Apparatus and method for booting a system

• US 7,287,141 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Murata, Akikazu, Nakazawa, Hidehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hiep T.
• Application Number:
  US11/086,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 711/165, 713/2
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4403 Processor initialisation

Abstract

A data volume of a data transferred from a ROM to a RAM corresponds to a data volume specified by a data volume information included in a program data. By setting the data volume specified by the data volume information as the data volume of the program data to be transferred, only the program data having the data volume specified by the data volume information can be transferred from the ROM to the RAM. Therefore, an excessive data transfer may not be performed, and the time required for booting a system may not be increased. Also, only by changing the data volume specified by the data volume information, the data volume of the data to be transferred to the RAM can be arbitrarily changed. Therefore, the flexibility to create a program or a program for upgrade is expanded, and a burden imposed on a creator is reduced.

Claims

1. A system boot apparatus, comprising:

a transfer device that transfers at least a part of a program data stored in a ROM to a RAM,

wherein operation of a CPU is started based on a program represented by a program data transferred to the RAM by the transfer device,

a data volume information for specifying a data volume of the program data transferred from the ROM to the RAM by the transfer device is included in the program data stored in the ROM, and

the transfer device transfers at least a part of the program data stored in the ROM to a storage area of the RAM in accordance with the data volume specified by the data volume information included in the program data.

2. The system boot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data volume information includes information for specifying a data volume of a data corresponding to the program in the program data, and

the transfer device transfers only the data corresponding to the program in the program data stored in the ROM based on the data volume information.

3. The system boot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the program data transferred to the RAM by the transfer device includes a data functioning as a program to start operation of the CPU,

the data volume information includes information for specifying a data volume of the data functioning as the program to start operation of the CPU, and

the transfer device transfers the data functioning as the program to start operation of the CPU in the program data based on the data volume information.

4. The system boot apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, as the data corresponding to the program, the program data includes a compressed data, in which a data volume is compressed, and a non-compressed data, in which a data volume is not compressed,

the data volume information includes information for specifying a data volume of the non-compressed data, and

the transfer device transfers only the non-compressed data in the program data to the RAM based on the data volume information.

5. The system boot apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the non-compressed data includes a data functioning as a program to direct at least decompression of the compressed data and transfer of an obtained decompressed data to the RAM, and

the CPU executes the program represented by the non-compressed data transferred to the RAM by the transfer device, so that the decompression of the compressed data and the transfer of the obtained decompressed data to the RAM are performed.

6. The system boot apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mapping device that performs a mapping so that an area in a memory space of the CPU is associated with a data area of each of the ROM and the RAM in association with the transfer of the program data by the transfer device,

wherein, when the mapping is performed so that the area in the memory space of the CPU is associated with the data area of the ROM, the mapping device only performs a mapping so that the area in the memory space of the CPU is associated with a data area of the ROM other than a data area corresponding to the data volume information in the data area of the ROM.

7. The system boot apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the ROM comprises a non-volatile memory that can be electrically overwritten, and

the mapping device performs a mapping so that an area in the memory space of the CPU is associated with the data area corresponding to the data volume information in the data area of the ROM, when a predetermined mapping condition is satisfied.

8. The system boot apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring device that monitors access to the storage area of the RAM to which the program data is transferred, after operation of the CPU is started based on the program represented by the program data transferred to the RAM; and

an avoidance device that performs an avoidance process so as to avoid an execution of a process by the CPU based on a written data in the storage area of the RAM to which the program data is transferred, when an access for writing a data in the storage area of the RAM, to which the program data is transferred, is detected by the monitoring device.

9. The system boot apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein, as the avoidance process, the avoidance device terminates an execution of the program by the CPU, makes the transfer device re-transfer the program data to the RAM, and makes the CPU execute the program represented by the re-transferred program data, so as to re-boot a system.

10. The system boot apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein, as the avoidance process, the avoidance device terminates an execution of the program by the CPU, and notifies that the access for writing a data in the storage area or the RAM is detected by the monitoring device.

11. The system boot system according to claim 1,

wherein the ROM is configured as a device that inputs/outputs a data using a serial transmission technique.

12. A system boot method, comprising:

a transfer step in which at least a part of a program data stored in a ROM is transferred to a RAM; and

a booting step in which operation of a CPU is started based on a program represented by the program data transferred to the RAM in the transfer step,

wherein a data volume information for specifying a data volume of the program data transferred from the ROM to the RAM in the transfer step is included in the program data stored in the ROM, and

in the transfer step, at least a part of the program data stored in the ROM is transferred to a storage area of the RAM in accordance with the data volume specified by the data volume information included in the program data.

13. The system boot method according to claim 12,

wherein the data volume information includes information for specifying a data volume of a data corresponding to the program in the program data, and

in the transfer step, only the data corresponding to the program in the program data stored in the ROM is transferred based on the data volume information.

14. The system boot method according to claim 12,

wherein the program data transferred to the RAM in the transfer step includes a data functioning as a program to start operation of the CPU,

the data volume information includes information for specifying a data volume of the data functioning as the program to start operation of the CPU, and

in the transfer step, the data functioning as the program to start operation of the CPU in the program data is transferred based on the data volume information.

15. The system boot method according to claim 12,

wherein, as the data corresponding to the program, the program data includes a compressed data, in which a data volume is compressed, and a non-compressed data, in which a data volume is not compressed,

the data volume information includes information for specifying a data volume of the non-compressed data, and

in the transfer step, only the non-compressed data in the program data is transferred to the RAM based on the data volume information.

16. The system boot method according to claim 15,

wherein the non-compressed data includes a data functioning as a program to direct at least decompression of the compressed data and transfer of an obtained decompressed data to the RAM, and

in the booting step, the CPU is wade to decompress the compressed data and transfer the obtained decompressed data to the RAM based on the program represented by the non-compressed data transferred to the RAM in the transfer step.

17. The system boot method according to claim 12, further comprising;

a mapping step in which a mapping is performed so that an area in a memory space of the CPU is associated with a data area of each of the ROM and the RAM in association with the transfer of the program data in the transfer step,

wherein, in the mapping step, when the mapping is performed so that the area in the memory space of the CPU is associated with the data area of the ROM, only a mapping is performed so that the area in the memory space of the CPU is associated with a data area of the ROM other than a data area corresponding to the data volume information in the data area of the ROM.

18. The system boot method according to claim 17,

wherein, in the mapping step, a mapping is performed so that an area in the memory space of the CPU is associated with the data area corresponding to the data volume information in the data area of the ROM, when a predetermined mapping condition is satisfied.

19. The system boot method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a monitoring step in which access to the storage area of the RAM is monitored, to which the program data is transferred, after operation of the CPU is started in the booting step; and

an avoidance step in which an avoidance process is performed so as to avoid an execution of a process by the CPU based on a written data in the storage area of the RAM to which the program data is transferred, when an access for writing a data in the storage area of the RAM, to which the program data is transferred, is detected, in the monitoring step.

20. The system boot method according to claim 19,

wherein, in the avoidance step, as the avoidance process, an execution of the program by the CPU is terminated, at least a part of the program data stored in the ROM is re-transferred to the RAM as in the transfer step, and operation of the CPU is resumed based on the program represented by the re-transferred program data as in the booting step.

21. The system boot method according to claim 19,

wherein, in the avoidance step, as the avoidance process, an execution of the program by the CPU is terminated, and a notification is made indicating that the access for writing a data in the storage area of the RAM is detected in the monitoring step.