JPH1027149A - Information processor and its device driver control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need to change a conventional device driver when a device is added by making a dispatch device driver loads more than one device drivers according to device driver registration information and passing control to the corresponding device driver according to the device number. SOLUTION: An application program AP issues an application interface(API) to an operating system OS according to user's specification. The operating system OS receives the APT and passes the control to the dispatch device driver DDD. The dispatch device driver DDD loads device drivers DDA-DDX allocated to respective device numbers at system start time according to the device driver registration information, and distributes process requests to a device number, specified by an application, to the respective device drivers DDA DDX at the time of execution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device driver control device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a device driver control device and a control method thereof in an information processing device such as a personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Personal computers include a keyboard, a mouse, a floppy disk drive, a display,
Various input / output devices such as a printer are provided, and a CPU
And a data processing unit including a memory (ROM and RAM) executes various application programs under the control of the operation system and operates to perform various data processing such as image processing, document creation / editing processing, and data search processing. At this time, the operation system is provided with dedicated device drivers for controlling the various input / output devices as many as the number of devices.

A conventional device driver control method, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-68052, makes it possible to use the same application program on personal computers having different characteristics or to use a device having a slightly different function. When using the same device driver, the processing request from the application of another model is converted to be read as the processing request of the original application. FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a conventional personal computer. 1
Denotes a data processing unit, a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) 2, an operation system (OS) 4 which is a basic operation program stored in a main memory 3,
Application (program) for executing various functions such as image processing, document creation / editing processing, and data search processing
5. The main memory 3 stores, for each of the various input / output devices 8 included in the personal computer, a general-purpose device driver 6 that is a program for controlling the input / output devices 8 and a special driver 7 that pre-processes the processing request. doing.

The input / output device 8 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse as input devices, a display and a printer as output devices, and a disk drive as an input / output device.

[0005] In this example, the CPU 2 of the data processing unit 1 operated by the operation system 4 controls the interrupt generated by the hardware and the application 5
The processing request of each input / output device 8 due to the interrupt generated by the special driver 7 is output to the special driver 7, whereby the special driver 7 executes processing that can be performed by preprocessing for the processing request, The driver 6 is activated to execute processing for the input / output device 8, that is, input or output of data. As shown in the memory map of FIG. 11, the main memory 3 has an area in which a branch destination address corresponding to an interrupt number called an interrupt vector table is stored at its highest address. Furthermore, there are an OS area, a number of device drivers, command interpreters, application areas, and a free area, in which a special driver storage area is provided.

[0006] As shown in FIG. The branch destination addresses are stored as offsets (upper addresses) and segments (lower addresses) in order from 0. Each address is composed of 4 bytes and supports 64 interrupts. FIG.
The CPU 2 shown in FIG. 0 receives an interrupt generated from hardware (for example, periodically generated every several ms from a timer (not shown)) and an interrupt instruction (INT XX) written in software to the application 5.
Jump to the address of the corresponding interrupt number written in the interrupt vector table of FIG. This interrupt is a processing request to the device driver 6, and its address (offset and segment) is stored in the system-resident device driver 6.
Point (entrance).

That is, the system includes various input / output devices and a data processing unit. The data processing unit controls each of the input / output devices via a general-purpose device driver by an application program, and outputs data input from the input device. And a special driver for pre-processing a processing request from the data processing unit between the data processing unit and each device driver. When the data processing unit issues a processing request for controlling an input / output device in this way, the special driver first interrupts the special driver, executes the processing that can be performed by the preprocessing itself, and starts a required device driver. To execute the processing for the input / output device.

Therefore, other types of applications
When using a program, adding functions, or the like, only this special driver needs to be added or changed.

[0009]

However, the first problem is that the conventional device driver control method requires addition or change of a special driver.
The reason is that a means for converting the processing request so as to be read instead of changing the device driver is required.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a device driver control method for easily adding a device by changing device driver registration information without changing a device driver, and a control method for the device driver. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus used.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention loads a device driver for controlling a device and a plurality of device drivers at the time of system startup, and distributes processing to each device driver according to a device number. It is characterized by having device driver registration information describing a relationship between a dispatch device driver, a device number and a device driver, and device number selection means.

Also, a device driver control method according to the present invention includes a device driver for controlling a device and a plurality of the device drivers when a system is started.
A dispatch device driver that distributes processing to each device driver according to the device number of the device driver, device driver registration information describing a relationship between the device number and the device driver, and the device driver is selected according to the device driver registration information. Device number selecting means.

Further, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus for controlling a plurality of devices connected to a plurality of device drivers, according to a user's specification.
An application program that issues an application interface (API) to an operating system; the operating system that receives the API and passes control to a dispatch device driver; the dispatch device driver that distributes control to the device driver; And a corresponding device driver to be controlled, wherein the dispatch device driver distributes processing to the device driver according to the number of the device at the time of system startup. Further, in this information processing apparatus, the CPU controlling the system loads the dispatch device driver onto the memory, and the loaded dispatch device driver refers to the device driver registration information, and registers the device driver corresponding to the device number. Is loaded on a memory.

[Operation] When a dispatch device driver loads a plurality of device drivers based on device driver registration information and adds a device to transfer control to a corresponding device driver by a device number, the conventional device driver is changed. No need.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] The physical configuration of a first embodiment according to the present invention is almost the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 10, and a description thereof will be omitted. Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a software block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, this embodiment includes an application program AP, an operating system OS, a dispatch device driver DDD, device drivers DDA, DDB, DDX, devices DA, DB, and DX. Except for the devices DA, DB, and DX, all can be set by program software. In accordance with these programs, a CPU (not shown) operating a main control system variously controls the entire system from the time of activation to the end of processing in accordance with the main program.

The application program AP issues an application interface (API) to the operating system OS according to the user's specification. The operating system OS receives the API and passes control to the dispatch device driver DDD. The dispatch device driver DDD is also called distribution software, and controls the device drivers DA and D.
Distribute control to B and DX. Device dry DDA,
DDB and DDX are corresponding devices DA and D, respectively.
B and DX are controlled.

Next, the dispatch device driver DD
The initialization processing of D will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At the time of system startup, the system, particularly the CPU that controls the control system of the system, loads the dispatch device driver DDD on a memory (RAM, cache memory, or the like) (S1). Device driver DD corresponding to the device number by referring to the device driver registration information
A, DDB, and DDX are loaded on the memory (S2).
The format of the device driver registration information is as shown in FIG.
The device numbers of the devices DA, DB, and DX are described on the left side, and the device driver name is described on the right side.

Next, the dispatch device driver DD
D loads the device drivers DDA, DDB, and DDX corresponding to the device numbers with reference to the device driver numbers of the device drivers DDA, DDB, and DDX. More specifically, the process of the dispatch device driver DDD when using the device will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The user selects a device number to be used on the device selection screen of FIG. 5 (S3). The application program AP issues an API together with the device number (S4). The dispatch device driver DDD determines the device number (S5), and if the device number is 1 (S6), passes control to the device driver DDA (S5).
7). Then, the device DDA controls the device DA (S8). Similarly, if the device number is 2 (S9), control is passed to the device driver DDB (S1).
0), the device driver DDB controls the device DB (S11). Thereafter, the devices are similarly controlled sequentially according to the device numbers. Thereafter, if the device number is N (S12), control is passed to the device driver DDX (S13), and the device driver DDX controls the device DX (S14). If the device number is not N (S12), error processing is performed (S15), and the fact is displayed on the display of the output device, for example.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a case where a device DY is added will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram when a device DY is added. The device that operates the device DY is DDY. FIG. 7 shows device driver registration information for associating the device driver DDY with the device number N + 1. When the device DY is used, the dispatch device driver DDD transfers control to the device driver DDY by selecting the device number N + 1 on the device selection screen in FIG.
The device driver DDY controls the device DY.

The processing of the dispatch device driver DDD at the time of using the device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The device number is N +
1 is determined, and if the device number is N + 1, control is passed to the device driver DDY, and the device driver DDY adds a procedure for controlling the device DY.
Operationally, the transition is substantially similar to that of FIG.

Next, a case where the device number is changed will be described. FIG. 9 shows device driver registration information when the device DY is assigned to the device number 1, the device DX is assigned to the device number 2, the device DB is assigned to the device number N, and the device DA is assigned to the device number N + 1. Device D
When Y is used, the dispatch device driver DDD transfers control to the device driver DDY by selecting the device number 1 on the device selection screen in FIG. 8, and the device driver DDY controls the device DY. Similarly, when the device DX is used, by selecting the device number 2 on the device selection screen in FIG. 8, the dispatch device driver DDD transfers control to the device driver DDX, and the device driver DDX controls the device DX.

In this embodiment, a device can be easily added or changed by the dispatch device driver DDD selecting a device driver on the device selection screen.

Note that the present device has a paired relationship with the device driver, and the same type of relationship is required when changing the device and the device driver shown in FIG. For example, if the device is RS232C-A, the device to be added is RS232C-B. Also, RS2
RS232C- on a computer with only 32C-A
B, the dispatch device driver DD
D between the device and the device driver, RS2
Instead of putting the process for controlling the RS232C-B into the device driver for the 32CA, the original RS2
In order to use the device driver dedicated to 32C-B as it is, the dispatch device driver DD
D can distribute the processing to each device driver. This can be done because the API for operating the hardware called RS232C is standardized by the operating system OS. When separate hardware is added, a separate dispatch device driver DDD is required because APIs for operating the hardware are different.

[0025]

A first effect of the present invention is that a device can be added without changing a conventional device driver. This makes it possible to easily add a device. That is, the dispatch device driver loads the device driver assigned to each device number at the time of system startup according to the device driver registration information, and distributes a processing request to the specified device number from the application to each device driver at the time of execution. is there.

A second effect of the present invention is that the association between a device number and a device can be changed. That is, the relationship between the device number and the device driver is described in the device driver registration information in a changed state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a device driver control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an initial process of a dispatch device driver.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart when a dispatch device driver is executed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of device driver registration information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device number selection screen.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram when a device is added in the device driver control method.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of device driver registration information when a device is added.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a device number selection screen when a device is added.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of device driver registration information when a device number is changed.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a conventional personal computer.

FIG. 11 is a memory map of a conventional main memory.

FIG. 12 is an interrupt vector table shown in the conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Data Processor 2 CPU 3 Main Memory 8 Input / Output Device AP Application Program OS Operating System DDD Dispatch Device Driver DDA Device Driver A DDB Device Driver B DDX Device Driver X DA Device A DB Device B DX Device X

Claims (5)

[Claims] A device driver for controlling a device; a dispatch device driver for loading a plurality of device drivers at the time of system startup, and distributing processing to each device driver according to a device number of the device driver; A device driver control method, comprising: device driver registration information describing a relationship between device drivers; and device number selection means for selecting the device driver according to the device driver registration information. 2. An information processing apparatus for controlling a plurality of devices connected to a plurality of device drivers, comprising: an application program for issuing an application interface (API) to an operating system according to a user's specification; Acceptance,
The operating system that transfers control to a dispatch device driver, the dispatch device driver that distributes control to the device driver, and a corresponding device driver that controls a device, wherein the dispatch device driver controls the device when the system starts up. An information processing apparatus, wherein a process is distributed to the device driver by a number. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the CPU controlling the system loads the dispatch device driver on a memory, and the loaded dispatch device driver refers to device driver registration information. An information processing apparatus characterized in that a device driver corresponding to a device number is loaded onto a memory by using a memory. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a new device driver can be added to the device driver registration information. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a relationship between the device and the device driver can be changed in the device driver registration information.