JP2000347949A - System and method for diagnosing memory - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten time for diagnosis and to prevent a throughput from being lowered during the activation of an application by copying data from a memory block designated before the start of diagnosis to a memory block for data saving. SOLUTION: A memory diagnosis control function 2 designates a memory block to execute diagnosis and instructs a memory copy function 12 so as to copy data in a designated memory block 1-2 to a memory block 1-4 for data saving. When the copy is completed, the control function 2 instructs a chip select circuit 3 and when an application 9 tries to access the block 1-2, the destination of access is changed to the block 1-4 for saving. Next, the control function 2 instructs the diagnosis of the block 1-2 to a memory diagnostic function 11. When the diagnostic function 11 completes all the diagnosis, the control function 2 instructs the copy function 12 so as to return the data copy from the block 1-4 for saving to the block 1-2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a memory diagnosis method and a memory diagnosis method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional memory diagnostic method is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 03-142536. In this memory diagnosis method, a storage device is divided into a plurality of storage units, and each storage unit performs its own diagnosis according to an instruction from a central processing unit or the like.

[0003] Memory diagnostics have been performed during device diagnostics or in applications at the expense of processing power.

[0004]

However, this prior art has the following problems.

[0005] The first problem is that it is not possible to determine the corruption of the memory unless the device diagnosis is started. The reason is that the maintenance person performs the diagnosis of the memory only at the time of performing the diagnosis or at the time of the periodic diagnosis.

[0006] The second problem is that the memory diagnosis performed in the device diagnosis takes a long time. The reason is that the memory has a large capacity, the inspection range of the memory has increased, and the time required for diagnosis has increased.

A third problem is that when memory diagnosis is performed via an application, the processing capability in the application is sacrificed.

The present invention shortens the time required for the diagnosis by eliminating the memory diagnosis from the items included in the diagnosis by the maintenance person and the items included in the automatic diagnosis that is periodically performed, and performs the memory diagnosis during the application startup. It is an object of the present invention to provide a memory diagnosis method and a memory diagnosis method capable of preventing the processing performance of an application from being reduced even when it is implemented.

[0009]

According to the memory diagnosis method of the present invention, a memory to be diagnosed divided into a plurality of memory blocks, a data saving memory block, and an externally designated memory block among the plurality of memory blocks are provided. A memory copying means for copying data between any one of the memory blocks and the data saving memory block; and when the specified memory block is accessed from a higher level, the access destination is designated by the designated memory block. An access conversion unit that is a memory block and / or a memory block for saving data is provided, and a memory diagnosis unit that diagnoses the specified memory block is provided.

In the memory diagnosis system according to the present invention, in the higher-level memory diagnosis system, the memory copy unit may start from the designated memory block and start the data saving memory block before the diagnosis by the memory diagnosis unit starts. And copying the data from the data save memory block to the designated memory block after the diagnosis by the memory diagnostic means is completed.

Further, in the memory diagnosis method according to the present invention, in the higher-order memory diagnosis method, the access conversion means may be configured to copy data from the designated memory block to the data saving memory block by the memory copy means. While the access is being performed, if the access to the memory block specified from the upper level is a write, the write destination is set as the specified memory block and the data save memory block, and the write destination is specified from the upper level. If the access to the memory block is read, the read destination is the specified memory block, and during the diagnosis by the memory diagnostic means,
When there is an access to the specified memory block from the upper level, the access destination is the data save memory block, and the data copy from the data save memory block to the designated memory block by the memory copy means is performed. While the copy is being performed, if the access to the specified memory block from the upper level is a write, the write destination is set to the specified memory block and the data save memory block, and When the access to the specified memory block is read, the read destination is the data save memory block.

According to the memory diagnosis method of the present invention, the memory diagnosis target is divided into a plurality of memory blocks, a data save memory block is prepared, and any one of the plurality of memory blocks specified from outside is used. A memory copy step of copying data between the memory block and the data save memory block; and when the specified memory block is accessed from a higher order, the access destination is changed to the specified memory. An access conversion step of making a block or / and the data saving memory block, and a memory diagnosis step of diagnosing the specified memory block.

Further, in the memory diagnosis method according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned memory diagnosis method, the memory copy step includes transferring data from the designated memory block to the data saving memory block before the memory diagnosis step starts. And copying data from the data save memory block to the designated memory block after the memory diagnosis step is completed.

Further, in the memory diagnosis method according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned memory diagnosis method, the access conversion step includes copying data from the designated memory block to the data save memory block by the memory copy step. While the access is being performed, if the access to the memory block specified from the upper level is a write, the write destination is set as the specified memory block and the data save memory block, and the write destination is specified from the upper level. If the access to the memory block is read, the read destination is the specified memory block, and during the memory diagnosis step,
When an access is made to the specified memory block from the upper level, an access destination is set to the data save memory block, and data is transferred from the data save memory block to the designated memory block by the memory copy step. While the copy is being performed, if the access to the specified memory block from the upper level is a write, the write destination is set to the specified memory block and the data save memory block, and When the access to the specified memory block is read, the read destination is the data save memory block.

[0015]

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a memory diagnosis system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The application 9 is a program running on the CPU or a function in the apparatus. Also, memory 1
Is divided into blocks by a unit. Memory blocks 1-1, 1 used by the application are stored in the divided memories.
There are two types of data save memory blocks 1-4 for saving the data of the memory when performing the memory diagnosis with -2 and 1-3. In addition to this memory, a memory diagnostic control function 2 and a memory diagnostic function 1 for performing memory diagnostics
1. A memory copy function 12 for copying data from the diagnosis target memory to the data saving memory block 1-4 before diagnosis, and copying data from the data saving memory block 1-4 to the diagnosis target memory after diagnosis, during copying. To write data to both the memory block to be copied and the memory block for data saving when the application instructs writing to the memory block, and to read data from the memory block to be copied when reading is instructed. It has a chip select circuit 3 for switching the address of the memory block.

At the start of diagnosis, a memory block 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 for performing diagnosis is instructed to the memory diagnosis control function 2. The memory diagnostic control function 2 is configured to control the specified memory block 1-1, 1-2 or 1
-3 is copied to the data save memory block 1-4 using the memory copy function 12. At this time, if the application 9 attempts to write to the memory block 1-1, 1-2, or 1-3 to be diagnosed during the copying of the memory, the chip select circuit 3 is used.
Data is written to both memories of the memory blocks 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 to be diagnosed and the data saving memory block 1-4. Also, during the copying of the memory, the application 9 sets the memory blocks 1-1, 1-
When reading is to be performed from 2 or 1-3, data is read from the memory block 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 to be diagnosed using the chip select circuit 3.

Memory blocks 1-1 and 1-2 to be diagnosed
Or a data save memory block 1 for data in 1-3
When the copy to -4 is completed, the access destination by the application 9 is switched to the data saving memory block 1-4 by the chip select circuit 3 to diagnose the memory block 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 to be diagnosed. To start. Thereafter, the application 9 accesses the data saving memory block 1-4 until the memory diagnosis ends. Note that since the address conversion is performed by the chip select circuit 3, other applications can access the memory block 1-1, 1-2, or 1-3 to be diagnosed without being aware of the difference between the memory block 1-4 and the data saving memory block 1-4. it can.

Next, the procedure of memory diagnosis will be described.

The memory diagnostic function 11 writes pattern data in a specified memory block, reads the data, and checks whether the data match.

As an example of the write pattern, 0x0
0, 0x55, 0xAA, 0xFF, data of increment data and decrement data are used. Alternatively, the test is performed with marching commonly used in memory testing.

When the memory diagnosis is completed, the memory diagnosis function 11 reports the result to the memory copy function 12 and the memory diagnosis control function 2, and the memory copy function 12 transmits the data to the memory to be diagnosed from the data saving memory block 1-4. Data is copied to 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3. Memory blocks 1-1 and 1-2 from application 9
Alternatively, for a write request to 1-3, the chip select circuit 3 is used as in the start of diagnosis, and the memory block memories 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 and the data save memory block 1-4 are used. Write to it. Memory block 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 from application 9
In response to the read request, the chip select circuit 3 is used to read from the data save memory block 1-4.

After the copy is completed, the end of the memory diagnosis and the result of the memory diagnosis are reported.

In this way, the memory itself performs the diagnosis while the application 9 is running, so that the processing capacity is not reduced even when the application is started, and the memory diagnosis part is replaced when the whole device is diagnosed. If it can be omitted, the overall diagnosis time can be reduced.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention comprises:
Operates by program control.

The memory diagnosis includes a memory 1 divided into blocks, a memory copy function 12, a memory diagnosis function 11, a memory diagnosis control function 2, and an address switching chip select circuit 3.

[0027] The memory copy function 12 is a memory block 1 designated by the application 9 at the time of memory diagnosis.
It has a function of copying data from -1, 1-2 or 1-3 to a data save memory block (1-4 in FIG. 1).
It also has the function of copying in the opposite direction. The memory copy function 12 does not copy data during memory diagnosis of the data saving memory block.

The address switching chip select circuit 9
In response to an instruction from the memory diagnosis control function 2, the application 9 sends a memory block 1-1, 1-2 or 3 and a data saving memory block 1-4 at the time of memory copying, and a data saving memory block 1-4 at the time of memory diagnosis. , Normally, the memory blocks 1-1 and 1-2
Or a function that can access 1-3.

The memory diagnostic function 11 is used for the memory block 1
After writing a specific pattern in -1, 1-2 or 1-3, the pattern is read out from the memory blocks 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3, and by comparing the two, the written pattern becomes It has a function to check whether it is normal.

The memory diagnosis control function 2 has an interface with the application 9 (reception of start of diagnosis,
Memory copy function 12, memory diagnostic function 1
1. The operation of the chip select circuit 3 is managed.

The overall operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The external trigger generator designates a memory block for executing a memory diagnosis to the memory diagnosis control function 2 and triggers a start. Here, the designated memory will be described as a memory block 1-2. The memory diagnostic control function 11 includes a memory block 1-2.
The memory copy function 12 is instructed to copy this data to the data save memory block 1-4. Examples of the external trigger generation unit include a timer, a command receiving unit by an operator, and a command in another application.

At this time, if a data saving memory block is designated as a diagnosis target, data copying is omitted. This is because there is no data to be saved. Simultaneously with the start of copying, the memory diagnostic control function 2 issues an instruction to the chip select circuit 3, and when data is written from the application 9, the memory block 1-2
And write to both the data save memory block. When reading data, the memory block 1-
Set to read from 2.

When copying is completed, the memory copy function 12
Notifies the memory diagnosis control function 2 of the end of copying. In response, the memory diagnostic control function 2 issues an instruction to the chip select circuit 3 and changes the setting so that when the application 9 attempts to access the memory block 1-2, it accesses the data saving memory block 1-4. .

Next, the memory diagnosis control function 2 instructs the memory diagnosis function 11 to diagnose the memory block 1-2. The memory diagnosis function 11 checks whether or not the memory block 1-2 is normal by writing a predetermined write pattern to the target memory and reading it out and comparing the write pattern with the read pattern. When all diagnoses have been completed for the memory block 1-2, the result of the memory diagnostic is notified to the memory diagnostic control function 2.

After confirming the end of the memory diagnosis, the memory diagnosis control function 2 issues an instruction to the memory copy function 12, and issues a data copy instruction from the data saving memory block 1-4 to the memory block 1-2. In this case, if there is an access request from the application 9 to the memory block 1-2, data is written to the memory block 1-2 and the data saving memory block 1-4 for writing, and the data saving memory is read for reading. Data is read from blocks 1-4. When the data copy from the data save memory block 1-4 to the memory block 1-2 is completed, the memory copy function 12 notifies the application to that effect. If a data save memory block is designated as a diagnosis target, data copy is omitted.

The memory control function 2 notifies the external device of the memory diagnosis result to an external device such as a monitor or a display device such as an LED.

[Embodiment 2] Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

Although the basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the memory diagnostic system according to the present invention can be applied to a memory such as a flash memory having a special sequence for writing and erasing. .

For example, a flash memory erase function and a flash memory write function are added to the memory copy function 112. Upon receiving the copy instruction from the memory diagnostic control function 2, the memory copy function 112 erases the data in the data saving flash memory 101-4 according to the erase sequence.

After the erasure, the data is copied from the designated flash memory block 101-1, 101-2 or 101-3 to the data saving flash memory 101-4 in accordance with the flash memory write sequence.

Next, a flash memory erasing function and a flash memory writing function are added to the memory diagnostic function 111. When receiving the diagnosis start instruction from the memory diagnosis control function 2, the memory diagnosis function 111 erases the target flash memory 101-1, 101-2, or 101-3. When the erasure is completed, the diagnostic data pattern is written in accordance with the write sequence, the written diagnostic data pattern is read, and the normality of the flash memory is checked by comparing the diagnostic data patterns.

When the memory diagnosis is completed, the flash memory 101-1 and the flash memory 101-1 are used by using the memory copy function 112.
Erase 1-2 or 101-3 and copy data from the data saving flash memory 101-4 to the designated flash memory block 101-1, 101-2 or 101-3.

As described above, a memory having a special function can be handled by adding functions to the memory copy function and the memory diagnostic function.

By changing the memory diagnostic function, various memory diagnostics can be performed.

The memory diagnosis method of the present invention can be applied to all kinds of memories (dynamic random access memory, static random access memory, flash memory).

Further, each memory block may be diagnosed cyclically irrespective of the trigger from the application.

The memory diagnostic method according to the present invention can be applied not only to a primary memory (main storage device) such as a RAM but also to a secondary memory (external storage device) such as a hard disk. Absent.

The method according to the above-described embodiment can also be realized by a computer reading and executing the program from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which a program for causing the computer to execute the method is recorded. .

The system according to the above-described embodiment is realized by the computer reading and executing the program from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which the program for operating the computer as each function of the apparatus is recorded. You can also.

At this time, usually, the CPU of the computer is used.
After the program is once transferred from the recording medium to the main memory by the operating system, the program is read from the main memory and executed.

The above program may be generated by a text file in which instructions in an interpreter format are described, and an interpreter which reads the file and converts the file into execution instructions.

Each function of the system according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by hardware.

[0054]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

The first effect is that the diagnosis time of the entire apparatus at the time of starting the apparatus can be reduced. The reason is that there is no need to diagnose the memory when diagnosing the entire device at the time of device startup,
This is because it is possible to diagnose the memory during normal operation after startup.

The second effect is that the memory diagnosis can be performed even while the application is operating. The reason is,
This is because during the memory diagnosis, the data of the memory used by the application is saved in the data saving memory block, and the application accesses the data saving memory block.

The third effect is that the processing capability of the application is not impaired. The reason is that the memory diagnosis is performed independently of the operation of the application.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a memory diagnostic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a memory diagnostic system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Memory 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 Memory block 1-4 Memory block for data saving 2 Memory diagnostic control function 3 Chip select circuit 9 Application or device 11 Memory diagnostic function 12 Memory copy function

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A memory to be diagnosed divided into a plurality of memory blocks, a memory block for data saving, one of the plurality of memory blocks designated from outside, and the memory block for data saving A memory copy unit for copying data between the specified memory block and an access destination from the specified memory block or / and the data saving memory block when the specified memory block is accessed from above. A memory diagnosis unit for diagnosing the specified memory block. 2. The memory diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein the memory copy unit copies data from the designated memory block to the data save memory block before the diagnosis by the memory diagnosis unit starts. And a method of copying data from the data save memory block to the designated memory block after the diagnosis by the memory diagnostic means is completed. 3. The memory diagnostic method according to claim 2, wherein the access conversion unit copies data from the designated memory block to the data save memory block by the memory copy unit. In the meantime, when the access to the memory block specified from the upper level is a write, the write destination is set to the specified memory block and the data saving memory block, and the memory block specified from the upper level is written. If the access to is a read, the read destination is the specified memory block. During the diagnosis by the memory diagnostic means, when the memory block specified from the upper level is accessed, The access destination is the data saving memory block, and the memory copying means While data is being copied from the data save memory block to the designated memory block, if the access to the designated memory block from the upper level is write, the write destination is When the access to the specified memory block from the upper level is a read, the read destination is the data save memory block as the specified memory block and the data save memory block. Diagnostic method. 4. A step of dividing a memory to be diagnosed into a plurality of memory blocks, a step of preparing a data save memory block, and any one of an externally designated memory block among the plurality of memory blocks. A memory copy step of copying data to and from a data save memory block; and when the specified memory block is accessed from a higher level, an access destination is set to the specified memory block or / and the data. A memory diagnosis method, comprising: an access conversion step of setting a save memory block; and a memory diagnosis step of diagnosing the specified memory block. 5. The memory diagnosis method according to claim 4, wherein the memory copy step is a step of copying data from the specified memory block to the data save memory block before the memory diagnosis step starts. And a step of copying data from the data save memory block to the designated memory block after the memory diagnosis step is completed. 6. The memory diagnosis method according to claim 5, wherein in the access conversion step, data is copied from the designated memory block to the data saving memory block by the memory copy step. In the meantime, when the access to the memory block specified from the upper level is a write, the write destination is set to the specified memory block and the data saving memory block, and the memory block specified from the upper level is written. If the access to is a read, the read destination is set to the specified memory block. During the memory diagnosis step, when an access is made to the memory block specified from the upper level, the access is performed. The first is the data save memory block, and the memory copy step While data is being copied from the data save memory block to the designated memory block, if the access to the designated memory block from the upper level is a write, Wherein the specified memory block and the data save memory block are read, and when the access to the specified memory block from the upper level is read, the read destination is the data save memory block. Memory diagnostic method to do.