JP2013105338A - Information processing apparatus, information processing program, and built-in system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a restart frequency of an information processing apparatus to improve user-friendliness when changing data in an auxiliary storage device while using an EWF function to protect data.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus has an EWF function and is required to be restarted for setting of invalidation and validation of the EWF function. The information processing apparatus includes: a main storage device including an EWF overlay; a first auxiliary storage device in which various data protected by the EWF function and including an OS is stored; a second auxiliary storage device in which the same various data is stored; starting means which uses an OS in an auxiliary storage device, which is defined in start setting information defining an auxiliary storage device including an OS for use for start, to start the information processing apparatus; and data storage means which, when the information processing apparatus is started by using the OS in the first auxiliary storage device, stores data into the EWF overlay and the second auxiliary storage device and defines the second auxiliary storage device to the start setting information.

Description

  The present invention relates to the fields of an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and an embedded system.

  When data is changed or added to the OS (operating system) of the information processing apparatus by the OS or application, the data is directly written in the storage area of the OS of the auxiliary storage device (for example, HDD). If changes and additions are frequently made, various data and application files are stored in the storage area of the OS, so that the operation of the OS may be slowed or the original data of the OS may be corrupted.

  In recent years, Windows XP (registered trademark) Embedded (hereinafter referred to as XP Embedded), which is an OS for embedded devices, has been developed, and this OS has a function for protecting OS data called Enhanced Write Filter (hereinafter referred to as EWF). Are known.

  In an information processing apparatus such as an embedded device, it is necessary to prohibit or minimize writing to an auxiliary storage device (for example, HDD) due to restrictions on hardware, etc. According to this EWF function, it depends on the OS and application. When data is changed, the contents of the change are not directly written to the auxiliary storage device (for example, HDD), but are redirected to a storage area created on the main storage device (for example, RAM), so that the original OS of the information processing apparatus Data changes can be protected and the original OS data can always be kept clean.

  As a technique related to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that does not require a user to reinstall an application at the time of rebooting in order to install a new application in original data of an OS to which EWF is applied.

  However, even in an information processing apparatus such as an embedded device to which the EWF function is applied, sometimes it is necessary to write data to the OS storage area of the auxiliary storage device. In this case, the user first releases (invalidates) the applied EWF, changes the data in the auxiliary storage device, and then applies (validates) the EWF again. Here, when canceling and applying the EWF, it is necessary to restart the OS of the information processing apparatus. Therefore, if the data in the auxiliary storage device is changed, the system is restarted when the EWF is released and applied, and thus there is a problem that the convenience of the user is reduced (restarting of the restart). Waiting time, etc.).

  Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the above points, the number of restarts of the information processing device is reduced when the data in the auxiliary storage device is changed while the data protection is performed using the EWF function. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and an embedded system that improve the convenience of the system.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus that has an EWF function and requires restarting when setting the invalidation and activation of the EWF function, and includes a main memory including an EWF overlay A device, a first auxiliary storage device that is protected by the EWF function and stores various data including the OS, a second auxiliary storage device that stores various data identical to the various data, and an OS used for booting are included. The auxiliary storage device has activation setting information defined, and an activation unit that activates the information processing apparatus using the OS of the auxiliary storage device defined in the activation setting information, and the OS of the first auxiliary storage device When the information processing apparatus is activated using the first auxiliary storage device, when the data storage instruction is received, the data is sent to the EWF overlay and the second auxiliary storage device. Together stores the, and a data storage means for defining said second auxiliary storage device to the boot configuration information.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information processing program according to the present invention has an EWF function, requires a restart when setting the invalidation and validation of the EWF function, and includes a main storage device including an EWF overlay, and an EWF An OS used for booting is added to an information processing apparatus that is protected by a function and has a first auxiliary storage device that stores various data including the OS and a second auxiliary storage device that stores the same various data as the various data. An activation unit that activates the information processing apparatus using the OS of the auxiliary storage device defined in the activation setting information, and the first auxiliary storage device includes the activation setting information defined in the included auxiliary storage device; When the information processing apparatus is started up using the OS, and the data storage instruction is received for the first auxiliary storage device, the EWF overlay and the second auxiliary storage device Together and stores the data, to function as a data storage means defining a second auxiliary storage device to the boot configuration information.

  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the embedded system which concerns on this invention is an embedded system comprised including the said information processing apparatus.

  In addition, what applied the arbitrary combination of the component of this invention, expression, or a component to a method, an apparatus, a system, a computer program, a recording medium, etc. is also effective as an aspect of this invention.

  According to the present invention, information that reduces the number of restarts of the information processing device and improves user convenience when changing data in the auxiliary storage device while performing data protection using the EWF function. A processing device, an information processing program, and an embedded system can be provided.

It is a hardware block diagram which shows the main structures of the information processing apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the main functions of the information processing apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the information processing of the information processing apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a state transition diagram of each storage device according to the present embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings in each embodiment.

[System configuration]
(hardware)
A hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a main configuration of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 14, a storage medium reader 15, an input as main components. The configuration includes the device 16, the display device 17, and the communication device 18.

  The CPU 11 is composed of a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and is a circuit that controls the entire apparatus. The ROM 12 is a memory for storing a predetermined control program (software component) executed by the CPU 11, and the RAM 13 is a work area (when the CPU 11 executes various programs and performs various controls as a main storage device). This is a volatile memory used as a work area.

  The HDD 14 is an auxiliary storage device that stores various types of information including an OS (for example, XP Embedded having an EWF function), and is a nonvolatile memory. Information from the outside can be acquired by setting a portable medium such as a USB memory, a CD, or a DVD in the storage medium reader 15.

  The input device 16 is a device for a user to perform various input operations. The input device 16 includes a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel switch provided so as to be superimposed on the display screen of the display device 17, and the like. The display device 17 is a device that displays various data on a display screen. For example, it is composed of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and the like.

  The communication device 18 is a device that communicates with other devices via a network. Supports communication according to various network forms including wired and wireless networks.

(function)
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing main functions of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the information processing apparatus 1 includes an auxiliary storage device 110, a main storage device 120, a system BIOS 130, an activation unit 140, and a data storage unit 150 as main functions.

  The auxiliary storage device 110 is realized by the HDD 14 described above, and is a storage device that stores the OS, data used by the OS, and user data. In the present embodiment, one storage device is virtually configured as two storage devices by partitioning or the like. In other words, the configuration includes the first virtual storage device 111 and the second virtual storage device 112 (of course, two storage devices may be physically used). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the first virtual storage device 111 and the second virtual storage device 112 store the same data. In other words, if the first virtual storage device 111 stores data used by the OS or OS and user data, the second virtual storage device 112 also uses the same OS or OS data and user data. Data is stored.

  In FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 1 assumes that the OS of the first virtual storage device 111 is activated and the EWF function is enabled. The EWF volume is created. The EWF volume is a place for storing EWF configuration information such as the number of volumes protected by the EWF, size, and EWF overlay information.

  The main storage device 120 is a memory that is realized by the RAM 13 and is used as a work area of the CPU 11. In this embodiment, since the EWF function is enabled (for example, RAM Mode), an EWF overlay (EWF area) is secured. The EWF overlay is a place where write information and change information for the protection partition (for example, the first virtual storage device 111) are redirected and the write information and change information are stored.

  The system BIOS 130 is realized as a program that is executed when the information processing apparatus 1 is activated, and recognizes various devices (auxiliary storage device, main storage apparatus, etc.) in the information processing apparatus 1 at the time of activation.

  The activation unit 140 is activated by the system BIOS 130 and activates the system of the information processing apparatus 1 by reading the OS. Note that, when starting the system, the starting unit 140 according to the present embodiment determines which auxiliary storage device OS to start the system based on the start setting information 141. The activation setting information 141 defines an auxiliary storage device that includes an OS used for activation. In the present embodiment, either the first auxiliary storage device 111 or the second auxiliary storage device 112 is defined. Yes. As described above, since the OS of the first virtual storage device 111 is activated here, the first auxiliary storage device 111 is defined in the activation setting information 141. That is, the activation unit 140 refers to the activation setting information 141 and activates the system with the OS of the first auxiliary storage device 111.

When the data storage unit 150 receives an instruction to store data to the auxiliary storage device including the OS used for startup, the data storage unit 150 stores the data in the EWF overlay and the storage device including the OS not used for startup. Let More specifically, here, when an instruction to store data is received from the first virtual storage device 111, the data is stored in the EWF overlay and the second virtual storage device 112. Further, at this time, the data storage unit 150 corresponds to the activation setting information 141 in the auxiliary storage device (for example, the first virtual storage device 111) including the OS used for the current activation as the auxiliary storage device used for the activation. Instead, a storage device (for example, the second virtual storage device 112) including the OS that is not used for activation is defined (rewritten). Thus, when restarted (next startup), the startup unit 140 refers to the startup setting information 141 and starts up the system with the OS of the second virtual storage device 112. Actually, it is realized by a program executed by the CPU 11.

[Information processing]
Information processing of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining information processing of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a state transition diagram of each storage device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the C drive corresponds to the first virtual storage device 111, and the D drive corresponds to the second virtual storage device 112. As described above, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the same data including the OS is stored in both the C drive and the D drive. In addition, the EWF function is enabled by default in the OS. This will be described below with reference to both drawings.

  S1: The user requests activation of the system by turning on the information processing apparatus 1.

  S2: When the power is turned on, the system BIOS 130 is activated, and the system BIOS 130 recognizes an available device. Thereby, for example, the C drive, the D drive, the main storage device 120, and the like are recognized.

  S3: Next, the activation unit 140 receives an OS activation instruction from the system BIOS 130, and therefore first obtains the activation setting information 141. This is for determining a drive (virtual storage device) including an OS used for startup. Here, it is assumed that the activation setting information 141 defines the C drive (first virtual storage device 111) as the OS drive used for activation.

  S4: The activation unit 140 activates the OS of the drive C specified by the activation setting information 141 according to the activation setting information 141.

  S5: The activation unit 140 validates the EWF function for the activated C drive. Accordingly, an EWF overlay (EWF area) is secured in the free area of the main storage device 120, and an EWF volume is secured in the free area in the C drive. Based on S1 to S5, reference is made to FIG. As shown in the figure, the system is started from the OS of the C drive which is the start drive, and the C drive is protected by the EWF function.

  S6: Next, after the system is started, the data changing unit 150 checks whether or not there is a data change for the OS of the C drive, data used by the OS, and the like. Here, for example, it is assumed that application of patch data to the OS is executed by the user or the OS itself.

  S7: First, the data change unit 150 writes the patch data to the EWF overlay of the main storage device 120 because the C drive as the startup drive is protected by the EWF function. This is based on the original function of the EWF. When data is changed by the OS or application, the change is not directly written to the protected C drive, but redirected to a storage area created on the main storage device 120. This is to protect the change of the original data of the OS in the information processing apparatus. Reference is made to FIG. 4B based on S6 to S7. As shown in the figure, it can be seen that the patch data is stored in the EWF overlay of the main storage device 120.

  S8: Next, the data changing unit 150 applies the patch data to the D drive which is a non-startup drive. Based on the above S8, reference is made to FIG. As shown in the figure, it can be seen that the patch data is stored in the D drive.

  S9: The data changing unit 150 updates the activation setting information 141. In the startup setting information 141, the auxiliary storage device used for startup is specified. Specifically, at this point, the C drive which is the startup drive is specified, but the data changing unit 150 uses the non-startup drive. Rewrite to D drive. As a result, at the next startup, the system is started from the OS of the D drive.

  S10: In addition, the data changing unit 150 (or the activation unit 140 in response to a command from the data changing unit 150) performs a setting to cancel the EWF function for the C drive which is the current activation drive at the next activation. This is because the protection of the C drive by the EWF function is canceled after the restart. In the OS according to the present embodiment, the EWF function is enabled as standard. However, when the C drive is started next time, the EWF function is disabled and started, so that the D drive protected by the EFW function thereafter. When the data is changed, the same data can be written to the C drive together with the EWF overlay. Also, in the OS according to the present embodiment, the EWF function is enabled as a standard, but if not, a setting is made to enable the EWF function for the D drive which is the current non-startup drive. . This is because the D drive is protected by the EWF function after the restart.

  Subsequently, the system of the information processing apparatus 1 is restarted. The restart can be explicitly restarted by a user instruction, or the system can be restarted automatically after S10. Hereinafter, the description will be continued from S1 of the flowchart.

  Re-S1: The user requests to start the system by turning on the information processing apparatus 1 or by automatically restarting the system as described above.

  Re-S2: When the power is turned on, the system BIOS 130 is activated, and the system BIOS 130 recognizes an available device. Thereby, for example, the C drive, the D drive, the main storage device 120, and the like are recognized.

  Re-S3: Next, the activation unit 140 receives the OS activation instruction from the system BIOS 130 and acquires the activation setting information 141. This is for determining a drive (virtual storage device) including an OS used for startup. Here, according to S9 described above, the startup setting information 141 defines the D drive (second virtual storage device 112) as the OS drive used for startup.

  Re-S4: The activation unit 140 activates the OS of the drive D specified by the activation setting information 141 according to the activation setting information 141.

  Re S5: The activation unit 140 validates the EWF function for the D drive to be activated (see S10). Accordingly, an EWF overlay (EWF area) is secured in the free area of the main storage device 120, and an EWF volume is secured in the free area in the D drive. 4 (d) is referred to based on the re-S1 to the re-S5. As shown in the figure, the system is started from the OS of the D drive which is the start drive, and the D drive is protected by the EWF function. Furthermore, since patch data is applied to the OS of this D drive, this OS is an OS to which patch data has been applied. Since the main storage device 120 is a volatile memory realized by the RAM 13 or the like, for example, the patch data of the EWF overlay is deleted by restarting the main storage device 120.

[Summary]
Even in an information processing apparatus such as an embedded device to which an EWF function is applied, there is a case where it is sometimes necessary to write data to an OS storage area of an auxiliary storage device (for example, HDD). The released EWF is once canceled (invalidated), and the system is restarted. After startup, after changing data in the auxiliary storage device, it is necessary to apply (validate) EWF again, so the system is restarted again.

  On the other hand, in the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, data can be written to the storage area of the OS of the auxiliary storage device protected by the EWF function by one restart as described above. ing. That is, according to the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the number of restarts of the information processing apparatus is reduced when changing the data in the auxiliary storage device while performing data protection using the EWF function. It is possible to improve the convenience for the user.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. For example, the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has an EWF function that is particularly effective for an embedded product, and thus can be incorporated in an embedded device, an embedded system, or the like.

1 Information processing apparatus 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Auxiliary storage device 15 Storage medium reader 16 Input device 17 Display device 18 Communication device 110 Auxiliary storage device 111 First virtual storage device 112 Second virtual storage device 120 Main storage device 130 System BIOS
140 Start-up unit 141 Start-up setting information 150 Data storage unit

JP 2011-086247 A

Claims (5)

An information processing apparatus having an EWF function and requiring a restart when setting invalidation and validation of the EWF function,
Main storage including an EWF overlay;
A first auxiliary storage device protected by the EWF function and storing various data including the OS;
A second auxiliary storage device storing various data identical to the various data;
An activation unit that has activation setting information in which an auxiliary storage device including an OS used for activation is defined, and activates the information processing apparatus using the OS of the auxiliary storage device defined in the activation setting information;
When the information processing apparatus is activated using the OS of the first auxiliary storage device, when an instruction to store data is received to the first auxiliary storage device, the EWF overlay and the second auxiliary storage device are Data storage means for storing the data and defining the second auxiliary storage device for the activation setting information;
An information processing apparatus comprising: Before the information processing device is restarted after the data is stored in the second auxiliary storage device by the data storage means, the protection invalidation setting by the EWF function is set for the first auxiliary storage device. Being
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Before the information processing device is restarted after the data is stored in the second auxiliary storage device by the data storage means, the protection setting by the EWF function is set for the second auxiliary storage device. Being
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. It has an EWF function, and a restart is required when disabling and enabling the EWF function.
Main storage including an EWF overlay;
A first auxiliary storage device protected by the EWF function and storing various data including the OS;
In an information processing apparatus having a second auxiliary storage device that stores the same various data as the various data,
An activation unit that has activation setting information in which an auxiliary storage device including an OS used for activation is defined, and activates the information processing apparatus using the OS of the auxiliary storage device defined in the activation setting information;
When the information processing apparatus is activated using the OS of the first auxiliary storage device, when an instruction to store data is received to the first auxiliary storage device, the EWF overlay and the second auxiliary storage device are An information processing program for storing the data and for causing the activation setting information to function as data storage means for defining the second auxiliary storage device.   An embedded system including the information processing apparatus according to claim 1.