JPH03263165A - Initial program loading control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the time for storage from being increased even if the number of firmware in the system increases by inputting and storing one execution program to be transferred, by plural firmware. CONSTITUTION:The system is constituted so that each firmware 3, 4 inputs and stores data transferred onto a common bus 1 in an interval memory 33 by address information of a shared memory 2. Accordingly, when the main firmware calls all programs, all the firmware which necessitates the called programs input and store them simultaneously in an internal memory 33, there fore, by a single call operation of the main firmware, the transfer and storage to the internal memory 33 can be executed by all the firmware. In such a way, such a problem as when the number of firmware increases, the time for storage increases by its portion is eliminated.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is directed to the startup of a system that is composed of a plurality of firmwares each having an internal memory and that exclusively controls bus usage rights and calls shared memory on a common bus. The present invention also relates to an initial program loading control method in which an initial program transferred from the shared memory to an internal memory of each firmware transfers and stores an execution program of each firmware from the shared memory.

[Common technology]

Generally, the initial program loading control system has a block configuration as shown in FIG.

The block configuration of this system will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of this method.

According to FIG. 3, a common memory 2 and a plurality of firmwares 3 and 4 are connected to a common bus 1. The shared memory 2 has an initial program and an execution program for the firmware 3 and 4, and the firmware 3 and 4 each have an interface section 31. Processor 32. and an internal memory 33.

The interface section 31 has an interface function with the common bus 1. The processor 32 makes full use of the programs and data stored in the internal memory 33 to bring out the functions of the firmware 3 and 4.

When starting up the system, a startup program instruction is given to the processor 32, and each of the firmwares 3 and 4 transfers and stores the initial program and execution program stored in the shared memory 2 from the shared memory to the internal memory 33.

The initial program and execution program differ depending on the type of firmware.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in this type of initial program loading control method, the system bus structure is based on exclusive use control, so each firmware that exists in the system sequentially reads data including the execution program from the shared memory on the common bus and stores it in the internal memory. Transfer memory was common.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a conventional example. Fourth
The conventional main operating procedure will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 as well.

First, loading an initial program for each firmware 3 and 4, that is, the processor 32 takes out the initial program from the shared memory 2 and stores it in the internal memory 33 based on address information specified in advance. Next, the initial program executes various procedures, and finally an execution program load request (30
There is 1>. With this step 301, firmware 3
Since the initial program calls the execution program using the address information of shared memory 2, the shared memory 2
The execution program is transferred via the common bus 1 and stored in the internal memory 33 (303).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The conventional initial program loading control method described above is configured to extract the execution program from the shared memory for each firmware and store it in the internal memory, so the data held in the shared memory is repeated as many times as there are firmwares in the system. There is a problem in that as the number of firmwares that are retrieved increases, the amount of time required to retrieve them increases and the time required to store them increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide an initial program loading control method that solves the above problems.

[Means to solve the problem]

The initial program loading control method according to the present invention is as follows:
When starting up a system that is composed of multiple pieces of firmware each having an internal memory and that exclusively controls the right to use the bus and calls the shared memory on a common bus, the initial program transferred from the shared memory to the internal memory of each firmware is In an initial program loading control method in which the execution program of each firmware is transferred and stored from the shared memory, when the initial program transfers and stores the execution program to the internal memory of the firmware, each firmware transfers the execution program to the interface section with the common bus. After registering the address information of the shared memory in which a program is installed, the main firmware defining one of the plurality of firmwares or the execution program of the shared memory is sequentially called and transferred on the common bus. The unit takes in the address information transferred onto the common bus, and when the taken-in address information matches the registered address information, the execution program to be transferred according to this address information is taken in and stored in the internal memory sequentially.

[Effect]

In the initial block loading control method using the above means, when the main firmware sequentially calls the execution programs in the shared memory and transfers them on the common bus, the firmware that needs to store this transfer program in the internal memory uses the address information of the shared memory. Since the firmware is registered in advance, one transferred execution program can be captured and stored at the same time by multiple pieces of firmware.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the procedure for loading an execution program for each firmware shown in FIG. 3, which has already been described.

FIG. 2 is a main functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the interface unit 31 shown in FIG. 3 according to the present invention.

First, explanation will be given with reference to FIG. The common bus 1 is connected to one shared memory and a plurality of firmwares as shown in FIG.
Gate section 313. It has an address information matching section 314 and an address information registration section 315.

The connecting section 311 has an interface function with the common bus 1, takes in data transmitted on the common bus 1, and transfers it to the data storage section 312. The data storage section 312 is usually duplicated, and stores the fetched data alternately and sequentially for each address information, and also transfers the address information to the address information collation section 3141\. In addition, the data storage unit 3
12 erases the data retrieved via the gate section 313, and also erases the stored data when receiving a mismatch signal from the address information collation section 314 to prepare for the next storage.

When the gate unit 313 receives a match signal from the address information matching unit 314, it passes the data stored in the data storage unit 3]2 and stores it in the internal memory 33 by the processor 32 in FIG. When the address information matching section 314 receives the address information from the data storage section 312, it checks whether it is registered in the address information registration section 315, and if it is registered, sends a matching signal to the gate section 313.
If the data is not registered, a mismatch signal is sent to the data storage unit 312, respectively.

When the initial program stored in the internal memory requests loading of an execution program, the address information registration unit 315 stores the address information in the shared memory of the execution program loaded in the shared memory and to be transferred and stored in the internal memory as the initial program. It is registered from the data of

Next, the main procedures of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

In the first step of initial program loading, each firmware 3 and 4 having an internal memory 33 is connected to a common bus 1.
The initial program is transferred from the shared memory 2 to the internal memory 33 and stored therein by the interface unit 31. The initial program positions one of the firmwares 3 and 4 in the system as the main firmware, and also transfers an execution program for each firmware 3 and 4 stored in the shared memory 2 from the shared memory 2 to each firmware 3 and 4. The data is finally transferred and stored in the internal memory 33 of No. 4.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the operation procedure of each firmware 34 when there is a request to load an execution program by the initial program.

The initial program requests the execution program load (10
When performing 1), address information indicating the execution program location on the shared memory 2 is read out from the internal memory 33 and registered in the address information registration section 315 (102>. Next,
The connection unit 311 of the ink face unit 31 takes in the transfer data on the common bus 1 together with the address information (103) and stores it in the data storage unit 312. The stored address information is sent to the address information verification section 314, and the address information verification section 314 investigates the registration in the address information registration section 315 (104). When the address information matching unit 314 confirms that the registration has been completed, it sends a match signal to the gate unit 313 and stores the stored execution program in the internal memory 33 (10
5) Do.

On the other hand, in step 104, if the address information verification section 314 is unable to confirm the registration, a mismatch signal is sent to the data storage section 312, and the stored transfer program is deleted (106).

Registered address information can be retrieved from the common bus in step 103 when the main firmware executes the execution program loading process.

For example, when firmware 3 is set as the main firmware, the main firmware 3 calls the execution program using the address information of the shared memory 2 and transfers it to the common bus 1 using the conventional procedure shown in FIG. is transferred, taken in by the interface section 31 of the main firmware 3, and stored in the internal memory 33.

The transfer data at this time can be taken in by the interface section 31 of each firmware on the common bus 1, so step 10
Step 3 and subsequent steps proceed.

In this way, when the main firmware calls all the program areas on the shared memory and transfers them on the common bus, all the necessary programs are stored in the internal memories of all the firmware in the system.

In this embodiment, the address information registration section is illustrated and described as being arranged independently within the interface section, but the address information can also be arranged at a predetermined location (area) of the internal memory. In this way, the distribution of functional blocks is not intended to limit the invention as described above.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the initial program loading control method of the present invention is refined in such a way that each armware retrieves and stores data transferred onto a common bus into its internal memory using address information of the shared memory. By this,
When the main firmware calls all programs, all the firmware that requires the called program loads and stores it in the internal memory at the same time, so a single call operation of the main firmware allows all the firmware to be stored in the internal memory. This has the effect of allowing transfer memory.

1 hanging item

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the main steps of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the main parts that realize the process shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an example of the general configuration of a program control system. The block diagram shown in FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of conventional main procedures. l...Common bus, 2...Shared memory, 3/4...
Firmware, 31... Interface section, 32.
...Processor, 33...Internal memory, 314...
Address information collation unit, 315 . . . address information registration unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] When starting up a system that is composed of multiple pieces of firmware each having an internal memory and that exclusively controls the right to use the bus and calls the shared memory on a common bus, the initial program transferred from the shared memory to the internal memory of each firmware is In an initial program loading control method in which the execution program of each firmware is transferred and stored from the shared memory, when the initial program transfers and stores the execution program to the internal memory of the firmware, each firmware transfers the execution program to the interface section with the common bus. After registering the address information of the shared memory in which a program is installed, the main firmware that defines one of the plurality of firmware sequentially calls the execution programs of the shared memory and transfers them on the common bus. The unit takes in the address information transferred on the common bus, and when the read address information matches the registered address information, the execution program to be transferred according to this address information is sequentially taken in and stored in the internal memory. Initial program loading control method.