Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration – Loading initialization program
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-27
2004-09-21
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2185)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Loading initialization program
C713S100000, C709S221000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06795912
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a computer, a computer, and a storage medium, and in particular, to a method for controlling a computer of booting a second OS different from a first OS that is usually booted on a computer, a computer where the above-described method is applied, and a storage medium where a program for realizing the above-described method by a computer is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
As operating systems for computers (hereinafter, OS(s)), there are various types of OSs, and each OS has characteristic different from each other. For this reason, even if a specific OS is installed so that the OS may be fixedly booted, it may become necessary to boot another OS. For example, it is desirable that an application program updating firmware such as a BIOS is executed under an environment where an OS (e.g., DOS (Disk Operating System)) operates, where only a single task is executable, rather than an environment where an OS having a function of executing a plurality of tasks in parallel (e.g., Microsoft Windows) operates.
As a method for booting an OS (hereinafter, this is called a second OS conveniently) which is different from an OS (hereinafter, this is called a first OS conveniently) usually booted when a computer is booted, a method is known. The method in which the second OS is booted by storing a boot image (a series of instruction codes which is read and executed in turn from a head thereof so that the OS is booted) in a floppy disk (FD), which is used for booting the second OS, setting the floppy disk in a floppy disk drive (FDD), and booting a computer system.
In addition, as another method, a technology is also known, the technology which is such that firmware built in a network adapter connected to a computer communicates with a server via a network without using function of an OS to acquire information, which is used for booting the second OS, from the server, and makes the second OS boot remotely in the computer.
Nevertheless, there is such a disadvantage that the method of setting an FD in an FDD cannot be applied to a computer not having the FDD. In addition, work of creating an FD for booting the second OS and of setting the created FD in the FDD is complicated, and the more the number of computers to boot increase, the more the work to create the FDD becomes complicated.
In addition, in the method that firmware built in a network adapter communicates with a server and acquires information from the server, communication between the firmware and server is realized with a specific bootstrap protocol (e.g., a bootstrap protocol or the like in an RFC951 (Internet Request For Comments 951) that is defined by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)). Therefore, this method has such a problem that the server must support the specific protocol and acquisition of the information used for booting an OS is limited, due to influences of network components such as a firewall and a router, and hence general versatility is poor.
Furthermore, as still another method of booting a second OS, it is also conceivable selectively to boot two or more kinds of OSs by dividing a storage space of a hard disk or the like into a plurality of partitions, storing boot images used for booting OSs different from each other in respective partitions, and booting a computer after rewriting a master boot record determining which partition is accessed to boot an OS when the computer is booted.
Nevertheless, this method has problems to effectively use the storage space of the hard disk since one of the plurality of partitions is occupied to boot the second OS even if a utilization rate of the second OS is low, since the partition including the boot image for booting the second OS resides in the storage space of the hard disk, and to easily create a partition for the second OS after installing a first OS.
In addition, in the method of storing the boot image of a second OS in a hard disk (similar to the method of storing the boot image in an FD), it is common to also store an application program or the like, which are to be executed under the control of the second OS. Nevertheless, for example, for update of firmware that is an example of processing to be executed by switching an OS, it is necessary to acquire a latest application program for updating the firmware to the latest firmware after version-up. Therefore, there are hardly advantages even if such an application program resides in the hard disk. In addition, although it is conceivable to delete the application program from the hard disk after executing the application program, this also has such a problem that deletion work is complicated. Furthermore, generally speaking, if file systems of the first and second OSs are different from each other, it is difficult to perform the update and deletion of an application on the second OS from an application on the first OS.
The present invention is conducted in consideration of the above facts, and its object is to acquire a method for controlling a computer that can easily realize the switching between OSs that are booted in a computer, and is excellent in general versatility.
Furthermore, anther object is to provide a method for switching an OS, which is booted, without modifying hardware and firmware of an existing computer.
Moreover, still another object of the present invention is to acquire a computer and a storage medium that can easily switch an OS to be booted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method for controlling a computer according to the steps of acquiring information, being used for booting a second OS and being different from a first OS, under control of the first OS in a state where the first OS is operating on the computer; writing the acquired information, in a main storage unit of the computer; and booting the second OS on the computer with the information written in the main storage unit without deleting the information written in the main storage unit, when termination of the first OS is detected.
In addition, for example, the information for booting the second OS can be configured to include a boot image file (a file configured with data showing a boot image) for booting the second OS. Furthermore, the information for booting the second OS can also include a program (this program can be fixedly stored in the computer) for writing the information, which is used for booting the second OS, in a main storage unit of the computer, and a program to be executed after booting the second OS.
In addition, concretely, it is possible to acquire the information, which is used for booting the second OS, for example, by receiving the information as a file from the outside of the computer via a communication line under the control of the first OS. In this case, since the communication with a server is performed under the control of the first OS, it is possible to easily acquire the information, which is used for booting the second OS, for example, in a general purpose communication mode which can be used under the control of the first OS, without depending on a specific protocol for remotely booting the second OS (e.g., to download the information as a file from a Web server (network drive) by a Web browser, to receive the information as an attachment to e-mail, or the like).
Furthermore, in the case where the information that is used for booting the second OS is acquired by receiving the information as a file from the outside via a communication line, the information acquired can be directly stored in the main storage unit of the computer that comprises a memory or the like. Nevertheless, so long as the information is temporarily stored in the secondary storage unit of the computer that comprises a hard disk or the like, it is possible to prevent a memory area of the main storage unit from being oppressed in a period when the information acquired is written in the main storage unit thereafter.
Moreover, in the case where the information that is used for booting the second OS is written beforehand
Itoh Hiroshi
Kato Naotaka
Kinnaman, Jr. William A.
Lee Thomas
Suryawanshi Suresh K
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