JP2009175792A - Computer system and program loading method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a computer system capable of flexibly changing a boot sequence or a load address in loading of a program from a removable medium to a volatile storage means of a computer. <P>SOLUTION: A switch monitoring circuit 13 monitors states of a Power switch 11 and a Reset switch 12, and reports a status according to the combination of the states of both of the switches to a CPU 16. The CPU 16 which operates as a loader part by executing a loader program 141 selects any one file name of OS1.BTF22-1, DIAG.BTF22-2, HWMON.BTF22-3, and OS2.BTF22-4 registered in OWON.BTF21 stored in a removable medium 2 based on the status, and loads a program file registered in the selected file from the removable medium 2 to a RAM 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer system including a computer and a removable medium that can be attached to and detached from the computer, and more particularly, to a boot process that selects a required program file from the removable medium and loads it to the computer. .

  Conventionally, various techniques relating to boot processing for loading a program stored in a medium into a memory in a computer have been considered. For example, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, when any one of a plurality of start modes is selected to start the system, the time required for starting the system is minimized according to the start mode. A technique related to a computer system is disclosed.

  Specifically, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of control signals for selecting any one of a plurality of activation modes in which jog lever units operated by a user perform different functions are used. Is output to the microcomputer. The microcomputer responds by selecting a program necessary for the startup mode corresponding to the control signal from the jog lever unit from the startup routine (program) stored in the BIOS ROM, and executing the selected program. The operating system is started.

  The prior art described in Patent Document 2 is a method of booting a program from a nonvolatile storage medium that can be attached to and detached from the device into a RAM (Random Access Memory) in the device, and the program can be started at a higher speed. A technique related to an image processing apparatus is disclosed.

  Specifically, in the prior art described in Patent Document 2, when a program is first read from the nonvolatile storage medium into the RAM, as a read history information from the nonvolatile storage medium to the RAM, the nonvolatile storage medium that is a transfer source is used. Registers the sector number, the address of the RAM that is the transfer destination, and the configuration information of the device, and executes a normal startup to read the program from the nonvolatile storage medium to the RAM via the CPU, or the reading history without the CPU Information indicating that high-speed startup is to be executed is set in a startup flag in which whether to execute high-speed startup for reading a program from a nonvolatile storage medium into RAM using information is registered. As a result, the next time the program is read from the nonvolatile storage medium into the RAM, the information indicating that high-speed startup is executed is set in the startup flag, so the current device configuration is registered in the read history information. If it is the same as the configuration information of the device, the program can be read from the nonvolatile storage medium to the RAM using the sector number and address associated with the configuration information of the device without using the processor.

  However, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, since the program corresponding to the activation mode selected by the jog lever unit is executed, the program can be selected, but the necessary program for the activation mode cannot be changed. There was a problem. Therefore, it is difficult to correct or extend the boot sequence itself. For example, this problem can be slightly improved by providing a loader program on the removable media to select and load the program. However, every time the loader program is modified or expanded, it must be compiled and written to the removable media. However, it is not efficient.

  In the prior art described in Patent Document 2, after reading a program from the nonvolatile storage medium once into the RAM, the sector number and address associated with the configuration information of the device are used to read from the nonvolatile storage medium. Although the program can be read into the RAM, there is a problem that the configuration of the program file used at the start-up and the load address that is the load destination of the RAM cannot be changed.

  As described above, the conventional techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have a problem that flexibility is insufficient when loading a program file from a removable medium to a volatile storage unit in a computer at the time of booting.

JP 2005-332405 A JP 2006-126987 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can flexibly change a boot sequence and a load address when loading a program from a removable medium to a volatile storage unit of a computer without changing a loader. The purpose is to obtain a computer system that can

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a computer system including a computer and a removable medium removable from the computer, wherein the removable medium is a program file to be loaded into the computer. A plurality of lower layer control files in which the program name is registered, an upper layer control file in which the file name of the lower layer control file is registered in association with an identifier for identifying the lower layer control file, and a lower layer control file Each program file indicated by the registered program name is stored, and the computer monitors volatile storage means, a plurality of switches, the status of these switches, and determines the combination of the switch statuses in the upper layer control file. The status information associated with the identifier The lower layer indicated by the file name of the lower layer control file registered in the upper layer control file in association with the identifier matching the status information notified from the switch monitoring unit Loader means for loading the program file indicated by the program name of the program file registered in the hierarchical control file from the removable medium to the storage means.

  The present invention also relates to a computer system including a computer and a removable medium that can be attached to and detached from the computer. The removable medium is associated with a program name of a program file to be loaded on the computer, and includes program type information and startup information. And a control file in which the load information of the program file is registered, and each program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file. The computer stores a volatile storage means, a control file Control file analysis means for determining whether or not the program type information registered in the file indicates a predetermined program type, and the program type information registered in the control file by the control file analysis means indicates the predetermined program type Determined If the program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file is loaded into the storage unit area indicated by the predetermined temporary address, and it is determined that the program type information does not indicate the predetermined program type Comprises a program load processing means for loading the program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file into the storage means area indicated by the load address registered in the control file in association with the program name, and the temporary means of the storage means When executing the program file loaded in the area indicated by the address, the program file loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address is associated with the program name indicating the program file in the area of the storage means indicated by the load address of the control file. Copy Performing, it characterized.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of lower layer control files in which the program names of program files to be loaded on a computer are registered on a removable medium, and an identifier for identifying the lower layer control file is associated with the lower layer control file. Stores the upper layer control file in which the file name is registered and each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file, and controls the lower layer based on the selection information input from the outside and the upper layer control file. Select the file and load the program file indicated by the program name registered in the selected lower level control file from the removable media to the nonvolatile storage means in the computer. Just change the loader It not, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a computer system capable of flexibly changing the boot sequence for loading the program from the removable media in a volatile memory means of the computer.

  According to the present invention, the control file in which the control information including the program type information and the startup information and the load address of the program file are registered in the removable medium in association with the program name of the program file to be loaded into the computer, Each program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file, and when the computer determines that the program type information registered in the control file indicates a predetermined program type, When the program file indicated by the registered program name is loaded into the area of the storage means indicated by the predetermined temporary address and it is determined that the program type information does not indicate the predetermined program type, the program file is registered in the control file. The program indicated by the program name When the program file loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address of the storage means is loaded into the area of the storage means indicated by the load address registered in the control file in association with the program name, the temporary address indicates Since the program file loaded in the area is copied and executed in the storage means area indicated by the load address of the control file in association with the program name indicating the program file, the program type information in the control information of the control file The program file is loaded into the storage device area indicated by the load address of the control file without changing the loader, or the storage means area indicated by the temporary address different from the load address of the control file is changed. To load An effect that whether it is possible to obtain a computer system that can be selected.

  Exemplary embodiments of a computer system according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a computer system according to the present invention. The configuration of the computer system shown in FIG. 1 shows only functions necessary for the computer system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a computer system includes a computer 1 and various control files (POWON.BTF21, OS1.BTF22-1, DIAG.BTF22-2, detachable from the computer 1 and loaded into the computer 1 by boot processing). HWMON.BTF22-3 and OS2.BTF22-4), and various program files (SYSROM0.BIN23-1, SYSROM2.BIN23-2, LDSYS.SRE23-3, INITSYS.SRE23-4, and HWMON.SRE23-5) And a removable medium 2 for storing.

  The removable medium 2 stores control files (upper layer control file and lower layer control file) loaded on the computer 1 by boot processing and various program files. In FIG. 1, the removable media 2 is POWON. BTF21, OS1. BTF 22-1, DIAG. BTF22-2, HWMON. BTF22-3, OS2. BTF22-4, SYSROM0. BIN23-1, SYSROM2. BIN23-2, LDSYS. SRE23-3, INITSYS. SRE23-4, and HWMON. SRE23-5 is stored. Here, only files necessary for the following description are described, and actually other program files are also stored.

  POWON. The BTF 21 is an upper layer control file and is a control file that is first loaded into the computer 1 by the boot process. POWON. In the BTF 21, the file name of the lower layer control file is registered in association with the ID. FIG. 2 shows POWON. It is a figure which shows an example of BTF21. In FIG. The BTF 21 includes “BTF — 00: OS1” as a file name of an ID (identifier) and a lower layer control file associated with the ID between a comment line starting with “#” and “END” indicating the last line of the file. .BTF "," BTF_01: DIAG.BTF "," BTF_02: HWMON.BTF ", and" BTF_03: OS2.BTF "are registered. Here, “00”, “01”, “02”, “03” following “BTF_” are IDs, and “OS1.BTF”, “DIAG.BTF”, “HWMON.BTF”, “OS2.BTF”. "Is the file name of the lower layer control file. “OS1.BTF” is a file name of a lower layer control file for starting OS1 as the first OS (overlay bedding system), and “DIAG.BTF” is a lower name for starting the self-diagnosis mode. The file name of the hierarchical control file, “HWMON.BTF” is the file name of the lower hierarchical control file for starting the H / W monitor (hardware monitor), and “OS2.BTF” is the second name. This is the file name of the lower layer control file for starting up OS2 as the OS.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the OS 1. BTF 22-1, DIAG. BTF22-2, HWMON. BTF22-3, and OS2. The BTF 22-4 is a lower layer control file in which the program name of the program file to be loaded into the computer 1 and the option information (control information, load address, and start address) of the program file indicated by the program name are registered. . FIG. 3 shows HWMON. It is a figure which shows an example of BTF22-3. In FIG. 3, HWMON. In the BTF 22-3, a program name “SYSROM0.BIN”, control information “00000003”, a load address “a0080000”, and a comment line beginning with “#” and “END” indicating the last line of the file are included. Start address “a0080100”, program name “SYSROM2.BIN”, control information “00000002”, load address “a00c0000”, start address “a00c0100”, program name “LDSYS.SRE”, control information “00000002”, load Address “a00f0000”, start address “a00f0100”, program name “INITSYS.SRE”, control information “00000002”, load address “a0100000”, and start address "A0100100", program name "HWMON.SRE", control information "00000002", load address "a0130000", and start address "a0130100" are registered.

  In FIG. 3, control information, a load address, and a start address are option information. The option information is information used when the program is read into the computer 1, and details will be described in a third embodiment to be described later. Here, HWMON. Although BTF22-3 has been described as an example, OS1. BTF 22-1, DIAG. BTF 22-2, and OS2. The registration format of the BTF 22-4 is the same, and the program name and option information to be loaded into the computer 1 are registered.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the SYSROM 0. BIN23-1, SYSROM2. BIN23-2, LDSYS. SRE23-3, INITSYS. SRE23-4, and HWMON. The SRE 23-5 is a program file that is loaded into the computer 1 and executed.

  The computer 1 includes a power switch 11, a reset switch 12, a switch monitoring circuit 13, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 14, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 15, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 16, and a removable media interface unit (hereinafter referred to as a removable medium). 17 (referred to as media I / F section). The power switch 11 is a power switch of the computer 1 and is operated by a user to control whether power is supplied to the computer 1 by the operation. The reset switch 12 is operated by the user and controls whether or not the computer 1 is reset by the operation. The Power switch 11 and the Reset switch 12 are used as boot sequence input means for selecting a boot sequence of the computer system.

  The switch monitoring circuit 13 monitors the states of the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12, and determines the boot sequence from the state of the user operation (input operation) when the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are used as boot sequence input means. Recognize the status for selecting. The switch monitoring circuit 13 notifies the recognized status to the CPU 16.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of correspondence between statuses and input operations when the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are used as selection information input means. In FIG. 1, the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are push button switches. The switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation is a power short press and the status is “00” when the time when the power switch 11 is pressed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. When the time for which the power switch 11 is pressed is longer than a predetermined threshold, the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation is a power long press and the status is “01”. When the time when both the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are pressed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation is the power + reset short press and the status is “02”. When the time when both the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are pressed is longer than a predetermined threshold, the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation is the power + reset long press and the status is “03”.

  Here, four types of statuses are assigned as “Power short press”, “Power long press”, “Power + Reset short press”, and “Power + Reset long press”, but the input operation is not limited to this. In addition, the number of statuses is not limited to this.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the removable media I / F unit 17 has an interface function between the removable media 2 and the computer 1. The ROM 14 stores a loader program 141. The loader program 141 is a program that is first executed by the CPU 16 at the time of booting. By executing the loader program 141, the CPU 16 operates as a loader unit that reads various programs stored in the removable medium 2 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 and executes a load process for storing in the RAM 15.

  Based on the status notified from the switch monitoring circuit 13, the CPU 16 that operates as a loader unit performs POWON. The lower layer control file registered in the BTF 21 is selected, and the program file registered in the selected lower layer control file is stored in the RAM 15.

  Next, the operation of the computer system according to the first embodiment will be described. The user presses the power switch 11 or the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 to boot the computer 1. When the power switch 11 is pressed, power is supplied to each component of the computer 1, the CPU 16 starts executing the loader program 141 stored in the ROM 14, and the switch monitoring circuit 13 includes the power switch 11 and the reset. Monitoring of the state of the switch 12 is started.

  First, the operation of status recognition processing of the switch monitoring circuit 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the switch monitoring circuit 13 detects that the power switch 11 has been pressed (step S100, Yes), it determines whether or not the reset switch 12 has been pressed (step S101). When it is determined that the Reset switch 12 has been pressed (step S101, Yes), the switch monitoring circuit 13 starts measuring the pressing time using the timekeeping function in the computer 1 (step S102). The switch monitoring circuit 13 determines whether or not the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are pressed (step S103). When it is determined that the Power switch 11 and the Reset switch 12 are not pressed (No at Step S103), the switch monitoring circuit 13 ends the measurement of the pressing time (Step S104).

  The switch monitoring circuit 13 compares the measured pressing time with a predetermined threshold A (step S105). When the measured pressing time is greater than or equal to the threshold A (Yes at step S105), the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation “Power + Reset long pressing” shown in FIG. Is notified to the CPU 16 (step S106). When the measured pressing time is smaller than the threshold A (No at Step S105), the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation is “Power + Reset short pressing” shown in FIG. 4 and activates the H / W monitor. The status “02” is notified to the CPU 16 (step S107).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the Reset switch 12 has not been pressed (No at Step S101), the switch monitoring circuit 13 starts measuring the pressing time using the time measuring function in the computer 1 (Step S108). The switch monitoring circuit 13 determines whether or not the power switch 11 is being pressed (step S109). When it is determined that the power switch 11 is not pressed (No at Step S109), the switch monitoring circuit 13 ends the measurement of the pressing time (Step S110).

  The switch monitoring circuit 13 compares the measured pressing time with a predetermined threshold value B (step S111). When the measured pressing time is greater than or equal to the threshold value B (step S111, Yes), the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes the input operation “Power long press” shown in FIG. 4 and starts the self-diagnosis mode. “01” is notified to the CPU 16 (step S112). When the measured pressing time is smaller than the threshold B (No in step S111), the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes that the input operation “Power short pressing” shown in FIG. "Is notified to the CPU 16 (step S113).

  Next, the operation of the load process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power switch 11 is pressed, power is supplied to each component of the computer 1, and the CPU 16 starts executing the loader program 141 stored in the ROM 14 and operates as a loader unit. The CPU 16 that operates as a loader unit accesses the removable medium 2 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 and accesses POWON. The BTF 21 is loaded into the RAM 15 (step S200). This operation may be performed simultaneously with the operation in which the switch monitoring circuit 13 recognizes the status.

  When the status is notified from the switch monitoring circuit 13, the CPU 16 operating as a loader unit receives the notified status, POWON. A lower hierarchy control file is selected based on the BTF 21 (step S201). Specifically, the CPU 16 executes the POWON. An ID that matches the notified status is extracted from the IDs registered in the BTF 21. The CPU 16 acquires the file name of the lower layer control file associated with the extracted ID. POWON. Shown in FIG. In the case of the BTF 21, if the notified status is “00”, the file name “OS1.BTF” for starting OS1 is acquired, and if the notified status is “01”, the self-diagnosis mode is started. If the file name “DIAG.BTF” is acquired and the notified status is “02”, the file name “HWMON.BTF” for starting the H / W monitor is acquired, and the notified status is “03”. If there is, the file name “OS2.BTF” for starting OS2 is acquired. Here, it is assumed that the notified status is “02” and the CPU 16 has acquired the file name “HWMON.BTF” for starting the H / W monitor.

  The CPU 16 operating as a loader unit loads the selected (acquired) lower layer control file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 (step S202). Here, since the file name “HWMON.BTF” is selected, the CPU 16 stores the HWMON.B stored in the removable medium 2. The BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15.

  The CPU 16 operating as a loader unit loads a necessary program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 based on the lower layer control file (step S203). Here, HWMON. The BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15. The CPU 16 passes through the removable media I / F unit 17 to HWMON. The program file indicated by the program name registered in the BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15. For example, HWMON. In the case of BTF22-3, SYSROM0. BIN23-1, SYSROM2. BIN23-2, LDSYS. SRE23-3, INITSYS. SRE23-4, and HWMON. The SRE 23-5 is loaded into the RAM 15. HWMON. After loading all the program files indicated by the program names registered in the BTF 22-3 into the RAM 15, the CPU 16 executes a function as an H / W monitor.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, a plurality of lower layer control files in which the program names of program files to be loaded into the computer 1 are registered in the removable medium 2 and lower layer control files are identified. An upper layer control file in which the file name of the lower layer control file is registered in association with an identifier (ID) for storing, and each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file are stored, and the power switch 11 And the state of the Reset switch 12 are monitored, and the file name of the lower layer control file registered in the upper layer control file associated with the ID indicating the status indicating the combination of the states of the Power switch 11 and the Reset switch 12 is indicated. Select lower layer control file , And to load the program file indicating the program name registered in the selected lower layer control file RAM15 from the removable medium 2 is a non-volatile memory means in the computer 1. That is, the loader program 141 stored in the ROM 14 which is a nonvolatile storage means in the computer 1 is changed by only changing the registered contents of the upper and lower control files, depending on the combination of the states of the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12. Accordingly, it is possible to flexibly change the boot sequence when loading the program from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 of the computer 1.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, the case where the Power switch and the Reset switch are used as the boot sequence input means has been described. In the second embodiment, a description will be given of a case where an input unit of a normal computer 1 such as a keyboard or a mouse is used as an input unit of a boot sequence.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the computer system according to the present invention. The computer system of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 has a loader program 141a in the ROM 14 instead of the loader program 141 stored in the ROM 14 of the computer system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Are stored, the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 which are boot sequence input means, and the switch monitoring circuit 13 are deleted, and a keyboard 18 and a display unit 19 are added. Components having the same functions as those of the computer system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Note that the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are not necessary as functions as input means of the boot sequence of the second embodiment, and thus are deleted from the configuration requirements. However, the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 are switches that supply power to the normal computer 1. This function exists as a switch function for resetting the computer 1.

  The display unit 19 is a display that displays characters, images, and the like. The keyboard 18 is input means of the computer 1 operated by the user. Although the keyboard 18 is used here, input means such as a mouse may be used.

  The loader program 141a is a program that is first executed by the CPU 16 at the time of booting. The CPU 16 operates as a loader unit that executes a load process of reading various programs stored in the removable medium 2 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 and storing them in the RAM 15 by executing the loader program 141a.

  The CPU 16 that operates as a loader unit receives the POWON. The display unit 19 displays the ID registered in the BTF 21 and the file name of the lower layer control file. Further, the CPU 16 determines the POWON. Based on the ID selected by the user using the keyboard 18. The lower layer control file registered in the BTF 21 is selected, and the program file registered in the selected lower layer control file is stored in the RAM 15.

  Next, the operation of the computer system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The detailed description of the same operation as that of the load process described with reference to FIG. 6 is omitted. When power is supplied to the computer 1, the CPU 16 starts executing the loader program 141 a stored in the ROM 14 and starts an operation as a loader unit.

  The CPU 16 that operates as a loader unit accesses the removable medium 2 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 and accesses POWON. The BTF 21 is loaded into the RAM 15 (step S300). The CPU 16 loads the loaded POWON. A lower layer control file selection screen is displayed on the display unit 19 based on the BTF 21 (step S301). For example, as shown in FIG. A selection screen in which the ID registered in the BTF 21 is associated with the file name of the lower layer control file is displayed on the display unit 19.

  The user selects and inputs a lower layer control file of a boot sequence to be executed based on the selection screen displayed on the display unit 19. For example, the user selects HWMON., Which is a lower-level control file that activates the H / W monitor. When selecting BTF, “02” is input using the keyboard 18.

  The keyboard 18 notifies the CPU 16 of the input value as a status. When there is a notification from the keyboard 18, that is, when there is an input from the user (step S302, Yes), the CPU 16 determines that the notified status and POWON. Based on the BTF 21, a lower layer control file is selected (step S303). Here, it is assumed that the notified status is “02” and the CPU 16 has acquired the file name “HWMON.BTF” for starting the H / W monitor.

  The CPU 16 operating as a loader unit loads the selected (acquired) lower layer control file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 (step S304). Here, since the file name “HWMON.BTF” is selected, the CPU 16 stores the HWMON.B stored in the removable medium 2. The BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15.

  The CPU 16 operating as a loader unit loads a necessary program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 based on the lower layer control file (step S305). Here, HWMON. The BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15. The CPU 16 passes through the removable media I / F unit 17 to HWMON. The program file indicated by the program name registered in the BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15. For example, HWMON. In the case of BTF22-3, SYSROM0. BIN23-1, SYSROM2. BIN23-2, LDSYS. SRE23-3, INITSYS. SRE23-4, and HWMON. The SRE 23-5 is loaded into the RAM 15. HWMON. After loading all the program files indicated by the program names registered in the BTF 22-3 into the RAM 15, the CPU 16 executes a function as an H / W monitor.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, a plurality of lower layer control files in which the program names of program files to be loaded into the computer 1 are registered in the removable medium 2 and lower layer control files are identified. An upper layer control file in which the file name of the lower layer control file is registered in association with an identifier (ID) for storing and each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file is stored, and the upper layer control The registered contents of the file are displayed as a menu and are selected by the user, and the program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower-level control file selected by the user is transferred from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 which is a nonvolatile storage means in the computer 1. To load. That is, the program from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 of the computer 1 can be changed without changing the loader program 141 stored in the ROM 14 which is a nonvolatile storage means in the computer 1 only by changing the registered contents of the upper and lower control files. It is possible to flexibly change the boot sequence when loading.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the third embodiment, a detailed operation of loading a program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 using the option information of the lower layer control file of the first and second embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the computer system of the present invention. The computer system of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 10 stores a loader program 141b instead of the loader program 141 stored in the ROM 14 of the computer system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Has been. Components having the same functions as those of the computer system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  First, the HWMON. The option information of BTF 22-3 will be described. The option information includes control information, a load address, and a start address. Control information includes program file start information, program load information, program load information, program type information, operation mode information, error processing information, message level information, etc. Various information is registered.

  In FIG. 3, various information is assigned to each of the 32 bits of control information, and is described in hexadecimal. Activation information is assigned to bit 0, and whether or not the program file is an activation file after various program files are loaded from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 is registered. Here, “1” indicates that it is a startup file, and “0” indicates that it is not a startup file.

  Bit 1 is assigned program load information and registered as to whether or not it is a program file to be loaded. Here, “1” indicates that the program file is to be loaded, and “0” indicates that the program file is not to be loaded. Bits 2 to 10 are assigned program type information, and information indicating the program type such as boot, OS, and test is registered. Here, if bit 3 is “1”, it indicates that the program file is related to boot, if bit 4 is “1”, it indicates that the program file is related to OS, and if bit 5 is “1”, It indicates that the program file is related to the test, and bits 2 and 6 to 10 are reserved.

  Bits 16 to 19 are assigned operation mode information. Bits 20 to 25 are assigned error processing information, and information related to processing at the time of error occurrence (execution stop, message output, etc.) is registered. Bits 26 to 31 are assigned message level information, and information indicating the message display level of the program file is registered. The operation mode information, error processing information, and message level information are information that is used when the program file is activated and are not referred to during the load process. Bits 11 to 15 are reserved bits, and information may be assigned as necessary.

  The start address of the RAM 15 that loads the program file indicated by the associated program name is registered in the load address. Registered in the start address is the address of the RAM 15 that stores the first instruction to be executed when the program file indicated by the associated program name is activated.

  The lower layer control file loaded in the RAM 15 (in this case, HWMON.BTF22-3) can also be referred to from various program files and application programs loaded from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 by the loading process. From the program HWMON. When a program file having a program name registered in the BTF 22-3 is activated, control is transferred to the instruction stored in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the address registered in the start address associated with the program name, and the program Launch the file.

  The loader program 141b includes a startup processing program 1411, a control file analysis program 1412, and a program load processing program 1413. The start processing program 1411 is a program that is first started by the CPU 16 at the time of booting, and is a program that loads the control file analysis program 1412 and the program load processing program 1413 in the loader program 141 b stored in the ROM 14 into the RAM 15.

  The control file analysis program 1412 includes an upper layer control file (here POWON.BTF21) and a lower layer control file (here, OS1.BTF22-1, DIAG.BTF22-2, HWMON.BTF22-3, and OS2.BTF22-4). ) Is a program that analyzes the registered contents. The program load processing program 1413 is a program for loading various programs from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17.

  The CPU 16 executes a startup processing program 1411, a control file analysis program 1412, and a program load processing program 1413, thereby forming a startup processing unit 161, a control file analysis unit 162, and a program load processing unit 163 as shown in FIG. Operate. The activation processing unit 161 loads the control file analysis program 1412 and the program load processing program 1413 in the loader program 141 b stored in the ROM 14 into the RAM 15.

  Based on the status notified from the switch monitoring circuit 13, the control file analysis unit 162 generates the POWON. The lower layer control file registered in the BTF 21 is selected, the selected lower layer control file is analyzed, and information necessary for loading the program file (load information) is notified to the program load processing unit 163. The program load processing unit 163 loads a program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 based on the load information notified from the control file analysis unit 162.

Next, the load processing operation of the computer system according to the third embodiment will be described. The load processing operation of the computer system according to the third embodiment may be a case where the program related to the test is registered in the program type information of the control information of the lower layer control file, and the case where the program is not related to the test. It differs depending on whether it is registered. First, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12, the operation of the load process when it is registered that the program type information of the control information of the lower layer control file is not a program related to the test will be described.

  The user presses the power switch 11 or the power switch 11 and the reset switch 12 to boot the computer 1. When the power switch 11 is pressed, power is supplied to each component of the computer 1, the CPU 16 starts executing the loader program 141b stored in the ROM 14, and the switch monitoring circuit 13 includes the power switch 11 and the reset. Monitoring of the state of the switch 12 is started. The switch monitoring circuit 13 notifies the CPU 16 of the recognized status through the status recognition process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  On the other hand, the CPU 16 operates as the activation processing unit 161 by executing the activation processing program 1411 in the loader program 141 b stored in the ROM 14. The activation processing unit 161 loads the control file analysis program 1412 and the program load processing program 1413 in the loader program 141b stored in the ROM 14 into the RAM 15 (step S400).

  The activation processing unit 161 loads the control file analysis program 1412 and the program load processing program 1413 into the RAM 15, and then activates the control file analysis program loaded into the RAM 15 (step S401). As a result, the CPU 16 operates as the control file analysis unit 162. The control file analysis unit 162 is connected via the removable media I / F unit 17 to POWON. The BTF 21 is loaded into the RAM 15 (step S402).

  The control file analysis unit 162 displays the status notified from the switch monitoring circuit 13 and the POWON. A lower layer control file is selected based on the BTF 21 (step S403). Specifically, the control file analysis unit 162 performs the POWON. An ID that matches the notified status is extracted from the IDs registered in the BTF 21. Here, it is assumed that “02” is notified as the status and the control file analysis unit 162 and the file name “HWMON.BTF” for starting the H / W monitor are acquired.

  The control file analysis unit 162 loads the selected (acquired) lower layer control file from the removable media 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable media I / F unit 17 (step S404). Here, since the file name “HWMON.BTF” is selected, the control file analysis unit 162 stores the HWMON.B stored in the removable medium 2. The BTF 22-3 is loaded into the RAM 15.

  The control file analysis unit 162 reads the loaded lower layer control file and acquires the file name and option information (control information, load address, and start address) (step S405). The HWMON. In the case of the BTF 22-3, the control file analysis unit 162 first obtains the program name “SYSROM0.BIN”, the control information “00000003”, the load address “a0080000”, and the start address “a0080100” on the first line excluding the comment line. get.

  The control file analysis unit 162 determines whether or not loading is necessary based on the acquired control information (step S406). As described above, information indicating whether or not a program file is to be loaded is registered in the program load information (control information bit 1) of the control information. Therefore, the control file analysis unit 162 determines that the file needs to be loaded if bit 1 of the control information is “1”, and does not need to be loaded if bit 1 of the control information is “0”. Judged to be a file. If it is determined that there is no need for loading (No at step S406), the control file analysis unit 162 reads the next line currently read in the lower layer control file and acquires the program name and option information in step S405. Return to. Here, the control information is “00000003” and bit 1 is “1”. Therefore, the control file analysis unit 162 determines that the program name “SYSROM0.BIN” is a program file to be loaded.

  When it is determined that loading is necessary (step S406, Yes), the control file analysis unit 162 determines whether or not bit 0 (start bit) of the control information indicates a start file, and the start file If this is the case, the start address is retained. The control file analysis unit 162 activates the program load processing program 1413 using the acquired program name and load address as load information (step S407). As a result, the CPU 16 operates as the program load processing unit 163. Here, the load information is the program name “SYSROM0.BIN” and the load address “a0080000”.

  Based on the load information from the control file analysis unit 162, the program load processing unit 163 loads the program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 (step S408). Here, since the load information is the program name “SYSROM0.BIN” and the load address “a0080000”, the program load processing unit 163 is stored in the removable medium 2 via the removable medium I / F unit 17. SYSROM0. The BIN 23-1 is loaded into the area indicated by the address “a0080000” of the RAM 15.

  After loading the program file (here, SYSROM0.BIN23-1) into the RAM 15, the program load processing unit 163 activates the control file analysis program 1412. As a result, the CPU 16 operates as the control file analysis unit 162.

  The control file analysis unit 162 reads the lower layer control file to acquire the program name and option information until the last line of the lower layer control file ("END" in FIG. 3) is detected, and acquires the control information in the option information. Based on the information, it is determined whether or not loading is necessary. If it is determined that loading is necessary, the program load processing unit 163 loads the program from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 based on the program name and load address. The process of loading the file is repeated, and the program file to be loaded registered in the lower layer control file is loaded into the RAM 15 (steps S405 to S409).

  The HWMON. In the case of BTF22-3, the load information (bit 1) of each control information of the program names “SYSROM0.BIN”, “SYSROM2.BIN”, “LDSYS.SRE”, “INITSYS.SRE”, “HWMON.SRE” is “ 1 ”, the SYSROM 0. BIN 23-1 is stored from the address “a008000” of the RAM 15, and the SYSROM 2. BIN23-2 is stored from the address "a00c000" of the RAM 15, and the LDSYS.BIN stored in the removable medium 2 is stored. SRE23-3 is stored from the address "a00f000" in the RAM 15, and the INITSYS. SRE 23-4 is stored from the address “a010000” of the RAM 15, and the HWMON. SRE 23-5 is stored from the address “a013000” of the RAM 15. Further, since the activation information (bit 0) of the control information associated with the program name “SYSROM0.BIN” is “1”, the start address “a0080100” associated with the program name “SYSROM0.BIN” is retained. .

  After analyzing to the end (last line) of the lower layer control file (step S409, Yes), the control file analysis unit 162 shifts control to the program set as the activation program in the lower layer control file (step S410). Specifically, the control file analysis unit 162 stores the start address held when analyzing the lower layer control file, that is, the start address of the program name associated with the control information in which “1” is registered in the start bit. The control is transferred to the instruction stored in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the address registered in, and the program file is activated. Here, since the start address “a0080100” associated with the program name “SYSROM0.BIN” is held, control is transferred to the instruction stored in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the address “a0080100”, and the program name “SYSROM0” is stored. .BIN "program file is started.

  When starting a program file having a program name registered as not being a start program in the start information of the control information of the lower layer control file from the program file of the program name “SYSROM0.BIN”, the lower layer control file is Referring to and acquiring the start address associated with the program name of the program file to be activated, control is transferred to the instruction stored in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the address registered in the acquired start address, and the program file Start up.

  Next, a case where a program related to a test is registered in the program type information of the control information of the lower layer control file will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a lower layer control file in which the program type information of the control information is registered as a program related to a test. In FIG. 13, the control information “00000002”, the load address “a0030000”, and the start address “a0030100” are registered in association with the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1”, and are associated with the program name “TEST2.BIN: TEST2”. Control information “00000002”, load address “a0030000”, and start address “a0030100” are registered, and control information “00000003”, load address “a0080000”, and start address “a0080000” are registered in association with the program name “BOOTTW.BIN”. In association with the program name “OS.BIN”, the control information “00000002”, the load address “a00c0000”, and the start address “a00c0100” The control information “00000002”, the load address “a0030000”, and the start address “a0030100” are registered in association with the program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3”, and the control information “00000002” in association with the program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4”. A load address “a0030000” and a start address “a0030100” are registered. That is, it is registered in the program type information of the control information that the program is related to the test (bit 5 of the control information is “1”). Program name (TEST1.BIN, TEST2.BIN, TEST9.BIN, TEST10.BIN) The same addresses “a0030000” and “a0030100” are registered in the load address and the start address associated with. As described above, a test program or the like that is operated on the debug monitor (under the non-OS) is often operated at the same fixed physical address.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14, the operation of the load processing of the computer system when the program type information of the control information of the lower layer control file is registered as a program related to the test will be described. When the power is turned on and the CPU 16 executes the boot processing program 1411 in the loader program 141b, the CPU 16 operates as the boot processing unit 161, loads the control file analysis program 1412 and the program load processing program 1413 into the RAM 15, and the CPU 16 By executing the control file analysis program 1412, the control file analysis unit 162 operates as a POWON. The BTF 21 is loaded from the removable medium 2 into the RAM 15, and the status and POWON. The operation of loading the lower layer control file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 based on the BTF 21 is the same as the operation in steps S400 to S404 described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do. Here, it is assumed that the lower layer control file shown in FIG. 13 is loaded from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15.

  The control file analysis unit 162 reads the loaded lower layer control file and acquires the program name and option information (control information, load address, and start address) (step S500). The control file analysis unit 162 determines whether or not loading is necessary based on the acquired control information (step S501). If it is determined that there is no need to load (No in step S501), the control file analysis unit 162 reads the next line currently read in the lower layer control file and acquires the program name and option information in step S500. Return to.

  If it is determined that loading is necessary (step S501, Yes), the control file analysis unit 162 determines whether to save the program based on the acquired control information (step S502). Specifically, the control file analysis unit 162 determines whether or not the program type information of the control information indicates that the program is related to a test (in this case, whether or not bit 5 of the control information is “1”). When the control information bit 5 is “1”, it is determined that the program is to be saved, and when the control information bit 5 is “0”, it is determined that the program is not to be saved. The program saving means that a program is temporarily stored in a temporary area of the RAM 15 and the program is copied to a predetermined area of the RAM 15 and executed when the program is executed.

  If it is determined not to save the program (No in step S502), it is determined whether or not bit 0 (activation bit) of the control information indicates a startup file, indicating that it is a startup file. In this case, the start address is held. The control file analysis unit 162 uses the acquired program name and load address as load information, and starts the program load processing program 1413 (step S503). As a result, the CPU 16 operates as the program load processing unit 163.

  Based on the load information from the control file analysis unit 162, the program load processing unit 163 loads a program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 (step S504). That is, the program load processing unit 163 loads the program file in the removable medium 2 indicated by the program name registered in the program name of the lower hierarchy control file at the address of the RAM 15 indicated by the load address of the lower hierarchy control file.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the program is to be saved (step S502, Yes), the control file analysis unit 162 uses the program name and temporary address acquired from the lower layer control file as load information. The temporary address is an address indicating a temporary area of the RAM 15 different from the area specified by the load address acquired from the lower layer control file, and is an address of the RAM 15 where the program file indicated by the program name is actually loaded. is there.

  The control file analysis unit 162 stores program load information in which the program name, control information, load address, start address, and temporary address acquired from the lower layer control file are associated with the temporary address in a predetermined area of the RAM 15 (step S505). . The control file analysis unit 162 starts the program load processing program 1413 using the acquired program name and temporary address as load information (step S506). As a result, the CPU 16 operates as the program load processing unit 163.

  Based on the load information from the control file analysis unit 162, the program load processing unit 163 loads a program file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 via the removable medium I / F unit 17 (step S507).

  The control file analysis unit 162 reads the lower layer control file to acquire the program name and option information until the last line of the lower layer control file ("END" in FIG. 13) is detected, and acquires the control information in the option information. Based on the information, it is determined whether or not loading is necessary and whether or not program saving is necessary. When it is determined that loading is necessary and program saving is not necessary, the program loading processing unit 163 When the program file in the removable medium 2 indicated by the program name of the lower hierarchy control file is loaded into the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the load address of the lower hierarchy control file, it is determined that the program needs to be loaded and the program needs to be saved. In this case, the program load processing unit 163 displays the program of the lower layer control file. The program files in the removable medium 2 beam name indicates repeated operation of loading the region of RAM15 shown different temporary address from the load address of the lower layer control file (step S502~S508).

  The control file analysis unit 162 analyzes until the end (last line) of the lower layer control file (step S508, Yes), and then transfers control to the program set as the activation program in the lower layer control file (step S509).

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a loading state when the program file stored in the removable medium 2 is loaded into the RAM 15 based on the lower layer control file shown in FIG. In the lower layer control file shown in FIG. 13, the program type information of the control information of the program names “TEST1.BIN: TEST1”, “TEST2.BIN: TEST2”, “TEST9_BIN: TEST3”, “TEST10_BIN: TEST4”. Is a program related to the test ("1" in bit 5 of the control information), and the program type information of the control information of the program names "BOOTFW.BIN" and "OS.BIN" is not a program related to the test ("0" in bit 5 of the control information) is registered. Therefore, the program file with the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1” stored in the removable medium 2 is loaded into the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the temporary address “b0000000” and the program name “TEST2.BIN stored in the removable medium 2 is stored. : TEST2 "is loaded into the RAM 15 area indicated by the temporary address" b00500000 ", and the program name" TEST9_BIN: TEST3 "stored in the removable medium 2 is loaded into the RAM 15 area indicated by the temporary address" b0100000 ". The program file with the program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4” stored in the removable medium 2 has a temporary address “b01”. 0000 "is loaded in the area of the RAM15 shown. The program file indicated by the program name “BOOTFW.BIN” stored in the removable medium 2 is loaded into the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the load address “a0080000” of the lower layer control file, and the program name stored in the removable medium 2 is stored. The program file indicated by “OS.BIN” is loaded in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the load address “a00c0000” of the lower layer control file.

  The data area of the RAM 15 stores program load information generated by the control file analysis unit 162 by the process of step S505 in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of program load information. In FIG. 16, the program load information includes control information “00000002” associated with the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1”, load address “a0030000”, start address “a0030100”, and RAM address “b0000000” as a temporary address. Control information “00000002” associated with the program name “TEST2.BIN: TEST2”, load address “a0030000”, start address “a0030100”, RAM address “b0050000” as a temporary address, and program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3” ”Related control information“ 00000002 ”, load address“ a0030000 ”, start address“ a003010 ” ”, The RAM address“ b0100000 ”as the temporary address, the control information“ 00000002 ”associated with the program name“ TEST10_BIN: TEST4 ”, the load address“ a0030000 ”, the start address“ a0030100 ”, and the RAM address“ temporary address ” Program load information in which “b01f0000” is registered is stored.

  Next, the operation of the test program activation process for activating the program file stored in the temporary area will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the loading process described with reference to FIG. 14, the CPU 16 that operates as the control file analysis unit 162 analyzes until the end of the lower hierarchy control file (last line), and is set as a startup program in the lower hierarchy control file. Then, control is transferred to the program, and then the application program stored in the RAM 15 is executed to start a program file relating to the test. The CPU 16 that operates as an application processing unit by executing the application program determines whether or not the program name of the program file to be activated is registered in the program name of the program load information when the program file is activated ( Step S600).

  When the program name of the program file to be activated is registered in the program name of the program load information (Yes in step S600), the application processing unit tests the program file to be activated from the temporary area based on the program load information. Copy to the program storage area (step S601). For example, when the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1” is activated, the application processing unit performs control information “00000002” associated with the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1” of the program load information, load address “a0030000” The start address “a0030100” and the RAM address “b0000000” are acquired.

  The application processing unit reads the program file “TEST1.BIN: TEST1” stored in the area of the RAM 15 with the acquired RAM address “b0000000” as the start address, and the acquired load address “a0030000” as the start address. To the test program storage area of the RAM 15

  The application processing unit starts a program to be started based on the program load information (step S602). Specifically, the program to be started is started by executing an instruction of the program file in the RAM 15 indicated by the start address (in this case, the start address “a0030100”) acquired from the program load information, and the program file related to the test is started. Migrate processing.

  On the other hand, when the program name of the program file to be activated is not registered in the program name of the program load information (No in step S600), the application processing unit activates the program to be activated based on the lower hierarchy control file ( Step S603). Specifically, the application processing unit acquires a start address registered in association with the program name of the lower layer control file in association with the program name indicating the program file to be activated. The application processing unit starts a program to be started by executing an instruction of the program file in the RAM 15 indicated by the acquired start address, and shifts the processing.

  Next, an operation for starting a plurality of program files stored in the temporary area in order of application programs will be described. Here, it is assumed that the program load information shown in FIG. 16 is stored in the data area of the RAM 15 by the load process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The application program starts program files in the order of program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1”, program name “TEST2.BIN: TEST2”, program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3”, and program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4”. To do.

  By executing the application program, the CPU 16 operates as an application processing unit. When starting the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1”, the application processing unit executes the test program starting process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As a result, the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1” stored in the temporary area of the RAM 15 having the RAM address “b0000000” associated with the program name “TEST1.BIN: TEST1” and registered in the program load information as the head address. ”Is copied to a test program storage area having a load address“ a0030000 ”associated with the program name“ TEST1.BIN: TEST1 ”and registered in the program load information as the head address, and the program name“ TEST1.BIN ”. : The program name “TE” by executing the instruction of the program file in the RAM 15 indicated by the start address “a0030100” registered in the program load information in association with “TEST1”. T1.BIN: TEST1 to the program file of "the process proceeds. Thereby, the CPU 16 executes the first test process as the first test processing unit. When the execution of the first test process ends, the first test processing unit shifts the process to the application program. Thereby, the CPU 16 operates as an application processing unit.

  When starting the program name “TEST2.BIN: TEST2”, the application processing unit executes the test program starting process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As a result, the program name “TEST2.BIN: TEST2” stored in the temporary area of the RAM 15 having the RAM address “b0050000” associated with the program name “TEST2.BIN: TEST2” and registered in the program load information as the head address. ”Is copied to a test program storage area having a load address“ a0030000 ”associated with the program name“ TEST2.BIN: TEST2 ”and registered in the program load information as a head address, and the program name“ TEST2.BIN ”. : The program name “TE” by executing the instruction of the program file in the RAM 15 indicated by the start address “a0030100” registered in the program load information in association with “TEST2”. T2.BIN: TEST2 shifts the process to program files ". Thereby, the CPU 16 executes the second test process as the second test processing unit. When the execution of the second test process ends, the second test processing unit shifts the process to the application program. Thereby, the CPU 16 operates as an application processing unit.

  When starting the program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3”, the application processing unit executes the test program starting process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Accordingly, the program file “TEST9_BIN: TEST3” stored in the temporary area of the RAM 15 having the RAM address “b0100000” associated with the program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3” and registered in the program load information as the head address. Is copied to the test program storage area with the load address “a0030000” registered in the program load information associated with the program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3” as the head address, and the program associated with the program name “TEST9_BIN: TEST3”. By executing an instruction of the program file in the RAM 15 indicated by the start address “a0030100” registered in the load information, the program name “TE T9_BIN: TEST3 shifts the process to program files ". Thereby, the CPU 16 executes the third test process as the third test processing unit. The third test processing unit shifts the processing to the application program when the execution of the third test processing is completed. Thereby, the CPU 16 operates as an application processing unit.

  When starting the program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4”, the application processing unit executes the test program starting process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As a result, the program file “TEST10_BIN: TEST4” stored in the temporary area of the RAM 15 having the RAM address “b01f0000” associated with the program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4” and registered in the program load information as the head address. Is copied to the test program storage area with the load address “a0030000” associated with the program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4” and registered in the program load information as the head address, and is associated with the program name “TEST10_BIN: TEST4”. The program is executed by executing the instruction of the program file in the RAM 15 indicated by the start address “a0030100” registered in the load information. "TEST10_BIN: TEST4" the process proceeds to the program file of. Thereby, the CPU 16 executes the fourth test process as the fourth test processing unit. The fourth test processing unit shifts the processing to the application program when the execution of the fourth test processing is completed. Thereby, the CPU 16 operates as an application processing unit.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the removable medium 2 associates the program name of the program file to be loaded into the computer 1 with the control information and program file including the program type information and the startup information. The lower layer control file, which is a control file in which the load address of the program is registered, and each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file are stored. The computer 1 stores the program registered in the lower layer control file. When it is determined that the type information indicates a predetermined program type, the program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file is stored in the RAM 15 which is a volatile storage means indicated by a predetermined temporary address. Load to region and program type If it is determined that the information does not indicate a predetermined program type, the RAM 15 area indicated by the load address registered in the control file in association with the program name associated with the program name registered in the lower-level control file When the program file loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address in the RAM 15 is executed, the program file loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address is associated with the program name indicating the program file in the lower layer control file. Since the program is copied to the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the load address and executed, the storage means indicated by the load address of the control file can be changed only by changing the program type information of the control information of the control file, without changing the loader. Area Or to load the program file, it is possible to choose whether to load in the region of the memory means indicated by the different temporary address from the load address of the control file.

  Also, a test program or the like that operates on the debug monitor (under the non-OS) is often operated with a fixed physical address, and when there are a large number of test programs, only one program is loaded at one system startup. That is inefficient. However, in the third embodiment, the lower layer control file indicates that the program type information indicates a predetermined program type, and a plurality of the same addresses registered in the load address of the program file to the RAM 16 are registered. By registering the program name, a plurality of program files indicating that the program type is a predetermined program type is loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address of the RAM 15 in the program type information, and each program file is executed at the time of execution. Since each program file loaded in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the temporary address is copied to the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the same address registered in the load address of the control file, each program file is executed. Restart computer 1 No, is it possible that the load address is sequentially executing the program file at the same address.

  In the third embodiment, after loading all program files registered in the lower layer control file from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15, information indicating that the program is a startup program is registered in the startup information. Since the program file is activated by transferring control to the instruction in the area of the RAM 15 indicated by the start address registered in the start address of the lower layer control file associated with the program name, the program file used at the time of activation Even if there is a change in the configuration or the start address of the program file to which control is transferred from the loader, it is possible to respond without changing the loader only by changing the lower layer control file.

  Further, in the third embodiment, based on the program load information of the control information of the lower layer control file, it is determined whether or not to load the program file indicated by the program name from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15. Therefore, the program file to be loaded can be changed by changing only the lower layer control file without changing the program file in the removable medium 2.

  In the third embodiment, the computer system of the first embodiment using the Power switch 11 and the Reset switch 12 as input means for selecting a boot sequence has been described as an example. The computer system of the second embodiment that uses the keyboard 18 as an input means for selecting the menu may be used.

  In the first to third embodiments, the upper and lower layer control files are loaded from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15 for analysis. However, the files in the removable medium 2 are directly loaded without being loaded into the RAM 15. The upper and lower layer control files may be analyzed, and only the program file may be loaded from the removable medium 2 to the RAM 15.

The figure which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of the computer system in this invention. POWON. The figure which shows an example of BTF. HWMON. The figure which shows an example of BTF. The figure which shows an example of a response | compatibility with the status at the time of using a Power switch and a Reset switch as a selection information input means. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of status recognition processing of the switch monitoring circuit shown in FIG. 1. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the load process of the computer system of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of the computer system in this invention. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the load process of the computer system of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the selection screen displayed on the display part shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure of 3rd Embodiment of the computer system in this invention. The figure which shows the structure of 3rd Embodiment of the computer system in this invention. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a load process of the computer system according to the third embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the lower hierarchy control file in which it is registered that it is a program regarding a test in the program classification information of control information. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a load process of the computer system according to the third embodiment. The figure which shows the loading state at the time of loading the program file stored in the removable medium to RAM. The figure which shows an example of program load information. The flowchart for demonstrating the starting operation | movement of the program file stored in the temporary address.

Explanation of symbols

1 Computer 2 Removable Media 11 Power Switch 12 Reset Switch 13 Switch Monitoring Circuit 14 ROM
15 RAM
16 CPU
18 Keyboard 19 Display 21 POWON. BTF
22-1 OS1. BTF
22-2 DIAG. BTF
22-3 HWMON. BTF
22-4 OS2. BTF
23-1 SYSROM0. BIN
23-2 SYSROM2. BIN
23-3 LDSYS. SRE
23-4 INITSYS. SRE
23-5 HWMON. SRE
141, 141a, 141b Loader program 161 Startup processing unit 162 Control file analysis unit 163 Program load processing unit 1411 Startup processing program 1412 Control file analysis program 1413 Program load processing program

Claims (5)

In a computer system comprising a computer and a removable medium removable from the computer,
The removable media is
A plurality of lower layer control files in which program names of program files to be loaded into the computer are registered;
An upper layer control file in which a file name of the lower layer control file is registered in association with an identifier for identifying the lower layer control file;
Each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file,
Store
The computer
Volatile storage means;
Selection information input means having a plurality of switches and switch monitoring means for monitoring the status of these switches and notifying the loader means of status information in which a combination of switch statuses is associated with the identifier of the upper layer control file;
The program name of the program file registered in the lower hierarchy control file indicated by the file name of the lower hierarchy control file registered in the upper hierarchy control file in association with the identifier that matches the status information notified from the switch monitoring means is Loader means for loading the program file shown from the removable medium into the storage means;
A computer system comprising: In a computer system comprising a computer and a removable medium removable from the computer,
The removable media is
A plurality of lower layer control files in which program names of program files to be loaded into the computer are registered;
An upper layer control file in which a file name of the lower layer control file is registered in association with an identifier for identifying the lower layer control file;
Each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file,
Store
The computer
Volatile storage means;
Display means for displaying registration contents of the upper layer control file;
A selection information input means for notifying the loader means of an identifier input from the outside as status information;
The identifier registered in the upper layer control file and the file name of the lower layer control file are displayed on the display unit, and the upper layer is associated with an identifier that matches the status information notified from the selection information input unit. Loader means for loading the program file indicated by the program name of the program file registered in the lower hierarchy control file indicated by the file name of the lower hierarchy control file registered in the control file from the removable medium to the storage means;
A computer system comprising: In a computer system comprising a computer and a removable medium removable from the computer,
The removable media is
In association with the program name of the program file to be loaded into the computer, control information including program type information and startup information and a control file in which the load address of the program file is registered,
Each program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file;
Store
The computer
Volatile storage means;
Control file analysis means for determining whether or not the program type information registered in the control file indicates a predetermined program type;
If the control file analysis unit determines that the program type information registered in the control file indicates a predetermined program type, the program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file is set to a predetermined temporary address. When the program type information is loaded to the storage means area and the program type information does not indicate the predetermined program type, the program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file is associated with the program name in the control file. Program load processing means for loading into the area of the storage means indicated by the load address registered in
With
When executing the program file loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address of the storage means, the program file loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address is associated with the program name indicating the program file and the load address of the control file Copying to the storage means area indicated by
A computer system characterized by the above. A plurality of lower layer control files in which a program name of a program file to be loaded into the computer is registered by a computer having volatile storage means, and the lower layer associated with an identifier for identifying the lower layer control file The program file is stored in the volatile storage means from a removable medium storing an upper layer file in which the file name of the control file is registered and each program file indicated by the program name registered in the lower layer control file. A program loading method for loading,
A selection information receiving step for receiving selection information for selecting the lower layer control file;
The lower layer control file is selected based on the selection information received by the selection information receiving step and the upper layer control file, and the program file indicated by the program name registered in the selected lower layer control file is read from the removable medium. A loader step for loading into the storage means;
A program loading method comprising: A computer having volatile storage means, in association with the program name of the program file to be loaded into the computer, control information including program type information and startup information, and a control file in which the load address of the program file is registered; A program loading method for loading the program file into the storage means from a removable medium storing each program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file,
A control file analysis step for determining whether or not the program type information registered in the control file indicates a predetermined program type;
If it is determined that the program type information registered in the control file by the control file analysis step indicates a predetermined program type, the program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file is set to a predetermined temporary address. When the program type information is loaded to the area of the storage means indicated by and the program type information does not indicate the predetermined program type, the program file indicated by the program name registered in the control file is associated with the program name in the control file. A program load processing step for loading into the area of the storage means indicated by the load address registered in
When the computer executes the program loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address of the storage means in the program load processing step, the program loaded in the area indicated by the temporary address is associated with the program name indicating the program file. An execution processing step of executing the copied program after copying to the storage means area indicated by the load address of the control file;
A program loading method comprising:

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