System storing plural I/O arrangement information wherein each I/O arrangement information corresponding to each operating system is created in response to more than two operating systems

• US 6,125,411 A
• Filed: 03/12/1998
• Issued: 09/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Kiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Ilwoo
• Application Number:
  US09/029,888
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 710/2, 710/3, 710/8, 710/15, 710/16, 710/17, 710/38, 709/104
• US Class Current: 710/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

In an electronic computer system in which a plurality of OSs are operated, a plurality of input-output arrangement information defined in response to each of a plurality of OSs and a correspondence table indicative of a correspondence relationship between each OS and each input-output arrangement information are created previously and stored in a control information storage means. When an input-output request is issued from an arbitrary OS, the central processing unit identifies the corresponding OS, and recognizes input-output arrangement information corresponding to the identified OS based on the correspondence table. Then, the central processing unit executes an input-output processing based on the recognized input-output arrangement information. According to the present invention, since one electronic computer system becomes able to use a plurality of input-output arrangement information at the same time, the maximum number of input-output arrangements can be distributed to each OS so that the data processing capability of the whole system can be improved considerably.

Claims

1. An electronic computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operated;

including a central processing unit for executing a variety of instructions, a plurality of channels being controlled by said central processing unit and a plurality of input-output units being connected to an arbitrary channel of said plurality of channels;

said electronic computer system executing an input-output processing based on input-output arrangement information which defines an input-output arrangement;

characterized in that said central processing unit includes storage means for storing a plurality of input-output arrangement information created in response to more than two operating systems in said plurality of operating systems, supervising means for supervising whether said plurality of operating systems issue an input-output request or not, first recognizing means for identifying an arbitrary one of said operating systems when an input-output request is issued from said arbitrary operating system and recognizing said arbitrary operating system, second recognizing means for recognizing input-output arrangement information corresponding to said operating system, and input-output executing means for executing an input-output processing based on said recognized input-output arrangement information stored in said storing means.

2. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said storage means stores a correspondence table indicative of a correspondence relationship between each operating system and each input-output arrangement information, and said second recognizing means recognizes input-output arrangement information corresponding to an operating system which issues an input-output request based on said correspondence table.

3. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said input-output arrangement information contains an I/O table provided at each of said input-output unit for specifying each input-output unit, and a CH table provided at each of said plurality of channels for specifying each channel.

4. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said I/O table stores state information indicative of the state in which each input-output unit is in use, address information indicative of an address assigned to each input-output un it, connection information indicative of a connection relationship between each input-output unit and each channel, and flag information indicating whether each I/O table is valid or not, and said CH table stores address information indicative of an address assigned to each CH and characteristic information indicative of a characteristic of each CH.

5. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said input-output executing means specifies an input-output unit designated by an operating system which issues an input-output request based on said I/O table, and includes I/O identifying means for identifying a channel to which said input-output unit is connected, CH selecting means for selecting a channel used in an input-output processing from said identified channels, and I/O activating means for activating said specified input-output unit through said selected channel.

6. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said storage means stores a plurality of input-output arrangement information created in response to each of said plurality of operating systems, and said input-output executing means executes an input-output processing based on different input-output arrangement information relative to an input-output request from each operating system.

7. An electronic computer system in which a plurality of operating of operating systems are operated comprising an instruction processor for executing a variety of instructions, an input-output processor for executing an input-output instruction, a main storage for storing programs and processed data, a plurality of channels controlled by said input-output processor and a plurality of input-output units connected to an arbitrary channel of said plurality of channels;

in which system said input-output processor executes an input-output processing based on input-output arrangement;

said electronic computer system characterized in that said main storage has a control information storage area which stores a plurality of input-output arrangement information created in response to more than two operating systems of said plurality of operating systems, said instruction processor includes supervising means for supervising whether an input-output request is issued from said plurality of operating systems or not, and instructing means for identifying an arbitrary one operating system when an input-output request is issued from said operating system and instructing an input-output processing to said input-output processor, and said input-output processor includes recognizing means for recognizing input-output arrangement information corresponding to the operating system which issues an input-output request in response to an instruction from said instruction processors and input-output executing means for executing an input-output processing based on said recognized input-output arrangement information stored in said control information storage area.

8. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said control information storage area stores a correspondence table indicative of a correspondence relationship between each operating system and each input-output arrangement information, and said recognizing means recognizes input-output arrangement information corresponding to the operating system which issues said input-output request based on said correspondence table.

9. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said input-output arrangement information contains an I/O table provided at each of said plurality of input-output units for specifying each input-output unit, and a CH table provided at each of said plurality of channels for specifying each channel.

10. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said I/O table stores state information indicative of a state in which each input-output unit is in use, address information indicative of an address assigned to each input-output unit, connection information indicative of a connection relationship between each input-output unit and each channel, and flag information indicative of whether each I/O table is valid or not, and said CH table stores address information indicative of an address assigned to each CH and characteristic information indicative of a characteristic of each CH.

11. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said input-output executing means specifies an input-output unit designated by an operating system which issues said input-output request based on said I/O table, and includes I/O identifying means for identifying a channel to which said input-output unit is connected, CH selecting means for selecting a channel used in an input-output processing from said identified channels, and I/O activating means for activating said specified input-output unit through said selected channel.

12. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said electronic computer system further includes a service processor for setting system arrangement information and the like, and said service processor includes a file which stores a plurality of input-output arrangement information created in response to more than two operating systems of said plurality of operating systems, and information storing means for storing said plurality of input-output arrangement information stored in said file in said control information storage area when said electronic computer system is started to operate or an initial microprogram is loaded.

13. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that said service processor further includes means for creating a correspondence table indicative of a correspondence relationship between each operating system and each input-output arrangement information, and said information storing means stores said correspondence table in said control information storage area as common information when said electronic computer system is started to operate or an initial microprogram is loaded.

14. An electronic computer system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said control information storage area stores a plurality of input-output arrangement information created in response to each of said plurality of operating system, and said input-output executing means executes an input-output processing based on different input-output arrangement information relative to an input-output request from each operating system.

15. An input-output processing method of an electronic computer system in which a plurality of operating systems are operated;

including a central processing unit for executing a variety of instructions, a plurality of channels controlled by said central processing unit, a plurality of input-output units connected to an arbitrary channel of said plurality of channels, and storage means provided at said central processing unit for storing input-output arrangement information which defines an input-output arrangement;

in which system said central processing unit executes an input-output processing based on said input-output arrangement information;

characterized by comprising the steps of creating a plurality of input-output arrangement information in response to more than two operating systems in said plurality of operating systems, storing said plurality of input-output arrangement information in said storage means, supervising whether an input-output request is issued from said plurality of operating systems or not, identifying an arbitrary one operating system when an input-output request is issued from said operating system, recognizing an input-output arrangement information corresponding to said operating systems and executing an input-output processing based on said recognized input-output arrangement information.

16. An input-output processing method of an electronic computer system according to claim 15, characterized by further comprising the steps of creating a correspondence table indicative of a correspondence relationship between each operating system and each input-output arrangement information, storing said correspondence table in said storage means, and recognizing input-output arrangement information corresponding to said operating system based on said correspondence table when an input-output request is issued from an arbitrary operating system.

17. An input-output processing method of an electronic computer system according to claim 15, characterized by further comprising the steps of creating an I/O table used to specify each input-output unit for each of said plurality of input-output units, and creating a CH table used to specify each channel for each of said plurality of channels when said input-output arrangement information is created.

18. An input-output processing method of an electronic computer system according to claim 17, characterized by further comprising the steps of specifying an input-output unit designated by said operating system which issues an input-output request based on an I/O table within said input-output arrangement information, identifying a channel to which said specified input-output unit is connected, selecting a channel used in an input-output processing from said identified channels, and activating said specified input-output processing unit through said selected channel.

19. An input-output processing method of an electronic computer system according to claim 15, characterized by further comprising the steps of creating a plurality of input-output arrangement information in response to each of said plurality of operating systems, and executing an input-output processing based on different input-output arrangement information relative to an input-output request from each operating system.