JPS6242253A - Communication controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a communication controller having an improved processing performance and a highly accurate timer function, by using properly the several types of interruption timers under the control of a communication control program CP. CONSTITUTION:A service processor SVP14 transfers the information including the types of times used by the hardware to a control program CP at the initialization of the CP. Thus the CP performs the initialization according to the received information on the initialization and is set under an operation state. Here the CP delivers an instruction to the SVP14 for the request of the timer type if no coincidence is obtained between the type of the timer used by the hardware and the type desired by the CP. Then the SVP14 performs the control for the change of the timer type to a central processing part CCU10 including a timer interruption mechanism in response to the instruction given from the CP. Then the SVP 14 informs the end of this processing to the CP. Hereafter the CP can receive the interruption of its desired timer from the CCU10.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] The present invention is provided between a terminal device and a computer, and provides control, error control, and control of data sent to the computer via one communication line.
Alternatively, there is a communication control unit (Communication Control Unit CCU), which is a device that is a point of contact between communication technology and calculation technology to perform transmission/reception bumping, etc.
) regarding timer interrupts. In particular, a central processing unit (CCtJ) that executes a communication control control program (CP) related to a communication control device, a service processor (SVP) that manages and controls components of the communication control device, and
In a system having a storage unit (MS) that stores the CP, the SVP notifies the CP of the timer type currently in use, and the SVP can change the timer type upon request from the CP. Regarding a control device. The present invention is.

In response to a request from the CP, the S
The VP is allowed to select the type of timer. The present invention has the advantage that it is possible to perform highly functional timer processing such as determining the end of processing or selecting a mode.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention is a device that connects computer technology and communication technology, and inputs information to a computer via a communication line.

Regarding communication control devices used for controlling output data, error control, buffering of transmitted and received signals, etc.
In particular, timer interrupts used by the control program CP for communication control are transmitted to the CP via the service processor SVP.
is selected, or the CP itself knows the type.
High processing capabilities.

Alternatively, the present invention relates to a communication control device that can achieve high accuracy.

[Traditional technique]

Computer systems began to be used not only for 7 calculations but also as information processing machines, including online processing.

Alternatively, efforts have been made to improve quality by integrating real-time processing with communication technology. At the intersection of communication technology and computing technology, that is.

A communication control unit (CCU) lclN is installed at the contact point between a terminal and a computer in an online computer system, and controls data entering and exiting the computer via the J communication line.

It performs error control and buffering of transmitted and received characters. Generally, this communication control device includes a central processing unit CCU that executes a communication control program CP, a storage unit MS that stores a communication control program CP, and a service processor SVP that manages and controls the components of the communication control device. ing. In such a system, at the interface between the service processor SVP and the central processing unit CCU, the CCU controls interrupts from the communication line and interrupts from the host computer.
As one of these, interrupts from a timer in the CCU are also executed. This is an interrupt control that measures time and times out if there is no timer interrupt within a specified time.

In such timer processing, importance has been placed on the accuracy of the timer, such as whether a timer interrupt is performed every 100 m5 ec or every 200 m5 ec. In this case, it has also been emphasized that timer interrupts should be performed at a time slightly smaller than 100 m5ec. For example, character transmission from the line is transmitted in m5ec units, so
A timer interrupt may be required in units of m5ec.

In such a case, conventionally, a transmission lock is extracted in accordance with the transmission speed from the two lines, and a timer interrupt with fine precision is created based on the transmission lock.

However, in such a conventional method, when the single-line blade type changes in various ways, for example, when deriving how many counts are required to obtain the required 30 msec, it is said that it differs depending on each line. This has the disadvantage that control is complicated. In this way, the reason why conventional communication control devices have to perform complex control of highly accurate timer interrupts using the clock from the line is that there is only one type of timer interrupt for the CP, and the timer value is Because it was fixed,
Therefore, the installed timer cannot execute a timer interrupt in a time shorter than the timer value. Furthermore, there is also a drawback that processing that must be executed in a time longer than the timer value requires processing such as counting the number of interrupts.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The present invention eliminates such drawbacks of the conventional technology, and even when high-precision timer control is required, communication is achieved by using means that has several types of timer interrupts created by dividing a high-speed basic clock. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication control device that has improved processing performance and highly accurate control functions by selectively using the several types of interrupt timers under the control of a control program CP.

[Failure to solve the problem]

The present invention provides a central processing unit that executes a control program for communication control, a storage unit that stores the control program for communication control, a component that controls the interface with a line and a host computer, and a service that manages the components of the device. a timer interrupt mechanism comprising clock selection means for generating clocks having a plurality of frequencies and selection means for selecting the plurality of clocks; and the communication control control processor. means for notifying the communication side control program of the type of timer currently in use from the service processor via an information exchange path between and timer interrupt means, wherein the service processor sends a control signal to the clock selection means of the timer interrupt mechanism to cause the timer interrupt mechanism to interrupt the communication control program CP at a requested time interval. This is achieved by providing a communication control device (2) characterized in that the service processor can select the timer type.

[For production]

The present invention provides a service processor SvP and a central processing unit CC.
Using the communication path with the communication control control program CP in U, the timer type used by the hardware is notified during the initial setting process of the CP, and thereafter, the timer type is changed according to the request from the CP. , or the SVP selects the timer requested by the CP. That is, one aspect of the present invention includes a switch means for selecting a requested clock from among a plurality of clocks under the control of the SVP, so that a timer corresponding to the selected clock period can interrupt the CCU.

〔Example〕

Next, the communication control device of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a general communication control device. In an online computer system, 1 communication control device 1 is a kind of input/output control device.

A communication line that is extremely slow compared to the internal processing of a computer.

In addition, in order to smoothly and efficiently send and receive data that is asynchronous to the internal processing of the computer, this device performs speed conversion control through data buffering and 5-hour separation load control.

The inside of the communication control device 1 includes a central processing unit CCUIO and a storage unit M that stores a control program CP for controlling one communication.
Contains SII. cp is a program executed by the central processing unit CCU, and is used to realize high-level communication control functions such as disassembling or assembling processing message blocks of one communication protocol.

The program has steps ranging from tens to hundreds. The line interface 12 is composed of line adapters for nine individual lines and a line control unit that controls data exchange between the plurality of line adapters and the CCUIO and MSll. Communication line and CCt, J
Generally, a modulation/demodulation device or a data line termination device is inserted between the terminal and the terminal 10. Therefore, the line interface of the line adapter becomes an interface with the modulation/demodulation device or the data line termination device.

On the other hand, the host interface 13 connected to the host computer has a buffering function for data to be exchanged with the three hosts, that is, a control function for writing or reading data to and from the storage unit MS.

How to access it?

For example, there is a method using CCUIO, and a DMA method that directly accesses MSII without using CCUlo. Further, the second communication control device 1 includes nine peripheral device interface units, and a service processor 14 for managing and controlling the system, that is, the components of the first communication control device, is connected via this interface. It includes a communication path 15 that connects this SVP and the CCU or MS. The control program CP for communication control executed by CCUIO may be loaded from the host, but if the program is loaded within the device,
Under the control of the VP 14, loading is performed from another peripheral device 2, such as a floppy disk or magnetic disk device for initial program loading. In such a communication control device 1, the present invention has a 5v
By using the communication path 15 between p14 and the CP executed by the CCUIO as is, the CP selects the timer interrupt used by the CCUIO, or the CP knows the type, so that various types of timer interrupts can be performed. It is designed to realize highly accurate timer interrupts.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a control device regarding timer interrupts in the communication control device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a processing time chart of the present invention. In the block diagram of FIG. 1, 5VP14.

It is originally connected to CCUIO by a communication path (15 in FIG. 2). The present invention provides a programmable system comprising such a 5VP14 and CCUIO, which further comprises a clock selection means 201 that generates clocks of a plurality of frequencies, and a selection means 202 connected to the clock selection means 201 and which selects one clock. It includes a timer interrupt mechanism 20. The timer interrupt mechanism 20 is generally included within the CCUIO.

The service processor 14 controls the selection means 202 of the timer interrupt mechanism 20, selects one of the plurality of clocks, and outputs it to the output line 2020;
In order to be able to make a timer interrupt to the CCUIO and at the same time obtain information about which clock is currently causing a timer interrupt from the timer interrupt mechanism 20, the 5VP
14 and the timer interrupt mechanism 20. The clock selection means 201 has at least one very high speed lock generator.

It includes a function to divide the clock using various frequency dividers, and can output clocks of various frequencies.

The communication control device of the present invention including the timer interrupt mechanism 20 controlled by the SVP 14 is controlled according to the processing time chart shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the numbers shown by ■, ■, .

First, during initialization processing of the 0th (degree C) CP, the SVP 14 learns the type of timer used by the hardware and initializes it via the timer interrupt mechanism 20 inside the CCU 10. Namely.

The selecting means 20 knows which clock is to be selected from the plurality of clocks, for example, N clocks, and selects the timer tm.
Set via 2. And the timer tm currently in use
The 5VP14 notifies the CP (number ■). If the CP knows that the time tm of the timer interrupt is correct, it continues the timer interrupt 2020 outputted via the selection means 202 of the timer interrupt mechanism 20 at time tm. In addition, if the timer tm in use is not the timer of the requested time, the CP is 5VP14.
Request a timer to request (number ■). 5VP1
4 changes the control signal of the selection means 202 of the timer interrupt mechanism 20 to select a requested timer, for example, tn, so that the timer tn interrupts the CCU (number ■). That is, as shown in Figure 3, when there is a timer change request from the CP, the CCUIO and SVP
14, cp via the route between 5VP14
A timer change request for time tn is issued. and 5VP14
sends a control signal to the timer interrupt mechanism 20, activates the selection means 202, selects the requested timer tn, and executes the timer interrupt tn in the CCU (number ■).

Then, using the above-mentioned route, the CP is informed that an interrupt has been generated by the timer tn (number ■). After notification, ccui
.

The internal timer interrupt mechanism 20 interrupts the tn at any time.
Execute timer interrupt at intervals. Further, as shown at the end of FIG. 3, there are cases where an inquiry as to what timer is currently being used is sent from the CP via the communication path 15 (number ■). In other words, CP is SVP
When a request signal (number ■) for a timer inquiry is issued to 5VP14, 5VP14 responds to the request by
Type 1 of the current timer that CUlo is running, for example.

tn can be notified to the CP (number ■).

In this case, the 5VP 14 needs to know the timer tn currently in use from the timer interrupt mechanism 20 inside the CCUIO (number ■).

In this way, in the present invention, there is a communication path 15 for information exchange between the 5VP 14 and the CP executed by CCUlo, and the 5VP 14 uses the hardware when the CCU loads the CP, that is, when the CP is initialized. The timer type used.

For example, information including tm is transferred to the CP. The cp initializes itself based on the received initial setting information and enters the operational state. At this time, the timer type used in the hardware is C.
If the type does not match P's desired type, CP is SVP.
14 to request the timer type. Upon receiving the instruction, the 5VPI 4 controls the CCUIO including the timer interrupt mechanism 20 to change the timer type according to the instruction from the CP, and notifies the CP that the process has been completed. Thereafter, the CP will be able to receive timer interrupts desired by the CP itself from the CCUIO.

Conventionally, the clock generation source was a clock generator that could only generate one frequency, but in the system of the present invention,
A clock selection means 20 for generating clocks having a plurality of frequencies in a timer interrupt mechanism 20 as shown in FIG.
1. By providing selection means 202 for selecting the clock and the clock, highly accurate timer processing can be performed. That is, a timer interrupt with a short timer time or a timer interrupt with a long time can be performed. In particular, by being able to issue timer interrupts of very short duration, for example, in so-called digital switching systems such as DDX, various controls can be performed effectively within a specified time using timer interrupts. In a system like DDX, if this is done conventionally using only very high frequency timer interrupts.

The number of interrupts per CCUIO will increase, and the processing will slow down, but if there are various types of 1MM such as a 9-wire system,
If timer interrupt 4 is selected, CCUIO processing becomes optimal. Furthermore, the timer interrupt of the present invention is generally used when it is necessary to measure various times in order to find out whether a requested process has been completed after a certain period of time.

In addition, it is also used to select a mode in which certain controls are selectively executed after a certain period of time has elapsed. If such various types of timer interrupts can be performed, highly accurate timer processing will be performed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention provides a timer interrupt function that has a plurality of clock selection means having a plurality of frequencies and a programmable timer function that can perform the selection, so that the timer type can be changed via the SVP according to the request of the CP. It is possible to selectively issue a timer interrupt for the time required by the CP, and determine the end of the process.

This has the advantage that highly functional timer processing such as mode selection can be performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication control device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a general communication control device. FIG. 3 is a processing time chart of the communication control device of the present invention. 1...Communication control device. 10...Central processing unit. 11...Storage section. 12...Line interface section. 13...Host interface section. 14...Service processor. 15... Communication path between ccu and svp. 20...Timer interrupt mechanism. 201...Clock selection means. 202...Selection means. 2020...Clock output line. C.U.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A central processing unit that executes a control program for communication control, a storage unit that stores the control program for communication control, a control unit that controls the interface with a line, and a host computer, and the components of the device. A communication control device system having a service processor for managing the communication control device, comprising: a timer interrupt mechanism comprising a clock generation means for generating clocks having a plurality of frequencies and a selection means for selecting the plurality of clocks; and the communication control control program. means for notifying the communication control control program of the type of timer currently in use from the service processor via an information exchange path with the service processor; a timer interrupt means for transmitting a control signal to the clock selection means of the timer interrupt mechanism to interrupt the communication control control program from the timer interrupt mechanism with a timer of a requested time; A communication control device characterized in that a timer type can be selected.