JPH0247712A - Peripheral device control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a need of development of new software by providing a cell address storage part to a device which controls an auto-changer type peripheral device, and providing a function to successively access plural mediums without indication from software. CONSTITUTION:The system using a peripheral device control system consists of a peripheral controller 1, an auto-changer type peripheral device 2, and a higher-order device 3. The peripheral controller 1 is provided with a cell address storage part 11, a device type judging means 12, a microprogram processing part 13, and interfaces 14 and 15. The peripheral device 2 consists of an accessor 21, a drive 23, and a case 22. The means 12 determines whether the microprogram handles the peripheral device 2 as an auto-changer type or an auto-loader type. When the device is set as respective types, an arbitrary medium is accessed and mediums in a case are successively replaced without indications of software instructions neither indications.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a peripheral control device control method, and particularly to a peripheral device control method for controlling an autochanger-type peripheral device that can access any medium from a case that can store a plurality of media. Regarding the method.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, a peripheral control device that controls an autochanger type device accesses any medium, so the cell address of the medium to be accessed is given by software, making it possible to access the medium in any order. It is possible.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional peripheral device control method described above, it is possible to access the media in any order, but it is impossible to control the operation of peripheral devices that require manual intervention using software. It is necessary to prepare software that manages access to the p1 autochanger type device.

Autoloaders, on the other hand, can be used with the same software as peripheral devices that change media manually, but they can only access media sequentially and can be accessed at random times like autochanger-type devices. Since the media cannot be accessed sequentially, its use is limited to applications that access the media sequentially, such as saving and restoring disks.

An autochanger type device can be used for the same purpose as an autoloader by changing media sequentially using software, but even when using an autochanger type device for such a limited purpose, it is not possible to control the operation of the accessor. It is necessary to prepare software for management, and the disadvantage is that new software must be developed in addition to the software that has been used to control the operation of peripheral devices that require manual intervention to exchange media. be.

The peripheral device control method of the present invention can be used as an autochanger type device that accesses media in any order when software is prepared to manage the operation of the accessor using an autochanger type peripheral device. The purpose is to make it usable in the same way as an autoloader, which does not require the development of new software, when used only for limited purposes such as sequential access.

[Means to solve the problem]

The peripheral device control method of the present invention is an autochanger! A peripheral control device that controls peripheral devices, and which determines whether connected autochanger-type peripheral devices are treated as autochanger-type devices that can access media in an arbitrary order or as autoloaders using software instructions or switches. It includes a type determination means and a cell address storage unit for storing cell addresses in cases where the medium is accessed, and peripheral control by software instructions when the medium is set to be handled as an accessible autochanger type device. The device takes out the media from the host device and processes it so that it can access any media, and if it is set to be treated as an autoloader, when the case containing the media is set in the peripheral device, the cell The initial value of the address is set and sequentially updated to the cell address, the medium is taken out from the cell indicated by the cell address and loaded into the drive, the medium in the case where the medium is stored is replaced one after another without any instructions from the software command, and the final When the media is returned to the case, the operator can remove the case, allowing the geo-
It has a function that allows a tochenger type peripheral device to be used as an autoloader.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration using a peripheral device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, one embodiment of the present invention has a system configuration consisting of a peripheral control device 1, an autochanger type peripheral device 2, and a host device 3. The peripheral control device 1 has a cell address storage section 11 and a device type determination It has means 12, a microprogram processing section 13 for controlling these, and interfaces (F/F) 14 and 15 connected to the peripheral device 2 and the host device 3, respectively. The peripheral device 2 is an autochanger type peripheral device, and includes an accessor 21. It consists of a drive 23 and a removable case 22 that can store a plurality of media.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing when a peripheral device is treated as an autochanger type device that can access media in any order, and Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing when a peripheral device is treated as an autoloader. It is a flowchart.

The device type determination means 12 is for determining whether the microprogram of the peripheral control device 1 treats the peripheral device as an autochanger type or an autoloader.The method for realizing this is to issue a command to set the operation mode to the peripheral control device l. It may be realized by software using, for example, a switch provided in the peripheral control device 1, or by changing the 7 armware of the peripheral control device 1.

If it is set to be used as an autochanger type device that can access media in any order, the processing of the peripheral control device 1 is outlined as shown in the flow chart shown in FIG. The outline of the process will be explained below with reference to FIG. When the peripheral control device 11 receives a software instruction from the host device 3 (reference number 41), it determines whether the instruction is an instruction to control the operation of an accessor such as loading or unloading a medium (reference number 42), and other instructions. If the command is a control command, read command, write command, etc., the processing for those commands is executed and the software command wait state is entered again (reference number 43). If the received command is a command to control the operation of the accessor, a cell address for storing or taking out the medium in the case 22 is received from the host device 3 (reference number 44). If the command instructs to load a medium, the medium is taken out from the cell indicated by the cell address received from the host device 3 and loaded into the drive; if the command instructs unload t-, the medium is unloaded from the drive and the host Store it in the cell indicated by the cell address received from the device 3 (reference number 45). When these commands are processed, the program enters the software command waiting state again. The above process allows any medium to be accessed when used as an autochanger type device.

The outline of the processing when it is set to be used as an autoloader is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The outline of the process will be explained below with reference to FIG. When the peripheral control device 1 detects that the case 22 storing a plurality of media is set in the peripheral -kR2 (reference number 51), it sets O as the initial value of the cell address in the cell address storage section 11 and also sets the case 22 to the peripheral -kR2. The cell at address 0 is taken out and loaded into the drive (reference number 52), and the system waits for a software command from the host device 3 (reference number 53). When a software command is accepted from the host device 3, it is determined whether the received command is the command that instructed unloading (reference number 54), and if it is a command other than unloading, the process of the software command is executed and the next step is performed. Waiting state for software command (reference number 55)
. If the command issued from the host device 3 is an unload command, the medium is unloaded from the drive, and the medium is stored in the cell at the address indicated by the cell address storage unit 11 (reference number 56). It is determined whether the medium is the last medium in the case 22 or whether the predetermined maximum number of mediums per case has been reached (reference numeral 57). If the medium returned to case 22 is not the last medium, update the contents of the cell address storage section by +1 to the next cell address, take out the cell color medium indicated by this cell address, and load it into the drive (reference number 58); When the loading is completed, it enters the waiting state for the next software instruction.

If the medium returned to case 22 is the last medium,
The case 22 is brought into a state where it can be removed from the peripheral device 2 (reference numeral 59), and a waiting state is entered in the expectation that the case containing the medium to be processed next will be set by operator intervention.

Through the above processing, when the accessor is set to be used as an autoloader, it is possible to sequentially access a plurality of media without controlling the operation of the accessor by software.

In this way, this embodiment uses software commands or switches in a peripheral device (peripheral control device that controls an autochanger device) that can access media set in a case that can store a plurality of media in any order by software commands. The device includes a device type determining means for determining how to handle a peripheral device specified by settings such as a device type, and a cell address storage unit for storing a cell address in the case of accessing a medium, and is set to be handled as an autochanger type device. If the software is instructed to set, replace, or remove a medium in the drive, the software receives the cell address for ejecting or storing the medium from the host device and can access any medium. If the case is set to be processed as an autoloader, when a case containing a medium is set in a peripheral device, the initial value of the cell address is stored in the cell address storage unit without receiving instructions from a software instruction. is set, the medium is removed from the cell indicated by the cell address, and loaded into the drive. When the software issues a command to unload the medium, the peripheral control device moves to the cell at the address stored in the cell address storage unit. After storing the medium, the contents of the cell address storage section are updated to the second cell address, the medium is taken out from the cell indicated by that cell address and loaded into the drive, and thereafter the peripheral control unit similarly executes the command without any software instruction. Replace the media in the case in which the media are stored in order,
By allowing the operator to remove the case when the last medium is returned to the case, a peripheral control scheme is provided that allows an autochanger type peripheral to be used as an autoloader.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention provides a peripheral control device that controls an autochanger type peripheral device with a cell address storage unit and a function of sequentially accessing a plurality of media without instructions by software. Although this requires the development of new software to control the operation of the accessor even if the settings are the same, it is also possible to use it as an autochanger type device that can access media in any order. It can be used with the same software as a type of device that replaces media with manual intervention, but can also be used as an autoloader that can only access media sequentially.

As a result, even if only either the autochanger type device l or the autoloader is suitable depending on the application, environment, etc., it is possible to introduce the device as either the autochanger type device or the autoloader depending on the settings. Furthermore, it is possible to expand the system in stages by using it as an autoloader when the software that controls the operation of the accessor is not yet in place, and then using it as an autochanger type device after the software development is complete.

Interface, 21...Accessor, 22.
...A case that can store multiple media, 23...
...Drive O

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a peripheral control device that controls the operation of peripheral devices that can access media set in a case that can store multiple media in any order based on software instructions, peripherals that are specified by software instructions or settings using switches, etc. It includes a device type determination means for determining how to handle the device, a cell address storage section for storing cell addresses in the case of accessing the medium, and software instructions when the device is configured to be handled as an autochanger type device. If it is set to take out the media from the host device, process it so that it can be accessed, and treat it as an autoloader,
When a case containing a medium is set in a peripheral device, the initial value of the cell address is set, the cell address is updated sequentially, the medium is taken out from the cell indicated by the cell address, loaded into the drive, and the last medium is placed in the case. A peripheral device control method characterized in that an autochanger type peripheral device can be used as an autoloader by enabling an operator to take out the case when the case is returned.