Information processing apparatus and file management method

• US 20050086450A1
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shiota, Noriyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/929,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1027 using associative or pseudo-associative address translation means, e.g. translation look-aside buffer [TLB]

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that uses a virtual memory function for executing a program is provided. The information processing apparatus includes: a file management part for managing a file in a read-only memory; a table generation part for generating a table in which a physical address of the program in the file in the read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the program; a program execution part for obtaining the physical address of the program in the read-only memory by using the table from the virtual address of the program so as to execute the program on the read-only memory.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that uses a virtual memory function for executing a program, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a file management part for managing a file in a read-only memory;

a table generation part for generating a table in which a physical address of the program in the file in the read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the program;

a program execution part for obtaining the physical address of the program in the read-only memory by using the table from the virtual address of the program so as to execute the program on the read-only memory.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the table generation part copies a part that may be rewritten in the program into a random-access memory from the read-only memory, and generates a table in which a physical address of the part that may be rewritten in the random-access memory is associated with a virtual address of the part that may be rewritten.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the table generation part generates a table in which a physical address of a part having no possibility of being rewritten in the program in the read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the part having no possibility of being rewritten.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the part that may be rewritten is a data area and the part having no possibility of being rewritten is a code area.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the table generation part copies a part for which a rewriting instruction is issued in the program into a random-access memory from the read-only memory page by page, and generates a table in which a physical address of the part for which the rewriting instruction is issued in the random-access memory is associated with a virtual address of the part for which the rewriting instruction is issued.

6. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the table generation part generates a table in which a physical address of a part for which a rewriting instruction is not issued in the program in the read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the part for which the rewriting instruction is not issued.

7. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the table generation part determines whether the program is managed by a file management part that manages the file in the read-only memory on the basis of a page exception that occurs when the program is executed, and generates the table when it is determined that the program is managed by the file management part that manages the file in the read-only memory.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the determination determining whether the program is managed by the file management part that manages the file in the read-only memory is performed by a vnode in an operating system.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein, when the program is managed by a file management mechanism that manages a file in a random-access memory, the table generation part generates a table in which a physical address of the program in the random-access memory is associated with a virtual address of the program.

10. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program execution part issues the page exception if the physical address of the program in the read-only memory corresponding to the virtual address of the program is not registered in any table when the program is executed.

11. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus includes hardware resources used for image formation processing and more than one programs for performing image formation processing.

12. A file management method used in an information processing apparatus that uses a virtual memory function for executing a program, the file management method comprising:

a table generation step of generating a table in which a physical address of the program in a file in a read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the program;

a program execution step of obtaining the physical address of the program in the read-only memory by using the table from the virtual address of the program so as to execute the program on the read-only memory.

13. The file management method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information processing apparatus copies a part that may be rewritten in the program into a random-access memory from the read-only memory, and generates a table in which a physical address of the part that may be rewritten in the random-access memory is associated with a virtual address of the part that may be rewritten.

14. The file management method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the information processing apparatus generates a table in which a physical address of a part having no possibility of being rewritten in the program in the read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the part having no possibility of being rewritten.

15. The file management method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the part that may be rewritten is a data area and the part having no possibility of being rewritten is a code area.

16. The file management method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information processing apparatus copies a part for which a rewriting instruction is issued in the program into a random-access memory from the read-only memory page by page, and generates a table in which a physical address of the part for which the rewriting instruction is issued in the random-access memory is associated with a virtual address of the part for which the rewriting instruction is issued.

17. The file management method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the information processing apparatus generates a table in which a physical address of a part for which a rewriting instruction is not issued in the program in the read-only memory is associated with a virtual address of the part for which the rewriting instruction is not issued.

18. The file management method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the information processing apparatus determines whether the program is managed by a file management part that manages the file in the read-only memory on the basis of a page exception that occurs when the program is executed, and generates the table when it is determined that the program is managed by the file management part that manages the file in the read-only memory.

19. The file management method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the determination determining whether the program is managed by the file management part is performed by a vnode in an operating system.

20. The file management method as claimed in claim 18, wherein, when the program is managed by a file management part that manages a file in the random-access memory, the information processing apparatus generates a table in which a physical address of the program in the random-access memory is associated with a virtual address of the program.

21. The file management method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the information processing apparatus issues a page exception if the physical address of the program in the read-only memory corresponding to the virtual address of the program is not registered in any table when the program is executed.