JP4686790B2 - How to add peripheral devices to remote locations - Google Patents

Description

The present invention assigns peripheral devices connected to a local personal computer to a computer (or virtual computer) installed at a remote location and connected to a local personal computer, to the remote computer (or virtual computer). A method for adding the peripheral device is provided.

Conventionally, the following steps are required to make a peripheral device connected to a local personal computer by a “bus” for a computer (or virtual computer) installed in a remote place.
(A) In order for the first computer (or virtual computer) at a remote location to add the peripheral device connected to the “bus” via the network, the peripheral device is added to the second computer located locally, A service is provided to the first computer by using the peripheral device recognized by the OS on the second computer as a system resource.
(B) The path information to the system resources of the OS corresponding to the location of the second computer and the peripheral device connected to the “bus” is set in the first computer at a remote location.

This has the following drawbacks.
(A) Since the second computer in the local area handles peripheral devices connected to the “bus” as system resources, the “bus” can be used even if it is not requested by the first computer (or virtual computer) at a remote location. There is a possibility of operating the connected peripheral devices at the same time. If such operations are performed at the same time, the state of the peripheral device connected to the “bus” may be unexpected for the first computer (or virtual computer), resulting in a malfunction.
(B) It is necessary to set the location information of the second computer and the route information to the system resources of the peripheral devices connected to the “bus” in the first computer (or virtual computer), and the change of the route information When it becomes necessary, the route information needs to be changed in the first computer (or virtual computer). Further, since the first computer (or virtual computer) is connected to the second computer as a connection order, the second computer is publicly disclosed on the network and the first computer on the network is connected. It is necessary to be able to connect from one computer (or virtual computer).
The present invention has been made to eliminate the above drawbacks.

Means for solving the problem

The present invention includes a first computer (or virtual computer) in a remote location, a “virtual bus” in the first computer (or virtual computer), a second computer in the local area, and the second computer. A “bus” connected peripheral device, “false descriptor information” that prevents the peripheral device from being connected as a system resource to a “bus” other than a “virtual bus”, and the first computer (or virtual computer) And a network connecting the second computer so that they can communicate with each other, and a “connection software” that operates on the second computer and detects the peripheral device, and adds a peripheral device to the computer system. There,
A first step of changing a part of the “descriptor information” of the peripheral device to create “fake descriptor information” so that the OS cannot recognize the OS as a general system resource;
A second step of confirming the “false descriptor information” of the peripheral device in the second computer and determining the route information to the first computer;
A third step of connecting from the second computer to the first computer (or virtual computer) using a network based on the path information and registering the peripheral device in the “virtual bus”;
A part of the “false descriptor information” of the peripheral device is restored and the connection established in the third step is used from the first computer (or virtual computer) to the second computer over the network. A fourth step of performing data input / output of the peripheral device;
It is characterized by providing.

The invention's effect

According to the present invention, by connecting a peripheral device using a “bus” to a local computer, a computer or virtual computer at a remote location associated in advance can be connected as a device connected to the “bus” by: Can be added with features.

When a "virtual bus" is installed on a computer (or virtual computer) installed at a remote location such as a data center, the hosting server temporarily becomes available by connecting a peripheral device to a local computer by a data center borrower. In contrast, all the functions of the peripheral device can be added as they are. At this time, the local computer of the data center borrower only needs to be able to connect to the computer (or virtual computer) in the data center, and does not need to be disclosed on the network. There is no need for permission on the computer side.

The method of rewriting “descriptor information” can be easily realized by replacing or adding a serial ROM (or ROM) storing “descriptor information” of peripheral devices connected to the “bus”. For this reason, it is possible to select whether to connect to a “virtual bus” that can be used from a remote computer or to connect to a “bus” that can be used as a system resource on a local computer, by adding a switch circuit to a serial ROM It can be easily realized by enabling or disabling the ROM).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of this invention.

There is a first computer (1) at a remote location, in which a “virtual bus” (12) is mounted. The “virtual bus” (12) is software that enables the OS (13) in the same computer to access the “bus” device.

There is a second computer (2) locally, which is connected to the peripheral device (22) via a "bus" connection. As the “descriptor information” of the peripheral device (22), “fake descriptor information” (24) that is changed in advance so as not to be recognized as a system resource of the OS (23) is prepared, and the second computer (2). OS (23) is recognized as a system resource that is not used.

The “connection software” (25) operating on the OS (23) of the second computer (2) automatically connects the peripheral device (22) with the “false descriptor information” (24). A network (5) for a “virtual bus” (12) running on the first computer (1) (or virtual computer) using the “list of route information” (26) at the same time as sensed by the recognition function. ), The peripheral device (22) is registered in the “virtual bus” (12), and the connection between the peripheral device (22) and the “virtual bus” is maintained as a session on the network. At this time, information on the peripheral device (22) registered in the “virtual bus” (12) is restored to “descriptor information” that can be recognized as a system resource of the OS (13). The session on the network maintained by the “connection software” (25) is not disconnected normally until the “bus” connection of the peripheral device (22) is disconnected.

FIG. 2 is a “device class conversion table” used as a practice method for changing and restoring “descriptor information” of the present invention.

In the present invention, the modification and restoration of the “descriptor information” is easier to implement if different processes are executed depending on the “device class” indicating the type of the peripheral device in the “descriptor information”. The specific method is as follows: “device class” (91) that should be inherent in the characteristics of the peripheral device (that is, “device class” generally classifying how it can be used as a system resource in the OS) In addition, a “fake device class” (92) that is not used as a system resource by the corresponding OS (the OS handles it as an unknown “device class”) is arbitrarily determined, and this is used as a “device class conversion table”. Prepared in “Connection Software” (25). The “false device class” (92) that is not recognized by the OS at the time of connection with the peripheral device is included in the “descriptor information”, so that the “false” is changed in advance so that it is not recognized as the system resource of the OS (23). Descriptor information "(24) can be created.
In the method that does not execute different processing depending on the “device class”, it is necessary to change attributes other than “device class” and “device class” in the “descriptor information”. It is necessary to prepare a conversion table of attributes other than “device class” separately from the “device class conversion table” consisting of one “fake device class” (92) by holding the “device class” It becomes more difficult than the method of executing different processes depending on the “device class”.

In the present invention, the “connection software” (25) is transferred to the OS (23) of the second computer (2) as a control program for the peripheral device having the “false device class” in the “device class conversion table”. By registering, the connection of the peripheral device (22) can be detected by the automatic recognition function of the OS (23).

The general application software that operates in the first computer (or virtual computer) operates the peripheral device registered in the “virtual bus” and uses the communication session in which the connection is maintained to operate the second application software. Instruct the “connection software” running on the computer to operate the actual peripheral devices.

If the access to the peripheral device (22) via the network (5) is delayed, the “virtual bus” (12) is determined to be abnormal depending on the degree of the delay, and takes the following two steps. As a first step, in order to thin out the frequency of state confirmation to the peripheral device (22), the state of the immediately preceding peripheral device (22) is cached to reduce the access frequency via the network (5). In the next stage, it is determined that it is difficult to maintain the connection with the peripheral device, the registration of the “virtual bus” (12) is deleted, and the connection between the “virtual bus” (12) and the “connection software” (25) Disconnect the session.

It is a conceptual diagram of the computer system of embodiment of this invention. It is a “device class conversion table” used as an implementation method of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 First computer (remote location side)
11 Network interface (first computer)
12 “Virtual Bus”
13 OS (first computer)
2 Second computer (local side)
20 “Bus” interface 21 Network interface (second computer)
22 “Bus” connection peripherals 23 OS (second computer)
24 "Fake descriptor information" changed for peripheral devices
25 “Connection Software”
26 “List of route information”
91 “Device Class”
92 “Fake Device Class”

Claims (4)

The present invention includes a first computer (or virtual computer) in a remote location, a “virtual bus” in the first computer (or virtual computer), a second computer in the local area, and the second computer. A “bus” connected peripheral device, “false descriptor information” that prevents the peripheral device from being connected as a system resource to a “bus” other than a “virtual bus”, and the first computer (or virtual computer) And a network connecting the second computer so as to communicate with each other, and "connection software" (25) operating on the second computer, a method of adding peripheral devices to a computer system comprising:
A first step of changing a part of the “descriptor information” of the peripheral device to create “fake descriptor information” so that the OS cannot recognize the OS as a general system resource;
A second step of confirming the “false descriptor information” of the peripheral device in the second computer and determining the route information to the first computer;
A third step of connecting from the second computer to the first computer (or virtual computer) using a network based on the path information and registering the peripheral device in the “virtual bus”;
A part of the “false descriptor information” of the peripheral device is restored and the connection established in the third step is used from the first computer (or virtual computer) to the second computer over the network. And a fourth step of inputting / outputting data from / to the peripheral device. In the first step, the “false device class” that is not recognized by the OS when connected to the peripheral device is included in the “descriptor information”, so that the “false” is changed in advance so that it is not recognized as the OS system resource. The method for adding peripheral devices according to claim 1, wherein the descriptor information is created. The method for adding peripheral devices according to claim 1, wherein the first step rewrites a ROM holding "descriptor information" in the peripheral device with "false descriptor information". In the fourth step, when a delay is detected in the access to the peripheral device via the network in the “virtual bus”, the following two steps are taken depending on the degree of the delay. A method for adding a peripheral device according to claim 1.
As a first stage, in order to thin out the frequency of state confirmation to the peripheral device, the state of the immediately preceding peripheral device is cached to perform a process of reducing the access frequency via the network.
As the second stage, it is judged that it is difficult to maintain the connection with the peripheral device, the registration of “virtual bus” (12) is deleted, and the session between “virtual bus” and “connection software” is disconnected. To do.

Images