Hardware Control Unit for Independent Secondary OS Booting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for starting multiple operating systems (OS) on a single computer face challenges due to security restrictions and hardware configuration limitations, where one OS may not be able to access or use the device driver of another OS's storage, preventing seamless booting of secondary OS.
Innovation Solution
A computer system architecture that allows the secondary OS to start independently without direct involvement of the primary OS, using a hardware control unit and address rewrite module to manage hardware resources and rewrite addresses, enabling normal operation regardless of storage area configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the primary OS reads and writes the boot loader and image file of the secondary OS from/to external storage, then the secondary OS can be started, but security restrictions may prohibit access to the storage area
Solution Approach 1:
A storage management unit is introduced as an intermediary component that operates independently of both the primary and secondary OSes. This unit manages the external storage device, reading and writing boot loaders and image files without requiring access permissions from either OS, thereby bypassing security restrictions while ensuring reliable booting of the secondary OS
2Adaptability or versatility
If the primary OS uses a device driver to access the external storage device, then storage access is enabled, but the device driver may not be compatible due to old kernel or hardware configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The storage management unit serves as a mediator between the external storage device and both OSes, implementing its own storage management logic independent of the primary OS's device driver. This allows the system to access storage devices with varying hardware configurations and kernel versions without requiring the primary OS's driver to be compatible, as the storage management unit handles the actual storage operations
Solution Approach 2:
The storage management functionality is segmented into a separate unit that operates independently from the primary OS's device driver layer. This segmentation allows the storage management unit to implement its own driver logic or use generic storage access methods that are not dependent on the primary OS's kernel version or hardware configuration
3Ease of operation
If the secondary OS is started through direct involvement of the primary OS, then booting can be achieved, but the system complexity increases due to inter-OS dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The storage management unit acts as an intermediary that simplifies the secondary OS booting process by handling all storage operations independently. Both the primary and secondary OSes can boot without direct inter-OS communication or dependency, as the storage management unit provides the necessary boot resources to each OS independently, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining ease of operation
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system comprising a plurality of computers on which a plurality of operating systems run, wherein a memory stores a first hardware control unit, wherein a storage device stores a first OS image, a second OS image, a second hardware control unit for executing start processing of the second OS, and an address rewrite unit, wherein the second hardware control unit includes a start unit for starting the second hardware control unit, wherein the address rewrite unit which is started by the first OS is configured to: obtain an address of a storage area, in which address data to be rewritten is stored, as a target address, rewrite the address data stored in the storage area corresponding to the obtained target address and start the start unit, wherein the start unit is configured to start the second hardware control unit by using the rewritten address data.