JP2006031635A - Information processing apparatus and software update method - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing apparatus capable of protecting an AV function from destruction caused by a user's erroneous operation and capable of easily updating the AV function.
An HDD includes a main OS area in which a main OS is installed, and a sub OS area in which video data processing software including a sub OS, a TV application program, and a video playback application program is installed. The sub OS area is hidden from the main OS. The update tool 201 operating on the main OS performs a process of temporarily releasing the concealment of the sub OS area, a process of writing the update package 300 in the sub OS area, and a process of concealing the sub OS area from the main OS again. Execute. The secondary OS updates the video data processing software using the update package 300 existing in the secondary OS area.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer and a software update method used in the apparatus.

  In recent years, personal computers having the same AV function as audio / video (AV) devices such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players and TV devices have been developed.

  In such a personal computer, in addition to the general-purpose main operating system, a sub-operating system dedicated to the AV function is used. The AV function can be used only by starting the sub operating system without starting the main operating system.

  If the system environment of the sub-operating system is destroyed by an erroneous operation by the user, the AV function will not function normally. For this reason, the secondary operating system needs to be stored in a storage area hidden from the main operating system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses a main operating system (OS) and a special OS installed in an area hidden from the main OS. In the system of Patent Document 1, a command “SETMAX” is used to create an area hidden from the main OS on a disk storage device (HDD). “SETMAX” is a command defined in the ATA (AT Attachment) -5 command set. This command can specify a pseudo maximum address within the range of the actual storage capacity of the HDD. Storage areas after the pseudo maximum area are hidden from the main OS.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0229768A1

  By the way, in order to upgrade the AV function of the personal computer, it is necessary to update the sub operating system or the AV application program operating on the sub operating system. Software update is usually performed by downloading a software program called an update package from a website on the Internet. However, the function of the sub-operating system is greatly limited in order to realize its high-speed startup. For this reason, it is difficult to access Web sites on the Internet under the operating environment of the sub-operating system. Therefore, it is necessary to realize a new function for updating a function such as an AV function provided by the sub operating system.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and can protect the function provided by the sub-operating system from destruction caused by a user's erroneous operation, and can easily update the function. It is an object to provide a simple information processing apparatus and software update method.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is managed by a first storage area managed by a first operating system and a second operating system that is different from the first operating system. A storage device including a second storage area concealed from the first operating system; and accessing the second storage area from the first operating system by releasing the concealment of the second storage area Means for setting in an accessible state; means for writing an update program for updating software stored in the second storage area into the second storage area set in the accessible state; and Means for concealing the second storage area in which the program is written from the first operating system; After I said again concealed, characterized by comprising a means for executing the update.

  The present invention also provides an information processing apparatus having a function of processing video data, a receiving unit for receiving video data from the outside, a first storage area managed by a first operating system, and a first operating system. A second operating system that is different from the system manages the storage device including a second storage area hidden from the first operating system, a first button provided in the information processing device, and a first button 2 button and means for starting the first operating system when the first button is operated, and starting the second operating system when the second button is operated, and the second button Release the concealment of the storage area and access the second storage area from the first operating system. And an update program for updating software for reproducing and recording the video data stored in the second storage area and received by the receiving unit is set in the accessible state. Means for writing in the second storage area that has been written, means for re-hiding the second storage area in which the update program has been written from the first operating system, and executing the update program after being hidden again Means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to protect a function provided by the sub-operating system from destruction caused by a user's erroneous operation, and it is possible to easily update the function.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. This information processing apparatus is realized as, for example, a notebook personal computer 10.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of the notebook personal computer 10 with the display unit opened. The computer 10 includes a computer main body 11 and a display unit 12. The display unit 12 incorporates a display device composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 17, and the display screen of the LCD 17 is positioned substantially at the center of the display unit 12.

  The display unit 12 is attached to the computer main body 11 so as to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position. The computer main body 11 has a thin box-shaped casing, and a keyboard 13, a power button 14 for turning on / off the computer 1, an input operation panel 15, and a touch pad 16 are arranged on the upper surface. Has been.

  The input operation panel 15 is an input device that inputs an event corresponding to a pressed button, and includes a plurality of buttons for starting a plurality of functions. These button groups also include a TV start button 15A and a DVD / CD start button 15B. The TV start button 15A is a button for starting a TV function for reproducing and recording TV broadcast program data. When the TV activation button 15A is pressed by the user, a TV application program for executing the TV function is automatically activated.

  In this computer, in addition to a general-purpose main operating system, a dedicated sub-operating system for processing AV (audio / video) data is installed. The TV application program is a program that operates on the sub-operating system.

  When the power button 14 is pressed by the user, the main operating system is activated. On the other hand, when the TV activation button 15A is pressed by the user, the sub operating system is activated instead of the main operating system, and the TV application program is automatically executed. The sub-operating system has only a minimum function for executing the AV function. For this reason, the time required for booting up the sub operating system is much shorter than the time required for booting up the main operating system. Therefore, the user can immediately watch / record TV by simply pressing the TV start button 15A.

  The DVD / CD start button 15B is a button for playing back video content recorded on a DVD or CD. When the DVD / CD activation button 15B is pressed by the user, a video reproduction application program for reproducing video content is automatically activated. This video playback application program is also an application program that runs on the sub-operating system. When the DVD / CD start button 15B is pressed by the user, the sub operating system is started instead of the main operating system, and the video playback application program is automatically executed.

  Next, the system configuration of the computer 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the computer 10 includes a CPU 111, a north bridge 112, a main memory 113, a graphics controller 114, a south bridge 119, a BIOS-ROM 120, a hard disk drive (HDD) 121, and an optical disk drive (ODD) 122. A TV tuner 123, an embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124, a network controller 125, and the like.

  The CPU 111 is a processor provided to control the operation of the computer 10, and is loaded into the main memory 113 from the hard disk drive (HDD) 121, a main operating system (main OS) / sub operating system (sub OS), And execute various application programs.

  The CPU 111 also executes a system BIOS (Basic Input Output System) stored in the BIOS-ROM 120. The system BIOS is a program for hardware control.

  The north bridge 112 is a bridge device that connects the local bus of the CPU 111 and the south bridge 119. The north bridge 112 also includes a memory controller that controls access to the main memory 113. The north bridge 112 also has a function of executing communication with the graphics controller 114 via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus or the like.

  The graphics controller 114 is a display controller that controls the LCD 17 used as a display monitor of the computer 10. The graphics controller 114 has a video memory (VRAM) 114A, and generates a video signal forming a display image to be displayed on the LCD 17 from display data written in the video memory by the OS / application program.

  The south bridge 119 controls each device on an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus and each device on a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The south bridge 119 incorporates an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller for controlling the HDD 121 and the ODD 122. Further, the south bridge 119 has a function of controlling the TV tuner 123 and a function of controlling access to the BIOS-ROM 120.

  The HDD 121 is a storage device that stores various software and data. The HDD 121 is configured to operate according to the ATA command and supports the ATA-5 command set. The HDD 121 has a main OS area 121A and a sub OS area 121B. In the main OS area 121A, the main OS described above and a group of application programs that operate on the main OS are installed. The main OS area 121A is managed by the main OS. The above-described sub OS, TV application program, and video playback application program are installed in the sub OS area 121B. The secondary OS area 121B is managed by the secondary OS. The secondary OS area 121B is hidden from the main OS by being managed by the secondary OS. This hidden area is created using, for example, a SETMAX command.

  An optical disk drive (ODD) 123 is a drive unit for driving a storage medium such as a DVD or a CD in which video content is stored. The TV tuner 123 is a receiving device for receiving broadcast program data such as a TV broadcast program from the outside.

  The embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124 is a one-chip microcomputer in which an embedded controller for power management and a keyboard controller for controlling the keyboard (KB) 13 and the touch pad 16 are integrated. . The embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124 has a function of powering on / off the computer 10 in accordance with the operation of the power button 14 by the user. Furthermore, the embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124 can also power on the computer 10 in accordance with the user's operation of the TV start button 15A and the DVD / CD start button 15B.

  The network controller 125 is a communication device that executes communication with an external network such as the Internet.

  FIG. 3 shows a storage image (HDD image) of the HDD 121.

  The main OS area 121A is a storage area in a range from the top of the storage area of the HDD 121 to a pseudo maximum address (maximum address) specified by the SETMAX command. The main OS area 121A is composed of, for example, one or more primary partitions. In the main OS area 121A, a master boot record (MBR) for starting (booting up) the main OS and a second master boot record (MBR2) for starting the sub OS in the sub OS area 121B are defined. Has been.

  The BIOS determines which of the power button 114 and the TV start button 15A (or the DVD / CD start button 15B) is pressed by communication with the EC / KBC 124 when the computer 10 is powered on. If the power button 114 is pressed, the BIOS boots the main OS with reference to the master boot record (MBR). On the other hand, if the TV start button 15A (or the DVD / CD start button 15B) is pressed, the BIOS starts the secondary OS with reference to the second master boot record (MBR2).

  The sub OS area 121 </ b> B is a storage area in a range from a maximum address (maximum address) set by the SETMAX command to an actual final address of the HDD 121. In the secondary OS area 121B, a recording area and a system area are defined. The secondary OS area 121B also stores a boot loader for starting the secondary OS. The recording area is a data storage area for storing broadcast program data received by the TV tuner 123. As shown in FIG. 4, a sub-OS, a TV application program, and a video playback application program (DVD application program, CD application program) are installed in the system area. These sub-OS, TV application program, and video playback application program operate as video data processing software dedicated to the AV function. The recording area and the system area are realized by different primary partitions, for example.

  In this embodiment, an update tool is prepared as a tool for updating the video data processing software (sub OS, TV application program, and video playback application program) in the sub OS area 121B. This update tool is a software module configured to operate on the main OS, and is installed in the main OS area 121A in advance. The update tool executes update processing for updating the video data processing software installed in the sub OS area 121B to the latest version.

  This update tool executes the following processing in order to update the video data processing software.

  1. The update tool executes a process of releasing the concealment of the secondary OS area 121B and setting the secondary OS area 121B accessible from the main OS. In this case, the update tool issues a command including a parameter for canceling (invalidating) the setting of SETMAX to the HDD 121 via the HDD driver, and releases the concealment of the sub OS area 121B. The HDD driver is a control program for controlling the HDD 121, and functions as one of the software modules constituting the main OS. When the setting of SETMAX is canceled, the main OS can recognize the actual size of the storage area of the HDD 121 and thereby can access the sub OS area 121B.

  2. The update tool writes an update package (update program) downloaded to the main OS area 121A from a website on the Internet or the like in the sub OS area 121B. The update package includes a software image (update image) for updating the video data processing software (sub OS, TV application program, and video playback application program) in the sub OS area 121B. The update package also includes a shell script describing the update processing procedure. The file system type of the secondary OS area 121B is different from that of the main OS area 121A. The update tool has a function of accessing the file system in the secondary OS area 121B. The update tool writes the update package in a predetermined directory on the file system in the sub OS area 121B.

  3. The update tool writes the update package in the secondary OS area 121B, and then executes a process of hiding the secondary OS area 121B from the main OS again. In this case, the update tool issues a SETMAX command to the HDD 121 via the HDD driver, and sets a pseudo maximum address at the boundary position between the main OS area 121A and the sub OS area 121B. Thereby, the sub OS area 121B is hidden again from the main OS.

  The actual update of the video data processing software is executed during the startup process of the sub OS. That is, the secondary OS determines whether an update package exists in the secondary OS area 121B during the startup process. If present, the secondary OS updates the video data processing software (secondary OS, TV application program, or video playback application program) using the update package.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a series of operations in which the update package 300 is stored in the secondary OS area 121B via the update tool 201.

  The update package 300 is downloaded from a specific website on the Internet via the network controller 125 controlled by the main OS. That is, the user can determine whether or not the update package 300 has been uploaded to the website by accessing a specific website on the Internet using a WWW browser installed in the main OS area 121A. . If the update package 300 exists on the Web site, the user can download the update package 300 using a WWW browser or FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

  The downloaded update package 300 is temporarily stored in the main OS area 121A. The update package 300 stored in the main OS area 121A is copied to the sub OS area 121B by the update tool 201.

  In this case, the update tool 201 first temporarily cancels the SETMAX setting to make the secondary OS area 121B accessible from the main OS. Thereafter, the update tool 201 copies the update package 300 from the main OS area 121A to the sub OS area 121B. When the update tool 201 finishes copying the update package 300 to the secondary OS area 121B, the update tool 201 issues a SETMAX command to the HDD 121 to execute a concealing process that makes it impossible to access the secondary OS area 121B from the main OS.

  Here, assuming that the total capacity of the HDD 121 is 80 GB and the area used as the secondary OS area 121B is 5 GB, the processing executed by the update tool 201 will be specifically described.

  1. The computer 10 is shipped with the sub OS area 121B hidden from the main OS by the SETMAX command. For this reason, 75 GB is used as the main OS area 121A.

  2. In order to write the update package 300 to the secondary OS area 121B, the update tool 201 temporarily releases the concealment of the secondary OS area 121B. As a result, the total capacity 80 GB of the HDD 121 can be accessed from the update tool 201.

  3. The update tool 201 writes the update package 300 in the sub OS area 121B.

  4). When the update tool 201 finishes writing the update image (update package 300), it issues a SETMAX command to the HDD 121 to hide the secondary OS area 121B from the main OS again. As a result, the area accessible by the main OS becomes 75 GB, which is the same as at the time of shipment, and the sub-OS area 121B can be protected.

  The update package 300 can be obtained from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, for example, instead of being obtained from the Internet.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of downloading the update package 300 under the operating environment of the main OS.

  When an instruction to download the update package 300 is issued, access to a Web site specified by a predetermined URL on the Internet is executed (step S101). When the video processing software update package 300 has been uploaded to this Web site (YES in step S102), the download of the update package 300 is started (step S103). Access to the Web site is executed under the execution environment of the main OS. Therefore, the update package 300 is downloaded to the main OS area 121A.

  Note that the update package download process may be set to determine whether the update package has been uploaded by automatically accessing the URL via the Internet at predetermined time intervals, for example. Good.

  Next, the procedure of update package storage processing executed by the update tool 201 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The user executes the update tool 201 through a user interface provided by the main OS. The update tool 201 executes the following processing.

  First, the update tool 201 cancels the setting of SETMAX in order to cancel the concealment of the secondary OS area 121B (step S201). In step S <b> 201, the update tool issues a command including a parameter for canceling (invalidating) the setting of SETMAX to the HDD 121. If the update tool 201 succeeds in releasing SETMAX (YES in step S202), the update tool 201 reads the version file in the sub OS area 121B (step S203). This version file is a file indicating the version of the sub OS or application program stored in the sub OS area 121B.

  When the update tool 201 can read the version file on the sub OS area 121B (YES in step S204), the update tool 201 checks the version file, and the computer 10 is a model corresponding to the update of the sub OS area 121B (update target model). (Step S205, step S206). If it is an update target model (YES in step S206), the update tool 201 determines whether the destination is correct, that is, whether the destination of the update package matches the destination of the video processing software on the sub OS area 121B. It is determined whether or not (step S207). If the destination is correct (YES in step S207), the update tool 201 displays the version confirmation window in FIG. 8 showing the current version of the video processing software stored in the sub OS area 121B and the version of the update package 300, respectively. It is displayed on the screen of the LCD 17 (step S208).

  The update tool 201 deletes the current version file in the sub OS area 121B (step S209) and prompts the user to confirm whether or not to execute the update (step S210). When the update button on the version confirmation window in FIG. 8 is pressed (YES in step S211), the update tool 201 writes an update image (step S212). When the update tool 201 determines that the update image has been normally written (YES in step S213), the update tool 201 sets SETMAX in order to conceal the area of the sub OS area 121B from the main OS again (step S214).

  Next, the procedure of the update process executed by the sub OS will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The sub OS executes the following processing in the startup processing.

  First, the sub-OS executes a process for loading a driver group and a process for mounting partitions of the system area and the recording area on the file system (step S301). Next, the sub OS creates a list of update images (step S302). In this step S302, if a plurality of update images are stored by the main OS on the sub OS area 121B, a list in which the plurality of update images are arranged in the order of update time is created. This list is used to execute an update process using the update image with the latest update time.

  If there is an update image of the latest update time in the list (step S303), the sub OS asks the user whether or not to execute the update (step S304). On the other hand, if there is no update image (NO in step S303), the sub-OS executes the startup process.

  When the user instructs not to execute the update (NO in step S305), the sub OS cancels the update process (step S313). Then, the sub OS inquires of the user whether or not to delete the update image (step S314). If deletion of the update image is designated by the user (YES in step S314), the sub-OS deletes the update image (step S315), and executes the startup process.

  When the user instructs to execute the update (YES in step S305), the sub-OS executes a check process for confirming whether the update image is correct (step S306). If the update image check is successful, that is, if it is confirmed that the update image is correct (YES in step S307), the sub-OS extracts and executes the update shell script from the update image, thereby executing the video data. Update processing for updating the processing software (sub-OS, TV application program, or video playback application program) is executed (steps S308 and S309).

  When the update process is completed, the sub OS deletes the update image (step S310). By deleting the update image, it is possible to prevent the update process from being executed again at the next startup of the sub-OS.

  The secondary OS unmounts the partitions of the system area and the recording area from the file system (step S311), and then performs shutdown or restart (step S312).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the download of the update package 300 (update image) and the writing of the update package 300 to the sub OS area 121B are executed by the main OS side, and the video stored in the sub OS area 121B The process of actually updating the data processing software is automatically executed during the startup process of the sub OS. Therefore, the user can update the video data processing software without operating the sub OS at all. Further, the sub OS area 121B is concealed from the main OS, and the release of the concealment is temporarily released only when writing to the update package 300 in the sub OS area 121B. After writing, the sub OS area 121B is protected from the main OS. It is hidden again. Therefore, it is possible to protect the AV function provided by the video data processing software from destruction caused by a user's erroneous operation, and it is possible to easily update the AV function.

  In addition, since the update procedure of the video data processing software is realized by a computer program, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be easily achieved by simply installing the computer program into a normal computer through a computer-readable storage medium. Can be realized.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine a component suitably in different embodiment.

The perspective view showing the general view of the computer concerning one embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the computer of FIG. The figure which shows the HDD image used with the computer of FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the video data processing software installed in the sub-OS area | region of HDD of FIG. The figure explaining the operation | movement which preserve | saves an update package in the sub-OS area | region of HDD of FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the update package download process performed by the computer of FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the update package preservation | save process performed by the computer of FIG. The figure which shows the example of the version confirmation window displayed by the computer of FIG. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the update process performed by the computer of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Computer, 111 ... CPU, 121 ... HDD, 121A ... Main OS area | region, 121B ... Sub-OS area | region, 123 ... TV tuner, 201 ... Update tool, 300 ... Update package.

Claims (10)

A first storage area managed by the first operating system and a second storage area hidden from the first operating system by being managed by a second operating system different from the first operating system A storage device including:
Means for releasing the concealment of the second storage area and setting the second storage area to be accessible from the first operating system;
Means for writing an update program for updating software stored in the second storage area to the second storage area set in the accessible state;
Means for concealing the second storage area in which the update program is written from the first operating system;
An information processing apparatus comprising: means for executing the update program after being concealed again. A receiving unit for receiving video data received from outside;
2. The software stored in the second storage area includes a recording software module that executes a recording process for storing video data received by the receiving unit in the second storage area. The information processing apparatus described.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the update program includes an update image of the recording software module.   2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for deleting the update program from the second storage area after executing the update program. In an information processing apparatus having a function of processing video data,
A receiver for receiving video data from the outside;
A first storage area managed by the first operating system and a second storage area hidden from the first operating system by being managed by a second operating system different from the first operating system A storage device including:
A first button and a second button provided in the information processing apparatus;
Means for activating the first operating system when the first button is operated, and activating the second operating system when the second button is operated;
Means for releasing the concealment of the second storage area and setting the second storage area to be accessible from the first operating system;
Means for writing an update program for updating software for reproducing and recording video data stored in the second storage area and received by the receiving unit to the second storage area set in the accessible state When,
Means for concealing the second storage area in which the update program is written from the first operating system;
An information processing apparatus comprising: means for executing the update program after being concealed again.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the update program includes an update image of the software. A software update method for updating software installed in a storage device of an information processing device,
The storage device is hidden from the first operating system by being managed by a first storage area managed by the first operating system and a second operating system different from the first operating system. A second storage area,
Releasing the concealment of the second storage area and setting the second storage area accessible from the first operating system;
Writing an update program for updating software stored in the second storage area to the second storage area set in the accessible state;
Hiding again the second storage area in which the update program has been written from the first operating system;
And a step of executing the update program after concealing again. The information processing apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives video data received from outside,
8. The software update method according to claim 7, wherein the software includes a recording software module that executes a recording process for storing the video data received by the receiving unit in the second storage area.   9. The software update method according to claim 8, wherein the update program includes an update image of the recording software module.   The software update method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of deleting the update program from the second storage area after updating the software.

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