JPH0575128B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention provides a target computer system such as a medium-capacity electronic exchange that does not have a software development environment, and software provided to this target computer system. Cross software development and development that allows you to efficiently transfer software files between the host computer system used for development.
Regarding maintenance systems.

(Prior Art) With the rapid development of information processing technology, various switching systems have been computerized, and electronic switching systems that use computers in their switching control units have been developed. However, this type of electronic switching system is generally limited in processing capacity, and in most cases, the processing capacity is dedicated depending on the purpose of use. In other words, for this type of electronic switching equipment, especially for electronic switching equipment with medium capacity or less, the development environment for the software used there is omitted as redundant processing power, or only a simple software development environment is provided. I often do this. Then, the software developed by a dedicated host computer system for software development is given to the above exchange system (target computer system) to operate the exchange system.

Conventionally, software file transfer between this type of host computer system and target computer system has been carried out as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 2, 1 is a host computer system that develops software, and 2 is a target such as a medium-capacity electronic exchange that receives software developed by the host computer system 1 and executes the software. It is a computer system. The host computer system 1 develops the software to be provided to the target computer system 2 as a load module by performing detailed design, coding, compiling, assembling, and linking of the software in response to instructions from the terminal 3. It is.

However, the software (load module) developed on the host computer system 1 is generally transferred to the target computer system 2 via a communication line 5 connected to an emulator 4 used for debugging the target computer system 2. Main
is given to the CPU, and the above software (load module) is executed under the control of this main CPU.
The file is transferred by storing it in the next storage device.

Alternatively, the ROM 7 in which the above software (load module) is written by the ROM writer 6 connected to the host computer system 1 is installed in the target computer system 2, or the floppy disk connected to the host computer system 1 is installed. A device (FDD) 8 converts the above software (load module) into a format and writes it to a floppy disk (FD) 9, and the floppy disk (FD) containing this software is written.
9 to the floppy disk of the target computer system 2.
By setting it in a disk device (FDD), the file can be transferred.

However, when communicating between the load modules via the emulator 4, there is a limit to the information transfer speed unless special communication equipment is used. For this reason, as the amount of software increases, a large amount of time is required to transfer the load module, and if it becomes necessary to frequently change the software due to debugging, problems such as impractical problems arise. There is. Moreover, target computer system 2 is multi-
In the case of a CPU configuration, it is necessary to connect an emulator 4 to each CPU and communicate with each load module through each emulator 4 separately, which makes the communication procedure considerably complicated. There is a problem. Furthermore, there is a problem in that the actual operation cannot be performed until after the software has been transferred to each of the plurality of CPUs.

On the other hand, the aforementioned floppy disk (FD)
9 as a medium, it is undeniable that a large number of FD9s will be required as the amount of software increases, and that a large amount of time will be required for writing and reading them. Moreover, there are problems such as complicating the software change procedure.

Also, transferring load modules using ROM7 is very effective when the amount of software is small, but it takes time and effort to implement ROM7 on the target computer system 2, and it is difficult to transfer a large amount of programs. There are problems such as being unsuitable for the purpose.

Conventionally, it has been considered to provide the load module to the target computer system 2 and then correct the bugs on the target computer system 2. However, since the object had to be directly modified at the machine language level, the processing efficiency was very poor. Furthermore, if the source level is written in a high-level language, it is very difficult to modify or change it on the target computer system 2 at the assembler/machine language level. For this reason, it is also a factor that hinders software development using high-level languages.

The above problems occur not only during the software development stage, but also during the testing stage after the hardware is completed.
This problem also occurs when software is changed after product shipment, and improvement is strongly desired.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) As described above, in the past, the processing procedure for providing a load module developed and created by a host computer system to a target computer system was extremely difficult and required a lot of processing time. There are problems such as Furthermore, there were problems such as the fact that it was extremely difficult to modify or change the load module given to the target computer system.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to stop other operations being executed by the main control unit of the target computer system by executing software created in the host computer system. It is possible to directly transfer software to a target computer system without having to do so, and without intervening other systems, thereby making it possible to efficiently change and correct software applied to the target computer system in a short period of time. Our goal is to provide a highly practical cross-software development and maintenance system.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a dedicated communication line for direct connection between a host computer system and a secondary storage device of a target computer system, and connects the target computer system to the target computer system. , a transfer preparation control means, and a transfer file storage control means. When the establishment of a communication path using a dedicated communication line is instructed, the transfer preparation control means temporarily disconnects the secondary storage device from the control of the main control unit of the target computer system or restricts the control thereof. state, and in this state, the transfer file storage control means transfers the software file transferred from the host computer system via the dedicated communication line, independently of the control by the main control unit. The data is stored in the storage section of the next storage device.

(Operation) According to the present invention, between the host computer system and the secondary storage device of the target computer system,
It is directly connected via a communication line dedicated to file transfer without the intervention of other systems. Moreover,
When transferring software from a host computer system to a target computer system, the secondary storage device is temporarily disconnected from the control of the main control unit or set to a state where control is restricted, and in this state, the secondary storage device is transferred from the host computer system. The software file is transferred and stored in a storage section within the secondary storage device. In other words, in the target computer system, independent of the control by its main control unit,
Software will be transferred and stored in the secondary storage device.

Therefore, software created on the host computer system can be directly and efficiently transferred to the target computer system without intervening other systems, and moreover, it is possible to transfer software created on the host computer system directly and efficiently to the target computer system. Software can be transferred and stored in a secondary storage device without stopping other operations. Therefore, the software can be transferred and stored in the secondary storage device efficiently in a short time, and as a result, the work of changing and correcting the software given to the target computer system can be done efficiently in a short time. becomes possible.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example system,
1 is a host computer system used for software development; 2 is a target computer system such as a medium-capacity electronic exchange (PBX) that receives the software developed by the host computer system 1 and executes the software; It is.

The host computer system 1 creates a software program (source program) necessary for the operation of the target computer system 2 upon receiving instructions from the terminal 3. Then, a series of processes such as editing, compiling, assembly, and linking are executed on the source program to create an object load module in a form that can be operated by the target computer system 2. In this host computer system 1, a simulation of the program created as described above is performed, and files containing information on program failures that have occurred in the target computer system 2 are input, and a series of maintenance processes such as content analysis and program correction are performed. will be carried out.

Now, the target computer system 2, for example, a medium-capacity electronic exchange, is one main computer system.
It is configured by connecting a CPU 11, a plurality of local CPUs 12, and a disk control CPU 13 of a secondary storage device that stores programs via a system bus 14. and each local above
The CPU 12 is provided with a plurality of line/trunk compatible port CPUs 15 for controlling line/trunk circuits, respectively, and a target exchange system 2 having a large-scale multi-CPU configuration is realized here.

In addition, the CPU for disk control of the secondary storage device
13 is a floppy disk device (FDD) as a medium for storing software programs.
16, and hard disk device (HDD) 1
7 and control the input/output (writing/reading) of program data.

The feature of the present invention for a system configured as described above is that a plurality of CPUs 11, 12, 13,
15, the programs and software to be provided to each CPU of the target exchange system 2 are efficiently provided from the host computer system 1.
11, 12, 13, and 15, high-speed communication interfaces 21 and 22 are provided in the secondary storage device of the target computer system 2 and the host computer system 1, respectively. are provided respectively, and the host computer system 1 is connected between these high-speed communication interfaces 21 and 22.
A dedicated communication line 23 is provided for transferring files such as programs and software between the computer system 2 and the target computer system 2. In this embodiment system, for example, a 250 KHz RS-422 interface is used as the high-speed communication interfaces 21 and 22, and an effective file transfer rate of 1 Mbyte/min is achieved.

Therefore, the CPU 13 for disk control of the secondary storage device in the target computer system 2, which has a dedicated communication line 23 for file transfer between it and the host computer system 1, is always connected to the main CPU 1.
Files are read and written to and from the FDD 16 and HDD 17 under the control of the FDD 16 and HDD 17. However, when it becomes necessary to rewrite the file contents stored in the FDD 16 and HDD 17 due to a program bug, or when a failure occurs in the target computer system 2 and the failure information is stored in the FDD 16 and HDD 17, the next In this way, a communication path with the host computer system 1 via the communication line 23 is established.

That is, the establishment of a communication path dedicated to file transfer between the host computer system 1 and the target computer system 2, for example,
It is activated by inputting a command or by maintenance procedures such as switch operation. Alternatively, it is activated upon receiving a file transfer request instruction from the host computer system 1 via a predetermined communication path.

When the establishment of the dedicated communication line 23 for file transfer is instructed, the target computer system 2 uses the CPU for controlling the disk of the secondary storage device.
13 from the control of the main CPU 11,
Or restrict reading and writing of the file. Then, file transfer between the host computer system 1 and the target computer system 2 via the communication line 23 from the high-speed communication interfaces 21 and 22 is started independently of the operation of the main CPU 11.

According to this system, which transfers files such as software programs through the dedicated communication line 23 in this manner, software programs developed on the host computer system 1 can be transferred to the target computer system very efficiently. 2
It becomes possible to directly provide the data to the secondary storage device. Moreover, in order to provide a new program from the host computer system 1 to the target computer system 2, the actual target computer system 2
The time required to stop the operation is, for example, about the time required to load the initial program from the HDD 17, and the lost time can be kept very small.

Furthermore, when debugging software, it is only necessary to connect the emulator to the CPU that requires debugging, and even if a bug is discovered, the source program can be modified at the high-level language level on the host computer system 1, and the problem can be corrected. The processing efficiency is very high because all that is needed is to give the object to the target computer system 2. Furthermore, during this time, the above-described debugging and file transfer of the modified objects can be performed independently of the operation of the main CPU 11, so there is no need to stop the operation of the target computer system 2. Therefore, it becomes possible to change and modify software in a short time and efficiently.

Furthermore, information on failures occurring on the target computer system 2 can be quickly transferred to the host computer system 1 via the dedicated communication line 23, making it possible to perform detailed failure analysis efficiently. Become.

Furthermore, according to this system, a program is developed using a high-level language on the host computer system 1,
Even if this is given to the target computer system 2, the program can be easily modified on the host computer system 1 and easily given to the target computer system 2 again, making it very easy to replace and modify the load module. It can be done efficiently. As a result, it becomes possible to basically eliminate the conventional software development and debugging using assembler and machine language, and to easily and efficiently develop software using a high-level language. Furthermore, cross-software efficiency can be realized, and along with this, it becomes possible to effectively deal with assignment of initial programs to hardware, program changes after product shipment, and the like.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Here, target computer system 2
Although a medium-sized electronic exchange is illustrated as an example, it is similarly applicable to various other computer systems. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist thereof.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, in the present invention, the host computer system and the secondary storage of the target computer system are directly connected via a communication line dedicated to file transfer, and the host computer system is connected directly to the secondary storage device of the target computer system. When transferring software to the target computer system, the secondary storage device is temporarily removed from the control of the main control unit or set to a state where control is restricted, and in this state the software file is transferred from the host computer system. The software file is then transferred and stored in a storage section in a secondary storage device independently of control by the main control section.

Therefore, according to the present invention, software created in a host computer system can be directly and efficiently transferred to a target computer system without intervening other systems, and moreover, the main control of the target computer system can The software can be transferred and stored in the secondary storage device without stopping other operations being executed by the section. Therefore, the software can be transferred and stored in the secondary storage device efficiently in a short time, and as a result, the work of changing and correcting the software given to the target computer system can be done efficiently in a short time. We can provide a highly practical cross-software development and maintenance system.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional system. 1...Host computer system, 2...Target computer system, 11...Main CPU, 13
...CPU for disk control of secondary storage device, 16
...FDD, 17...HDD, 21, 22...High speed communication interface, 23...Dedicated communication line for file transfer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A host computer system for developing cross software; a target computer system for storing the cross software developed in this host computer system in a secondary storage device and executing it by a main control unit; a dedicated communication line for directly connecting a host computer system of the target computer system and a secondary storage device of the target computer system, the host computer system is equipped with a dedicated communication line for directly connecting a secondary storage device of the target computer system to means for transferring the software file to the secondary storage device of the target computer system via the dedicated communication line while a communication path is established between the target computer system and the storage device; means for temporarily separating the secondary storage device from under the control of the main control unit or setting it in a state with limited control when an instruction is given to establish a communication path using the dedicated communication line; With this means, the secondary storage device is separated from the main control unit or its control is restricted, and the software file transferred from the host computer system via the dedicated communication line is transferred by the main control unit. A cross software development/maintenance system comprising: a transfer file storage control means for storing a transfer file in a storage section in the secondary storage device independently of control.