Multi OS configuration method and computer system

• US 6,711,605 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohno, Hiroshi, Shibata, Takashi, Arai, Toshiaki, Inoue, Taro, Sekiguchi, Tomoki, Kaneko, Shigenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, ANDY
• Application Number:
  US09/836,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20010016879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 709/319, 709/103, 709/104, 709/107, 709/329, 709/1, 717/174, 717/175, 717/176, 717/177, 717/178, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/261 by simulating additional hardware, e.g. fault simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

A computer system of a multi-operation-system (multi-OS) has a main memory having a memory area for a first OS and a memory area for a second OS, both the areas being independent from each other, and a plurality of I/O devices divisionally allocated to the first OS and the second OS. The first OS is loaded in the first OS memory area, and thereafter when the first OS is operated, the second OS is loaded in the second OS memory area and initialized. When the first OS is operated, the first OS hardware resources and the second OS hardware resources are registered by the first OS. Thereafter when the first OS is operated, the first OS inhibits the registration of an interrupt number already allocated to the second OS I/O device. In response to an interrupt request from a second OS I/O device, the second OS starts operating.

Claims

1. A method of multi-OS configuration for executing a plurality of operating systems (OSs) on one computer, comprising the steps of:

activating a second OS loader of a first OS in a first area within a main memory area of said computer, wherein said first area is assigned to a virtual address managed by said first OS according to configuration information;

assigning, by said second OS loader, a second area within said main memory to a virtual address managed by said first OS according to said configuration information;

loading said second OS in said second area by a file reading function of said first OS; and

setting up an interrupt program into a common area of said main memory to be able to schedule operation of said OSs, wherein said common area is managed by any of said OSs.

2. A method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

dividing input/output (I/O) devices of said computer into an I/O device allocated to said first OS and an I/O device allocated to said second OS.

3. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining, when an interrupt occurs, an OS to perform processing of said interrupt, based on a factor of said interrupt;

calling, from an executing OS, the OS thus determined; and

returning to said executing OS when the OS thus determined completes processing.

4. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

notifying, when said first OS stops by an unrecoverable failure, said second OS of an occurrence of said failure;

enabling, while said first OS is stopped, an interrupt for an I/O device allocated to said second OS;

deciding whether said first OS is still stopped when said second OS completes processing; and

awaiting an interrupt if said first OS is still stopped.

5. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the step of calling an OS other than an executing OS via a module disposed in said common area shared by said first and second OSs.

6. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining, when an interrupt occurs, an OS to perform processing of said interrupt, based on a factor of said interrupt;

calling an interrupt processing module of the OS thus determined; and

returning control to an OS which was executing at an occurrence of said interrupt, after completion of processing of said interrupt.

7. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

notifying, when one OS stops by an unrecoverable failure, another OS of an occurrence of said failure;

disabling an interrupt managed by said one OS; and

disabling calling of a module by said one OS.

8. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, wherein said first OS and second OS are executed by one processor.

11. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, wherein said step of setting up is the step for changing a virtual address assigned to said interrupt program to a virtual address managed by said first OS and said second OS.

12. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, wherein said configuration information includes information of a physical address of said second area managed by said second OS and information of a physical address excluding at least said second area.

13. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

releasing the management from said first OS by canceling assignment to said second area by said second OS loader.

14. The method of multi-OS configuration according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

assignment said second area within said main memory to a virtual address managed by said second OS by said second OS loader according to configuration information.

9. A computer for executing a plurality of operating systems (OSs), comprising:

means for activating a second OS loader of a first OS in a first area within a main memory area of said computer, wherein said first area is assigned to a virtual address managed by said first OS according to configuration information;

means for assigning, by said second OS loader, a second area within said main memory to a virtual address managed by said first OS according to said configuration information;

said loading means loading said second OS in said second area by a file reading function of said first OS; and

setting up an interrupt program into a common area of said main memory to be able to schedule operation of said OSs, wherein said common area is managed by any of said OSs.

10. A computer for executing a plurality of operating systems (OSs) according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for dividing input/output (I/O) devices of said computer into an I/O device allocated to said first OS and an I/O device allocated to said second OS.