JP3427010B2 - Computer system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer system such as a personal computer having a resume function, which is particularly called a hibernation method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, particularly in a battery-driven portable personal computer, when the power is turned off, for example, when a power switch (power SW) is turned off, the state of the display and the operation of the system before the turning off are performed. A resume function that saves the information related to the status and the operating status of the application program in a backed up memory, restores the saved information when the power is turned on, and restarts the system from the state before the power was turned off. It is provided. This resume function (or suspend / resume function) saves the information stored in the main memory and the status information set in the internal register of the CPU by system operation, and restores them when the power is turned on. can do.

By the way, a rechargeable battery or an auxiliary battery is used as a backup power source of the memory required for the resume function. However, forgetting to replace the auxiliary battery or the remaining capacity of the battery (current power capacity available)
If the resume function is executed when the value is insufficient, the information (memory content) to be stored in the memory may be erased.

Therefore, at the time of execution of the resume function, a non-energized resume function (or HDD resume function) for saving the memory contents in a hard disk device (HDD) installed in the system and completely turning off the power of the system is provided. Being developed. In recent years, a small-sized and large-capacity HDD is also mounted in a so-called notebook type portable personal computer.
Is provided with an HDD resume function for storing information regarding the operating state of the system and the operating state of the application program. Since the HDD can maintain data storage without requiring a backup power source, the resume function can be realized semipermanently and reliably.

[0005]

With the resume function of the non-energizing system using the HDD, the memory contents saved when the power is turned off can be saved without the need for a backup power source, so that the memory contents are erased. Such a situation can be prevented, and the system can be reliably restarted from the state before the power was turned off when the power was turned on.

However, a system that simply uses the non-energized resume function has the following problems. First, since the HDD has a lower access speed than an IC memory or the like, an access operation for writing the memory contents to the disk and reading the memory contents from the disk requires some time. Therefore, especially when the power SW is turned off and the memory contents are saved in the HDD by the suspend / resume processing immediately after the power SW is turned on to restart the operation, the saved memory contents are restored to the original memory. It takes a considerable amount of time to restore it. Therefore, especially when applied to a portable personal computer such as a notebook computer, the operability for the user is deteriorated. Therefore, it is conceivable to save the memory content in the HDD and maintain the backup power supply of the memory, but if it is simply maintained, the power supply of the battery is consumed as described above.

Secondly, in the non-energized resume function, a large amount of information stored in the backup memory by the energized resume function is all stored in the HDD. On the other hand, HDD is a file device,
Since it is used to store various user data,
There is a possibility that the recording area for resume is not available. Therefore, the HDD resume processing cannot always be executed when the free space of the HDD becomes small due to various user data. Therefore, it is desirable to secure a resume area in the HDD according to at least the capacity of the memory installed in the system.

Further, the HDD is file-managed based on the file format of the OS (operating) installed in the system (for example, FAT management system such as MS-DOS). Therefore, the HDD resume area is managed as a resume file.
Therefore, the OS having a different file format cannot execute the non-energized resume function set by another OS.

Thirdly, since the HDD has a lower access speed than an IC memory or the like, an access operation for writing the memory contents to the disk and reading the memory contents from the disk requires some time. Therefore, particularly when the power SW is turned off and the memory contents are saved in the HDD by the resume process (suspend process) immediately after the power SW is turned on to restart the operation, the memory contents saved from the HDD are restored to the original contents. It takes a considerable amount of time to return to memory. Therefore, especially when applied to a portable personal computer such as a notebook computer, the operability for the user is deteriorated.

Fourth, the personal computer has an H
There is one in which a DD is detachably mounted and can be replaced with another HDD having a large storage capacity. When the non-energized resume function is applied to such a personal computer, when the HDD is replaced, the memory contents saved by the resume process may be restored by the personal computer operated by another user. . That is, so-called data security (s
security), it is necessary to protect the memory contents.

The first object of the present invention is to restore the memory contents saved in response to a request for a resume instruction in a short time at a predetermined time immediately after the transition to the resume process of the non-energized system, thereby improving the efficiency of the system. Power supply to maintain the memory contents and to save power consumption. A second object of the present invention is to ensure a resuming area of the disk recording / reproducing apparatus according to the capacity of the memory installed in the system and to resume the non-energized system independent of the file format of the OS of the system. It is to realize the function.

A third object of the present invention is to reliably protect the memory contents saved by the resume process when the non-energized resume function is applied to a system in which the disc recording / reproducing apparatus can be replaced. .

[0013]

The first aspect of the present invention is as follows.
This is a computer system provided with a non-energized suspend / resume function using a non-volatile storage means such as an HDD, and so to speak, added with an instant-on function.
That is, the present system includes means for holding the contents of the memory holding information related to the operating state of the system in the nonvolatile storage means in response to a request for the system suspend instruction, and a power supply to the memory within a predetermined period. It is provided with a standby control means for maintaining the supply and for returning to the operating state of the system based on the contents of the memory in response to the request of the resume instruction of the system within a predetermined period. Further, the standby control means has a function of turning off the power supply to the memory after the lapse of the predetermined period when there is no request for the resume instruction within the predetermined period. With this configuration, the memory contents can be saved in the HDD when the power-off operation is set, and the power supply S
When W is turned on, the memory contents are read from the memory backed up by the power supply and restored. Therefore, when the power SW is turned on immediately after the power is turned off, the system can be restarted in a short time without accessing the HDD. Further, when there is no request for the resume instruction, the power supply to the memory is turned off after the elapse of the predetermined period, so that it is possible to prevent the situation in which the power supply of the battery of the system is exhausted.

A second aspect of the present invention is a computer system provided with a non-energized suspend / resume function using a non-volatile storage means such as an HDD and a function for securing a storage area for the HDD resume. Is. That is, the present system is preliminarily continuously stored on the disc of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus in accordance with the capacity of the memory mounted in the system in order to store the content of the memory holding the information related to the operating state of the system. Depending on the means to set the specific area and the request for the system suspend instruction,
And a means for accessing the specific storage device of the disk recording / reproducing apparatus and storing the contents of the memory. With such a configuration, a resume storage area corresponding to the capacity of the memory installed in the system can be reliably secured on the disk of the HDD in distinction from the user data storage area. Further, by ensuring a continuous storage area on the disk (for example, an area having continuous track numbers) as a resume storage area, the data saved on the disk can be accessed at high speed when the power is turned on.

A third aspect of the present invention is a computer system provided with a non-energized suspend / resume function using a non-volatile storage means such as an HDD and a security function when a replaceable HDD is used. Is. That is, the present system stores, in a nonvolatile memory, exchangeable disc recording / reproducing apparatus and setting information for storing the contents of the memory holding information related to the operating state of the system in the disc recording / reproducing apparatus. Means to do
Rescuing means for storing the contents of the memory holding information relating to the operating state of the system in the disk recording / reproducing device in response to a system suspend instruction request, and the storing means in response to a system resume instruction request And a return means for returning to the operating state of the system based on the contents of the memory stored in the disc recording / reproducing apparatus based on the designation information stored in. With this configuration, the system can recognize the resume storage area when the power SW is turned on. Therefore, when an HDD having the resume storage area is installed in another system, that system cannot recognize the resume storage area, and therefore the data stored in the resume storage area is protected. can do.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a computer system related to this embodiment.

(System Configuration) The system of this embodiment is a portable personal computer such as a notebook type computer, which uses a rechargeable battery as a power source 10 and a hard disk device (HDD) 5 as an external storage device. I am assuming.

This system is a central processing unit C
PU1, main memory (DRAM) 2, and BIOS
A ROM (Read Only Memory) 4 storing (basic input / output system), a display device 6 including a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a VR for storing the display data thereof.
AM (video RAM) 7, power supply controller (power supply microcomputer) 8, SMI (system management)
ent interrupt) controller 11,
And a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) 12. The main memory 2 is assumed to be a memory area including a SM area (SM-RAM) 2A which is a work memory area used by the BIOS 4 and an extended memory area 2B when the extended memory is mounted.

The BIOS 4 is basic software for executing the non-energized system (or hibernation system) resume function and the energized system resume function of the present invention, and executes initialization processing (boot mode) at system startup. . The power supply controller 8 monitors the on / off operation of the power supply SW, controls the on / off of the battery 10,
As will be described later, the power capacity of the battery 10 is monitored. The backup power supply circuit (BP) 3 is controlled by the power supply controller 8 and supplies backup power to the main memory 2.

As will be described later, the SMI controller 11 is, for example, in the standby mode,
It is an interrupt controller for performing an SM interrupt (SMI) to the CPU 1 in response to an input from the power supply controller 8 (turning on the power supply SW). The non-volatile memory (EEPROM) 12 is a memory mounted in the system body, and is used to store address information for designating the resume area (H area) 5A in the present invention (see FIG. See B)).

Here, the power on / off factor is the power source S.
Not only the ON / OFF operation of W, but also an ON / OFF function of a power supply linked with an opening / closing operation of a display panel of the display device 6, a system auto-off function, and the like are included. In the present invention, for convenience, the power source on / off factor is limited to the power source on / off operation.

(First Embodiment) In the first embodiment, when a non-energized resume process is executed, as shown in FIG. This is a system in which a resume area (H area) 5A is secured. Specifically, if the total storage capacity of the HDD 5 is, for example, 500 MB (megabytes), the H area 5A
For example, a continuous area of 22 MB is secured.

The non-energized resume function saves and saves all the memory contents of the main memory 2 and VRAM 7 necessary for the operation of the system in the H area 5A of the HDD 5. At this time, the capacity of the main memory 2 is 20 MB (standard 8 MB
And a total of 12 MB in the extension area), and VRAM7
It is assumed that the capacity of 1 MB is 1 MB, and 1 MB is reserved as a spare when a defect occurs. As shown in FIG. 2B, the H area 5A is an area for several tens of continuous tracks on the inner peripheral side area on the disk 50.

The user data recording area (user usable area) 5B on the disk 50 is managed by the system OS, for example, by the FAT system file format. On the other hand, H area 5A is B
This area is managed by the IOS 4 independently and cannot be used by the OS. Therefore, even if the system OS is changed, B
If the condition of the resume process is satisfied, the IOS 4 will drive the HDD 5
The H area 5A is accessed to execute a process of saving and reading out and restoring the entire memory contents.

(Non-energized resume process) FIG. 3 below
The non-energized resume process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, as a prerequisite, the power source SW 9 is turned on, the power source controller 8 supplies the power source necessary for the operation of the system from the battery 10, and the system is in an operating state (that is, various data processing and control by the CPU 1). Are running). At this time, for example, when the power SW is turned off by the user (power off setting process), the BIOS 4 shifts to the suspend process due to the SMI input by the power controller 8 (steps S1 and S2).

That is, the contents of the internal register of the CPU 1 and other hardware registers are saved in the SM-RAM 2A of the main memory 2 which has been backed up. Furthermore, by accessing the H area 5A of the HDD 5,
A process of saving and saving all memory contents (contents of the main memory 2 and the VRAM 7) in the H area 5A is executed (steps S3 and S4).

The power supply controller 8 turns off the power supply of the battery 10 at the time when the saving process of all the memory contents is completed in accordance with the instruction from the BIOS 4 (step S).
5, S6). That is, the system becomes inoperative, and the display device 6 and the HDD 5 become inoperative. Here, all the memory contents necessary for returning the system to the operating state before the power is turned off are stored in the H area 5A of the HDD.

Next, when the user turns on the power supply SW, the SWI input by the power supply controller 8 causes the BIOS 4 to operate.
Shifts to so-called resume processing. That is, HDD5
The H area 5A is accessed to read the entire memory contents from the H area 5A and restore the corresponding memory (steps S8 to S10). This allows the system to
The operating state immediately before the power was turned off is restored and restarted. That is, the display data stored in, for example, the VRAM 7 immediately before the power is turned off is displayed on the display screen of the display device 6, and the CPU 1 executes data processing based on the status information held in the internal register.

(Second Embodiment) The second embodiment is a non-energized resume function in which a standby mode is provided between a power-on state and a suspend state (power-off state). In the standby mode, the backup power supply is maintained in the ON state for a set time after the power SW 9 is turned off (when the off operation is set), and the time for performing the energization type resume process and the non-energization type resume process in parallel is set. It is provided to set the system in a non-operating state. The set time is set, for example, from the system setup screen.

The non-energized resume process including the standby mode in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

First, as a precondition, it is assumed that the power source SW 9 is turned on, the power source controller 8 supplies the power source necessary for the operation of the system from the battery 10, and the system is in the operating state. At this time, for example, when the power SW 9 is turned off by the user, the BIOS 4 shifts to the suspend process by the SMI input by the power controller 8 (steps S20 and S21). That is, in the SM-RAM 2A of the main memory 2 that has been backed up,
The contents of internal registers of the CPU 1 and other hardware registers are saved. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, in order to realize the restoration processing of the display screen by the instant-on function, the current screen contents (that is, the VRAM
7) is also stored in the SM-RAM 2A.

Further, the H area 5A of the HDD 5 is accessed to execute processing for saving and saving all the memory contents (contents stored in the main memory 2 and the VRAM 7) in the H area 5A (steps S22 and S23). If the standby mode is set, the set time (power SW9
The backup power source is maintained in the ON state only (from OFF) and the system is set to the non-operating state (power saving state) (steps S24 and S25). That is, the clock for the CPU 1 is stopped, and the HDD 5 and the display device 6 are also stopped. In the standby mode, as described above, only the main memory 2 is supplied with power by the backup power supply, and the entire memory contents are saved.

As will be described later, the standby mode is a command from the power supply controller 8 indicating a power-on factor,
That is, it is released in response to an interrupt input from the SMI controller in response to an ON operation of the power supply SW9. Alternatively, when the set time described above has elapsed, the standby mode is released and all the power supplies are turned off (YE in step S26).
S, S30).

Here, when the power SW 9 is turned on before the elapse of the set time, the BIOS 4 releases the standby mode in response to the command from the power controller 8 as described above, and the system is returned to the operating state ( Step S27
YES, S28). That is, the BIOS 4 restores all the memory contents stored in the main memory 2,
The system returns to the operating state before the OFF operation. Therefore, for example, the register value from the display unit before the power SW is turned off is restored from the SM-RAM 2A and displayed on the display screen of the display device 6. A function of returning the system to the original operating state in a short time when the power SW 9 is turned on immediately after the power SW 9 is turned off is called an instant-on function in this embodiment.

When the user turns on the power SW 9 after the set time has passed and the power is turned off, the BIOS is activated in the same manner as normal power-on, and the SMI input by the power controller 8 causes the BIOS 4 to resume. The process shifts to steps (steps S30 to S33). That is, H
The H area 5A of the DD 5 is accessed to read the entire memory contents from the H area 5A and restore the corresponding memories. As a result, the system returns to the operating state immediately before the power was turned off and restarts.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the non-energization type resume function, when the power SW 9 is turned on within the set time (short time) before the power is turned off, the instant The on function is executed. That is, since the memory contents stored in the main memory 2 are restored in the standby mode, the system can be restored to the original operating state in a short time. In other words, within the set time from the power-off operation, the memory contents are restored from the high-speed access memory without accessing the HDD having a relatively low access speed, so that the system can be restarted in a short time.

In the standby mode, the power is kept on, but since the system is set to the non-operating power saving state, it does not cause unnecessary power consumption. Also,
Even if the contents of the main memory 2 are erased at the instant-on function due to a power failure or the like, the contents of the memory are saved in the HDD, so that the contents of the memory can be reliably restored.

(Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, assuming that the system shown in FIG. 1 is a personal computer in which the HDD 5 is replaceable, the H area 5A of the HDD 5 is assumed.
This is a non-energized resume function having a security function of protecting the data stored in the memory. The non-energized resume process of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, normally, in the resume area (H area) secured on the disk of the HDD 5, consecutive addresses (logical address 0 is set as the head). H area consisting of
Non-volatile memory (EEPROM) installed in the system
This is a method of accessing based on the address information (start address of H area) stored in 12. That is, the address information stored in the non-volatile memory 12 is H here.
It is set according to the writing time when the memory contents are saved in the DD 5, and consequently is changed according to the writing time.

First, as a precondition, it is assumed that the power source SW 9 is turned on, the power source controller 8 supplies the power source necessary for the operation of the system from the battery 10, and the system is in the operating state. At this time, for example, when the power SW is turned off by the user, when the resume mode is set, the BIOS 4 shifts to the suspend process by the SMI input by the power controller 8 (YES in steps S40 and S41). Here, of course,
When the resume mode is not set, the power of the system is turned off (NO in S41 of system S41).
47).

When the resume mode is set, the BIOS 4 determines the current time (HD) based on the RTC 13.
The write time for D5) is confirmed, and the time information is set in the nonvolatile memory 12 (step S4).
2). Further, the BIOS 4 stores the H area 5A on the disk of the HDD 5 in order to store the memory contents to be saved.
Is secured (step S43). At this time, BIOS4
Determines the start address of the H area when storing the memory contents according to the write time, as shown in FIG. In other words, in the resume mode, every time the memory contents are written in the HDD 5, the head address of the H area (cylinder address for starting saving) is changed. Therefore, for example, the initial address is "0" at the initial stage,
When writing next, the start address is set to "1". BI
The OS 4 writes the memory content from the determined start address of the H area 5A and sets the start address as address information in the nonvolatile memory 12 (step S44).
~ S46).

The power supply controller 8 turns off the power supply of the system when the saving process of all the memory contents is completed in response to the instruction from the BIOS 4 (step S47). Here, all the memory contents necessary for the system to return to the operating state before the power is turned off are stored in the H area 5A which is a continuous area from the designated start address of the HDD 5.

Next, when the user turns on the power supply SW, the SMI input by the power supply controller 8 causes the BIOS 4 to operate.
Shifts to the resume process (YE in step S48).
S). In the present embodiment, the BIOS 4 is the nonvolatile memory 1
It is determined whether or not the address information is stored in the second memory, and if the address information is stored, the address information is read (YES in step S49). On the other hand, if not stored, the BIOS 4 executes the normal boot mode (system startup processing) (NO in step S49).
S52).

The BIOS 4 uses the H area 5A of the HDD 5,
Access is made from the top address stored in the non-volatile memory 12 and all the saved memory contents are restored (system S50). As a result, the system returns to the operating state immediately before the power was turned off and restarts.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the memory content is stored in the HDD 5 in the non-energized resume function, the start address of the resume area is changed according to the write time. Therefore, as a result, each time the memory contents are written, the stored continuous area is different. Since the start address is stored in the nonvolatile memory 12 in the system body, the BIOS 4 can restore the memory contents based on the start address when the power is turned on.

Here, the HDD storing the memory contents
Suppose that 5 is removed and mounted on another system. Another system, when accessing the HDD 5,
Since the address information for accessing the resume area is not held in the main body, the memory contents stored in the HDD 5 cannot be read. Therefore, HD
When the D is replaced, the memory content unique to the system, which is stored in the HDD 5, cannot be accessed by any system other than the system, so that it can be surely protected. That is, the non-energized resume function can realize the security function for the data stored in the HDD.

In this embodiment, the non-volatile memory 12 of the system main body stores the address information according to the writing time of the HDD, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the random number generating function may be used to address the address. A method of changing information may be used. The point is that the start address may be changed so that the BIOS of the other system cannot read the normal memory contents when accessing the resume area.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment assumes a personal computer using a rechargeable battery having a relatively small capacity as the power source 10 and executes the non-energized resume process without fail. , A system having a function of monitoring the remaining capacity of the battery 10 (electric power capacity that can be used at present). Further, the present embodiment assumes a system having a function capable of selectively specifying a non-energized resume function and an energized resume function.

The resume function of the energization method is a method of backing up the main memory 2 with a backup power supply (backup power supply circuit 3) and saving the memory contents necessary for the resume function. The energized method requires more power to save the memory contents than the non-energized method,
It does not require much power when transitioning to resume processing. On the other hand, the non-energization method requires electric power for driving the HDD 5 at the time of transition of the resume process, but is not necessary for saving the memory contents.

8 and 9 on the premise of such contents.
Each resume function of the non-energization method and the energization method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, for example, on the system setup screen, B
The IOS 4 recognizes whether it is the non-energization method or the energization method of the resume function selected and designated by the user (step S
60).

When the non-energization method is selected, B
The IOS 4 calculates the amount of battery power required to execute the non-energized resume process (step S61).
YES, S62). In the de-energized method, the amount of electric power for driving the HDD 5 occupies most. Further, the remaining capacity of the battery 10 is calculated based on the current consumption of the system at the present time (step S63). Here, the current consumption of the system at the present time is detected by the power supply controller 8.

The BIOS 4 estimates the minimum remaining capacity of the battery 10 required for executing the resume process based on the amount of power required for the resume process and the current consumption of the system at the present time calculated as described above. (Step S
64). The minimum necessary remaining capacity of the battery 10 in the non-energized resume function is referred to as "low battery 1" here. That is, the BIOS 4 estimates the "low battery 1" that can reliably execute the resume process from the transition of the power consumption of the system.

By monitoring the remaining capacity of the battery 10 as described above, when the remaining capacity drops to the level of "low battery 1", the BIOS 4 executes the resume process of the non-energization method set by the user. Yes (YES in step S65, S66). That is, the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed.

On the other hand, when the energizing method is selected, the BIOS 4 calculates the amount of battery power required to execute the resume processing of the energizing method (step S).
No. 61. S70). In the energization method, as described above, the amount of power for saving the memory contents occupies most. Further, the remaining capacity of the battery 10 is calculated based on the current consumption of the system at the present time (step S7).
1). At this time, the remaining capacity of the battery 10 is referred to as "low battery 2".

The BIOS 4 estimates the minimum remaining capacity of the battery 10 necessary for executing the resume process, based on the amount of power required for the resume process and the power consumption of the system at the present time calculated as described above. (Step S
72).

Then, as in the case of the non-energized system, by monitoring the remaining capacity of the battery 10, when the remaining capacity drops to the level of "low battery 2", the BI
The OS 4 executes the energization type resume process set by the user (YES in step S73, S7).
4).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the remaining capacity of the battery 10 used as the power source of the system is monitored, and the levels are lowered to the levels of "low battery 1" and "low battery 2" required for the resume function. At times, the process is switched to the resume process of the energization method or the non-energization method. Particularly in a portable personal computer, the capacity of the battery is limited in order to reduce the size and weight. Therefore, when the battery capacity becomes lower than "low battery 1" and "low battery 2" required for the resume function of each system during the operation of the system, the resume process cannot be executed and the system operates before the power is turned off. There is a situation in which the memory contents necessary for are deleted.

Therefore, in the case of the non-energization method, when the process shifts to the suspend process, power is required for the operation of storing the memory contents in the HDD 5, and therefore when the battery level drops to "low battery 1", the resume process is executed. By doing so, it is possible to reliably save the memory contents in the HDD 5. The power supply controller 8 normally outputs a signal for warning when the battery approaches outside the allowable range. Since the BIOS 4 displays the warning on the display screen, the user can charge the battery 10 or replace the battery when using the auxiliary battery.

On the other hand, the same applies to the case of the energization method, and when the level of the "low battery 2" is lowered, the resume processing is executed to save the memory contents in the main memory 2 and to bring the system into a non-operating state. Therefore, battery consumption can be suppressed.

As a modification of the fourth embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, when there is no key input or the like after a certain period of time, the power auto-off is switched to the energization resume process ( Steps S100 and S1
01). By monitoring the remaining capacity of the battery 10,
When "low battery 1" is detected, the process proceeds to the HDD resume process (resume function of hibernation method or non-energization method) (steps S102 to S104).

(Fifth Embodiment) In the fifth embodiment, the resume area (H area 5A) of the HDD 5 is secured in accordance with the total memory capacity installed in the system in the resume function of the non-energization method. HDD at high speed
It is a method that can be accessed from.

Normally, the total memory capacity of the system is
As described above, the total size of the main memory 2 and the VRAM 7 is, for example, about 21 MB. As shown in FIG. 1, the main memory 2 includes an SM-RAM 2A for storing the contents of internal registers of the CPU 1 and an expansion area 2
B is included. In the conventional de-energizing method, the H area 5A of the HDD 5 is also managed by, for example, the FAT method like the user data area. Therefore, the H area 5A is
The BIOS 4 searches for free areas other than the user data area on the disk, and normally collects discontinuous free areas. Therefore, depending on the operating state of the system, the H area 5A corresponding to the total memory capacity of the system may not be secured. Further, since the H area 5A is composed of discontinuous empty areas, it takes a considerable time to access the H area 5A in the resume process and restore the entire memory contents.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the H area 5A corresponding to the total memory capacity of the system and consisting of a continuous area is secured in the HDD 5 (step S82). Below, FIG.
This will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, immediately after the power of the system is turned on,
The BIOS 4 executes the initialization process, and detects the capacity of all the memories mounted in the system at this time (steps S80 and S81). That is, the main memory 2 and the VRAM
For example, 21 MB including 7 is recognized as the total memory capacity.

Next, the BIOS 4 secures an area corresponding to the capacity of the entire memory on the disk of the HDD 5, for example, an area for several tens of continuous tracks on the inner circumference side as an H area 5A (see FIG. 2). Yes (step S8)
2). At this time, the BIOS 4 operates the parameter table of the HDD 5 to exclude the H area 5A from the area of the disk normally managed by the OS. As a result, the H area 5A is managed by the BIOS 4 as an area dedicated to the resume function.

After such initialization processing, if the user turns off the power SW while the system is operating, BI
The OS 4 shifts to the suspend process (YES in step S83, S84). The BIOS 4 accesses the HDD 5 to secure the entire memory contents of the system in the H area 5A.
To save and save (steps S85, S86). When the saving process of all the memory contents is completed, the system power is turned off (steps S87, S88).

Next, when the user turns on the power supply SW, the SMI input by the power supply controller 8 causes the BIOS 4 to operate.
Shifts to so-called resume processing. That is, HDD5
The H area 5A is accessed, the entire memory contents are read from the H area 5A, and the corresponding memory is restored (steps S89 to S92). As a result, the system returns to the operating state immediately before the power was turned off and restarts.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the system is started up, the resume area corresponding to the total memory capacity mounted in advance in the system is secured in the continuous recording area on the disk of the HDD. Therefore, when the non-energized resume process is executed, the entire memory contents to be saved can be surely saved in the H area 5A secured in the HDD. Furthermore, during the resume process when the power is turned on, the H area 5A is accessed to read and restore all the memory contents. However, since the H area 5A is a continuous area for several tens of tracks, for example, the HDD 5 The access operation is relatively fast. Therefore, the restoration process becomes a relatively short time, and the system can be restarted at an early time.

[0071]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in a computer system having a non-energized suspend / resume function using a non-volatile storage means,
First, at a predetermined time immediately after the transition to the non-energization type resume process, the stored memory contents can be restored in a short time in response to the request for the resume instruction, and the system can be efficiently restarted. Since the power supply to the memory can be minimized, it is possible to prevent the situation where the power supply of the system battery is exhausted. Second
In addition, the resume area of the disk recording / reproducing apparatus can be surely secured by at least the capacity of the memory installed in the system, and the resume function of the non-energization method independent of the file format of the OS of the system can be realized. .
Thirdly, when the non-energized resume function is applied to the system in which the disc recording / reproducing apparatus can be replaced, the memory contents stored by the resume process can be protected without fail.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a computer system related to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method of setting a resume area related to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a modified example of the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... CPU 2 ... Main memory 2A ... SM-RAM area 2B ... extended memory area 3 ... Backup power supply circuit 4 ... ROM (BIOS) 5 ... Hard disk drive (HDD) 6 ... Display device (LCD) 7 ... VRAM 8 ... Power supply controller (power supply microcomputer) 9 ... Power switch (Power SW) 10 ... Power source (rechargeable battery) 11 ... SMI controller 12 ... Nonvolatile memory (EEPROM)

Front page continuation (72) Keiichi Kato, 2-9 Suehiro-cho, Ome-shi, Tokyo Inside Toshiba Ome factory (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Tsukada 2--9, Suehiro-cho, Ome-shi, Tokyo Inside Toshiba Ome factory (56) References JP-A-2-69812 (JP, A) JP-A-8-45192 (JP, A) JP-A-7-65509 (JP, A) JP-A-7-107433 (JP, A) Kaihei 4-23019 (JP, A) JP-A-6-175746 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 1/00 G06F 1/26 -1/32 G06F 12/16

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a computer system having a suspend / resume function, a memory for holding information relating to an operating state of the system, a means for detecting the capacity of the memory, and a disk for a disk recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein: was detected
Depending on the capacity of the memory, to store the information
Means for securing an area where the physical addresses of the disk are continuous, and means for accessing the area where the physical addresses of the disk recording / reproducing apparatus are continuous, and storing the contents of the memory, in response to a request for a suspend instruction from the system A computer system comprising: 2. An area in which the physical addresses are continuous is a recording area other than a recording area of user data existing on the disc of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus, and is controlled by a system control means for controlling recording / reproducing processing of user data. The computer system according to claim 1, which is not a target. 3. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the area in which the physical addresses are continuous consists of continuous addresses starting from a logical address zero. 4. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the area where the physical addresses are continuous is a recording area for the number of tracks on the inner circumference side where the track addresses that are physical addresses on the disk are continuous. . 5. The detecting means is provided when the system is started up.
To detect the memory capacity, the securing means, based on the detection result of the detecting means,
An area other than the user data recording area and a physical address
Secure a continuous area as a storage area for the information
The computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that
Mu. 6. A computer system having a suspend / resume function, a replaceable disc recording / reproducing device having a disc for storing information, a memory for retaining information relating to an operating state of the system, The destination of writing on the disc when writing the information held in the memory onto the disc of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus in response to a request for a suspend instruction.
Address information that specifies the head position is stored in non-volatile memory
And a storage means for storing the data in the memory based on the address information.
Information on the disc of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus.
And writing retreating means to continue address, in response to a request resume instruction for the system, based on said address information stored in the nonvolatile memory,
Reads out the information stored in the disc recording / reproducing apparatus
And a recovery means for returning the system to an operating state. 7. A clock means for counting time is further provided, and the address information is based on time information indicated by the clock means.
7. The code according to claim 6, which is determined based on
Computer system. 8. A suspend method for a computer system.
In regard to the operating state of the system,
The total capacity of the memory that holds information is detected, and the disk of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus included in the system is detected.
The information stored on the network according to the total capacity detected.
The physical address of the disk is
Area and reserve the disk space as required when the system is suspended.
The area where the physical addresses of the
Accessing and storing the contents of said memory
How to suspend. 9. A suspend method for a computer system.
In response to the system suspend request, the system
Information about the operating status of the system that is stored in memory.
A disc of a disc recording / reproducing device capable of exchanging the information.
When writing on the top position of the writing on the disc
The specified address information is stored in the non-volatile memory and is stored in the memory based on the address information.
The that information, communication on the disk of the disk recording and reproducing apparatus
Write to the subsequent address, and respond to the request of the system resume instruction,
Based on the address information stored in the volatile memory,
Reads out the information stored in the disc recording / reproducing device
And returning the system to the operating state.
How to suspend.