects that the optical disk mounted on the optical drive unit 150 has been removed. The removal of the optical disk is detected by pressing a switch (a so-called eject button) for removing the optical disk provided in the optical drive unit 150.

(ATA / ATAPI converter 140)
The ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140 converts an ATA command output from the host PC 200 and input via the interface 110 and the boot control unit 120 into an ATAPI command.

  At this time, since the capacity per sector specified by the ATA command is different from the capacity per sector specified by the ATAPI command, the ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140 starts from the area specified based on the ATAPI command. Information recorded in the area corresponding to the area specified by the ATA command is extracted from the read information.

(Optical drive unit 150)
The optical drive unit 150 executes reading of data from the mounted optical disk 151 and writing of data to the optical disk 151.

(Program execution processing in the optical drive device 100)
Next, program execution processing in the optical drive device 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as an example of a program execution process in the optical drive apparatus 100, an OS startup process from the optical disc 151 will be described as an example. Accordingly, FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing the OS startup processing operation in the optical drive device 100. FIG.

  Here, the OS activation process from the optical disk 151 in the optical drive apparatus 100 is roughly divided into three processes: a unique information transmission process using a dummy value, a true value acquisition process, and a unique information transmission process using a true value. It can be classified into one process. In the present embodiment, each of the three processes in the OS startup process will be described in detail below.

(Transmission processing of unique information using dummy values)
First, unique information transmission processing using dummy values will be described. The unique information transmission process using the dummy value is a process performed based on execution of a basic input / output system (BIOS) in the host PC 200.

  When a power source (not shown) provided in the host PC 200 is turned on, power is supplied to the host PC 200 (step S1) and power is also supplied to the optical drive device 100 (step S2). That is, both the host PC 200 and the optical drive device 100 are turned on.

  As the power is turned on, the host PC 200 initializes devices connected to the host PC 200. At this time, the host PC 200 transmits a command for inquiring specific information of a device connected to the own apparatus via the interface 110 (step S3). In this embodiment, since the optical drive device 100 is connected to the host PC 200 via the ATA, the command transmitted here is an “IDENTIFY DEVICE” command in the ATA command.

  The control unit 121 in the optical drive device 100 that has received the IDENTIFY DEVICE command from the host PC 200 instructs the response unit 122 to respond to the received IDENTIFY DEVICE command. Upon receiving the instruction, the response unit 122 determines whether or not the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151 is stored in the storage unit 127 (step S4). When the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151 is stored in the storage unit 127 (Yes in step S4), the response unit 122 reads the true value from the storage unit 127, and the recording capacity information of the mounted recording medium As a response (step S17 in FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, when the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151 is not stored in the storage unit 127 (No in step S4), the response unit 122 stores the storage unit 127 as the recording capacity information of the mounted recording medium. A response is made using the predetermined dummy value (step S5). When the response unit 122 responds to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command using a dummy value, the control unit 121 instructs the media information acquisition unit 125 to acquire media information including recording capacity information from the optical disc 151. In response to the instruction from the control unit 121, the media information acquisition unit 125 starts acquiring media information from the optical disc 151 (step S6). More specifically, the media information acquisition unit 125 instructs the optical drive unit 150 to read the media information of the optical disc 151 mounted, and the optical drive unit 150 that has received the instruction receives the media information from the optical disc 151. read out.

  The host PC 200 that has received the dummy value recognizes the optical drive device 100 as a device on which a recording medium having a recording capacity according to the dummy value is mounted (step S7). For example, if the optical drive device 100 responds to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command that it is a hard disk drive having a recording capacity of 10 GB, the host PC 200 determines that the recording medium mounted on the optical drive device 100 is 10 GB. And the optical drive device 100 is recognized as a hard disk. Subsequently, the host PC 200 transmits an MBR read command to the optical drive device 100 in order to read the MBR from the recognized dummy device (step S8).

  Here, the MBR is information recorded in an area of 0 to 512 bytes of a recording medium in a hard disk drive. Therefore, the read command for reading the MBR is synonymous with the command for reading the information recorded in the area from 0 to 512 bytes of the recording medium.

  The control unit 121 in the optical drive device 100 that has received the read command for reading the MBR instructs the program output unit 123 to transmit a predetermined dummy program to the host PC 200. In response to the instruction from the control unit 121, the program output unit 123 reads the dummy program from the program storage unit 124 (step S9), and transmits the read dummy program to the host PC 200 via the interface 110 (step S10).

  Here, the dummy program read from the program storage unit 124 in the OS activation process from the optical disk 151 is completed for the optical drive device 100 to complete the process of acquiring the true value of the media information on the optical disk 151 at regular intervals. It is a program that transmits an inquiry command for inquiring whether or not. In other words, the program controls the host PC 200 to inquire about the completion of the media information acquisition process in step S6.

  Steps S1 to S10 described above are processes performed based on the execution of the BIOS in the host PC 200, and are classified into transmission processes of specific information using dummy values. That is, the unique information transmission process using the dummy value is a process for causing the host PC 200 to recognize the dummy device mainly in order to avoid a device recognition error.

(True value acquisition process)
Next, true value acquisition processing will be described. The host PC 200 that has received the inquiry program (dummy program) transmitted from the optical drive device 100 executes the received inquiry program, and obtains media information from the optical drive device 100 at regular intervals according to the executed program. An inquiry command for inquiring the completion of is transmitted (step S11).

  On the other hand, the optical drive device 100 determines whether the media information acquisition process of the optical disc 151 in the media information acquisition unit 125 is completed (step S12). When the media information acquisition process of the optical disc 151 in the media information acquisition unit 125 is not completed (No in step S12), the media information acquisition unit 125 continues the media information acquisition process of the optical disc 151. In this case, “False” is returned in response to the inquiry command from the host PC 200. When the response from the optical drive 200 is False, the host PC 200 transmits the inquiry command again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  When the media information acquisition process of the optical disc 151 in the media information acquisition unit 125 is completed (Yes in step S12), the notification unit 126 confirms that the media information acquisition process has been completed in response to the inquiry command from the host PC 200. The completion information to be represented (that is, “True”) is transmitted (step S13). At this time, the media information acquisition unit 125 stores the true value of the recording capacity information included in the media information of the optical disc 151 in the storage unit 127 (step S14).

  Steps S11 to S14 described above are classified into true value acquisition processing performed based on execution of the dummy program. That is, the true value acquisition process is a process for causing the host PC 200 to execute a predetermined process until the media information reading process of the optical disc 151 is completed.

(Transmission processing of unique information using true value)
Next, unique information transmission processing using a true value will be described. Since the recording medium of the optical drive device 100 (recognized as a dummy device by the host PC 200) currently complies with the dummy value, it must be changed to a recording medium recognized according to the true value.

  Upon receiving the completion information from the optical drive device 100, the host PC 200 executes a reset process (step S15). Subsequently, the host PC 200 transmits an IDENTIFY DEVICE command via the interface 110 in order to initialize the optical drive device 100 connected to the host PC 200, similarly to step S3 (step S16).

  The control unit 121 in the optical drive device 100 that has received the IDENTIFY DEVICE command from the host PC 200 instructs the response unit 122 to respond to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command. The response unit 122 responds to the recording capacity information of the mounted recording medium using the true value of the recording capacity information acquired by the media information acquisition unit 125 (the true value stored in the storage unit 127) (step S17). ). If the true value of the recording capacity information is already stored in the storage unit 127 in step S4 (Yes in step S4), the process in step S17 is executed.

  Receiving the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151, the host PC 200 recognizes the recording medium according to the received true value (step S18). Subsequently, the host PC 200 transmits an MBR read command to the optical drive device 100 in order to read the MBR from the recording medium (step S19).

  At this time, the optical drive device 100 responds using its true recording capacity, but makes the host PC 200 recognize that it is a hard disk drive. That is, an instruction is transmitted from the host PC 200 using an ATA command, and the optical drive apparatus 100 converts the received ATA command into an ATAPI command in the ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140 and processes it. Further, since the optical drive device 100 responds using the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151, it does not output a dummy program as in the processes in steps S9 and S10. That is, an MBR read command transmitted from the host PC 200 is input to the ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140 via the interface 110 and the boot control unit 120.

  The optical drive device 100 is. Although it is recognized as a hard disk drive in the host PC 200, in the present embodiment, it is consistently displayed as the optical drive device 100.

  The ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140 sends the MBR read command input as the ATA command to the sector corresponding to the MBR on the optical disc 151 (that is, the sector corresponding to the area from 0 to 512 bytes of the recording medium in the hard disk drive; , Which is also referred to as a boot sector) is converted into an ATAPI command for reading information. The ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140 converts the ATA command into the ATAPI command, and then instructs the optical drive 150 to read information from the optical disk 151 based on the converted ATAPI command.

  Upon receiving the instruction from the ATA / ATAPI conversion unit 140, the optical drive unit 150 reads the boot sector from the optical disc 151 (step S20). Information stored in the read boot sector (that is, information on the boot sector) is transmitted to the host PC 200 via the boot control unit 120 and the interface 110 (step S21). At this time, information on the boot sector is transmitted from the interface 110 to the host PC 200 through the boot control unit 120.

  The host PC 200 that has read the boot sector executes a bootstrap loader that is one piece of information on the boot sector (step S22). Then, the host PC 200 loads the OS from the optical disk 151 based on the executed bootstrap loader (step S23). Hereinafter, since the host PC 200 boots the OS using the same algorithm as the conventional one, the following description of the OS boot process is omitted in this embodiment.

  Steps S15 to S23 described above are classified as optical drive resetting processes. The optical drive resetting process is also a process performed based on the execution of the BIOS in the host PC 200, similarly to the dummy value transmission process.

  The “boot sector” in this specification and the like refers to a part that stores a code such as a boot program in a recording medium, and is not limited to the boot sector in a PC / AT compatible machine. The recording medium is not limited to a magnetic disk, but includes a case where it is an optical disk.

(Advantages of the optical drive device 100)
As described above, the boot control unit 120 provided in the optical drive device 100 performs a predetermined process in response to an IDENTIFY DEVICE command that inquires about unique information of a device having a recording medium having a program for loading the OS. A boot sector that stores a program for loading an OS from a recording medium that responds using a dummy value and is loaded in a dummy device (virtual device recognized by the dummy value) recognized by the host PC 200 as a result of the response In response to the read request, a predetermined dummy program is supplied.

  In the optical drive device 100, a response to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command transmitted from the host PC 200 can be returned within a predetermined time. Further, the optical drive apparatus 100 is a dummy device in order to supply a predetermined dummy program in response to a boot sector read request from a recording medium mounted on a virtual device recognized by the host PC 200 as a result of the response. However, it is possible to avoid problems when reading the program. Further, it is possible to cause the host PC 200 to execute processing corresponding to the output dummy program.

  Thus, the optical drive apparatus 100 causes the host PC 200 to execute processing based on a predetermined program while avoiding an optical drive recognition error that occurs when a device connected to the host PC 200 is initialized. Can do.

  Further, the host PC 200 resets information related to the dummy device recognized by the host PC 200, triggered by reception of a notification indicating that the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151 has been acquired. As a result, in the host PC 200, initialization of the connected device is executed again.

  At this time, the boot control unit 120 can respond to the second IDENTIFY DEVICE command from the host PC 200 using the true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disc 151. That is, the correct recording capacity of the optical disk 151 mounted on the optical drive device 100 can be recognized by the host PC 200.

  As a result, the OS can be booted from the optical disk 151 without requiring a special operation such as rewriting information on the boot sector. Therefore, even a user who is unfamiliar with computer operations can easily start the OS from the optical disc 151. Further, it is not necessary to modify the host PC 200 when starting up the OS from the optical disc drive apparatus 100.

  In addition, the storage unit 127 of the boot control unit 120 provided in the optical drive apparatus 100 can store the true value of the acquired recording capacity information of the optical disc.

  Thus, if the optical value has a true value stored in the storage unit 127, the true value stored in the storage unit 127 is used in response to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command from the host PC 200 without using a dummy value. Can respond. That is, when the true value is stored in the storage unit 127, the time required for starting up the OS can be shortened.

(Erase of recording capacity information in storage unit 127)
The true value of the recording capacity information of the optical disk 151 stored in the storage unit 127 is preferably erased when the optical disk 151 is taken out from the optical drive device 100. The true value erasing process of the recording capacity information stored in the storage unit 127 will be described below.

  When an optical disk eject button provided in the optical drive device 100 is pressed, the disc eject detection unit 130 determines that the optical disc 151 is ejected from the optical drive device 100. When detecting that the optical disk 151 has been removed, the disk ejection detecting unit 130 erases the value of the recording capacity information of the optical disk 151 stored in the storage unit 127.

  As described above, each time the removal of the optical disk is detected, the value of the recording capacity information stored in the storage unit 127 is deleted, so that the host PC 200 is mounted when a new optical disk different from the optical disk 151 is mounted. Can be prevented from responding to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command transmitted by using the value of the recording capacity information of the optical disk 151.

  If the removal of the optical disk is not executed, the value of the recording capacity information of the optical disk continues to be stored in the storage unit 127. In this case, as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, since the response process using the dummy value can be skipped, the time required for the OS startup process can be shortened.

  The detection of the removal of the optical disk is not limited to the detection by pressing the eject button of the optical disk, but may be detected by other methods.

(Processing when no optical disk is installed)
When no optical disk is mounted on the optical drive device 100, the media information acquisition unit 125 cannot acquire the media information of the optical disk as a matter of course. In this case, a loop occurs in the processing in step S11, and “True” cannot be responded to the inquiry command from the host PC 200.

  Therefore, it is preferable that the host PC 200 determines that no optical disc is mounted in the optical drive device 100 when the media information acquisition by the media information acquisition unit 125 is not completed even after a predetermined time. That is, when the number of “False” returned in response to the inquiry command related to media information acquisition is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the host PC 200 determines that no optical disc is mounted on the optical drive device 100.

  In this case, the host PC 200 notifies the user that an optical disk is not mounted on the optical drive device 100 and requests the mounting of the optical disk. The notification that the optical disk is not mounted and the request for mounting the optical disk may be displayed, for example, by characters or images on a display monitor provided in the host PC 200, or by voice from a speaker provided in the host PC 200. You may make it notify. Alternatively, the user may be notified by turning on (or blinking) a predetermined LED or the like.

  Further, the optical drive device 100 may determine whether or not an optical disk is mounted when the power is turned on. If the optical drive device 100 determines that the optical disk is mounted, the optical drive device 100 may respond to the IDENTIFY DEVICE command from the host PC 200.

  When the power is turned on, it is determined whether or not the OS program is stored in the mounted optical disk. If the OS program is not stored, the user is notified accordingly. Good.

(Modified example of program executed in host PC 200)
The dummy program that can be executed by the host PC 200 is not limited to the inquiry program exemplified in the above-described operation processing.

  Another example of the dummy program that can be executed by the host PC 200 is a diagnostic program for the optical disc drive apparatus 100.

  In this case, instead of the processing in steps S9 and S10 in FIG. 2, the program output unit 123 reads the diagnostic program from the program storage unit 124 and transmits the read diagnostic program to the host PC 200.

  Then, the host PC 200 that has received the diagnostic program executes the received diagnostic program instead of the processing in steps S9 and S10 in FIG. 2, and starts diagnosis of the optical drive device 100. In this case, the OS startup process is not executed, and only the self-diagnosis process of the optical drive device 100 is executed.

(Determination of program to be executed in host PC 200)
As described above, when a plurality of programs are stored in the program storage unit 124, which program is read from the program storage unit 124 is determined by the switch 128 provided in the boot control unit 120.

  That is, when the switch 128 is set to the OS startup mode side, the program output unit 123 reads the inquiry program from the program storage unit 124 as a dummy program as described in step S9 in FIG. Send to. On the other hand, when the switch 128 is set to the self-diagnosis mode side, the program output unit 123 reads the diagnostic program from the program storage unit 124 as a dummy program instead of steps S9 and S10 in FIG. Send to.

  The switch 128 may have any shape as long as it can be appropriately switched by the user. For example, each mode may be switched by a button.

  In the above description, the case where the switch 128 can switch between two modes of the OS startup mode and the self-diagnosis mode has been described. However, the switch 128 may be a switch that can be switched to three or more modes.

(Additional notes)
In the present embodiment, the case where the boot control unit 120 is provided in the optical drive device 100 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The boot control unit 120 may be a device independent of the optical drive device 100.

  In this case, the program supply device is arranged at a position where the host PC and the optical drive device are intermediated. Therefore, in the dummy value transmission process described above, information is transmitted and received only between the host PC and the program supply device. In the true value acquisition process described above, information is transmitted and received only between the program supply device and the optical drive device. Finally, in the above-described optical drive device resetting process, information is transmitted and received only between the host PC and the optical drive device.

(Program and recording medium)
Finally, the control unit 121, response unit 122, program output unit 123, media information acquisition unit 125, and notification unit 126 included in the boot control unit 120 may be configured by hardware logic. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit) such as an MPU as follows.

  That is, the control unit 121, the response unit 122, the program output unit 123, the media information acquisition unit 125, and the notification unit 126 included in the boot control unit 120 are a CPU such as an MPU that executes instructions of a program that realizes each function. A ROM (Read Only Memory) storing a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program into an executable format, and a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory storing the program and various data Yes.

  The object of the present invention is not limited to the case where the program is fixedly carried in the program memory of the control unit 121, the response unit 122, the program output unit 123, the media information acquisition unit 125, and the notification unit 126. A recording medium recording a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, or source program) of the program is supplied to the boot control unit 120, and the boot control unit 120 reads the program code recorded on the recording medium This can also be achieved by executing.

  The recording medium is not limited to a specific structure or type. That is, the recording medium includes, for example, a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, and an optical disk such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. System, a card system such as an IC card (including a memory card) / optical card, or a semiconductor memory system such as a mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Further, even if the boot control unit 120 (or the optical drive device 100) is configured to be connectable to a communication network, the object of the present invention can be achieved. In this case, the program code is supplied to the boot control unit 120 via the communication network. The communication network is not limited to a specific type or form as long as it can supply the program code to the boot control unit 120. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication network, etc. may be used.

  The transmission medium constituting the communication network may be any medium that can transmit the program code, and is not limited to a specific configuration or type. For example, even with wired lines such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line, infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth (registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone It can also be used by radio such as a telephone network, a satellite line, and a terrestrial digital network. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The optical drive device provided with the boot control unit according to the present invention can be suitably used as a general optical drive such as a CD drive, a DVD drive, and a BD drive.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the optical drive apparatus provided with the boot control part. 6 is a flowchart illustrating OS startup processing in an optical drive device including a boot control unit. 6 is a flowchart illustrating OS startup processing in an optical drive device including a boot control unit.

Explanation of symbols

100 Optical drive device (optical drive)
110 interface 120 boot control unit (program supply device)
121 Control unit 122 Response unit (unique information output means)
123 Program output unit 124 Program storage unit 125 Media information acquisition unit (acquisition means)
126 Notification Unit 127 Storage Unit 128 Switch 130 Disk Ejection Detection Unit (Detection Means)
140 ATA / ATAPI converter 150 Optical drive 151 Optical disc 200 Host computer

Claims (11)

A program supply device that supplies a predetermined program to a host computer that loads an operating system from an optical drive,
When a first command for inquiring about unique information of a device equipped with a recording medium having a program for loading an operating system is received from the host computer, the virtual uniqueness with the recording capacity of the recording medium as a predetermined dummy value Specific information output means for outputting information;
A program output means for outputting a predetermined dummy program when a second command for reading a sector storing the program is received from the host computer;
A program supply apparatus comprising:   The dummy program that is output from the program output unit is configured to determine whether or not the processing for acquiring the recording capacity information of the recording medium mounted on the optical drive from the optical drive has been completed. 2. The program supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program supply apparatus controls the host computer so as to make an inquiry every time. Acquisition means for acquiring a recording capacity value of a recording medium mounted on the optical drive from the optical drive;
Notification means for notifying the host computer of the completion of the recording capacity value acquisition process in the acquisition means,
The specific information output means, when receiving the first command from the host computer that has been reset in response to the notification from the notification means, the recording capacity value acquired by the acquisition means with the recording capacity value acquired by the acquisition means The program supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the unique information is output. A storage unit for storing the recording capacity value acquired by the acquisition unit;
When the recording capacity value obtained by the obtaining means is stored in the storage unit, the unique information output means outputs unique information using the recording capacity of the recording medium as the recording capacity value, and stores the storage capacity value. The virtual unique information with the recording capacity of the recording medium as a predetermined dummy value is output when the recording capacity value acquired by the acquisition means is not stored in the unit. Program supply device.   2. The program supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dummy program output from the program output means is a diagnostic program for the optical drive.   6. The program supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switch for switching a predetermined dummy program output from the program output means.   An optical drive comprising the program supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   When it is detected that the mounted recording medium is removed, and when the recording medium is detected, the recording capacity of the recording medium taken out from the storage unit that stores the recording capacity value of the recording medium is detected. 8. The optical drive according to claim 7, further comprising detection means for erasing the value. A program supply method in a program supply apparatus that supplies a predetermined program to a host computer that loads an operating system from an optical drive,
When a first command for inquiring about unique information of a device equipped with a recording medium having a program for loading an operating system is received from the host computer, the virtual uniqueness with the recording capacity of the recording medium as a predetermined dummy value A unique information output step for outputting information;
A program output step of outputting a predetermined dummy program when a second command for reading a sector storing the program is received from the host computer;
A program supply method comprising:   The program for operating the program supply apparatus of any one of Claim 1 to 6, Comprising: The program for functioning a computer as said each means.   A computer-readable recording medium in which the program according to claim 10 is recorded.

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