JPH05242002A - Auxiliary storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] While reducing or avoiding the reworking of the operating system of the host system to be connected, the host system can use the extended function not defined by the conventional command by using the command. It can be so. [Structure] A part of the present invention is a command recognition means 14. The present invention uses a conventional command having an instruction section and an instruction modification section. The command recognition means 14
Recognizes an extended function command defined by the data of the instruction modification unit, which is different from the data normally corresponding to the data of the instruction unit. Command executing means 16
When the command recognition means 14 recognizes that the command is an extended function command, it executes the command. Therefore, the extended function can be used by using the conventional command.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an auxiliary storage device which is connected to a host system online and is accessed from the host system by a command of a predetermined format having a command section and a command modification section. The present invention relates to an auxiliary storage device that can be used by the host system by using the extended command, which is not defined by a conventional command, while reducing the rework of the operating system of the connected host system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art CPUs of general computers, from microcomputers to mainframe computers
The (central processing unit) uses a so-called internal bus to access a main memory device mainly using a semiconductor memory device, an input / output device, and various arithmetic devices such as a multiplier and a divider.

As described above, the internal bus used directly by the CPU generally has a short signal transmission line in order to transfer data at a relatively high speed.

On the other hand, a hard disk device, a magnetic tape device, an auxiliary storage device such as an optical disk device which has been widely used in recent years, an image scanner for reading a two-dimensional drawing, a printed matter, etc., and outputting characters and figures. Peripheral devices such as a laser beam printer used for this purpose are connected to the internal bus to which the CPU is connected via the input / output device. In some cases, hardware specifications such as electrical characteristics relating to the connection between the peripheral device and the input / output device and software specifications such as commands used are defined for each peripheral device.

On the other hand, the specifications regarding such connection include:
Some are standardized. Standardized specifications for connecting peripheral devices include, for example, GPIB (general purpos).
e interface bus) and Centronics interface,
There are SCSI (small computer system interface) and the like. In recent years, the SCSI has been widely used for connecting an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk device.

According to such standardized specifications regarding the peripheral devices, the peripheral devices as described above can be commonly used in various computers. Further, not only the computer but also various digital processing devices such as an image processing device (hereinafter, these are referred to as a host system) can be commonly used. Further, also in the development of such a host system, it becomes easy to divert the conventional design property not only in terms of hardware but also in terms of software, and the design period and cost can be reduced.

[0007]

However, since the above-mentioned standardized specifications regarding the connection of the peripheral device assume only the existing functions of the peripheral device, the extended function which is not provided in the conventional peripheral device is provided. There was a problem that it was difficult to include

The problem regarding the function not covered by the standardized specifications arises both in terms of hardware and software. However, only the software aspect will be discussed below. Therefore, of the standardized specifications for connecting peripheral devices,
In particular, a function that is not covered by the standardized specifications relating to a command is hereinafter referred to as an extended function.

Conventionally, when developing an auxiliary storage device having such an extended function, not only the number of newly developed elements in the auxiliary storage device itself increases, but also a host system connected to the auxiliary storage device. However, there was a problem that the cost and time required for the development of the above would increase. Further, in order to support an extended function in a host system such as a computer, a core program such as a driver program in UNIX (registered trademark of Bell Laboratories in the United States) is modified in a conventional OS (operating system). Had to make a rework. If the OS is modified in this way, a special OS that is independent of the standard OS will be used. Even if the modification is minimal, installation work such as system generation will be performed. In addition, there are many problems such as the trouble of dealing with the OS being used when the standard OS is upgraded.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and reduces or avoids reworking of the OS of the host system to be connected, while at the same time providing an extended function not defined by a conventional command. Using the command,
It is an object to provide an auxiliary storage device that can be used by the host system.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided an auxiliary storage device which is connected to a host system online and is accessed from the host system by a command of a predetermined format having a command section and a command modification section. Different from the data that normally corresponds to the data in the command section,
By providing the command recognition means for recognizing that the received command is the extended function command by the data of the command modification portion of the received command,
The above object has been achieved.

In the auxiliary storage device, the command recognizing means is means for determining an extended function to be executed from a combination of the received extended function commands, thereby achieving the above object. Is.

[0013]

The present invention has been made with particular attention to the following technical aspects.

(1) Advantages of using standardized specifications in connecting peripheral devices.

(2) To find a technique that can use an extended function that is not defined by a conventional command while using a standardized specification.

From such a technical point of view, the present invention provides:
In the standardized commands, attention is paid to commands of a predetermined format having an instruction part and an instruction modification part.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the gist of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the characteristic portion of the present invention of the auxiliary storage device 10 of the present invention is the command recognition means 14. The command recognition means 14 is means for recognizing that the received command is an extended function command based on the data of the command modification part of the received command, which is different from the data normally corresponding to the data of the command part. Is.

Although the present invention is not limited to this,
The auxiliary storage device 10 normally includes the command recognition means 14
In addition, it includes an interface unit 12, a command execution unit 16, and a storage medium 18.

The interface means 12 is provided between the command recognition means 14 and the host system. The interface means 12 is, for example,
It is hardware such as parallel IO (input output) or software such as a driver program that directly operates the hardware.

The command executing means 16 is means for actually executing the extended function command recognized by the command recognizing means 14. It goes without saying that the command executing means 16 differs depending on the extended function.

The storage medium 18 is the auxiliary storage device 1 concerned.
This is for actually storing the storage data transmitted for storage in 0. The storage medium 18 is, for example, a disk-shaped magnetic body in a hard disk device, an optical disk in an optical disk device, and the magnetic tape itself in a magnetic tape device.

As described above, the present invention utilizes a standardized command and transmits a command relating to an extended function within the range of specifications such as its format. Therefore, according to the present invention, while reducing or avoiding the reworking of the OS of the host system to be connected, the host system can be used by using the extended function not defined by the conventional command. An auxiliary storage device can be provided.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram including an embodiment of the present invention and a host system to which it is connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary storage device 10a according to the embodiment of the present invention is connected to the host system 50 online. An image scanner 10b, a laser beam printer 10c, and an image processing apparatus 10d are also connected to the host system 50 online.

The auxiliary storage device 10a is a hard disk device in this embodiment. The auxiliary storage device 10
The storage capacity of a is ((1024 bytes / block) x 3
2768 blocks = about 32 M) bytes. The storage medium of the auxiliary storage device 10a can be ejected or replaced by a command from the host system 50.

The host system 50 uses U as an OS.
It is a workstation in which UNIX is used.

The image scanner 10b reads a two-dimensional image such as a printed matter or a drawing.

The laser beam printer 10c is an output device for printing characters and graphics.

The image processing apparatus 10d, for example, with respect to the two-dimensional image input by the image scanner 10b,
According to a command from the host system 50, predetermined image processing is performed and the image is output to the laser beam printer 10c, for example.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the main part of the host system to which the above embodiment is connected.

In FIG. 3, the main part of the host system to which the auxiliary storage device of the above embodiment is connected is particularly shown. That is, this part mainly includes an application program 52, an operating system 54, and interface hardware 56.

The application program 52 is
This is a program that uses the auxiliary storage device 10a.
The application program 52 is not particularly specified, but for example, the image scanner 10b or
It is an application program using the laser beam printer 10c and the image processing apparatus 10d.

In the present embodiment, the application program 52 can use the extended function which is not defined by the standardized conventional command relating to the connection of the peripheral device. This is used as an extended function command by using the data of the instruction modification part of the conventional command.

Such an extended function may be directly instructed in each part of the application program 52 that uses it, but in the present embodiment, a subroutine of the application program called "extended function function" is used. .. When the predetermined extended function is used, the extended function function generates a command to the auxiliary storage device 10a for this purpose by setting the data of the instruction modifier of the conventional command. ing.

The interface hardware 56 is
It is interface hardware for SCSI. That is, SCSI is used for the connection between the host system 50 and the auxiliary storage device 10a.

The operating system 54 mainly includes a management program 54a, management information 54b, and a driver program 54c for connection to the auxiliary storage device 10a.

The management program 54a is a program that can be used by an application program to access the auxiliary storage device 10a by a file name while using the management information 54b. For this reason,
The management information 54b stores and manages the file name of the file stored in the auxiliary storage device 10a and the physical address of the auxiliary storage device 10a in which the data of the file name is stored.

Further, the management program 54a is a physical address of the auxiliary storage device 10a,
It is also available for direct access to a. Hereinafter, this is referred to as a physical address access function.

In the application program 52 of this embodiment, the extended function function uses this physical address access function.

The driver program 54c performs a process directly related to the interface hardware 56. The driver program 54c is, for example, various settings of the interface hardware 56,
It is a program such as a buffering process of data to be passed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the main part of the auxiliary storage device 10a of the above embodiment. That is, the auxiliary storage device 10a mainly includes an interface means 12a, a command recognition means 14a, a door lock device 16a, a storage medium eject device 16b, and a storage medium 18.

The interface means 12a is an SCS.
It has interface hardware for I, a buffer memory, and a program directly related to these hardware.

The command recognition means 14a is means for recognizing an extended function command using a SCSI command having an instruction part and an instruction modification part. In the extended function command, the data of the instruction modification section is different from the data normally corresponding to the data of the instruction section. This point will be described later in detail by dividing it into the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention.

The storage medium 18 is mainly composed of a plurality of disk-shaped magnetic bodies. By using the door lock device 16a and the storage medium eject device 16b, the storage medium 18 is similar to another storage medium 18
Can be exchanged.

It should be noted that the door lock device 16a and the storage medium eject device 16b are both provided with the host system 50 by the above-mentioned extended function command.
It operates according to the command from. That is, the door lock device 16a is manually operated by the extended function command, which will be referred to as a door lock command hereinafter.
the storage medium 18 set in a
The data stored in the storage medium 18 is loaded in an accessible state and the door of the storage medium 18 is locked. On the other hand, the storage medium ejecting device 16b ejects the storage medium 18, which has been accessible from the host system 50, manually by an extended function command hereinafter referred to as a storage medium eject command.

FIG. 5 is a memory map of the above embodiment.

In the auxiliary storage device 10a of this embodiment, the access start address is designated by a 4-digit hexadecimal block address. Further, a continuous address of a series of data to be accessed is specified by the access start address and the number of blocks from the access start address (hereinafter referred to as the number of data). In addition, the auxiliary storage device 10
One block of a is 1024 bytes.

Therefore, the addressable area of the auxiliary storage device 10a is 65536 blocks from block address 0000h to block address FFFFh, which are shown by area A and area B in FIG.
Of these, as shown as area A in FIG. 5,
The accessible area to which the storage medium 18 is actually allocated is 32768 blocks from block address 0000h to block address 7FFFh. Also, in area B shown by a broken line in FIG. 5, that is, from block address 8000h to block address FFF.
The area up to Fh is an area which can be addressed by the host system 50 by a conventional SCSI command, however, it is an area which is not allocated to the storage medium 18. The area B is used as an extended function command in a first embodiment of the present invention described later.

FIG. 6 is a data format diagram of a telegram used between the embodiment and the host system.

In FIG. 6, a message T1 from the host system is composed of a command section T1a, a command modification section T1b, and a data section T1e.

The command section T1a indicates the type of command from the host system. In the conventional commands, the types of commands indicated by the command section T1a are “write command”, “read command”, “magnetic head seek command”, etc., and the door lock device 16a and the storage medium eject device are used. There is no command type for 16b and so on.

The instruction modifying unit T1b has a start address T1.
1c and the number of data T1d. The start address T1c designates the start address of a series of addresses to be accessed by the block address described above with reference to FIG. The number of data T1d is as shown in FIG.
The number of blocks mentioned above is designated by.

The data portion T1e is write data provided when the message is a write command. If it is not a write command, the data part T1e is omitted.

In FIG. 6, a message T2 to the host system is composed of a command section T2a, a command modification section T2b, and a data section T2e.

The command unit T2a corresponds in structure to the command unit T1a. Also, the command section T2a
Indicates the type of response, such as what kind of command sent from the host system the electronic message T2 to the host system including this corresponds to.

The instruction modification section T2b is similar in structure to the instruction modification section T1b. For example, in the case where a message T2 to the host system including the command modification unit T2b is a response to a message T1 from a certain host system, the content of the command modification unit T1b of the message T1 is used as it is, for example. Is.

The data section T2e corresponds in structure to the data section T1e. The data section T2
For example, e is configured as read data when the electronic message T2 to the host system in which it is included is a response to the electronic message of the read command from the host system.

As described above, the electronic message T2 to the host system is composed of a plurality of parts including the command part T2a, the command modification part T2b and the data part T2e. However, in the following description, the electronic message T2 to the host system will be simply expressed as "read data".

FIG. 7 is a communication sequence diagram at the time of write access in the above embodiment.

In FIG. 7, the command section T1a, the start address T1c, and the data number T1d between the host system 50 and the auxiliary storage device 10a during writing of the host system 50. And the data portion T1e are sequentially transmitted.

FIG. 8 is a communication sequence diagram at the time of write access in the above embodiment.

In FIG. 8, when the host system 50 is read, the command section T1a, the start address T1c, and the data number T1d between the host system 50 and the auxiliary storage device 10a are read. It is shown that and are sequentially transmitted. Further, FIG. 8 shows that the data portion T2a is subsequently transmitted from the auxiliary storage device 10a.

In the auxiliary storage device 10a as described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the start address T
The data of 1c is different from the data normally corresponding to the data of the instruction part T1a, that is, the data corresponding to the area B of FIG.

(1) Door lock command (command for operating the door lock device 16a): Command part T1a: READ command Start address T1c: 8001h Number of data T1d: 0h Data part T1e: None

(2) Storage medium eject command (command for operating the storage medium ejecting device 16b): Command part T1a: READ command Start address T1c: 8002h Number of data T1d: 0h Data part T1e: None

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the extended function command can be defined while using the conventional command having the command section and the command modification section, and the OS of the host system to be connected can be defined. Rework or the like can be reduced or avoided.

FIG. 9 is a data format diagram of the door lock extension function command of the second embodiment of the present invention.

The second embodiment of the present invention defines the extended function command within the range of the format permitted by the conventional command, similarly to the first embodiment. Further, in the second embodiment, the extension function to be executed is defined by a plurality of combinations of such extension function commands.

That is, in the second embodiment, the start address T1c is "0h" and the number of data T1 is T1c.
A command in which d is a value of "20h" or more is defined as an extended function command. In addition, the total of eight such extended function commands are used to represent the extended function to be executed.

Further, in FIG. 9, the instruction portion T1a of FIG. 6 is "READ", and the start address T1 is
1c is "START (0)", and the number of data T1
There are a total of eight messages from No. 1 to No. 8 in which b is “BLOCK (x)” (x is 40 ≦ x <50). These eight messages in total are No. 1 in order.
Up to 8 are sequentially transmitted.

The two telegrams No. 1 and No. 2 indicate the start of a plurality of extended function commands and are common regardless of the types of extended function commands.

The telegrams of No. 3 and No. 4 are "BLOCK
(X) ", that is, the extended function command 1 and the extended function command 2 representing the extended function by the data number T1d. In FIG. 9, the data number T1d of the extended function command 1 is" 41h ". The extension function command 2 is "42h", which indicates that the extension function is a door lock.

The following telegrams of No. 5 and No. 6 are the above No.
The checksum 1 and the checksum 2 are for the telegrams No. 4 and No. 5.

The final telegrams No. 7 and No. 8 are end mark 1 and end mark 2 indicating the end of the extended function command by a total of eight telegrams.

FIG. 10 is a data format diagram of the storage medium eject command of the second embodiment.

In this eject command for the storage medium, the telegrams of No. 3 and No. 4 are different from the door lock function of FIG. 9 described above, and the data number T1d is "BLOCK (43)" and "BLOCK (43)", respectively. BLOCK (44) ”. This indicates that the command is the recording medium eject command.

FIG. 11 is a communication sequence diagram of the door lock extension function command of the second embodiment.

No. 1 to No. described above with reference to FIG.
A total of 8 telegrams of 8 door lock extension function commands
As indicated by the read commands (1) to (8) in FIG. 11, the host system 50 sequentially operates the auxiliary storage device 1
Transmitted to 0a. Further, the read data (1) to the read data (7) are transmitted from the auxiliary storage device 10a to the host system 50 corresponding to the first seven of these eight electronic messages in total. Further, when the last read command (8) is transmitted from the host system 50 to the auxiliary storage device 10a, by receiving the transmitted total of eight read commands (1) to (8), The auxiliary storage device 10a executes 30 the extended function. When the execution 30 of the extended function is completed, the auxiliary storage device 1
0a indicates the read data (8) to the host system 50.
Transmit to.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the extended function command can be defined within the range of the conventional command format, and the OS rework of the connected host system can be reduced. Or you can avoid it. In addition, in the second embodiment, since the types of extended functions are expressed by a plurality of telegrams, the types of extended functions that can be defined can be increased.

In the first embodiment, the type of extended function is mainly represented by the start address T1c.
On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the type of extended function is represented by the number of data T1d. Therefore, when the OS of the host system to be connected needs to define the data number T1d more strictly, it is preferable to use the first embodiment. On the other hand, the OS of the host system to be connected
Is to set the start address T1c more strictly, it is preferable to use the second embodiment. The setting of the start address T1c and the number of data T1d is, for example, various settings relating to the auxiliary storage device at the time of UNIX system generation.

[0084]

As described above, according to the present invention, an extended function not defined by a conventional command can be used by using the command while reducing or avoiding the modification of the OS of the host system to be connected. The excellent effect that the host system can provide an auxiliary storage device that can be used can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram including an embodiment of the present invention and a host system to which the embodiment is connected.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a main part of the host system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a memory map of the above embodiment

FIG. 6 is a data format diagram of a telegram used between the embodiment and the host system.

FIG. 7 is a communication sequence diagram at the time of write access in the above embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a communication sequence diagram at the time of read access in the above embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a data format diagram of a door lock extension function command according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a data format diagram of a storage medium eject command of the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a communication sequence diagram of a door lock extension function command of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 10a ... Auxiliary storage device, 10b ... Image scanner, 10c ... Laser beam printer, 10d ... Image processing device, 12, 12a ... Interface means, 14, 14a ... Command recognition means, 16 ... Command execution means, 16a ... Door Lock device, 16b ... Storage medium ejecting device, 18 ... Storage medium, 30 ... Execution of extended function, 50 ... Host system (workstation), 52 ... Application program, 54 ... Operating system, 54a ... Management program, 54b ... Management information , 54c ... Driver program, 56 ... Interface hardware, T1 ... Message from host system, T2 ... Message to host system, T1a, T2a ... Command section, T1b, T2b ... Command modification section, T1c, T2c ... Start address , T1d, T2d ... day Number of data, T1e, T2e ... Data section.

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Isao Yoshizawa 2-3 2-3 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Kawasaki Steel Co., Ltd. Tokyo headquarters (72) Inventor Kaname Sawada 2-3 2-3 Uchiyuki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Kawasaki Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Tokyo head office

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An auxiliary storage device, which is connected to a host system online and has a predetermined format having a command section and a command modification section, is normally associated with the data of the command section in an auxiliary storage device accessed from the host system. Different from the data to be stored, the auxiliary storage device is provided with command recognition means for recognizing that the received command is an extended function command based on the data of the command modification portion of the received command. . 2. The auxiliary storage device according to claim 1, wherein the command recognition means is means for determining an extended function to be executed from a combination of the plurality of received extended function commands.