JP5407783B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

  Conventionally, in order to provide an optimal office environment for each customer, a system capable of adding or deleting an application for each customer has been studied. This added application includes those developed by various manufacturers. The addition should not impair the basic functions of the system.

  When a system is built with a process-based OS such as UNIX (registered trademark), it is common to divide the process at an appropriate granularity in order to improve the robustness of the system. However, when Java (registered trademark) is used as a development language, a plurality of applications are operated on a single virtual machine (JVM). In this case, although it is not realistic to divide the process with fine granularity, the robustness of the system can be improved by separating the virtual machines that operate each application. Here, robustness means that the program is resistant to errors and exceptions and does not easily run away.

  Therefore, in recent years, a multi virtual machine (MVM) has been proposed as a technique for operating a plurality of Java (registered trademark) virtual machines. By using this multi-VM technology and dividing VMs for each application, it is possible to suppress the influence of a certain application on other applications.

  By the way, an image processing apparatus currently exists as a kind of apparatus on which a plurality of applications are installed. In the image processing apparatus, not only various applications such as a FAX application and a copy application are mounted, but also various applications can be mounted according to a user request. As shown in cited document 1, the number of processes executed by a plurality of applications is collectively managed by a counter recording means.

  However, Cited Document 1 is a technique for counting the counts of a plurality of applications on a single computer, and when a plurality of virtual machines are operated on a single computer and the applications are started for each virtual machine. However, it does not describe the technology for counting the counts of each application.

  If an attempt is made to count the counts of applications that run on all VMs on a single VM in a multi-VM, the input data required to perform the count increases the data transfer amount between the VMs, and the execution speed There is a problem that decreases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program that improve processing efficiency in order to suppress a decrease in execution speed. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention operates an information processing apparatus that operates a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine that are realized by executing a program. The number of times the virtual machine has executed the process from the first storage means for storing the process count information indicating the number of processes performed in the virtual machine and the input information indicating the result of the process performed in the virtual machine. The second storage means for storing the conversion information to be converted into the execution frequency information indicating, and the first output means for outputting the conversion information stored in the second storage means to the second virtual machine And conversion means for converting the input information into execution frequency information on the second virtual machine according to the conversion information output by the first output means, and the execution frequency converted by the conversion means. Second output means for outputting information to the first virtual machine, and the first storage means from the first virtual machine based on the execution frequency information outputted by the second output means And writing means for writing the processing frequency information.

  An information processing method according to the present invention is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus that operates a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine realized by executing a program, The virtual machine performs the process from the first storage means for storing the processing count information indicating the number of times the processing has been performed in the virtual machine and the input information indicating the result of the processing performed in the virtual machine. Second storage means for storing conversion information to be converted into execution frequency information indicating the number of executions, and the first output means stores the conversion information stored in the second storage means, A first output step that outputs to the second virtual machine, and a conversion means executes execution time information from the input information on the second virtual machine according to the conversion information output by the first output step. Conversion to A conversion step; a second output unit that outputs the execution frequency information converted in the conversion step to the first virtual machine; and a writing unit that includes the second output unit. And a writing step of writing from the first virtual machine to the processing count information of the first storage unit based on the execution count information output by the output step.

  An information processing program according to the present invention is an information processing program executed by a computer that operates a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, and the computer is executed by a virtual machine. The first storage means for storing the processing count information indicating the processing count and the input information indicating the result of the processing performed in the virtual machine are converted into the execution count information indicating the number of times that the virtual machine has been executed. Second storage means for storing conversion information, first output means for outputting the conversion information stored in the second storage means to the second virtual machine, and the first Conversion means for converting the input information into execution frequency information on the second virtual machine in accordance with the conversion information output by the output means, and the execution frequency information converted by the conversion means. Of the first storage means from the first virtual machine based on the second output means for outputting to the first virtual machine and the execution frequency information outputted by the second output means It is made to function as a writing means for writing in the processing frequency information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in execution speed by reducing the amount of data input / output between virtual machines.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of input data according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a concept of a virtual machine that operates on the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table structure of the counter decision table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing conversion performed by the conversion unit of the record conversion control service. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating installation of data related to a counter for the HDD in the multi-function peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process performed by each virtual machine during normal startup in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process procedure until the count is written by the virtual machine in the multifunction machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral according to the modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral according to the modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating installation of an application to the slave VM in the multifunction machine according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process performed by each virtual machine during normal startup in the multifunction peripheral according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed in accordance with processing performed in each virtual machine. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral according to the modification example of the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral according to the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a determination method by the determination unit of the second slave VM on the multi-function peripheral according to the third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a program code illustrating a procedure for the determination unit to perform determination. FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 21 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the NAND flash memory and the NVRAM. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure of count browsing processing from count updating based on processing in the multi-function peripheral according to the present embodiment. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing at the time of count-up update in the multifunction machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP according to the first to fourth embodiments and modifications.

  Exemplary embodiments of an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an image forming apparatus to which an information processing program is applied will be described.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus is applied to a multifunction peripheral 100 having at least two functions among a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function will be described. The present invention can be applied to any image forming apparatus such as an apparatus or a facsimile apparatus.

  The MFP 100 includes a main OS 101, a virtual machine control unit 102, a common mechanism 103, a service group 104, and an application group 105 as software configurations, and can be used for various hardware resources via the engine I / F. It is accessible.

  The multi-function device 100 includes an HDD 151, a touch panel 152, a telephone line I / F 153, a scanner 154, a plotter 155, and other hardware resources 156 as hardware resources.

  The HDD 151 is a hardware resource for storing data. The HDD 151 stores, for example, data stored in a database. The telephone line I / F 153 is an interface for connecting to a telephone line.

  Next, the software configuration of the multifunction machine 100 will be described. The application group 105 includes a program group that operates on the virtual machine, and includes a copy application 131, a printer application 132, a FAX application 133, a user application 134, and a job controller 135. As described above, the MFP 100 stores, as the application group 105, a plurality of programs that provide functions in units that can be identified by the user.

  The copy application 131 is an application that supervises the processing from the scanning of an input paper document to the generation of a duplicate paper that duplicates the paper document. The printer application 132 is an application that controls processing until image data held or input by the multi-function peripheral 100 is output to recording paper. The FAX application 133 is an application that controls processing up to outputting a recording sheet on which image data is printed when image data input via the telephone line I / F 153 is input. The user application 134 is an application generated by the user and input from the plug-in management unit 111.

  The job controller 135 is a controller that controls the job execution order and the execution / interruption / lowest level of each job.

  In the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, the copy application 131, the printer application 132, the FAX application 133, and the user application 134 are assigned to an arbitrary virtual machine. A job controller 135 is assigned to each virtual machine. This makes it possible to manage jobs for each virtual machine.

  Each time the copy application 131, printer application 132, FAX application 133, and user application 134 perform processing, input data for counting the processing is output to the record conversion control service 121 of the service group 104. To do.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of input data. As shown in FIG. 2, the input data has a table structure in which keys and values are associated with each other. The input data shown in FIG. 2 stores information indicating the processing result for one printed printing sheet as input data output by the printer application 132. It is assumed that the input data output by other applications has a table structure in which keys and values are similarly associated with each other. Note that description of specific input data of other applications is omitted.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the main OS 101 is a program that manages hardware resources and software resources of the multifunction peripheral 100. The main OS 101 performs program startup, information reading control, storage control, and the like.

  The common mechanism 103 includes a program group that operates on a virtual machine, includes a plug-in management unit 111 and a history control unit 112, and includes addition, update, and deletion of components including an application stored in the application group 105. Check the validity.

  The plug-in management unit 111 controls addition, update, deletion, and confirmation of validity of components for the application group 105 and the service group 104.

  The history control unit 112 performs control to hold information indicating that component addition, update, deletion, and confirmation of validity have been performed as a history.

  In the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, by using the plug-in management unit 111, a customized application can be installed as a plug-in even by a manufacturer other than the manufacturer that provides the MFP 100. it can.

  The virtual machine control unit 102 performs control for operating a plurality of virtual machines on the main OS 101. An example of a virtual machine is a Java (registered trademark) virtual machine. In the present embodiment, a plurality of virtual machines can be operated by applying the multi-VM technology.

  That is, in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment, the user or the like can install the customized application by using the plug-in management unit 111. Since these installed customized applications cannot be managed by the multifunction peripheral 100, there are also poor quality applications. Since such an application may fail, it is preferable to assign a process for each application.

  However, the virtual machine operating on the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment operates in one process for each virtual machine. For this reason, when a plurality of applications are operated on a virtual machine (hereinafter also referred to as VM (Virtual Machine)), a process cannot be assigned for each application. Therefore, if one application falls, the entire virtual machine falls. Become. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the MFP 100 is operated on a different virtual machine for each application.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the concept of a virtual machine that operates on the multifunction peripheral 100. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the master VM 301A, the first slave VM 301B, and the second slave VM 301C are operated on the main OS 101 of the multifunction peripheral 100.

  The virtual machine is a program that causes a virtualized computer to be executed by flexibly dividing or integrating resources such as the CPU and memory of the multifunction peripheral 100 regardless of the physical configuration. For example, a Java (registered trademark) virtual machine that uses Java (registered trademark) as a programming language may be used as the virtual machine. This Java (registered trademark) virtual machine is realized by executing the virtual machine control unit 102 existing as an execution file on the main OS 101, reading a class file, and calling a method in the class.

  Then, the common mechanism 103, the service group 104, the job controller 135, and the application assigned to each VM are executed on the master VM 301A, the first slave VM 301B, and the second slave VM 301C, respectively. .

  A printer application 132 is assigned to the master VM 301A. Further, a copy application 131 and a FAX application 133 are allocated to the first slave VM 301B. Furthermore, the user application 134 is allocated to the second slave VM 301C. As described above, the number of applications assigned to each virtual machine is not limited to one, and a plurality of applications may be assigned.

  Data communication among the master VM 301A, the first slave VM 301B, and the second slave VM 301C is controlled by an IPC (Inter Process Communication) service 124 provided in each virtual machine.

  The common mechanism 103, the service group 104, and the application group 105 are a set of classes that operate on the VM, and when the class calls a class in the class library, software processing such as the above-described application is executed. The The source code programs of the common mechanism 103, the service group 104, and the application group 105 are compiled into an intermediate code byte code and loaded into the multi-function device 100. Each virtual machine interprets and executes the bytecode.

  The service group 104 includes a program group that operates on a virtual machine, and includes a record conversion control service 121, a database control service 122, a user interface 123, and an IPC service 124, and is stored in the application group 105. A program group in which parts commonly used by a plurality of applications are collected.

  The database control service 122 includes a writing unit 161, a reading unit 162, and a lock control unit 163, and performs access control on the database stored in the HDD 151.

  The writing unit 161 writes or updates data in the database stored in the HDD 151. For example, when the master VM 301A receives the execution count data from the slave VM, the writing unit 161 operating on the master VM 301A writes the execution count data in the HDD 151.

  The reading unit 162 reads data from the HDD 151. Further, the reading unit 162 may read table information from the HDD 151.

  For example, the reading unit 162 of the master VM 301A reads the counter decision table. The counter decision table is a table that converts input data from each application into execution frequency data indicating the number of times the processing has been executed based on the processing result included in the input data.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table structure of the counter decision table according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, input data keys, input data values, document printing, file printing, and the like are associated with each other.

  The key of the input data is data indicating each item of the processing result of each application. The value of the input data is a value associated with the key.

  The document is printed with a counter ID and width necessary for updating the counter table when the document is printed with the input data. In the file printing, when the file is printed with the input data, the counter ID and the count width necessary for updating the counter table are held.

  The counter table is a table stored in the HDD 151, and stores the number of processes performed in a plurality of virtual machines operating on the multifunction peripheral 100.

  The counter ID is an ID for identifying the counter to be updated. The count width indicates a numerical value to be added to the counter.

  That is, when input data representing a result processed from an application is input, the counter decision table is configured with a counter ID and a count width based on a key and a value included in the input data. Used to convert to count data.

  The question is which virtual machine will perform this conversion. For example, if the count process is performed collectively by the master VM, it is easy to achieve consistency. For this reason, if the master virtual machine receives input data that is the processing result of all virtual machines, converts the input data into execution count data, and writes the execution count data to the counter table, the input data When the amount of data is large, there is a problem that the amount of data transmitted and received between virtual machines becomes large. In other words, when the amount of data transmitted / received between virtual machines increases, the burden on the speed increases.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, each virtual machine uses the counter decision table to convert the input data into execution count data, and then transmits the execution count data to the master VM that performs counter processing in a batch. It was decided. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data transmitted / received between virtual machines. Detailed processing will be described later.

  The lock control unit 163 performs lock control on a table stored in a database stored in the HDD 151.

  For example, when the master virtual machine writes to the database of the HDD 151 via the writing unit 161, a table to be written is stored so that writing is not performed by other than the writing unit 161 of the master virtual machine. Lock it.

  The IPC service 124 includes an output unit 181 and simplifies data transfer between virtual machines. The output unit 181 outputs data to other virtual machines.

  For example, the output unit 181 on the master virtual machine outputs the time decision table read by the reading unit 162 of the database control service 122 to another slave virtual machine.

  As another example, the output unit 181 on the slave virtual machine outputs the execution frequency data obtained by converting the input data with the time decision table to the master virtual machine.

  The record conversion control service 121 includes a conversion unit 171 and a record data storage area 172, and performs database access control according to the virtual machine according to a request from an application assigned to each virtual machine.

  The record data storage area 172 is an area for storing data for each virtual machine in a database structure. The data stored in the record data storage area 172 is output to another virtual machine or added to or updated in the HDD 151 as necessary.

  The conversion unit 171 converts the input data, which is the processing result of each application, into execution frequency data on each virtual machine according to the counter decision table.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the conversion performed by the conversion unit 171 of the record conversion control service 121. As shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the record conversion control service 121 accepts input of input data 501. In this case, the conversion unit 171 of the record conversion control service 121 converts the input data 501 using the counter decision table 502 stored in the record data storage area 172, and generates execution count data 503. As shown in FIG. 5, the counter decision table 502 is associated with information on counters to be updated simultaneously with input data. The example shown in FIG. 5 shows a case where an original is printed, and the conversion unit 171 extracts the counter ID and width stored in the original print column.

  This process is performed for each virtual machine. Then, the generated execution count data is output from the slave virtual machine to the master virtual machine, and the counter table is updated with the execution count data input by the master virtual machine. In other words, in this embodiment, the input data is not transmitted / received between the virtual machines, but the slave virtual machine uses the counter decision table to convert the input data to the execution count data with a small data size, and execute the execution. Sends count data to the master virtual machine. Thereby, the data amount transmitted / received between virtual machines can be reduced.

  The user interface 123 controls a touch panel 152 included in the multifunction peripheral 100, a screen for the multifunction peripheral 100 that is transmitted to an external device connected via a network, and the like.

  Next, specific processing performed by the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing installation of data related to a counter for the HDD 151 in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment. It is assumed that the HDD 151 is initialized in advance before installing the HDD 151. The components included in the master VM 301A are a record conversion control service 121A, a record data storage area 172A, and a database control service 122A. In addition, the configurations included in the first slave VM 301B are a record conversion control service 121B and a record data storage area 172B. Furthermore, the respective configurations included in the second slave VM 301C are a record conversion control service 121C and a record data storage area 172C.

  The master VM 301A manages counter writing and reading control with respect to the HDD 151. Specifically, the record conversion control service 121A installs a counter decision table, a counter table, and the like in the record data storage area 172A. Thereafter, the writing unit 161 of the database control service 122A writes the counter decision table, the counter table, and the like stored in the record data storage area 172A to the HDD 151. As a result, it is assumed that all tables for counting each process have been installed.

  In the present embodiment, the other slave VMs 301B and 301C are prevented from accessing the HDD 151. For this reason, it is necessary to output a count decision table for converting data from the master VM 301A to the first other slave VM 301B and the second slave VM 301C during normal startup.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing processing performed in each virtual machine at the normal startup in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment.

  When the master VM 301A is activated, the record conversion control service 121A of the master VM 301A requests the record data storage area 172A to read the counter decision table. At the time of startup, since the counter decision table is not stored in the record data storage area 172A, the database control service 122A reads the counter decision table from the HDD 151 and once stores it in the record data storage area 172A, and then the record conversion control service Output to 121A. Thereby, the record conversion control service 121A can read the counter decision table. At that time, the database control service 122A holds the counter decision table read from the HDD 151 in a cache (not shown).

  On the other hand, when the first slave VM 301B and the second slave VM 301C are activated, the record conversion control service 121B of the first slave VM 301B and the record conversion control service 121C of the second slave VM 301C are connected via the respective IPC services 124. Then, a counter decision table acquisition request is issued to the master VM 301A. As a result, the record conversion control service 121A of the master VM 301A stores the counter decision table stored in the cache (not shown) by the above read processing via the IPC service 124 via the first slave VM 301B and the second slave VM 301C. Pass to.

  In the present embodiment, each slave VM is guaranteed to be called after the normal activation of the master VM is completed. Therefore, the counter decision table stored in the cache can be transferred to each slave VM. As a result, reading can be performed faster than reading from the HDD 151. Note that the cache of the master VM is discarded after all VMs are activated.

  Next, a case where counting is performed according to the processing performed in each virtual machine will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed in accordance with processing performed in each virtual machine.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the master VM 301A, when a count request 801 is made together with input data in accordance with processing performed on the virtual machine, the record conversion control service 121A accepts the count request 801. Then, the record conversion control service 121A converts the input data into execution count data using the counter decision table.

  Then, the record conversion control service 121A makes a write request 802 to the record data storage area 172A so as to count with the counter ID and the count width included in the converted execution frequency data. Thereafter, the database control service 122A writes or updates the counter table of the HDD 151 using the counter ID and count width written in the record data storage area 172A. At that time, the lock control unit 163 of the database control service 122A locks the counter table to be written so that it is not written from others.

  Next, the case of another slave virtual machine will be described. As an example shown in FIG. 8, when the count request 803 is made together with the input data in accordance with the processing performed on the virtual machine, the first slave VM 301B receives the count request 803 when the record conversion control service 121B receives the count request 803. . Then, the record conversion control service 121B converts input data into execution count data using the counter decision table.

  Then, the record conversion control service 121B makes a write request 804 so that the record data storage area 172B counts with the counter ID and count width included in the converted execution frequency data. Then, the output unit 181 of the IPC service 124 of the first slave VM 301B makes a write request 805 for the counter ID and count width stored in the record data storage area 172B to the master VM 301A. As a result, the counter ID and the count width are written in the record data storage area 172A of the master VM 301A. Thereafter, the database control service 122A writes or updates the counter table of the HDD 151 using the counter ID and count width written in the record data storage area 172A.

  Next, a process until the count by the slave virtual machine is written in the multifunction machine 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the above-described processing procedure in the multi-function peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment. In the flowchart, a process after the normal activation of the first slave VM 301B will be described. The second slave VM 301C is the same as the first slave VM 301B, and a description thereof is omitted.

  First, the first slave VM 301B makes a counter decision table acquisition request to the master VM 301A via the IPC service 124 during normal startup (step S951).

  Then, the master VM 301A receives a counter decision table acquisition request from the first slave VM 301B (step S901).

  Next, the output unit 181 of the IPC service 124 of the master VM 301A outputs the counter decision table 502 held in the cache to the first slave VM 301B (step S902).

  Then, the record conversion control service 121B of the first slave VM 301B receives an input of the counter decision table via the IPC service 124 (step S952). The counter decision table that has received the input is held in the record conversion control service 121B.

  After that, it is assumed that the application allocated in the first slave VM 301B performs processing in response to a request from the user or the like (step S953).

  Then, the application outputs input data as a processing result and requests the record conversion control service 121B to count (Step S954).

  Next, when the record conversion control service 121B receives a count request, the conversion unit 171 converts input input data into execution count data using the counter decision table (step S955).

  Then, the conversion unit 171 issues a count write request together with the execution count data to the record data storage area 172B (step S956). As a result, a record in which the counter ID and the count width are associated is stored in the record data storage area 172B.

  Thereafter, the output unit 181 of the IPC service 124 of the first slave VM 301B outputs a write request together with the counter ID and count width stored in the record data storage area 172B to the master VM 301A (step S957).

  Along with this, the IPC service 124 of the master VM 301A receives the input of the write request together with the counter ID and the count width (step S903).

  Then, the IPC service 124 of the master VM 301A stores the received counter ID and count width in the record data storage area 172A (step S904).

  Next, the writing unit 161 of the database control service 122A in the master VM 301A writes or updates the counter table of the HDD 151 based on the counter ID and count width stored in the record data storage area 172A (step S905). .

  With the processing procedure described above, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment can update the counter.

  In the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, the counter table and the counter decision table are stored in the HDD 151, but may be stored in different storage units.

  In the present embodiment, in the multi-function device 100, an application is assigned to each of a plurality of VMs so that each application can be operated by an independent process. Thereby, the stability of operation | movement of each application can be improved.

  Furthermore, in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, the master VM 301A collectively performs control related to the count, so that the count can be matched.

  At this time, in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment, each VM is required to update the count from the input data to the counter (counter ID, count width) to be updated, and then from the slave VM to the master VM. Only data (small data size) is transmitted. As a result, the amount of data input / output between VMs can be reduced. Thus, by improving the efficiency of processing, it is possible to reduce the processing load and to suppress the reduction in execution speed.

(Modification 1 of the first embodiment)
In the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment described above, the example in which all counts are held by only one counter table of the HDD 151 has been described. In this case, since only one write command is issued, the counter table is all locked, so that another write command cannot be written until the write is completed. However, since the multifunction peripheral 100 can simultaneously operate a plurality of applications, it may not be desirable to lock all the counter tables. Therefore, as a modification of the first embodiment, a case where the counter table is divided by type will be described. Note that the MFP according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment except for the table stored in the HDD 151, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present modification.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the HDD 151 holds a counter table in which a counter ID and a count width are written for each type of counter. Then, the lock control unit 1003 of the database control service 1001 locks only the type of counter table corresponding to the written counter ID.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, the count write request is performed as in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment.

  Thereafter, the writing unit 1002 of the database control service 1001 of the master VM 301A according to the present modification writes the counter ID and count width written in the record data storage area 172A to the counter table of the type in which the counter is to be stored or Update. At that time, the lock control unit 1003 of the database control service 1001 locks the counter table of that type so that it is not written by others. Only the counter table of the type is locked, and writing and updating are possible for the counter table of other types. This reduces the probability that the counter table is locked when executing a plurality of processes, and facilitates the counter writing and updating process.

(Modification 2 of the first embodiment)
In the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment described above, when a write request is made from the slave VM to the master VM, the write request is made for each counter. In this case, the data amount may increase. Therefore, in the second modification of the first embodiment, an example will be described in which, when a write request is made, a write request is made collectively for each count width.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed according to processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present modification.

  As illustrated in FIG. 11, when data is transmitted from the first slave VM 301B to the master VM 301A, the output unit 181 of the IPC service 124 issues a write request by collecting counter IDs for each count width. By performing this process, the amount of data to be output can be reduced, and the processing burden can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the example in which the master VM 301A collectively writes to the HDD 151 has been described. However, writing data to the HDD is not limited only to the master VM. Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example in which each VM writes data to the HDD will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral 1100 according to the second embodiment. The MFP 1100 according to the present embodiment is changed to a virtual machine control unit 1101 that is different from the virtual machine control unit 102 in the process of the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment described above. The difference is that the processing is changed to a different service group 1102. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The virtual machine control unit 1101 performs control for operating a plurality of virtual machines on the master OS 101. In the virtual machine operated by the virtual machine control unit 1101 according to the present embodiment, the slave virtual machine can read and write to the HDD 151 in addition to the master virtual machine.

  The service group 1102 is composed of a program group operating on a virtual machine, and the service group 104 of the first embodiment is changed to a database control service 1111 that is different in processing from the database control service 122, and records The conversion control service 121 is different from the conversion control service 121 in that the processing is changed to a record conversion control service 1112 having a different process.

  The database control service 1111 controls access to the database stored in the HDD 151. The difference from the database control service 122 of the first embodiment is that access control can be performed not only for the master VM but also for the slave VM. For example, when the execution frequency data converted by the conversion unit 171 of the record conversion control service 1112 is a processing result that only counts the slave VM, the writing unit 161 of the database control service 1111 on the slave VM receives the data from the slave VM. The execution count data is directly written in the HDD 151. In other words, the output unit 181 outputs the execution count result indicating the processing result of counting the virtual machines other than the slave VM.

  The record conversion control service 1112 performs database access control according to the virtual machine in accordance with a request from an application assigned to each virtual machine. In the first embodiment, when there is a write request on the slave VM, the record conversion control service 121 makes a write request to the master VM. On the other hand, when there is a write request on the slave VM, the record conversion control service 1112 according to the second embodiment performs write control via the database control service 1111 or writes a request to the master VM. It is determined whether to do. For this reason, in the present embodiment, processing such as installation is different from that of the first embodiment.

  Next, specific processing performed by the multifunction peripheral 1100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing installation of an application to the slave VM in the multifunction peripheral 1100 according to the present embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, at least the master VM 1201 </ b> A and the first slave VM 1201 </ b> B are operating on the multifunction peripheral 1100.

  The components included in the master VM 1201A are a record conversion control service 1112A, a record data storage area 172A, and a database control service 1111A. In addition, the configurations included in the first slave VM 1201B are a record conversion control service 1112B and a record data storage area 172B.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, the FAX application 133 and the copy application 131 are installed in the first slave VM 1201B. Along with the installation, the FAX application 133 and the copy application 131 count the FAX application processing to the record control service 1112B. Installation of the copy application counter decision table and the like is started. Each record of each counter decision table to be installed declares whether it is dedicated to the application.

  At that time, the record conversion control service 1112B installs each counter decision table requested to be installed by each application in the record data storage area 172B. At that time, the record conversion control service 1112B uses the database control service 1111B via the database control service 1111B as a counter decision table for the first slave VM 1201B as a counter decision table for the first slave VM 1201B. Write. Note that a record common to each application (in other words, counted by a plurality of virtual VMs) is written by the master VM 1201A in the common counter storage area of the HDD 151 via the database control service 1111A.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing processing performed in each virtual machine at normal startup in the MFP 1100 according to the present embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, it is assumed that the virtual machine control unit 1101 has already started the master VM 1201A, the first slave VM 1201B, and the second slave VM 1201C.

  First, as in the first embodiment, the counter decision table is also output to the record conversion control service 1112A in accordance with the read request of the record conversion control service 1112A of the master VM 1201A. At that time, the counter decision table read from the HDD 151 is held in a cache (not shown).

  On the other hand, at startup, the record conversion control service 1112B of the first slave VM 1201B and the record conversion control service 1112C of the second slave VM 1201C acquire the counter decision table to the master VM 1201A via each IPC service 124. Make a request. As a result, the record conversion control service 1112A of the master VM 1201A stores the counter decision table stored in the cache (not shown) by the above read processing via the IPC service 124 via the first slave VM 1201B and the second slave VM 1201C. To hand.

  On the other hand, when there is a counter storage area dedicated to the slave VM like the first slave VM 1201B, the record conversion control service 1112B in the first slave VM 1201B is dedicated to the first slave VM 1201B from the record data storage area 172B. Is made to the record data storage area 172B. Of course, since the counter decision table dedicated to the first slave VM 1201B is not stored in the record data storage area 172B at startup, the database control service 1111B obtains the counter decision table dedicated to the first slave VM 1201B from the HDD 151. The data is read and once stored in the record data storage area 172B, and then output to the record conversion control service 1121B. Thereby, the record conversion control service 1112B can read the counter decision table dedicated to the first slave VM 1201B. Thus, in this embodiment, each slave VM always reads the common counter decision table held by the master VM and the counter decision table dedicated to the own VM. As a result, the input data can be converted into the execution count data by the counter decision table read out. Note that the record data storage area 172C is controlled in the same manner as the record data storage area 172B, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, a case where counting is performed according to the processing performed in each virtual machine will be described. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing when counting is performed in accordance with processing performed in each virtual machine.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the master VM 1201A, when the count request 1401 is made together with the input data in accordance with the processing performed on the virtual machine, the record conversion control service 1112A accepts the count request 1401. Then, the record conversion control service 1112A converts the input data into execution count data using the counter decision table.

  Then, the record conversion control service 1112A issues a write request 1402 to the record data storage area 172A so as to count with the counter ID and count width included in the converted execution count data. Thereafter, the database control service 1111A writes or updates the counter table of the HDD 151 using the counter ID and count width for which a write request has been made to the record data storage area 172A.

  On the other hand, in the first slave VM 1201B, when the FAX application 133 makes a count request 1403 together with input data including a processing result, the record conversion control service 1112B accepts the count request 1403. Then, the record conversion control service 1112B converts input data into execution count data using the counter decision table.

  Then, the record conversion control service 1112B makes a write request 1404 to count with the counter ID and the count width included in the converted execution count data. At that time, the record conversion control service 1112B specifies the storage area where the write destination counter table exists from the read common counter decision table and the counter decision table dedicated to the first slave VM 1201B. That is, if the counter ID exists in the common counter decision table, it is a counter ID that makes a write request to the master VM 1201A. If the counter ID exists in the counter decision table dedicated to the first slave VM 301B, the first ID It is specified that it is a counter ID for writing in the slave VM 1201B.

  In accordance with the specification, the record conversion control service 1112B makes a first write request with a counter ID and count width common to VMs, and a second write request with a counter ID and count width dedicated to the first slave VM 1201B. I do.

  Then, the output unit 181 of the IPC service 124 of the first slave VM 1201B requests the master VM 1201A to write the counter ID and the count width included in the first write request. As a result, the database control service 1111A writes or updates the counter ID and count width that are the target of the write request to the counter table of the HDD 151. On the other hand, the database control service 1111B writes the counter ID and the count width included in the second write request in the first slave VM dedicated counter storage area of the HDD 151.

  The multifunction device 1100 according to the present embodiment obtains the same effects as those of the multifunction device 100 according to the first embodiment, and a dedicated counter is processed in each VM, so that input / output is performed between the VMs. The amount of data can be further reduced.

(Modification 1 of the second embodiment)
In the above-described second embodiment, the example in which the storage area of the counter table is divided into the slave dedicated area and the common area according to whether or not the counter ID is dedicated to the slave VM has been described. However, regardless of whether or not the counters of the processing results of the slave VMs are common, they may be collectively managed by the slave counter table. Therefore, as a modification of the second embodiment, an example will be described in which data is not input / output between VMs and a counter table is provided for each VM.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of processing when counting is performed according to the processing performed in each virtual machine in the multifunction peripheral according to the present modification.

  An example in which the master VM 1501A and the first slave VM 1501B are operating as illustrated in FIG. 16 will be described. The master VM 1501A includes a record conversion control service 1511A, a record data storage area 1512A, and a database control service 1513A, and performs access control on the HDD 1521. The first slave VM 1501B includes a record conversion control service 1511B, a record data storage area 1512B, and a database control service 1513B, and performs access control on the HDD 1521.

  When the record conversion control service 1511A receives a count request, the master VM 1501A writes to the counter table in the common counter storage area of the HDD 1521 via the database control service 1513A, and performs an update process.

  In contrast, in the first slave VM 1501B, when the record conversion control service 1511B receives the count request, the first slave VM 1501B writes to the counter table in the first slave VM counter storage area of the HDD 1521 via the database control service 1513B. Perform update processing.

  Thereafter, the MFP 1500 moves the counter table in the first slave VM counter storage area in the HDD 1521 to the counter table in the common counter storage area. As a result, the counters can be collectively managed with one counter table. In this modification, since the counter storage areas are dispersed, it is necessary to perform processing with care so as to ensure consistency of the counter. In this modified example, since there is no data input / output between VMs, the processing load can be further reduced.

(Third embodiment)
In the first embodiment, data is always output from the slave VM to the master VM after being converted into execution count data. However, depending on the amount of input data, it may be better to output from the slave VM to the master VM without conversion. Therefore, in the third embodiment, an example will be described in which data output according to the amount of data is switched between input data and execution count data.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of processing when counting is performed according to the processing performed in each virtual machine in the MFP 1600 according to the present embodiment. Note that in the MFP 1600 according to the present embodiment, the installation related to counting and the processing to be executed at the time of activation are the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 17, an example in which the master VM 1601A, the first slave VM 1601B, and the second slave VM 1601C are operating on the multifunction machine 1600 will be described.

  The master VM 1601A includes a record conversion control service 1611A as a configuration different from that of the first embodiment. Further, the first slave VM 1601B includes a record conversion control service 1611B as a configuration different from that of the first embodiment. Further, the second slave VM 1601C includes a record conversion control service 1611C as a configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

  The first slave VM 1601B includes a determination unit 1621B and a conversion unit 1622B. The second slave VM 1601C includes a determination unit 1621C and a conversion unit 1622C.

  Then, the determination unit 1621B and the determination unit 1621C determine whether to convert the input data in the master VM 1601A or the slave VM. Specifically, the determination unit 1621B and the determination unit 1621C determine which of the input data input this time and the previous execution count data is smaller. Then, the determination unit (1621B, 1621C) determines that the output unit (181B, 181C) outputs to the master VM 1601A so that the input data is converted by the master VM 1601A when the amount of input data is small. On the other hand, the determination unit (1621B, 1621C) determines that the output unit (181B, 181C) outputs the execution count data converted by the slave VM when the amount of execution count data is small.

  FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a determination method by the determination unit 1621C of the second slave VM 1601C. In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, the determination unit 1621C determines whether or not the current input data is converted by the master VM 1601A based on the previous execution count data.

  As illustrated in FIG. 19, the determination unit 1621C according to the present embodiment multiplies the number of data included in the current input data by a representative data amount per one data, and the previous execution. Which VM is used to compare the data amount obtained by multiplying the number of counters (X) included in the count data by the average data amount per counter and to input / output the smaller data amount between VMs? It is determined whether or not to process. Note that parameters other than X may be fixed values. This is because the processing load of calculation is reduced by setting each parameter to a fixed value.

  Returning to FIG. 18, when the number of data of the current input data is 7, the representative data amount is 20 bytes, the count number (X) of the previous execution count data is 20, and the average data amount is 8 bytes. The determination unit 1621C determines to perform conversion by the master VM from 7 * 20 <20 * 8.

  That is, since the multifunction peripheral 1600 according to the present embodiment performs the count process in units of pages, there is a high possibility that the same counter process is performed in this time and the previous time. In other words, if the current input data is converted, it is considered that the data amount is equivalent to the previous execution count data. Therefore, the determination unit 1621 according to the present embodiment compares the data amount of the current input data with the data amount of the previous execution count data.

  If the amount of input data this time is smaller, the input data is output, and the conversion process is performed by the conversion unit 1622A of the master VM 1601A. On the other hand, if the data amount of the previous execution count data is smaller, the conversion processing unit 1622C of the second slave VM 1601C performs the conversion process, and then the execution count data is output. By performing the processing in this manner, the input data and the execution count data having the smaller data amount are input / output between the VMs, so that the processing load can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the number of counters (X) included in the previous execution frequency data is a variable, but it may be a predetermined fixed value.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the counter table is stored in the HDD has been described. However, the storage destination of the counter table is not limited to the HDD, and may be stored in, for example, a flash memory. Thus, in the fourth embodiment, an example in which a counter table is stored in a NAND flash memory will be described.

  FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine 2000 according to the fourth embodiment. The MFP 2000 is different from the MFP 100 according to the first embodiment described above in that the HDD 151 is deleted, the NAND flash memory 2001 and the NVRAM 2002 are added, and the service group 104 performs processing. The difference is that the configuration is changed to a different service group 2003. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Note that the processing by the VM or the like is the same as the processing performed in the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

  In the MFP 2000 according to the present embodiment, a combination of the NAND flash memory 2001 with a limited number of writings and the NVRAM 2002 with a large number of limiting the number of writings can be used to reduce the number of counts with many updates. It can be held by a certain NAND flash memory 2001.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which an HDD is mounted has been described. However, a low-price multifunction device may not have an HDD. In such a case, it is necessary to hold the counter table in the NVRAM mounted on the multifunction machine. However, in recent years, the number of users that can be registered in the multifunction peripheral and items to be counted for each user are increasing, and it is difficult to manage such information with an expensive NVRAM although the number of times of writing is large.

  Therefore, in the MFP 2000 according to the present embodiment, the NAND flash memory 2001 and the NVRAM 2002 are combined.

  The NAND flash memory 2001 is a memory that holds all user-specific counter tables. In the multifunction machine 2000 according to the present embodiment, it is assumed that the count is managed for each user in the counter table.

  The NVRAM 2002 serves as a work area for expanding a part of the user-specific counters from the counter table made permanent on the NAND flash memory 2001. Then, the database control service 2011 performs reading, writing, and the like on the counter developed on the NVRAM 2002.

  FIG. 21 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the NAND flash memory 2001 and the NVRAM 2002. As shown in FIG. 21, the user-specific counter stored in the NAND flash memory 2001 is read into the NVRAM 2002. Then, a counter update or the like is performed on the NVRAM 2002. Finally, the database control service 2011 reflects the updated contents performed in the NVRAM 2002 in the NAND flash memory 2001.

  The database control service 2011 includes a writing unit 2021, a reading unit 2022, and a lock control unit 163, and performs access control to the NVRAM 2002 and the NAND flash memory 2001. Further, in the database control service 2011 according to the present embodiment, the timing for recording in the NVRAM 2002 with the limited number of writings is specialized for the user-specific counter.

  The reading unit 2022 reads the counter for each user from the NAND flash memory 2001 to the NVRAM 2002. The reading unit 2022 also reads out the counter for each user from the NVRAM 2002.

  The writing unit 2021 writes and updates the user-specific counter in the NVRAM 2002. The writing unit 2021 writes the user-specific counter read from the NVRAM 2002 to the NAND flash memory 2001 and updates it.

  It is assumed that the writing unit 2021 writes the user-specific counters read from the NVRAM 2002 to the NAND flash memory 2001 not for every count-up but for a plurality of counts. As a result, the number of times of writing can be reduced.

  Next, the count browsing process from the count update based on the process in the MFP 2000 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating the above-described processing procedure in the multi-function peripheral 2000 according to the present embodiment. This sequence is an example of processing a copy of a plurality of pages at once. However, for example, one or a plurality of FAX printing or an example of outputting one or a plurality of image data stored in a storage medium. Applicable.

  In this sequence, a count update process for copying a plurality of recording sheets will be described. Further, it is assumed that the processing is performed on the VM in which the printer application 132 is running on the multifunction machine 2000. In the example shown in FIG. 22, it is assumed that the login process of the user A has already been completed.

  First, after the plotter 155 finishes the recording paper reading process, the plotter 155 notifies the database control service 2011 that the input of the page requested by the user A has been completed (step S2201).

  Upon receiving the notification, the database control service 2011 confirms whether or not the counter of the user A is expanded in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2202). In this sequence, a case where the counter is not expanded will be described. If the counter is expanded, the process is performed from S2209.

  Thereafter, the database control service 2011 confirms whether or not there is an area for expanding the counter of the user A in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2203). In this sequence, a case where there is no area will be described.

  If the database control service 2011 determines that there is no area to be expanded in the NVRAM 2002, the reading unit 2022 reads the counters of all users already expanded in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2204). Thereafter, the writing unit 2021 of the database control service 2011 records the read counts of all users in the NAND flash memory 2001 (step S2205).

  Thereafter, the database control service 2011 deletes the user counter stored in the NVRAM 2002, and secures an area for expanding the count of the user A (step S2206).

  Next, the reading unit 2022 reads the user A counter from the NAND flash memory 2001 (step S2207). Thereafter, the writing unit 2021 writes the read count of the user A in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2208).

  After that, the writing unit 2021 performs count-up update on the page for which input has been completed, on the counter of the user A in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2209). Note that the identification of the counter ID and the count width to be counted up is omitted because the same processing as in the first embodiment is performed.

  Next, after the scanner 154 finishes the printing process for the recording paper, the scanner 154 notifies the database control service 2011 that page output has been completed (step S2210).

  In response to the notification, the database control service 2011 checks whether the counter of the user A is expanded in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2211). In this sequence, the database control service 2011 can determine that the counter is expanded by the processing of steps S2202 to S2208.

  Therefore, the writing unit 2021 performs count-up update regarding the page for which output has been completed, on the counter of the user A of the NVRAM 2002 (step S2212).

  In the multifunction machine 2000, the processes from step S2201 to S2212 are also performed for the second and subsequent pages (step S2213).

  Then, the user interface 123 makes a counter browsing request to the database control service 2011 (step S2214). At that time, the reading unit 2022 of the database control service 2011 reads the counters of all users on the NVRAM 2002 (step S2215). Thereafter, the writing unit 2021 writes the read counters of all users in the NAND flash memory 2001 (step S2216).

  Thereafter, the database control service 2011 deletes the counter of the NVRAM 2002 (step S2217). Then, the reading unit 2022 reads the user counter from the NAND flash memory 2001 (step S2218). Then, the database control service 2011 outputs the read user count to the user interface 123 (step S2219).

  With the above-described processing procedure, the multi-function peripheral 2000 can perform count control corresponding to the processing and browse the counter.

  Next, processing at the time of count-up update in the multifunction machine 2000 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the above-described processing in the multifunction machine 2000 according to the present embodiment. This flowchart corresponds to the processing from step S2202 to S2209 in FIG.

  First, the database control service 2011 determines whether or not the counter of the user to be updated is expanded in the NVRAM 2002 (step S2301). If the database control service 2011 determines that the counter is deployed (step S2301: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2306.

  On the other hand, when the database control service 2011 determines that the counter is not expanded (step S2301: No), the database control service 2011 determines whether or not there is a free area on the NVRAM 2002 for expanding the user's counter. Is determined (step S2302). If it is determined that it exists (step S2302: YES), the process proceeds to step S2305.

  On the other hand, when the database control service 2011 determines that there is no free space (step S2302: No), after the reading unit 2022 reads the counter developed on the NVRAM 2002, the writing unit 2021 reads the counter read. Are all written in the NAND flash memory 2001 (step S2303). Thereafter, the database control service 2011 deletes the counter on the NVRAM 2002 (step S2304).

  Thereafter, after the reading unit 2022 reads the counter of the user to be updated from the NAND flash memory 2001, the writing unit 2021 writes the read counter on the NVRAM 2002, thereby expanding the counter (step S2305). .

  Thereafter, the writing unit 2021 performs an update for counting up the update target and the user count expanded on the NVRAM 2002 (step S2306).

  The user's counter is updated by the processing procedure described above. The MFP 2000 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, stores the user-specific counter table in the NAND flash memory 2001, and updates the user-specific counter table counter at the above-described update timing. The number of times of writing can be reduced and the life of the NAND flash memory 2001 can be extended.

  As described above, in the multi-function peripheral 2000 according to the present embodiment, the life of a storage medium with a small number of writable times can be obtained by using a storage medium with a large number of writable times and a storage medium with a small number of writable times. Can be extended.

(Modification of the fourth embodiment)
Further, in the multi-function device 2000 in which the NAND flash memory 2001 and the NVRAM 2002 are combined, the update timing of each memory is not limited to that of the fourth embodiment. Therefore, a modification of the fourth embodiment that is different from the fourth embodiment in the update timing will be described.

  In the MFP 2000 according to the present modification, an empty area for the counter of the maximum number of users who can log in at the same time is reserved on the NVRAM 2002 in advance.

  When the notification of page reading completion is received from the scanner 154, the database control service 2011 determines whether or not the count of the user is expanded on the NVRAM 2002. If not expanded, the user's counter stored in the NAND flash memory 2001 is read and expanded on the NVRAM 2002 as in the fourth embodiment.

  Even when a notification that the page output has been completed is received from the plotter 155, it is determined from whether or not the user's counter is expanded. Subsequent processing is the same as the processing described above, and a description thereof is omitted.

  When the database control service 2011 receives a logout notification from the user interface 123, the reading unit 2022 reads all the logged-out user counters on the NVRAM 2002, and then the writing unit 2021 stores the logout on the NAND flash memory 2001. Write back all the counters that were read. Thereafter, the database control service 2011 deletes the counter of the user who has logged out from the NVRAM 2002, and outputs the counter value recorded on the NAND flash memory 2001 to the user interface 123.

  In the multifunction machine 2000 according to the present modification, the same effects as in the fourth embodiment can be obtained by performing the above-described processing.

  FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP according to the first to fourth embodiments and modifications. As shown in the figure, the multifunction peripherals 100, 1100, 1500, 1600, and 2000 have a configuration in which the controller 10 and an engine unit (Engine) 60 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus. The controller 10 is a controller that controls the entire MFPs 100, 1100, 1500, 1600, and 2000 and controls drawing, communication, and input from an operation unit (not shown). The engine unit 60 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 60 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The controller 10 includes a CPU 11, a north bridge (NB) 13, a system memory (MEM-P) 12, a south bridge (SB) 14, a local memory (MEM-C) 17, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 16 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 18, and the north bridge (NB) 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15. The MEM-P 12 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12b.

  The CPU 11 performs overall control of the multifunction peripherals 100, 1100, 1500, 1600, and 2000. The CPU 11 has a chip set including the NB 13, the MEM-P 12, and the SB 14, and is connected to other devices via the chip set. Is done.

  The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, and AGP 15, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 12, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b. The ROM 12a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 12b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 16 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 15, PCI bus, HDD 18, and MEM-C 17. The ASIC 16 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 17, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic. (Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus. The ASIC 16 is connected with an FCU (Facile Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical Engineers 50) interface via an PCI bus. The operation display unit 20 is directly connected to the ASIC 16.

  The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 18 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms. It is.

  The AGP 15 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP 15 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 12 with high throughput. .

  In addition, the above-described embodiments and modifications may realize an embodiment in which respective characteristic configurations are combined. For example, in the second to fourth embodiments, a counter table may be held for each type of processing as in the modification of the first embodiment.

100, 1100, 1500, 1600, 2000 MFP 101 Main OS
102, 1101 Virtual machine control unit 103 Common mechanism 104, 1102 Service group 105 Application group 111 Plug-in management unit 112 History control unit 121, 1112, 1511, 1611 Record conversion control service 122, 1001, 1111, 1513, 2011 Database control service 123 User interface 124 IPC service 131 Copy application 132 Printer application 133 FAX application 134 User application 135 Job controller 151 HDD
152 Touch panel 153 Telephone line I / F
154 Scanner 155 Plotter 156 Other hardware resources 161, 1002, 2021 Writing unit 162, 2022 Reading unit 163, 1003 Lock control unit 171, 1622 Conversion unit 172, 1512 Record data storage area 181 Output unit 301A, 1201A, 1501A, 1601A Master VM
301B, 1201B, 1501B, 1601B First slave VM
301C, 1201C, 1601C Second slave VM
1621 determination unit 2001 NAND flash memory 2003 service group

JP 2005-229592 A

Claims (8)

In an information processing apparatus that operates a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine realized by executing a program,
First storage means for storing processing count information indicating the processing count performed in the virtual machine;
Second storage means for storing conversion information for converting the input information indicating the result of the process performed in the virtual machine into the execution frequency information indicating the number of times that the virtual machine has been executed;
First output means for outputting the conversion information stored in the second storage means to the second virtual machine;
Conversion means for converting the input information into execution frequency information on the second virtual machine according to the conversion information output by the first output means;
Second output means for outputting the execution frequency information converted by the conversion means to the first virtual machine;
A writing unit for writing the processing number information of the first storage unit from the first virtual machine based on the execution number information output by the second output unit;
An information processing apparatus comprising: In the second virtual machine, determination means for determining the smaller one of the input information and the execution frequency information obtained by converting the input information before the input information by the conversion means;
A second conversion unit configured to convert the input information into the execution frequency information according to the conversion information stored in the storage unit when the input information is input to the first virtual machine; ,
When it is determined that the data amount of the execution count information is small, the second output means outputs the execution count information converted by the conversion means to the first virtual machine, and the data of the input information If it is determined that the amount is small, outputting the input information to the first virtual machine;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. If the execution count information converted by the conversion means is a processing result that counts only the second virtual machine, the execution count information is stored in the execution count information of the first storage means from the second virtual machine. A second writing means for writing the number of times information;
The second output means outputs the execution frequency information converted by the conversion means to the first virtual machine in the case of a processing result that also counts virtual machines other than the second virtual machine. ,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a lock unit configured to lock the writing unit so that writing is not performed by a unit other than the writing unit when the writing unit performs writing to the first storage unit. 4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 3. The first storage means further stores the processing count information for each type of processing,
The locking means locks only the processing number information to which the execution number information is written;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4. A third storage means having a number of writable times greater than that of the first storage means;
Reading means for reading out the processing count information stored in the first storage means;
The writing unit writes the read processing count information into the third storage unit, and each time conversion is performed by the conversion unit, the converted execution count information is used for the third storage unit. Updating the processing count information and writing the processing count information updated a plurality of times in the third storage means to the first storage means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus that operates a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine realized by executing a program,
A first storage means for storing processing number information indicating the number of processing times performed by the virtual machine;
A second storage means for storing conversion information for converting the input information indicating the result of the processing performed in the virtual machine into execution frequency information indicating the number of times that the virtual machine has been executed;
A first output step in which a first output means outputs the conversion information stored in the second storage means to the second virtual machine;
A conversion step in which conversion means converts the input information into execution frequency information on the second virtual machine in accordance with the conversion information output in the first output step;
A second output step in which a second output means outputs the execution frequency information converted in the conversion step to the first virtual machine;
A writing step in which writing means writes the processing count information in the first storage means from the first virtual machine based on the execution count information output in the second output step;
An information processing method comprising: An information processing program executed by a computer that operates a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine,
A first storage means for storing processing count information indicating the number of processing steps performed by the computer in the virtual machine;
A second storage means for storing conversion information for converting the input information indicating the result of the processing performed in the virtual machine into execution frequency information indicating the number of times that the virtual machine has been executed;
First output means for outputting the conversion information stored in the second storage means to the second virtual machine;
Conversion means for converting the input information into execution frequency information on the second virtual machine according to the conversion information output by the first output means;
Second output means for outputting the execution frequency information converted by the conversion means to the first virtual machine;
Writing means for writing from the first virtual machine into the processing count information of the first storage means based on the execution count information output by the second output means;
Information processing program to make it function.

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