TW201727482A - Debug message outputting method and computer program product for BIOS - Google Patents

Abstract

A debug message outputting method for BIOS is implemented by a computing device. BIOS includes multiple routines, each of which includes multiple sub-routines each including a corresponding debug command associated with a debug message that has a unique code. The method includes the step of: upon execution of one sub-routine of one test routine, determining, based at least on a specific determination condition and the code of the debug message associated with the debug command of said one sub-routine, whether the debug message associated with the debug command of said one sub-routine is outputted.

Description

Debug message output method for basic input/output system

The present invention relates to a method for outputting a debug message, and more particularly to a method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system.

When the information processing system of a computer is reset or started, for example, a Basic Input/Output System (hereinafter referred to as BIOS) installed in the computer performs a plurality of test programs for the computer hardware, that is, for example, a processor, Check and test the computer hardware such as the motherboard and memory. In general, each test program has multiple sub-routines. In some specific subroutines of the subroutines, for example, subroutines that need to perform lengthy test steps are usually added to a debugger. Message (debug message). When the BIOS executes each subroutine, as long as the subroutine has a debugging message, the computer will output the corresponding debugging message of the executed subroutine, so that the computer stops when an error occurs when executing a specific subroutine. It is known from the output of the debug message that an error occurs when the particular subroutine is executed, so as to subsequently debug the specific subroutine.

In the existing test program, only some specific subroutines have debug messages. However, when the subroutine in which the error occurs is not the specific subroutine with the debug message, since the debug message is not added, even if the subroutine in which the error occurred is executed, no debug message is output, resulting in It is impossible to know which subroutine has an error. In order to avoid such a situation, another way is to add debug messages to all subroutines as much as possible, but according to the existing mechanism, if all the subroutines add debug messages, because each subroutine As long as it is executed, it will output a debugging message, causing a large increase in the transmission information and slowing down the transmission speed. The BIOS performs the test at a relatively slow speed, and even generates errors due to a large amount of data transmission.

Therefore, how to improve the above shortcomings has become a topic to be further explored in this case.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system.

Therefore, the method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system of the present invention is implemented by a computer device. The basic input/output system includes a plurality of test programs, each test program includes a plurality of subprograms, each subprogram includes A corresponding debug instruction, the debug instruction of each subroutine is related to a debug message having a unique code, and the method comprises the following steps:

When executing a subroutine in a test program, determining whether to output the subroutine according to at least one specific judgment condition and the code of the debug message associated with the debug command corresponding to the subroutine The debug message associated with the debug command.

The effect of the present invention is that, in the environment that each subroutine includes a corresponding debug command, the computer device, at least according to the specific judgment condition and the code of the debug message related to the debug command, Determining whether to output the debug message related to the debug command corresponding to the subroutine. Therefore, in the environment where each subroutine includes a corresponding debug command, it can solve the problem that it is impossible to know which subroutine has an error because there is no debug message. In addition, by conditionally outputting debug messages, the speed at which the BIOS performs tests can be effectively increased.

Referring to FIG. 1, a computer apparatus 1 for implementing a method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system (hereinafter referred to as BIOS) for implementing an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. For example, the computer device 1 can include a storage unit 11, a processing unit 12, and a user input interface 14.

The storage unit 11 stores the BIOS, the BIOS includes a plurality of test programs, each test program includes a plurality of sub-programs, each sub-program includes a corresponding debug command, and the debug command of each sub-program is related to one A debug message having a unique code, and the debug command of each subroutine includes a confirmation code.

The processing unit 12 is electrically connected to the storage unit 11 and the user input interface 14 .

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an example of how the computer device 1 implements a debug message output method for a BIOS according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, for example, the BIOS has a total of N subroutines, and the processing unit 12 will execute the test programs in sequence, and sequentially execute the subroutines of the test program during execution of each test program. It should be noted that the debug message output method in this embodiment, for example, does not receive any operating system (OS) (not shown) or the user input interface 14 from the computer device 1 in the BIOS. Under the relevant execution request, all subroutines of the BIOS will be executed in sequence, where "i" is defined as the i th subroutine currently executed by the processing unit 12.

In step 201, initially, the processing unit 12 executes the first subroutine, i.e., i=1.

In step 202, the processing unit 12 determines whether the confirmation code included in the debug command of the i-th sub-program matches a preset code. If the result of the determination is affirmative, that is, if there is a match between the two, the flow proceeds to step 203. Otherwise, the flow proceeds to step 205. In this embodiment, the processing unit 12 may also store the confirmation code in the storage unit 11, for example, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) stored in the storage unit 11. The composition is a random access memory (RAM) or a register (not shown). On the other hand, the preset code can be connected to the debug device via an external target probe (ITP) or an extended debug port (XDP), for example (not shown). After the processing unit 12 interrupts execution of the subroutine or executes all subroutines, the preset code is set to 1, for example, according to an input signal generated by the user input interface 14. However, in some embodiments, the preset code can also be set to zero.

In step 203, the processing unit 12 determines whether there is a match between the code of the debug message related to the debug command of the i-th sub-program and a plurality of different condition codes included in a specific judgment condition. If the result of the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 204. Otherwise, the flow proceeds to step 205.

In step 204, the processing unit 12 determines that the confirmation code included in the debugging instruction of the i-th sub-program matches the preset code, and also determines the debugging instruction of the i-th sub-program. When there is a match between the code of the related debug message and the condition code included in the specific judgment condition, preferably, the processing unit 12 is not only related to the debug command of the i-th sub-program. And outputting the debug message to, for example, an external display (not shown), and outputting the i-th sub-program to the external display, so that the i-th sub-program and the debug message can be displayed together on the external The display is for the user to watch, but is not limited to this. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the processing unit 12 may output only the debug message associated with the debug command of the i-th sub-program to an external display or computer (not shown).

Following step 205 following steps 202-204, the processing unit 12 determines whether the i th subroutine of the processing unit 12 is the Nth subroutine, that is, whether i=N. If the result of the judgment is affirmative, the flow ends. Otherwise, the flow proceeds to step 206.

In step 206, the processing unit 12 executes the (i+1)th subroutine, that is, i is set to i+1. Thereafter, steps 202-206 are repeated until i=N.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the condition codes mentioned in step 203 of FIG. 2 may be stored in the storage unit 11 in advance, for example. However, in actual use, the processing unit 12 can, for example, execute all the debugging messages and subroutines displayed by the external display and execute the user input interface 14 when an error occurs in a certain test program. A human input operation updates the specific condition. In this way, it is possible to effectively and surely determine which subroutine has an error and reduce the resources that are conventionally used to output and display the debug information of each subroutine.

In addition, it should be noted that in other embodiments, for example, step 202 in FIG. 2 may be omitted, and the processing unit 12 only needs to determine in step 203 that the debug instruction of the i-th sub-program is related. When there is a match between the code of the debug message and the condition codes included in the specific judgment condition, step 204 is performed.

In addition, it is worth noting that, during execution of the procedure of FIG. 2, when the processing unit 12 receives an execution request from the OS or the user input interface 14 relating to a particular test program or a particular subroutine, Processing unit 12 will no longer execute the remaining subroutines in sequence. In this case, the execution request is treated as a dynamic or selective execution request, and the processing unit 12 will prioritize execution of the particular test program or the particular subroutine to which the execution request is associated. As such, the specific test program or the specific subroutine may be a test program or a subroutine that has been executed before, and the processing unit 12, in response to the execution request, will execute the executed specific test program or specific once again. Subprogram, but not limited to this.

In summary, in the environment that each subroutine includes a corresponding debug command, the processing unit 12 of the computer device 1 according to the specific condition and the debug command is associated with the processing unit 12. The code of the debug message, and the confirmation code and the preset code included in the debug command, determine whether to output the debug message related to the debug command. Therefore, in the environment where each subroutine includes a corresponding debug command, the debug message output method of the present invention can solve the problem that it is impossible to know which subroutine has an error because no debug message is output. In addition, by conditionally outputting debug messages, the speed at which the BIOS performs tests can be effectively increased.

However, the above is only the embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto, and all the equivalent equivalent changes and modifications according to the scope of the patent application and the patent specification of the present invention are still The scope of the invention is covered.

1‧‧‧Computer equipment
14‧‧‧User input interface
11‧‧‧ storage unit
201~206‧‧‧Steps
12‧‧‧Processing unit

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer apparatus for performing one of the embodiments of the present invention. A method for outputting a debug message of an input/output system; and FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of how the computer device of FIG. 1 implements a debug message output method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

201~206‧‧‧Steps

Claims (7)

A method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system is implemented by a computer device. The basic input/output system includes a plurality of test programs, each test program includes a plurality of subprograms, and each subprogram includes a corresponding one. The debugging instruction, the debugging instruction of each subroutine is related to a debugging message having a unique code, the method comprising: when executing a subroutine in a test program, according to at least a specific judgment condition and the The code of the debug message associated with the debug command corresponding to the subroutine determines whether to output the debug message related to the debug command corresponding to the subroutine. The debug message output method for a basic input/output system according to claim 1, wherein the specific determination condition includes a plurality of different condition codes. The method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system according to claim 2, wherein, when there is a match between the code and the condition codes of the specific judgment condition, the computer device determines that the debug is output. message. The method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system according to claim 2, wherein the debug command of each subroutine includes a confirmation code, wherein the computer device is not only based on the specific determination condition and the subroutine Corresponding to the code of the debug message related to the debug command, determining, according to the confirmation code included in the debug command and a preset code, whether to output the debug command corresponding to the subroutine The debug message. The method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system according to claim 4, wherein when the confirmation code matches the preset code, and there is a match between the code and the condition codes of the specific judgment condition, The computer device determines to output the debug message related to the debug command corresponding to the subroutine. The method for outputting a debug message for a basic input/output system according to claim 1, further comprising: when the computer device determines that the debug message related to the debug command corresponding to the subroutine is output, The debug message associated with the debug command corresponding to the subroutine is output together with the subroutine. A computer program product can be stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions, and the method described in claims 1 to 6 can be completed by executing the instructions by a computer.