MULTI-OPERATING SYSTEM (OS) BOOTING APPARATUS, MULTI-OS BOOTING PROGRAM, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND MULTI-OS BOOTING METHOD

• US 20110022832A1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Katayama, Yoshiaki, Motohama, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/145 the protection being virtual, e.g. for virtual blocks or segments before a translation mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded

Abstract

In a multi-OS booting apparatus, when loading the second OS, contents of the second OS is prevented from being referred to by other programs. The first OS 151 loads the second boot loader 171 and the second OS image 211 into the first memory space 150 by using the first boot loader 154 (phase 2). The loaded second boot loader 171 configures the third memory space 170 including the first memory space 150 and the second memory space 160, removes the second boot loader 171 itself and the second OS image 211 from the management object of the first OS 151 by letting the second boot loader 171 to operate in the third memory space 170 (phase 3), configures the second memory space 160 in order to load the second OS 161 into it, and boots the second OS 161 in the second memory space 160.

Claims

1. A multi-OS booting apparatus which boots at least two operating systems (operating system hereinafter called an OS) of a first OS and a second OS, comprising:

(1) a primary storage unit having a memory area with respect to which a memory space is defined;

(2) a secondary storage unit for storing a second boot loader and the second OS;

(3) an OS execution unit for causing a first boot loader to perform loading the second boot loader and the second OS from the secondary storage unit into the memory area of the primary storage unit, which is defined as a first memory space managed by the first OS with respect to the primary storage device by a first context, wherein the loading is performed by running the first boot loader, which is to run under the first OS that operates in the first context being a context indicating control information for a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and being a context for the first OS, under the first OS operating in the first context; and

(4) a loader execution unit for causing the second boot loader to generate a context for the second boot loader, which defines a third memory space with respect to the primary storage unit, wherein the third memory space includes a memory area defined as a second memory space managed by the second OS and a memory area where the second boot loader and the second OS have been loaded, and to perform switching from the first context to the context generated for the second boot loader, by executing the second boot loader, which has been loaded into the memory area defined as the first memory space, under the first OS operating in the first context,

for causing the second boot loader to load the second OS, which has been loaded into the memory area of the primary storage unit by the first boot loader, into the memory area of the primary storage unit defined as the second memory space included in the third memory space, and to generate a context for the second OS, by executing the second boot loader in the context for the second boot loader, and

for causing the second boot loader to perform switching from the context for the second loader to the context generated for the second OS, and to boot the second OS in the context for the second OS.

2. The multi-OS booting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second OS stored in the secondary storage unit has been encrypted,

the second boot loader stored in the secondary storage unit has a function of decrypting an encrypted second OS, and

the loader execution unit causes the second boot loader to decrypt the encrypted second OS which has been loaded into the memory area of the primary storage unit by the first boot loader, and to load a decrypted second OS into the memory area of the primary storage unit defined as the second memory space included in the third memory space, by executing the second boot loader in the context for the second boot loader.

3. The multi-OS booting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second boot loader stored in the secondary storage unit has a function of checking for falsification of the second boot loader, and

the loader execution unit causes the second boot loader to determine whether the second boot loader itself has been falsified, by executing the second boot loader under the first OS operating in the first context.

4. The multi-OS booting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second boot loader stored in the secondary storage unit has a function of checking for falsification of the second OS, and

the loader execution unit causes the second boot loader to determine whether the second OS, which has been loaded into the memory area of the primary storage unit by the first boot loader, has been falsified, by executing the second boot loader in the context for the second boot loader.

5. The multi-OS booting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second boot loader stored in the secondary storage unit has a function of checking whether the second OS is a duplicate, and

the loader execution unit causes the second boot loader to determine whether the second OS, which has been loaded into the memory area of the primary storage unit by the first boot loader, has been altered, by executing the second boot loader in the context for the second boot loader.

6. A multi-OS booting program that causes a computer which boots at least two operating systems (operating system hereinafter called an OS) of a first OS and a second OS to function as:

(1) a primary storage unit having a memory area with respect to which a memory space is defined;

(2) a secondary storage unit for storing a second boot loader and the second OS;

(3) an OS execution unit for causing a first boot loader to perform loading the second boot loader and the second OS from the secondary storage unit into the memory area of the primary storage unit, which is defined as a first memory space managed by the first OS with respect to the primary storage device by a first context, wherein the loading is performed by running the first boot loader, which is to run under the first OS that operates in the first context being a context indicating control information for a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and being a context for the first OS, under the first OS operating in the first context; and

(4) a loader execution unit for causing the second boot loader to generate a context for the second boot loader, which defines a third memory space with respect to the primary storage unit, wherein the third memory space includes a memory area defined as a second memory space managed by the second OS and a memory area where the second boot loader and the second OS have been loaded, and to perform switching from the first context to the context generated for the second boot loader, by executing the second boot loader, which has been loaded into the memory area defined as the first memory space, under the first OS operating in the first context,

for causing the second boot loader to load the second OS, which has been loaded into the memory area of the primary storage unit by the first boot loader, into the memory area of the primary storage unit defined as the second memory space included in the third memory space, and to generate a context for the second OS, by executing the second boot loader in the context for the second boot loader, and

for causing the second boot loader to perform switching from the context for the second loader to the context generated for the second OS, and to boot the second OS in the context for the second OS.

7. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the multi-OS booting program according to claim 6.

8. A multi-OS booting method performed by a multi-OS booting apparatus that includes a primary storage unit having a memory area with respect to which a memory space is defined, and boots at least two operating systems (operating system hereinafter called an OS) of a first OS and a second OS, comprising:

(1) storing a second boot loader and the second OS by a secondary storage unit;

(2) causing a first boot loader, by an OS execution unit, to perform loading the second boot loader and the second OS from the secondary storage unit into the memory area of the primary storage unit, which is defined as a first memory space managed by the first OS with respect to the primary storage device by a first context, wherein the loading is performed by running the first boot loader, which is to run under the first OS that operates in the first context being a context indicating control information for a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and being a context for the first OS, under the first OS operating in the first context; and

(3) causing the second boot loader, by a loader execution unit, to generate a context for the second boot loader, which defines a third memory space with respect to the primary storage unit, wherein the third memory space includes a memory area defined as a second memory space managed by the second OS and a memory area where the second boot loader and the second OS have been loaded, and to perform switching from the first context to the context generated for the second boot loader, by executing the second boot loader, which has been loaded into the memory area defined as the first memory space, under the first OS operating in the first context,

causing the second boot loader to load the second OS, which has been loaded into the memory area of the primary storage unit by the first boot loader, into the memory area of the primary storage unit defined as the second memory space included in the third memory space, and to generate a context for the second OS, by executing the second boot loader in the context for the second boot loader, and

causing the second boot loader to perform switching from the context for the second loader to the context generated for the second OS, and to boot the second OS in the context for the second OS.