JPH0738591A - Shortening method for initialize time for terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten entire initialize time by performing parallel processing so as to advance the initialize processing of a device which requires initialization while utilizing a wait term. CONSTITUTION:Both the initialization is parallelly processed so as to initialize the device such as devices 1-4, for example, during the wait term required for executing initialize operations F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5 of a token ring LAN adapter. As the parallel processing, (1) a timer interruption term is provided for each of fixed synchronism, and the function of a timer hand 3 is executed during the timer interruption term. (2) The initialized processing flow of the token ring LAN adapter is divided at a part that requires waiting, and allocated to the required function of each divided processing such as a timer handier, for example. (3) In the case of this allocation, an initialized function transition table is set and according to this table, the initialization is executed from the inside of the timer handler.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a token ring LAN.
The present invention relates to a method for shortening the start-up time of a terminal device that uses the.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional so-called LAN (Local Area Net)
Work-intra-company information communication network) is roughly classified into an insert LAN and a token ring LAN. In the former one, the terminal device is connected to a straight line, for example, a cable transmission line, whereas in the latter one, to which the present invention relates, the terminal device communicates with each other via a ring-shaped transmission line. It has such a network structure. FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a terminal device using the token ring LAN. FIG. 7 is a block diagram particularly focusing on the chip configuration. The terminal device is connected to the transmission line of the token ring LAN via a built-in token ring LAN adapter (hereinafter also simply referred to as an adapter), which is a control chip that controls the terminal device to join the network and controls transmission and reception. On the other hand, inside the terminal device, this adapter, a CPU that is a central processing unit, a ROM that stores programs of the CPU and the adapter, a memory that stores data, and a device 1 that is an input control chip such as an input / output device, Device 2, ...
... Device n is configured as shown. Each of these devices is, for example, a CRT, keyboard, ... Mouse control chip. Conventionally, the initialization flow for starting up such a terminal device by turning on the power has been performed as shown in FIG. That is, the adapters are initialized after the devices 1 to n are sequentially initialized. As an example, the initialization time is 10 seconds for initialization of device 1 to device n and 20 seconds for initialization of adapter.
It took seconds. The length of this time is far longer than the length within 200 milliseconds in the case of the terminal device of the above-mentioned Ethernet LAN, and this characteristic length has been inevitable.

[0003]

As described above, the terminal device utilizing the token ring LAN is characterized in that its initialization time is very long as compared with the case of the internet LAN. To make this issue clearer,
Further description will be made with reference to the drawings. The initialization of the adapter, which occupies a large part of the initialization time of the terminal equipment of the token ring LAN, is TM provided by Texas Instruments.
S380 Second-Generation Token Ring Users
Follow the guide chapters 4 and 5. FIG. 9 shows the initialization flow of this adapter. In other words, this flow was performed as follows. Reset the adapter (1,
2), the CPU transfers the program to the adapter (3),
An initial diagnostic test is performed (4,5) and an operating mode block that indicates how the adapter should operate is set by the CPU.
From the CPU (6, 7), a command to join the network is received from the CPU (8, 9), and then preparations for reception and transmission are prepared (10, 11). As noted in FIG. 9, there is a wait time in that flow. That is, token ring LA
Initialization of the N adapter may require a wait due to hardware or software factors. In the past, I just waited without doing anything while I needed these weights. FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of the conventional method on the time axis in order to make such a situation in the conventional method easier to understand. In FIG. 10, the case of four devices is illustrated. T1 to T4 indicate the initialization times of the devices 1 to 4, respectively. F1
To F5 are (1), (2, 3, 4), and
The execution periods of (5, 6), (7, 8), and (9, 10, 11) are shown, and W1 to W4 correspond to the wait times in FIG. 9, respectively. As shown in FIG. 10, the conventional method does nothing in the wait period, and on the other hand, although the device initialization itself is much shorter in time than that of the adapter, a large number of devices are sequentially initialized. As a result, the length of time that cannot be ignored was added up, and the initialization time of the adapter was further increased.
It goes without saying that such a long initialization time is inconvenient for improving the efficiency of the network. The present invention seeks to remedy such problems of the prior art. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing the initialization time of a terminal device that uses a token ring LAN.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention controls a device of a control chip of an information input / output device and information transmission / reception by interposing the device between the device and a transmission path. In a token ring LAN terminal device configured to include a token ring LAN adapter, in the initialization method when the terminal device is powered on, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the token ring LAN adapter initialization operations F1 and F2. , F3, F4, and F5, both initializations are performed in parallel so that the above devices, for example, the devices 1 to 4 are initialized during the wait period required for execution.

Here, as the parallel processing, a timer handler and an initialization function transition table may be used as follows. That is, (1) For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a timer interrupt period is provided every fixed period T, and a function of a timer handler is executed during the timer interrupt period. (2) Initialization of the token ring LAN adapter The process flow is divided into parts that require weights, and each divided process, for example, phase 1 to phase 5 shown in FIG. 3, is assigned to the required function of the timer handler to be executed in the above item (1). 3) At the time of allocation in (2) above, an initialization function transition table is set, whereby the token ring LAN adapter is initialized from within the timer handler according to the initialization function transition table. (4) Here The above initialization function transition table is
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, at least an instruction of a function to be executed, that is, an item indicated by a function pointer in FIG.
The wait time required to execute the function or the setting of the wait time determined by the wait time and the cycle of the timer handler is included.

Alternatively, in this case, as the initialization function transition table, similar to the one shown in FIG. 4, the function number assigned to the function and the instruction of the function to be executed corresponding to the number, that is, the function pointer, are stored. The number of waits required to execute the function and the function number to be executed next, which depends on whether the function operates normally at the end of execution of the function, that is, the return value in FIG. The execution function number should be set.

[0007]

As in the present invention, the wait period required to execute the initialization operation of the token ring LAN adapter is utilized to execute the parallel processing so as to advance the initialization processing of the device requiring the initialization. For example, the wait period is effectively used, and the entire initialization time is shortened by the amount of time that is effectively used. In this case, since the wait period of the adapter is generally considerably larger than the device initialization time, the present invention has a large effect on the initialization time.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an example of the operation of the present invention. It is an operation example when the present invention is applied to initialization of a terminal device having four devices of a control chip of an information input / output device and a token ring LAN adapter. The initialization of the adapter is an example represented by the same flow as that shown in FIG. Therefore, FIG. 1 is an application example of the present invention corresponding to the conventional operation example of FIG. Therefore, description of the same symbols is omitted.
In FIG. 1, T11, T12, and T13 are initialization times of the device 1 performed by using wait times required to execute F1, F2, and F3 of initialization of the adapter. Similarly, T21 and T22 are initialization times of the device 2 performed using the wait times required to execute F3 and F4, and T31 and T32 are wait times required to execute F4 and F5. It is the initialization time of the device 3 which is performed by using. Therefore, the following relationship holds. T1 = T11 + T12 + T13 T2 = T21 + T22 T3 = T31 + T32 Also, W5 uses the wait time required to execute F5, performs part of the initialization of device 3 at T32, and initializes device 4 at T4. This shows that the remaining time was left for the wait time. That is, FIG. 1 shows that all initialization of the device is effectively absorbed during the wait time of the adapter, and
This is an example of leaving a wait time for doing nothing. Figure 10
1 is compared with FIG. 1, and the wait time of the present invention is ((Ttota
l) 1- (Ttotal) 2) seconds, which means that all device initializations have been effectively absorbed. The above concrete method of implementation will be described below.

In order to realize parallel processing of initialization of the token ring LAN adapter and initialization of other devices,
Use timer handler and initialization function transition table.
The timer handler is a function that is executed by a timer interrupt that occurs at fixed time intervals T. Therefore, the CPU operates as shown in FIG. That is, the function of the timer handler is executed at the interrupt time shown in FIG.

Next, the initialization flow of the adapter shown in FIG. 9 is divided into functions that require weights and is made into a function. FIG. 3 is a flow of each function thus obtained. The flow of each function is sequentially named as phase 1, phase 2, ... Phase 5.

On the other hand, the initialization function transition table is set as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, corresponding to the function numbers 1 to 5 numbered to the function, the function to be executed is designated. This instruction names the start address of each function in the function pointer. That is, for example, in the case of the function number 1, it is instructed to execute the phase 1 function which is the head address function. As the number of waits, a wait time required to execute each function is set at a timer interrupt interval (for example, T = 5 milliseconds). For example, in order to execute the function of phase 1 with function number 1, a wait count of 1, that is, a wait time of 5 milliseconds is provided. The next-execution function number by return value sets the function number to be executed next time according to the return value at the end of execution of each function, and the return value 0 means that the function has ended normally. For example, if the result of executing phase 1 of function number 1 is normal, then proceed to phase 2 of function number 2, and if the above result is not normal, return to function number 1 and instruct to execute it. is there. It should be noted that this table shows an example in which no further return value is set to 0 for the function number 1, that is, an end format is used.

According to this initialization function transition table, the talk ring LAN adapter is initialized from within the timer handler. Figure 5 shows the timer handler flow at this time.
FIG. 6 shows an initialization operation diagram of the timer handler and the token ring LAN adapter. According to FIG. 5, the function number is 0
If not, give the weight needed to execute the corresponding function. Wait and decrease the number of waits. When the number of waits is 0, execute the function to be initialized indicated by the function number, set the function number to be executed next according to the return value, and set that function number. Set the number of waits required to execute. FIG. 6 shows a situation in which a predetermined timer handler function is executed after the required wait has been performed. Initialization of each phase of the adapter is performed within the interrupt period of the timer handler.

Initialization of the device is performed during the wait period of initialization of the adapter. The adapter can be performed according to the method described in FIGS.
Therefore, its explanation is omitted.

As described above, in the present invention,
The device is initialized during the adapter initialization wait period, and this period is effectively used. Therefore, in the case of the present invention, the initialization time can be shortened by the amount effectively used as compared with the conventional method.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, the initialization of the device is absorbed and performed during the wait period of the initialization of the adapter, so that the entire initialization time is shortened. Although the shortening time varies depending on the scale of the terminal device and the like, as an example, the conventional method takes 32 seconds, but according to the present invention, it is only 22 seconds, and the time can be reduced to about 1/3.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an operation example diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a program operation diagram of a CPU for using a timer handler.

FIG. 3 shows each function flow of initialization of an adapter.

FIG. 4 is a diagram example of an initialization function transition table.

FIG. 5 is a timer handler flow.

FIG. 6 is a timer handler and an initialization operation diagram.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a terminal device.

FIG. 8 is an initialization flow of a conventional method.

FIG. 9 is an initialization flow of a token ring LAN adapter.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram of a conventional method.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A token ring LAN comprising a device of a control chip of an information input / output device and a token ring LAN adapter interposed between the device and a transmission line to control transmission and reception of information. In a method of initializing the terminal device at the time of powering on the terminal device, both initializations are performed in parallel so that the device is initialized during a wait period in the initialization operation of the token ring LAN adapter. And a method for reducing the initialization time of the terminal device. 2. The method for reducing the initialization time of a terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the parallel processing uses a timer handler and an initialization function transition table to initialize the token ring LAN adapter as follows. And a method for reducing the initialization time of a terminal device, wherein the initialization of the device is executed. (1) A timer interrupt period is provided for each fixed cycle, and the function of the timer handler is executed during the timer interrupt period. (2) The initialization processing flow of the token ring LAN adapter requires a wait. Divide and allocate each of the divided processes to the required function of the timer handler to be executed in (1) above. (3) Set the initialization function transition table when allocating in (2) above. Initialize the token ring LAN adapter from within the timer handler according to the initialization function transition table. (4) Here, the initialization function transition table is necessary for at least the instruction of the function to be executed and the execution of the function. The wait time or the number of wait times determined by the wait time and the cycle of the timer handler is included. 3. The method of reducing the initialization time of a terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the initialization function transition table includes a function number assigned to a function and an instruction of a function to be executed corresponding to the number. A terminal device for setting the number of waits required to execute the function and a function number to be executed next, which is determined by whether the function normally operates at the end of execution of the function How to shorten the initialization time of.