JP2000148313A - Activation system for terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To expand the degree of freedom of job contents of an automatic operation by remote operation by selectively activating a program specified by a remote host device. SOLUTION: A power source application instruction and specification information for specifying an operating system to be activated, an application program and an input parameter necessary for the application program are transmitted from a remote host device through a communication line 7. On the side of a terminal 12, a storage part (EEPROM) 2 for storing each of these pieces of specification information is provided and the operation system to be activated, the application and its input parameter are executed by the terminal 12. Thus, it becomes possible to give the degree of freedom to the operating system which is activated after an automatic power source is applied, and application and to attain job contents expansion of automatic operation on the side of the terminal 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal device activation system, and more particularly to a terminal device activation system that can be turned on from a remote host device via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an automatic power control system that generally issues a power-on instruction to a terminal device via a communication line from a higher-level device (host system; hereinafter, referred to as a host), a process performed in an unmanned state ( The program) needs to be registered (stored) in the terminal device in advance, and when a power-on instruction is given, the registered process is performed.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-132376, a process related to a change of a processing operation or a program upgrade is registered in advance, and a power-on instruction is transmitted from a system operation manager via a communication line in an unattended state. A method has been proposed in which it is determined whether a program is to be distributed or a simple data transmission is performed according to identification information, and in the case of a program distribution, the program is updated upon receiving the program distribution.

[0003]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention JP-A-63-1323
In the proposal described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 76, when a host issues an instruction to a terminal device via a communication line to automatically execute a job, the terminal device can automatically execute only jobs registered in the terminal device in advance. There is a problem that the system form is fixed and cannot be easily changed. In other words, the startup operating system or the startup application to be automatically executed and the input parameters of the startup application need to be specified in advance in each terminal device for each type of operation to be performed.

[0004] Further, there is a problem that the burden of operation management when adding or deleting automatic driving processing in an unmanned state such as at night, for example, to a terminal device is large. That is, the process automatically executed by the terminal device needs to be determined in advance, and every time a process is added or deleted, it is necessary to add or delete the process registered in the terminal device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal device start-up system in which the degree of freedom of the contents of the automatic driving operation by remote control is increased.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a start-up system for a terminal device capable of controlling power-on and program start-up from a remote host device via a communication line, comprising a program designated by the remote host device. Are selectively activated, thereby obtaining an activation system.

[0007] The designation information for designating a program to be started is transmitted by the remote higher-level device together with a start instruction for the terminal, and the designation information includes an operating system and an application program to be started. It is designated information. Further, input parameter designation information of the application program to be started is transmitted together with the start instruction.

The operation of the present invention is as follows. At the same time as the power-on instruction from the remote higher-level device, the operating system and the application program to be started and the designation information for designating the input parameters required for the application program are also sent out via the communication line. On the terminal side, there is provided a storage unit for storing each of these specified information, and according to the specified information stored in this storage unit, the operating system and the application to be started and the input parameters thereof are executed on the terminal. . This allows the terminal to have a degree of freedom in the operating system and applications started after the automatic power-on, and to expand the business content of the automatic driving.

More specifically, when a host, which is an upper-level device, receives an instruction to turn on a terminal device via a communication line and an operating system and an application program to be started and respective designation information of its input parameters, These pieces of designated information are stored in a rewritable nonvolatile memory provided on a communication board in the terminal.

Thereafter, when the terminal device is turned on in response to a command from the communication board, the system boot loader of the terminal device reads the designation information stored in the rewritable nonvolatile memory of the communication board, The boot file of the operating system whose boot is specified by the specified information is changed so that the application stored in the rewritable nonvolatile memory in the communication board starts using the specified input parameter.

[0011] Thereafter, the system boot loader starts the operating system specified to be started, and the started operating system reads the starting file and starts the application specified to be started.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a terminal device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a terminal device 12 according to the present invention includes a local CPU (central processing unit; computer) 1, which is a control main body in a communication board 10, and an EEPROM (electrically rewritable non-volatile ROM (read only memory)). (Erasable programmable read only memory) 2.

The system further includes a RAM (random access memory) 3 for system operation, a communication control device 4 for interfacing with a communication line 7, and a power supply control device 5 for transmitting a power-on signal to a power supply device 9 via a signal cable 8. Further, a communication board 1 for mutually connecting the CPU 1, the EEPROM 2, the RAM 3, the communication control device 4, the power control device 5, and the like.
0 internal bus line 6, power supply device 9 of terminal device 12,
It has a system boot loader 11 for starting an operating system.

In the terminal body 12, the power supply device 9 is turned off (disconnected) in the unattended state.
Only the local power supply is always energized, and the local CPU 1 in the communication board 10 always monitors that a power-on instruction from the host (host system; higher-level device; not shown) is sent via the communication line 7. I have.

FIG. 2 shows the details of the contents stored in the EEPROM 2. In FIG. 2, when a power-on instruction is received from the host, the EEPROM 2 stores communication information (user information for confirming whether the instruction is from a correct user) and a password stored in advance. Host; host device) including an identification information storage (registration) area 21.

In order to specify the type of operating system to be started by the system boot loader 11 after the system is powered on, the "operating system information storage area 22 to be started" area, in which the designation information of the operating system to be started is written. "including. Additionally, after the operating system starts,
It is configured to include an “application to be started and input parameter information storage area 23” which is an area in which specification information of an application program to be started by the operating system and specification information of input parameters required for the application are written.

FIG. 3 shows the details of the "application to be started and input parameter information storage area 23". The specification information of the application to be started and the specification information of its input parameters (a plurality of input parameters can be specified) are set as E.
It is stored on the EPROM 2. The start application designation information and its input parameter designation information can be stored in the EEPROM 2 as a plurality of sets.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 4, when an instruction to turn on the power is notified from the host via the communication line 7, the local CPU 1 in the communication board 10 which has been on standby determines whether the instruction is from a correct partner via the bus 6. E
Necessary information (user name, password, etc.) is read from the communication partner identification information storage area 21 in the EPROM 2 into the RAM 3 and checked (step S1). At this time, it is determined that the call is not from the correct partner (step S1 is N
In the case of O), the power-on instruction is discarded and the apparatus enters the standby state again.

If it is determined that the power-on instruction is from a correct partner (step S1 is YES), the EEPR
The operating system specification information to be started is written in the start operating system information storage area 22 in the OM 2, and the application specification information and input parameter specification information to be started are written in the start application information and the input parameter information storage area 23 thereof (step). S2).

Next, the local CPU in the communication board 10
1 issues an instruction to turn on the power of the terminal device 12 to the power control device 5 through the bus 6 through the power control signal cable 8 (step S3). The system boot loader 11 of the activated terminal device 12 immediately transmits the EEPR in the communication board 10.
The startup operating system designation information 22 and the startup application designation information and its input parameter designation information 23 stored in the OM 2 are read.

Subsequently, the startup file of the corresponding operating system is changed so that all the designated applications are automatically started using the respective input parameters after the corresponding operating system is started (step S4). ). Next, the system boot loader 11 starts the specified operating system (step S5), and the started operating system automatically starts the specified application based on the description of the start file (step S6).

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, when an instruction is sent from a host (upper device) to a terminal device via a communication line and a task is automatically executed, not only one system but also a system is used. There is an effect that it is possible to flexibly construct various systems such as an accounting operation and an ordering operation according to the business mode. In other words, the startup operating system, the startup application, and its input parameters can be specified together with the power-on instruction from the host.

Further, when adding or deleting a process of automatic driving at night, such as at night, to the terminal device, it is not necessary to determine the process in advance, and there is an effect that the burden of system operation management is reduced. That is, it is possible to specify a plurality of applications to be activated together with the power-on instruction, and it is possible to easily cope with the addition or deletion of an urgent process.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the stored contents of an EEPROM.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a storage state of an application to be started and an input parameter information storage area.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CPU 2 EEPROM 3 RAM 4 Communication control device 5 Power supply control device 6 Bus 7 Communication line 8 Power supply control signal cable 9 Power supply device 10 Communication board 11 System boot loader 12 Terminal device

Claims (6)

[Claims] An activation system for a terminal device capable of controlling power-on and program activation from a remote higher-level device via a communication line, wherein a program designated by the remote higher-level device is selectively activated. An activation system characterized by the following. 2. The activation system according to claim 1, wherein designation information for designating a program to be activated is transmitted by said remote host device together with an instruction to activate said terminal. 3. The activation system according to claim 1, wherein the designation information is information for designating an operating system and an application program to be activated. 4. The activation system according to claim 3, wherein input parameter designation information of the application program to be activated is transmitted together with the activation instruction. 5. The activation system according to claim 4, wherein each of the designation information is stored in a nonvolatile memory. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein only a start instruction from a higher-level device registered in advance is received.
6. The activation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.