JPH08106377A - Program registering method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To carry out the processing that is desired by a user before an OS is booted by using a certain environment to a server included in a network. CONSTITUTION: A program is read out of a boot ROM 104 of a LAN board 100 and an OS is booted when a system is started. A nonvolatile memory 105 stores a program which carries out such processing that cannot be processed after the OS is booted and the desired processing to be carried out by a user before the OS is booted. The program that boots the OS after the program stored in the memory 105 is carried out or the program that displays a menu screen consisting plural items including an item that selects the execution of the program stored in the memory 105 and then boots the OS after the item selected on the menu screen is carried out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a program registration method, and more particularly to a registration method for registering a program for booting an operating system (OS) in a read only memory (ROM).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A boot ROM is a basic input / output system (BIOS) storage ROM mounted on a network board or network card. This boot R
The OM stores a program for booting the OS. The program stored in the boot ROM is read out when the system is started up, not from the hard disk (HD) or floppy disk (FD) of the system, but using the environment of the server on the network.

Early boot ROMs were only connected to a server on the network to boot the OS. Also, after the OS has been booted, the user can only change the name of the server to connect to and the name of the user to log in, and can perform the processing desired by the user before the OS boots. There wasn't. In the second generation boot ROM, some functions have been added, and the functions can be selected on the menu.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned second-generation boot ROM, the functions that can be selected on the menu are provided by the manufacturer, so that the user must add the function by registering the program. I couldn't.
That is, conventionally, after the OS has been booted, it is impossible to perform the processing that the user does not have in the menu and the processing that is impossible after the OS is booted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a program registration method capable of executing a process desired by a user before booting an OS using an environment of a server on a network. With the goal.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a storage device on a network board or a network card from which a storage program is read at system startup and a user-created storage device are created. A non-volatile storage means for storing any of the stored programs, and the storage device stores a program for booting the operating system after executing the storage program for the non-volatile storage means or a storage for the non-volatile storage means. There is provided a program registration method in which a menu screen including a plurality of items including an item for selecting execution of a program is displayed, and a program for booting an operating system is registered after executing a selection item on the menu screen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a storage device on the network board or the network card from which a storage program is read at system startup, and a non-volatile storage means for storing an arbitrary program created by a user. Is installed at least, and a menu screen including a plurality of items including an item for selecting execution of the storage program of the non-volatile storage means is displayed in the storage device, and the operating screen is displayed after the selection item is executed by the menu screen. There is provided a program registration method characterized by registering a program for booting a system.

[0008]

According to the present invention, when the system is started up, the storage program is first read from the storage device, and the storage program in the non-volatile storage means is read according to the storage program and immediately executed, or the menu screen is displayed. When it is displayed and the execution of the storage program of the non-volatile storage means is selected, the operating system (OS) is booted after the storage program of the non-volatile storage means is executed.

[0009]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a network board equipped with a storage device to which the method of the present invention is applied. In the figure, the local area network (LAN) board 100 is
A network board or an example of a network card. A connector 101 for physically connecting the LAN board 100 to a LAN and a transceiver 102.
, LAN controller 103, and boot ROM 104
A nonvolatile memory 105 and an address register 106.
And a data register 107 are mounted respectively.

The LAN controller 103 is a control circuit that controls all data communication with the LAN. The transceiver 102 converts the signal output from the LAN controller 103 according to the connector 101. Boot R
The OM 104 is a storage device from which a storage program is read when the system is started and the OS is booted.

Further, the non-volatile memory 105 executes an arbitrary program created by the user, particularly a process which is impossible after the OS is booted or a process which the user wants to perform before booting the OS. The program to be stored is stored. Here, the non-volatile memory 105 is a battery-backed-up memory in addition to a non-volatile readable and writable memory in a narrow sense that keeps stored contents even when the power of the system is turned off. It also includes a readable / writable memory that keeps stored contents.

In the present embodiment, the boot ROM 104 described above is used.
To display a menu screen consisting of a program for booting the OS after executing the storage program in the non-volatile memory 105 or a plurality of items including an item for selecting execution of the storage program in the non-volatile memory 105. The feature is that a program for booting the OS after the execution of the selection item by is registered.

In order for the program in the boot ROM 104 to execute the program in the non-volatile memory 105, both programs must exist in the memory space. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in the map of the memory space in FIG.
6, the space 205 in the range of 00h to 9FFFFh, and 10
The boot ROM 104 and the non-volatile memory 105 on the LAN board 100 are logically integrated into one expansion BIOS 20 by mapping to each address of the space 204 of 0000h or more.
3 is mapped to C0000h to DFFFFh in the memory space as indicated by 201 and 202 in FIG.

At this time, the user may write data to the non-volatile memory 105 without intending to map the above-mentioned memory space.
Writing to 5 is performed via the address register 106 and the data register 107. The default of these registers 106 and 107 when the power is turned on is the write-inhibit mode, and the stored contents of the non-volatile memory 105 are protected during normal operation.

If the write permission mode is set,
Writing to the non-volatile memory 105 is enabled. At the time of this writing, if the address of the data to be written is written in the address register 106 and the data to be written is written in the data register 107, the data in the data register 107 can be written in the nonvolatile memory 105 at the address written in the address register 106. . Similarly, at the time of reading, it is performed via the address register 106 and the data register 107.

In order to realize this embodiment, a program writing operation to the non-volatile memory 105 and a boot ROM are performed.
Two operations in total, that is, the operation in which the program in 104 executes the program in the non-volatile memory 105, are required.

A program writing operation to the non-volatile memory 105 is carried out via the address register 106 and the data register 107 by preparing a utility for writing. The boot ROM 104 stores a program for booting the OS after executing the storage program of the non-volatile memory 105 in advance. However, the boot ROM 104 displays a menu screen including a plurality of items including an item for selecting execution of a program stored in the nonvolatile memory 105, and stores a program for booting the OS after executing the selected item on the menu screen. In this case, a function for writing the program on the menu can be prepared.

Next, the operation of the LAN board 100 having the boot ROM 104 and the non-volatile memory 105, in which the programs are registered in this way, at system startup will be described. First, the operation when the boot ROM 104 stores a program for booting the OS after the storage program of the non-volatile memory 105 is executed in advance will be described with reference to FIG.

In this case, the boot R
The program of the OM 104 is read and it is checked whether or not the program is stored in the non-volatile memory 105 (step 301 in FIG. 3). Non-volatile memory 10
When the program is stored in the memory 5, the program stored in the non-volatile memory 105 is executed (step 302 in FIG. 3). After that, or when the program is not stored in the non-volatile memory 105, the OS is immediately booted.

Therefore, in this case, any program previously written in the non-volatile memory 105 by the user before the OS is booted can be uniquely executed.

Next, the boot ROM 104 displays a menu screen composed of a plurality of items including items for selecting execution of the program stored in the nonvolatile memory 105, and after executing the selected items on the menu screen, a program for booting the OS. Will be described with reference to FIG.

In this case, the boot R
The program of the OM 104 is read and it is checked whether the program is stored in the non-volatile memory 105 (step 401 in FIG. 4). Non-volatile memory 10
5 stores a program in the non-volatile memory 105, a menu screen including a plurality of items including an item for selecting execution of the stored program in the non-volatile memory 105 is displayed (step 402 in FIG. 4), and the program is stored in the non-volatile memory 105. If is not stored, the standard menu screen is displayed (step 403 in FIG. 4).

Subsequently, the program selected by the user is executed by looking at the menu screen (step 404 in FIG. 4).
After that, the OS is booted. Therefore, even in this case, the OS
Before the user boots the non-volatile memory 10
By selecting the arbitrary program written in 5 on the menu screen, the program can be executed.

Here, in order to display the menu display screen on the display device (not shown in FIG. 1), not only the program but also the item name displayed on the menu screen is stored in the non-volatile memory 105. Need to be Moreover, since a program to be executed is selected on the menu, the nonvolatile memory 105 can store a plurality of programs.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a memory map of the non-volatile memory 105. As shown in FIG.
1 stores the addresses and item names of four programs. Further, four programs are sequentially stored in the memory space 502.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a menu screen when the nonvolatile memory 105 has the memory map of FIG.
In the figure, the display of “function” indicated by 601 is the function supported by the boot ROM 104, and 602
Is an item name of various programs stored in the non-volatile memory 105. This enables the boot ROM 104
The series of processes that can be realized by combining the functions supported by the above are stored in the non-volatile memory 105 as one program and can be executed.

Next, another method for allowing the program in the boot ROM 104 and the program in the non-volatile memory 105 to exist in the memory space will be described respectively.

FIG. 7 shows another example of the memory space map. As shown in the memory space map of FIG. 7, the main memory is mapped to each address of the space 705 of the memory space 706 in the range of 00h to 9FFFFh and the space 704 of 100000h or more, and only the boot ROM 104 on the LAN board 100 is mapped. To the extended BIOS 703, as indicated by 701, in the memory space C0000h.
Map within the range of to DFFFFh.

In this case, the operation is performed according to the procedure of the flowchart shown in FIG. Boot R at system startup
The program of the OM 104 is read, and it is checked whether the program is stored in the non-volatile memory 105 (step 801 in FIG. 8). Non-volatile memory 10
When the program is stored in 5, the stored program is copied to the main memory (see FIG. 8).
Step 802). At this time, access to the non-volatile memory 105 is performed via the address register 106 and the data register 107.

As a result, in the memory space map of FIG. 7, as indicated by 703, the memory space 7 of the main memory is
The copied program is stored in 05. After that, the OS is booted.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the system is started, the program stored in the non-volatile storage means is executed uniquely, or after the program stored in the non-volatile storage means is selected by selecting it from the menu screen, it is stored in the server on the network. Because I booted the OS using a certain environment,
It is possible to perform a process desired by the user, which is impossible after the OS is booted before the OS is booted, or a process desired by the user, who wants to be performed before the OS is booted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an LA equipped with a storage device to which the present invention can be applied.
It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an example of N board.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a memory space when the boot ROM and the nonvolatile memory are logically one extended BIOS.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for uniquely executing a program in a nonvolatile memory.

FIG. 4 is a boot ROM for a program in a nonvolatile memory
5 is a flow chart in the case of selecting from the menu and executing.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a memory map in the nonvolatile memory when a plurality of programs are stored.

FIG. 6 is a boot RO for storing a plurality of programs
It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the menu screen by M.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a memory space when only a boot ROM is used as an extended BIOS.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at system startup when only the boot ROM is used as the extended BIOS.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... (Local Area Network) LAN board, 101 ... Transceiver, 103 ... LAN controller, 104 ... Boot Read Only Memory (RO)
M), 105 ... Non-volatile memory, 106 ... Address register, 107 ... Data register, 203, 702 ... Extended BIOS.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A network board or network card is provided with at least a storage device from which a storage program is read at system startup and a non-volatile storage means for storing an arbitrary program created by a user. In the method, a program for booting an operating system is registered after executing the program stored in the non-volatile storage means.