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

• US 20080313654A1
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• 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
• Application Number:
  US12/189,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20080313654A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/319
• 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 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.

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

3. 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.

4. The input/output control system according to claim 3, 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.