INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROL APPARATUS, INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROL SYSTEM, AND INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROL METHOD

• US 20070180454A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Ohta, Ken, Fujimoto, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

An input/output control apparatus includes: a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device; a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information. The input destination information includes at least information for specifying an input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted; and the output enable information includes at least information for specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

Claims

1. An input/output control apparatus configured to control an input of an input device and an output of an output device provided to a computer on which at least two operating systems operate simultaneously on a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems, the device comprising:

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information;

wherein

the input destination information includes at least information for specifying an input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted; and

the output enable information includes at least information for specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

2. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request from first control software which controls a first input device which has previously been provided to the computer.

3. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request from each of the plurality of operating systems.

4. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept or reject the switch request in accordance with a request rule which regulates processing for the switch request, when the request rule is provided.

5. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the request rule requests an input of confidential information for accepting the switch request, and

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request only when the inputted confidential information is correct.

6. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the request rule defines an invalid switch request, and

the request acceptance unit is configured to reject the switch request, when the switch request is invalid.

7. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the request rule requires a user'"'"'s judgment on whether or not to permit the acceptance of the switch request, the judgment being inputted by the user in a specific operation, and

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request in accordance with the permission by the specific operation.

8. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request, when any user'"'"'s judgment on whether or not to permit the acceptance is not obtained from the user for a certain period of time.

9. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the request rule defines a specific switch request as a privileged request;

and

after generating the control information in accordance with the privileged request, until a specific condition is fulfilled, the request acceptance unit is configured to reject a switch request for any one of the input device and the output device which a specific operating system occupies in accordance with the privileged request.

10. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request from the host system.

11. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

when a first operating system or the host system on the computer includes a state change detection function which detects a specific state change of an operating system operating on the computer, the request acceptance unit is configured to accept the switch request issued by the state change detection function in accordance with the state change of a second operating system which occupies any one of the input device and the output device.

20. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the operating system is configured to issue the switch request, only when the request rule allows the operating system to issue the switch request.

21. The input/output control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the host system is configured to issue the switch request, only when the request rule allows the host system to issue the switch request.

12. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems and a communications function between the plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information;

one specific operating system among the plurality of operating systems which operate on the host system comprises;

an input device controller configured to specify, by using the outputted input destination information, an input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted, and to input the inputted information to the input destination operating system; and

an output device controller configured to specify, by using the outputted output enable information, an operating system capable of outputting information to the output device, and to output the information received from the operating system to the output device;

the input destination information includes at least information for specifying the input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted; and

the output enable information includes at least information for specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

18. The input/output control system according to claim 12, wherein

a first operating system other than the specific operating system comprises a virtual input device controller unit and a virtual output device controller unit;

the virtual input device controller unit is configured to receive information inputted from the input device controller unit of the specific operating system, and to input the inputted information to a program which operates on the first operating system;

the virtual output device controller unit is configured to makes a judgment, on the basis of the output enable information, on whether or not the first operating system can output information, outputted from the program which operates on the first operating system, to the output device; and

only when it is judged that the first operating system can output the information to the output device, the first operating system is configured to output the information to the output device controller unit of the specific operating system.

13. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems and a communications function between the plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output the input destination information and the output enable information, and

each of the plurality of operating systems which operate on the host system comprises;

an input device controller unit configured to determine whether or not to input, to the operating system, information inputted from the input device, by referring to the input destination information outputted from the input/output control apparatus; and

an output device controller unit configured to determine whether or not to output information outputted from the operating system to the output device, by referring to the output enable information outputted from the input/output control apparatus.

14. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems and a communications function between the plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information;

each of the plurality of operating systems comprises;

an input device controller configured to control the input device; and

an output device controller configured to control the output device; and

the host system comprises an input and output controller unit configured to enable or disable the input device controller unit of the operating system on the basis of the input destination information outputted from the input/output control apparatus, and to enable or disable the output device controller unit of the operating system on the basis of the output enable information outputted from the input/output control apparatus.

15. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems and a communications function between the plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information;

the host system comprises an interrupt notification unit configured to notify the operating system of an interrupt for the input device when the interrupt occurs; and

the interrupt notification unit is configured to specify a notification destination to which the interrupt is notified, in accordance with the input destination information outputted from the input/output control apparatus.

16. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems and a communications function between the plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information; and

the host system comprises a QoS controller unit configured to perform QoS control for the operating system, in accordance with any one of the input destination information and the output enable information which are outputted from the input/output control apparatus.

17. An input/output control method of controlling an input of an input device and an output of an output device provided to a computer on which at least two operating systems operate simultaneously on a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems, the method comprising:

accepting a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

generating control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

outputting the input destination information and the output enable information;

wherein

the input destination information includes at least information for specifying an input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted; and

the output enable information includes at least information for specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

19. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information;

a program, which operates on the operating system, is configured to issue a system call requesting an input to the operating system, only when the operating system, on which the program operates, is an input destination operating system from the input device according to the input destination information;

the program is configured to issue a system call requesting the operating system to output information, only when an operating system on which the program operates, is capable of outputting information to the output device according to the output enable information;

the input destination information includes at least information for specifying the input destination information operating system for input information from the input device; and

the output enable information includes at least information f or specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

22. An input/output control system including at least one input device, at least one output device, an input/output control apparatus which controls an input of the input device and an output of the output device, and a host system including a function of simultaneously running a plurality of operating systems;

wherein

the input/output control apparatus comprises;

a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device;

a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and

a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information;

a program, which operates on the operating system, is configured to request the operating system to issue the switch request to the input/output control apparatus;

the input destination information includes at least information for specifying an input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted; and

the output enable information includes at least information for specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

23. The input/output control system according to claim 22, wherein

the program is configured to request the operating system to issue the switch request to the input/output control apparatus, only when the request rules allows the switch request to be issued.