JP2002041298A - Computer, automatic resource application processing program, and record medium of automatic resource application processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a computer that enables to apply automatically the resources distributed via a network at requested application chance. SOLUTION: A computer is composed of a means that receives resource information consisting of resources and an application program to apply resources and stores it in an operation area of storage, a means to judge whether reached to the resource application chance or not, and a means that copies the resource information to a maintenance area in the storage and manipulates to make the maintenance area effective at next system start up time when it is judged to have reached to an application chance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer capable of automatically applying a resource delivered via a network to a desired application opportunity, a resource automatic application processing program used for realizing the computer, and And a recording medium for the automatic resource application processing program recording the automatic resource application processing program.

In a computer, when the firmware is upgraded, it is necessary to update the installed firmware to the upgraded firmware. The construction of a technology for automatically updating such firmware has been called for.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a firmware used in a computer is upgraded, a service person must
CD-R recording the upgraded firmware and a program used for replacing the firmware
The user has to go to the user with an OM or the like and manually upgrade the firmware by replacing the upgraded firmware with the old firmware.

On the other hand, with the spread of the Web server, a user browses a list of software provided by a maker and selects software to be downloaded from the list, thereby downloading new software from the Web server. In this case, the method of downloading and installing the software manually by the user is used.

[0005]

If resources such as firmware are manually input to a computer by a service person or a user as in the prior art, the resources to be input to each computer are required. There is a problem that can not be quickly introduced.

[0006] That is, since the upgraded resources and the like cannot be input to the computer unless a service person is present or the user does work, the resources that must be input to each computer cannot be quickly input. is there.

[0007] When an abnormality of a resource such as a program is detected in a certain computer, the maker will upgrade the version of the resource in response to this, but the abnormality of the resource is detected in another computer. This operation is not necessarily performed, and many users are unaware that the resources need to be exchanged, which further exacerbates the problem.

[0008] Against this background, the present applicant has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-96557, automatically collecting configuration information of terminals connected to a network and distributing the configuration information to the terminals. When a new resource is created, the terminal to which the new resource is to be distributed is specified from the configuration information, so that the terminal to which the new resource is to be distributed is assigned to the new resource. We disclosed a remote maintenance technology that automatically distributes important resources.

[0009] At this time, the terminal sets a remote maintenance technique in which the terminal sets whether the resources to be automatically distributed are to be waited for to be applied or to be executed immediately, and applies the resources to be automatically distributed according to the setting. Disclosed.

The present invention advances the technology disclosed by the present applicant one step further, and provides a new computer which enables a resource distributed via a network to be automatically applied at a desired opportunity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new automatic resource application processing program used for realizing the computer and to provide a recording medium for the new automatic resource application processing program recording the automatic resource application processing program.

[0011]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a computer equipped with the present invention, 2 is a maintenance management server for distributing resource information composed of resources and an application program for applying the resources to the computer 1, and 3 is a computer 1 It is a network such as a LAN that connects between the server and the maintenance management server 2.

The computer 1 of the present invention executes a system disk 10 for storing boot information and the like, a basic OS 20 for executing normal operation processing, and an application processing of resources distributed from the maintenance management server 2. The system includes a maintenance OS 30 and a management mechanism 40 which is configured by hardware and operates on a power supply separate from the computer main body.

The system disk 10 is used to determine whether to start up the basic OS 20 when starting up the system.
The system includes a boot area 11 for storing boot information describing whether or not to start up, a maintenance OS area 12 prepared for maintenance work processing, and a basic OS area 13 prepared for normal operation processing.

Under the basic OS 20, resource information distributed from the maintenance management server 2 is received, and the basic OS area 13 is received.
, A determining unit 22 for determining whether or not the application timing of the resource distributed from the maintenance management server 2 has been reached, and a determining unit 22 for determining whether the application timing has been reached. The execution unit 23 that copies the resource information distributed from the maintenance management server 2 to the maintenance OS area 12 and rewrites the boot information so that the maintenance OS area 12 is called at the next system startup. Be expanded.

The receiving means 21 / determining means 22 / executing means 23 are read out from the basic OS area 13 and expanded in response to the startup of the system in accordance with the description of the boot information.

Under the maintenance OS 30, a resource 31 distributed from the maintenance management server 2 and an application program 32 for applying the resource 31 are deployed.

The resource 31 and the application program 32
In accordance with the description of the boot information, the information is read from the maintenance OS area 12 and expanded in response to the startup of the system.

When the application program 32 is started in response to the startup of the system, it performs a process of rewriting the boot information so that the basic OS area 13 is called at the next startup of the system. Further, the application program 32 performs a system restart process after the application process of the resource 31 and when the application process fails. Further, the application program 32 stores the resource information of the resource 31 to which the application has been completed, in the maintenance OS area 12 and the basic OS area 13.
Perform processing to delete from.

The management mechanism 40 receives the processing time information issued by the application program 32, and monitors the processing time information to monitor the operation of the application program 32. When detecting an abnormality in the application program 32, the rewriting means 42 for rewriting the boot information so that the basic OS area 13 is called at the next system startup.
Restarting means 43 for performing system restart processing following processing of rewriting means 42;
Invalidating means 4 for invalidating a power-off request and a reset request to the computer body issued during the operation of
4 and a notifying unit 45 for notifying the maintenance management server 2 of the application failure of the resource 31.

In the computer 1 of the present invention configured as described above, the receiving unit 21 receives the resource information (resource + application program) distributed from the maintenance management server 2 during execution of the normal operation processing. It is stored in the basic OS area 13. Then, the determination unit 22 determines whether or not the application timing of the received resource has been reached during the execution of the normal operation processing, for example, periodically.

In response to the processing of the determining means 22, when the determining means 22 determines that the application trigger has been reached, the executing means 23 stores the received resource information in the maintenance OS area 1
2 and rewrite the boot information so that the maintenance OS area 12 is called at the next system startup.

Thereafter, the normal operation processing is completed, and thereafter, the system is started at a prescribed time or the like.

At this time, the boot information is stored in the maintenance OS area 1
2, since the maintenance OS area 12
And the application program 32 is read and the maintenance OS 30
, Whereby the application program 32 is started, and a process for applying the resource 31 is executed.

When the application program 32 is started, first, at the time of the next system startup, the basic OS area 1
3 is rewritten so as to be called.

Subsequently, the application program 32 executes the application process of the resource 31 while notifying the management mechanism 40 of the processing time information, for example, in accordance with the processing phase, and when the application process is completed, Then, the system is restarted.

At this time, since the boot information points to the basic OS area 13, normal operation processing is executed using the new resources distributed from the maintenance management server 2.

Then, the application program 32 deletes the resource information of the resource 31 to which the application has been completed from the maintenance OS area 12 and the basic OS area 13 so as to prevent the duplicate application processing from being executed.

When an abnormality occurs in the application program 32 when adopting this processing configuration, the management mechanism 40 rewrites the boot information so that the basic OS area 13 is called at the next system startup, and By performing the process of restarting the system, the process of the application program 32 is performed instead, and when a power-off request or a reset request is issued during the execution of the application process of the resource 31, it is invalidated. , So that the application process is not interrupted.

As described above, according to the computer 1 of the present invention, it is possible to automatically apply resources distributed via a network to a desired application opportunity.

Further, in realizing this, the computer 1 of the present invention employs a configuration that enables normal operation processing to be continued even if the applied processing of the distributed resources fails, and It does not affect operation processing.

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail according to embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the computer 1 according to the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those described in FIG. 1 are indicated by the same symbols, and 3a is a LAN connecting between the maintenance management server 2 and the computer 1.

As shown in this figure, the maintenance management server 2
Is a maintenance management application 300 that executes maintenance processing for each computer 1, a hardware configuration information table 301 that manages the latest hardware configuration information of each computer 1, an update firmware that is distributed to the computer 1, A maintenance resource 302 comprising a firmware update program prepared as a tool for replacing the firmware
(Which computer 1 is also managed).

The maintenance management application 300 acquires the latest hardware configuration information of each computer 1 sent from each computer 1 and registers it in the hardware configuration information table 301.

When a firmware failure occurs in any one of the computers 1, the maintenance management application 300 acquires the failure information and notifies the design center (not shown) of the failure information. And obtains updated firmware created in response to this instruction.

When the updated firmware is obtained, the maintenance management application 300
, The maintenance resource 302 is created by specifying the computer 1 to which the update firmware is to be distributed.

The maintenance management application 300 distributes the newly registered maintenance resource 302 to the computer 1 as a distribution destination, for example, on a regular basis. It instructs to update to the updated firmware that has been upgraded.

Upon receiving the maintenance resources (updated firmware + firmware update program) distributed from the maintenance management application 300 in this way, each computer 1 uses the distributed firmware update program and uses it in its own device. The old firmware that has not yet been updated is replaced with the distributed updated firmware.

In order to perform the firmware exchange processing, the computer 1 of the present invention has been distributed from the maintenance management server 2 in addition to the basic OS 20 for executing the normal operation processing as described with reference to FIG. The configuration includes a maintenance OS 30 that executes firmware application processing.

In accordance with this, a boot area 11 for storing boot information describing whether to boot the basic OS 20 or the maintenance OS 30 when the system is booted, and a boot area 11 for maintenance work processing And a basic OS area 13 prepared for normal operation processing.

FIG. 3 shows the data structure of the system disk 10.

FIG. 3A shows a disk configuration.
FIG. 3B shows the configuration of a boot sector, and FIG. 3C shows the configuration of a partition table managed by the boot sector. FIG. 4 shows the meanings of the symbols used in this partition table.

In this embodiment, the maintenance OS area 12 prepared for maintenance work processing is
It is assumed that the basic OS area 13 which is developed in the partition indicated by the address “0x1BE” and is prepared for normal operation processing is developed in the partition indicated by the address “0x1CE” in the system disk 10. .

As shown in FIG. 4, when "0x80" is registered in the portion indicated by the symbol BI, the partition becomes active. On the other hand, "0x
When "00" is registered, the partition becomes non-active.

As shown in FIG. 5A, "0x00" is written to the BI portion of the partition indicated by the address "0x1BE" on the system disk 10, and "BIx" is written to the BI portion of the partition indicated by the address "0x1CE". If you write “0x80”, the basic OS2
0 will be launched.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, “0x80” is written into the BI portion of the partition indicated by the address “0x1BE” on the system disk 10 and
If “0x00” is written in the BI portion of the partition indicated by the address “0x1CE”, the maintenance OS 30
Will be launched.

The computer 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
In terms of the software configuration, a configuration is adopted in which a maintenance application 100 that operates under the basic OS 20 and a firmware update program 104 that operates under the maintenance OS 30 (distributed from the maintenance management server 2) are provided. I have.

Here, the maintenance resource 101 deployed under the basic OS 20 is the maintenance resource 302 distributed from the maintenance management server 2, and the hardware configuration information table 102 deployed under the basic OS 20 includes the maintenance resource table 102. It manages hardware configuration information transmitted to the management server 2. The update firmware 103 deployed under the maintenance OS 30 is the update firmware of the maintenance resources 302 distributed from the maintenance management server 2.

The maintenance application 100 and the firmware update program 104 are realized by computer programs, and these computer programs can be stored in an appropriate recording medium such as a computer-readable semiconductor memory.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the computer 1 of the present invention has a CPU 200, a main memory 201, a system disk 10, and an AC adapter 2 in terms of hardware configuration.
Management hardware 202 that receives power supply (power supply in a different route from the computer main unit) from the power supply 03 and the AC adapter 20
Power supply from 5 (power supply in a different route from the computer itself)
, And a LAN control hardware 206 that manages a communication connection with the maintenance management server 2.

Here, a hard disk, an adapter, and the like on which firmware is actually mounted are not shown.

The management hardware 202 includes the maintenance OS 30
Firmware update program 104 operating under the
When an abnormality is detected by monitoring the operation of the server, necessary countermeasure processing is executed. Also, the remote device control hardware 20
4 receives an instruction from a remote device (not shown),
A process of issuing a power-off instruction or a reset instruction to device control hardware (shown at 207 in FIG. 6 to be described later) that performs processes such as power control of the computer body is performed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the management hardware 202
The signal line of α in FIG.
4 receives the device control instruction issued to the device control hardware 207 and relays the received device control instruction to the device control hardware 207 through a signal line β in the figure.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a hardware mechanism of the management hardware 202 (provided by the interface controller shown in FIG. 6).

As shown in this figure, the management hardware 202
Is a main control mechanism 400 for executing the entire control processing, a time monitoring mechanism 401 for timer-monitoring the operation of the firmware update program 104, and whether or not an unexpected power-off or reset instruction by manual operation has been issued. Main body monitoring mechanism 402 for monitoring, and remote device control hardware 204
Interface mechanism 403 that manages the interface processing with the computer main body, LAN control mechanism 404 that manages the communication connection with the maintenance management server 2, and device control hardware 207 issued by the remote device control hardware 204.
Device control shut-off mechanism 40 that shuts off device control instructions for
5 and a firmware update processing flag 406 indicating whether or not the firmware is being replaced.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a processing flow executed by the maintenance application 100 operating under the basic OS 20.
9 and 10 show an embodiment of a processing flow executed by the firmware update program 104 operating under the maintenance OS 30. FIGS. 11 and 12 show the management hardware 2
2 illustrates an example of the processing executed by the main control mechanism 400 in the form of a processing flow.

Next, the processing of the present invention thus configured will be described in detail according to these processing flows.

When the maintenance application 100 is started in response to booting of the system because the boot information (partition table) activates the basic OS area 13, first, as shown in the processing flow of FIG. First, in step 1, the maintenance OS area 1 of the system disk 10
If the maintenance resource is stored in the storage resource 2, it is deleted.

As will be understood from the following description, in the maintenance OS area 12 of the system disk 10, the maintenance resources that have successfully applied the update firmware (replacement with the old firmware) and the maintenance resources that have failed to apply the update firmware have Since these may be stored, if these maintenance resources are stored, they are deleted.

Subsequently, in step 2, the hardware configuration information of the own device is collected and transmitted to the maintenance management server 2. As described above, upon receiving the hardware configuration information, the maintenance management server 2 specifies to which computer 1 the newly created update firmware should be delivered when acquiring the newly created update firmware. Will be processed.

Subsequently, in step 3, it is determined whether maintenance resources are stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10. As will be understood from the later description, in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10, the maintenance resources that have successfully applied (replaced) the update firmware, the maintenance resources that have failed to apply the update firmware, and the application of the update firmware are attempted. Since there is a possibility that unmaintained maintenance resources are stored, it is first determined whether or not these maintenance resources are stored.

When it is determined that the maintenance resource is stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10 by the determination processing in step 3, the process proceeds to step 4, where the stored maintenance resource is already applied. It is determined whether it is completed. This determination process is performed by acquiring the version number of the applied firmware according to the hardware configuration information collected in step 2 and comparing the acquired version number with the version number of the updated firmware stored in the basic OS area 13. .

When it is determined in step 4 that the maintenance resources stored in the basic OS area 13 have already been applied, the process proceeds to step 5 where the application has been completed. Maintenance resources in basic OS area 1
Delete from 3. On the other hand, the maintenance resources stored in the basic OS area 13 whose application has not been completed, that is,
When it is determined that the application has failed or has not been applied, the process of step 5 is omitted.
It will be left as it is to be applied.

Subsequently, in step 6, the maintenance management server 2
When it is determined whether maintenance resources have been distributed from the server, and it is determined that the maintenance resources have been distributed, the process proceeds to step 7 and the distributed maintenance resources (indicated by 101 in FIG. 2). ) And the system disk 10
In the basic OS area 13.

Subsequently, in step 8, it is determined whether or not a preset application timing of the firmware has been reached. If it is determined that the firmware has not been reached, the process returns to step 6 to perform maintenance management. While receiving the maintenance resources distributed from the server 2, it waits for the arrival of the firmware application.

The application timing of the firmware set at this time is, for example, to apply the firmware at the next system startup, to apply the firmware at 9:00 on Monday, or to apply the firmware at 17:00 at the end of the month. And manually applying the firmware, and the user can freely set the firmware.

When it is determined in the determination processing in step 8 that the application timing of the firmware has been reached, the process proceeds to step 9 and the application timing is updated to the next one.

Subsequently, in step 10, it is determined whether or not maintenance resources are stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10. When it is determined that maintenance resources are not stored, step 6 is performed. And waits for the arrival of the firmware application while receiving the maintenance resources delivered from the maintenance management server 2.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step 10 that the maintenance resources are stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10, the process proceeds to step 11 and the maintenance resources are transferred to the maintenance OS area of the system disk 10. Copy to No. 12.

At this point, the maintenance resources stored in the basic OS area 13 include the maintenance resource of the application failure excluded from the deletion target in step 5 and the maintenance resource newly distributed. Is copied from the basic OS area 13 to the maintenance OS area 12, and for the latter, the newly delivered maintenance resources are at hand (the basic OS area 13).
Is written to the maintenance OS area 12.

Subsequently, in step 12, the boot information (partition table) is rewritten so that the maintenance OS area 12 becomes active, and the process returns to step 6 to maintain the maintenance information distributed from the maintenance management server 2. While receiving resources, wait for the firmware application timing to arrive.

As described above, the maintenance application 100 receives the maintenance resources distributed from the maintenance management server 2, stores them in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10, and, when the application timing of the firmware is reached, The maintenance resources that failed in the previous application processing and the maintenance resources distributed between the previous application trigger and the current application trigger are copied to the maintenance OS area 12, and the maintenance resources are used when the next system starts up. Processing is performed to rewrite the boot information so that the OS area 12 becomes active.

According to the boot information rewriting process by the maintenance application 100, when the next system is started, the maintenance resources (update firmware 103 + firmware update program 104) stored in the maintenance OS area 12 of the system disk 10 are read. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the firmware update program 104 under the maintenance OS 30 is started.

When the firmware update program 104 is started in this manner, the firmware update program 104 first determines in step 1 from the time required for the next step 2 as shown in the processing flow of FIG. 9 and FIG. The management hardware 202 is notified of the monitoring time to be performed (for example, twice as long).

Upon receiving this notification, the management hardware 202
The time monitoring mechanism 401 enters the timer monitoring process, and if the next monitoring time is not notified from the firmware update program 104 during the notified monitoring time,
Processing is performed to determine whether the firmware update program 104 is abnormal.

Subsequently, in step 2, the basic OS area 13
Rewrites the boot information (partition table) so that is activated. That is, when the system is started next time, the basic OS area 1 for normal operation processing
3 is set to be active.

Subsequently, in step 3, it is determined whether or not the processing in step 2 has been normally completed. If it is determined that the processing has not been normally completed, the process proceeds to step 13, where the management hardware 202 is notified. Notify an error. on the other hand,
When it is determined that the process has been completed normally, the process proceeds to step 4 and notifies the management hardware 202 of a monitoring time (for example, twice as long) determined from the time required for the next step 5.

Upon receiving this notification, the management hardware 202
The time monitoring mechanism 401 enters the timer monitoring process, and if the next monitoring time is not notified from the firmware update program 104 during the notified monitoring time,
Processing is performed to determine whether the firmware update program 104 is abnormal.

Subsequently, in step 5, by executing a check process such as a checksum, the maintenance OS area 12
Check the validity of the update firmware 103 read from.

Subsequently, in step 6, it is determined whether or not the processing in step 5 has been normally completed. If it is determined that the processing has not been normally completed, the process proceeds to step 13, where the management hardware 202 is notified. Notify an error. on the other hand,
When it is determined that the process has been successfully completed, the process proceeds to step 7 and notifies the management hardware 202 of a monitoring time (for example, twice as long) determined from the time required for the next step 8.

Upon receiving this notification, the management hardware 202
The time monitoring mechanism 401 enters the timer monitoring process, and if the next monitoring time is not notified from the firmware update program 104 during the notified monitoring time,
Processing is performed to determine whether the firmware update program 104 is abnormal.

Subsequently, in step 8, a search is made for hardware (such as an adapter) to be updated by the update firmware 103.

Subsequently, in step 9, it is determined whether or not the processing in step 8 has been normally completed. Notify an error. on the other hand,
If it is determined that the process has been completed normally, the process proceeds to step 10
And a monitoring time (for example, twice as long) determined from the time required for the processing in the next step 11 is managed by the management hardware 20.
Notify 2.

Upon receiving this notification, the management hardware 202
The time monitoring mechanism 401 enters the timer monitoring process, and if the next monitoring time is not notified from the firmware update program 104 during the notified monitoring time,
Processing is performed to determine whether the firmware update program 104 is abnormal.

Subsequently, in step 11, by replacing the old firmware of the hardware retrieved in step 8 with the updated firmware 103, a process of applying the updated firmware 103 is executed.

Subsequently, in step 12, it is determined whether or not the processing in step 11 has been normally completed. If it is determined that the processing has not been normally completed, the process proceeds to step 13, where the management hardware 202 is notified. Notify an error.

When it is determined in step 12 that the process has been completed normally, or when the process in step 13 is completed, the process proceeds to step 14 (process flow in FIG. 10) to notify the management hardware 202 of the stop of monitoring. Then, in a succeeding step 15, a reboot process (reset process) for restarting the system is executed, and the process is terminated.

In this way, the firmware update program 104 first rewrites the boot information so that the basic OS area 13 becomes active, and then monitors the monitoring time before entering the processing phase for each processing phase. Is determined and notified to the management hardware 202, the firmware update application processing is executed, and if the application processing cannot be completed normally, the fact is notified to the management hardware 202 and Then, processing is performed so as to execute reboot processing for system restart.

Although not described in the processing flow of FIG. 8, while the application of the update firmware distributed from the maintenance management server 2 has not been completed, the next update firmware corresponding to the revision of the update firmware is not updated. When distributed, the older update firmware stored in the basic OS area 13 and the maintenance OS area 12 of the system disk 10 is deleted so that only the latest update firmware becomes valid. Process.

Next, the processing executed by the management hardware 202 will be described with reference to the processing flows of FIGS. 11 and 12.

The main control mechanism 400 of the management hardware 202
When activated by turning on the power via the AC adapter 203, as shown in the processing flow of FIGS. 11 and 12, first, in step 1, the firmware update program 104, the time monitoring mechanism 401, and the main body Monitoring mechanism 4
When the notification is received after waiting for a notification from the remote control hardware 02 or the remote device control hardware 204, the process proceeds to step 2 to determine whether or not the received notification is a notification of a monitoring time issued by the firmware update program 104.

When it is determined that the notification is of the monitoring time issued by the firmware update program 104 by this determination processing, the process proceeds to step 3, where the firmware update processing flag 406 is turned on to execute the firmware application processing. Set things.

Subsequently, in step 4, the notified monitoring time is specified, the time monitoring mechanism 401 is instructed to start time monitoring, and the process returns to step 1 to wait for the next notification.

When this instruction is received, as described above,
The time monitoring mechanism 401 enters the timer monitoring process, and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the firmware update program 104 if the next monitor time is not notified from the firmware update program 104 during the notified monitor time. Is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 2 that the received notification is not a notification of the monitoring time issued by the firmware update program 104, the process proceeds to step 5, where the received notification is the monitoring time issued by the firmware update program 104. It is determined whether the notification is a stop notification.

When it is determined that the notification is a monitoring stop notification issued by the firmware update program 104, the process proceeds to step 6, where the firmware update process flag 406 is turned off to indicate that the firmware is not being applied. Is set.

Subsequently, at step 7, the time monitoring mechanism 40
1 is instructed to stop time monitoring, and then returns to step 1 to wait for the next notification.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step 5 that the received notification is not the monitoring stop notification issued by the firmware update program 104, the process proceeds to step 8 where the received notification is the timeout of the time issued by the time monitoring mechanism 401. It is determined whether it is a notification.

By this judgment processing, the time monitoring mechanism 401
When it is determined that the notification is a timeout to be detected, the process proceeds to step 9 and turns off the firmware update processing flag 406 to set that the firmware is not being applied.

Subsequently, at step 10, the maintenance management server 2 is notified via the LAN control mechanism 404 that the application of the distributed update firmware 103 has failed. The update firmware 103 that has failed to be applied at this time is stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10 and is not deleted in step 5 of the processing flow of FIG. At the time of application, it is set as an application target again.

Subsequently, in step 11, the basic OS area 1
3 is rewritten so that 3 becomes active. That is, considering that the firmware update program 104 may not be able to rewrite the boot information (in the case where an abnormality occurs before step 2 of the processing flow of FIG. 9), the basic OS area 13
The boot information is rewritten so that is activated.

Subsequently, in step 12, a reboot process (reset process) for restarting the system is executed in place of the firmware update program 104, and then the process returns to step 1 to wait for the next notification.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 8 that the received notification is not a timeout notification issued by the time monitoring mechanism 401, the process proceeds to step 13 (the processing flow in FIG. 12), where the received notification is 40
It is determined whether or not the notification is a notification (notification notifying that the application of the firmware has failed due to an unexpected power-off or reset instruction being issued).

By this determination processing, the main body monitoring mechanism 402
When it is determined that the notification is issued, the process proceeds to step S14, and the firmware update flag 40
Turning off 6 sets that the firmware is not being applied.

Subsequently, at step 15, the maintenance management server 2 is notified via the LAN control mechanism 404 that the application of the distributed update firmware 103 has failed, and then the process waits for the next notification. Return to 1. At this time, the update firmware 10 that failed to be applied
3, which is stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10 and is not deleted in step 5 of the processing flow of FIG. 8 executed by the maintenance application 100, so that it is set as an application target again at the next application opportunity. Will be.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step 13 that the received notification is not a notification issued by the main body monitoring mechanism 402, the process proceeds to step 16, where the received notification is a notification of abnormality detection issued by the firmware update program 104 ( (The notification issued in step 13 of the processing flow of FIG. 9).

When it is determined by this determination process that the notification is an abnormality detection notification issued by the firmware update program 104, the process proceeds to step 17, where the notification is transmitted to the maintenance management server 2 via the LAN control mechanism 404. After notifying that the update firmware 103 has failed to be applied, the process returns to step 1 to wait for the next notification. The update firmware 103 that failed to be applied at this time is stored in the basic OS area 13 of the system disk 10.
And is not deleted in step 5 of the processing flow of FIG. 8 executed by the maintenance application 100, so that it is set as an application target again at the next application opportunity.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 16 that the received notification is not a notification of abnormality detection issued by the firmware update program 104, the process proceeds to step 18
The received notification is sent to the remote device control hardware 2
04 of the device control instruction (device control hardware 2
07 is notified of a power-off instruction or a reset instruction to the power-off control unit 07).

When it is determined that the notification is a device control instruction issued by the remote device control hardware 204 by this determination processing, the process proceeds to step 19, where it is determined whether the firmware update processing flag 406 is on. When it is determined that the power is off, the process proceeds to step 20 and the device control instruction issued by the remote device control hardware 204 is passed to the device control hardware 207 without interruption, and when the power is on, the firmware application process is in progress. It is not good that the power is turned off or reset at this time, so that the device control instruction is interrupted so as not to be passed to the device control hardware 207, and then step 1 waits for the next notification.
Return to

If it is determined in step 18 that the received notification is not a notification of a device control instruction issued by the remote device control hardware 204, the process proceeds to step 21.
, And after performing the processing corresponding to the notification content, returns to step 1 to wait for the next notification.

As described above, the management hardware 202 monitors the operation of the firmware update program 104 and
When an abnormality occurs in the firmware update program 104, the maintenance management server 2 is notified that the application of the update firmware 103 has failed, and the processing of the firmware update program 104 is performed instead.
The boot information is rewritten so that the basic OS area 13 becomes active, and then the reboot processing for restarting the system is performed.

FIGS. 13 to 15 show time charts of the processing of the embodiment described above.

FIG. 13 shows the updated firmware 1
FIG. 14 is a time chart when the application process of the update firmware 103 ends normally, and FIG. 14 is a time chart when the application process of the update firmware 103 does not end normally when the firmware update program 104 detects an abnormality by itself. 8 is a time chart when the management hardware 202 detects a timeout and the application processing of the update firmware 103 does not end normally.

When the process of applying the update firmware 103 by the firmware update program 104 ends normally, the basic OS 20 starts up when the power is turned on, as shown in the time chart of FIG.
0 is activated.

When the maintenance application 100 is started in this manner, the maintenance application 100 (1) collects hardware configuration information, and (2) transmits the collected hardware configuration information to the maintenance Enter operation processing.

Then, (3) the normal application process proceeds without performing anything when the application trigger has not been reached, and (4) when the maintenance resource is delivered from the maintenance management server 2, it is received. (5) When the application opportunity is reached, (6) after storing the delivered maintenance resources in the maintenance OS area 12,
(7) Rewrite the boot information so that the maintenance OS area 12 becomes active. Then, the normal operation processing is continued, and (8) the system is stopped and the power is turned off.

Next, when the power is turned on, the maintenance OS 30
Starts up and the firmware update program 104
Is started.

When the firmware update program 104 is started in this manner, (10) the management hardware 202
(11) rewrite the boot information so that the basic OS area 13 becomes active, (12) notify the management hardware 202 of the time monitoring, and then (13) Checking the validity of the update firmware 103, (14) notifying the management hardware 202 of the time monitoring, (15) searching for the hardware to be updated,
(16) After notifying the management hardware 202 of the time monitoring, (17) exchanging the updated firmware 103 with the old firmware, (18) notifying the management hardware 202 of the monitoring stop, and (19) Perform the reboot process,
The process ends.

Then, when the power is turned on, the basic O
S20 is started, and the maintenance application 100 is started.

On the other hand, the firmware update program 10
When the application 4 detects an abnormality by itself and the application processing of the update firmware 103 does not end normally, the basic OS 20 starts up when the power is turned on and the maintenance application 100 is started as shown in a time chart of FIG.

When the maintenance application 100 is started in this way, the maintenance application 100 (1) collects hardware configuration information, and (2) transmits the collected hardware configuration information to the maintenance Enter operation processing.

Then, (3) the normal application process proceeds without performing anything when the application trigger has not been reached, and (4) when the maintenance resource is delivered from the maintenance management server 2, (5) When the application opportunity is reached, (6) after storing the delivered maintenance resources in the maintenance OS area 12,
(7) Rewrite the boot information so that the maintenance OS area 12 becomes active. Then, the normal operation processing is continued, and (8) the system is stopped and the power is turned off.

Next, when the power is turned on, the maintenance OS 30
Starts up and the firmware update program 104
Is started.

When the firmware update program 104 is started in this way, the firmware update program 104 (10) notifies the management hardware 202 of time monitoring, and then (11) the basic OS area 13
Rewrites the boot information so that
2) After notifying the time monitoring to the management hardware 202,
(13) Check the validity of the update firmware 103,
(14) Notifying the management hardware 202 of the time monitoring, (15) searching for the hardware to be updated, (16) notifying the management hardware 202 of the time monitoring, and (17) updating the firmware. Replace 103 with old firmware and (2
0) If an abnormality is detected during this exchange, the fact is notified to the management hardware 202.

The management hardware 202 (21), upon receiving this abnormality notification, notifies the maintenance management server 2 of the application failure (22).

[0127] The firmware update program 104
When the abnormality is notified to the management hardware 202,
(23) The monitoring stop is notified to the management hardware 202, and (26)
A reboot process is executed, and the process ends.

Then, when the power is turned on, the basic O
S20 is started, and the maintenance application 100 is started.

On the other hand, if the management hardware 202 detects a timeout and the application processing of the update firmware 103 does not end normally, as shown in the time chart of FIG. Is started.

When started up in this way, the maintenance application 100 (1) collects the hardware configuration information, and (2) transmits the collected hardware configuration information to the maintenance management server 2, and Enter operation processing.

Then, (3) normal application processing proceeds without performing anything when the application trigger has not been reached, and (4) when maintenance resources are delivered from the maintenance management server 2, (5) When the application opportunity is reached, (6) after storing the delivered maintenance resources in the maintenance OS area 12,
(7) Rewrite the boot information so that the maintenance OS area 12 becomes active. Then, the normal operation processing is continued, and (8) the system is stopped and the power is turned off.

Next, when the power is turned on, the maintenance OS 30
Starts up and the firmware update program 104
Is started.

When activated in this way, the firmware update program 104 (10) notifies the management hardware 202 of time monitoring.

The management hardware 202 receives (30) the notification of the time monitoring, (31) starts timer monitoring, (32) detects a timeout, and (33) fails to apply to the maintenance management server 2. And (34) rewrite the boot information so that the basic OS area 13 becomes active, (35) execute a reboot process, and end the process.

Then, when the power is turned on, the basic O
S20 is started, and the maintenance application 100 is started.

The present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the embodiment, the present invention has been described with a specific example of firmware update, but the present invention is not limited to application to firmware.

[0137]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Resources distributed via a network can be automatically applied at a desired application opportunity.

As a result, the maker does not need to dispatch a service person each time, and does not need to receive complaints from users who do not care that the resources have been updated. Then, the user can update the resources to necessary ones without having to look through the update information provided by the manufacturer.

Further, in realizing this, in the present invention,
Even if the process of applying the distributed resources fails, the normal operation process is continued, so that the normal operation process is not affected.

Further, in realizing this, in the present invention,
Even if the resource cannot be applied for some reason, the resource is applied again at the next application opportunity, so that the resource can be surely updated to the necessary one.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a data structure of a system disk.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a data structure of a system disk.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a data structure of a system disk.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a management hardware and its peripheral devices.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of a hardware mechanism of the management hardware.

FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a processing flow executed by a maintenance application.

FIG. 9 is an embodiment of a processing flow executed by a firmware update program.

FIG. 10 is an embodiment of a processing flow executed by a firmware update program.

FIG. 11 is an embodiment of a processing flow executed by the management hardware.

FIG. 12 is an embodiment of a processing flow executed by the management hardware.

FIG. 13 is a time chart of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a time chart of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a time chart of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Computer 2 Maintenance management server 3 Network 10 System disk 11 Boot area 12 Maintenance OS area 13 Basic OS area 20 Basic OS 21 Receiving means 22 Judging means 23 Execution means 30 Maintenance OS 31 Resources 32 Application program 40 Management mechanism 41 Monitoring means 42 rewriting means 43 re-starting means 44 invalidating means 45 notifying means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shoichi Matsuoka 4-1-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Yasushi Makiyama 4-chome, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Takanori Shimizu 4-1-1 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 1-1 (1) Inventor Kazuhiro Matsushita 4-chome Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Junichi Nagase 4-1-1 Kamikadanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term within Fujitsu Limited (reference) 5B076 AB10 BB06

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A means for receiving resource information transmitted from a network and comprising resources and an application program for applying the resources, and storing the resource information in an operation area of a storage device; Means for determining whether an opportunity has been reached; and, when determining that the application opportunity has been reached, copying the resource information into a maintenance area of the storage device;
Means for performing processing for enabling the maintenance area at the next system startup. 2. The computer according to claim 1, wherein when the application program is started in response to system startup, the operation area is activated at the next system startup. A computer characterized by performing processing. 3. The computer according to claim 2, wherein the application program performs a system restart process after the resource application process and when the application process fails. . 4. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the application program performs a process of deleting resource information for which application has been completed from the operation area and the maintenance area. , Features calculator. 5. The computer according to claim 1, wherein said computer is configured with hardware, operates on a power supply separate from said computer main unit, and issues processing time information issued by said application program. And a management mechanism for monitoring the operation of the application program by monitoring the processing time information. 6. The computer according to claim 5, wherein, when detecting an abnormality in the application program, the management mechanism performs a process for enabling the operation area at the next system startup. A computer comprising: means for performing the processing; and means for performing a system restart processing following the processing. 7. The computer according to claim 5, wherein the management mechanism comprises means for invalidating a power-off request and a reset request to the computer main unit issued during the operation of the application program. And calculator. 8. The computer according to claim 5, wherein the management mechanism detects an abnormality in the application program, receives an abnormality notification from the application program, and When the power of the computer is turned off during the operation of the application program and when the computer is reset during the operation of the application program, the resource delivery source is notified of the failure to apply the resource. A computer characterized by comprising means. 9. A process of receiving resource information including a resource and an application program for applying the resource, which is transmitted via a network, and storing the resource information in an operation area of a storage device. A process of determining whether or not the opportunity has been reached; and, when determining that the application opportunity has been reached, copying the resource information into the maintenance area of the storage device;
A resource automatic application processing program for causing a computer to execute processing for enabling the maintenance area at the next system startup. 10. sent via a network,
A process of receiving resource information including a resource and an application program for applying the resource and storing the resource information in an operation area of a storage device; a process of determining whether or not the resource application trigger has been reached; When determining that the application opportunity has been reached, the resource information is copied to the maintenance area of the storage device,
A recording medium for an automatic resource application processing program in which a program for causing a computer to execute a process for activating the maintenance area at the next system startup is recorded.