One machine multi-workstation computer system and its configuration method, USB Hub box

The first "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system and its configuration method, USB Hub box Technical Field The present invention relates to a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system configuration method, as well as a USB Hub box and "one machine with multiple workstations" computer System, a workstation card.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The so-called one-machine multi-workstation technology of a computer refers to adding a small amount of hardware to an ordinary computer and installing corresponding software (this software is the key to the one-machine multi-workstation technology, so it is generally called one-machine multi-workstation software) Later, a computer is shared to multiple users for simultaneous use, and multiple users simultaneously and independently share the hardware, software, and peripheral resources of a computer, that is, a computer host drags multiple workstations.

One-machine multi-workstation technology enables one computer to be divided into many parts, which has obvious advantages. The one-machine multi-workstation software mentioned earlier has two products, Betwin and Hi share, which are widely used in electronic reading rooms and other fields.

When multiple human-computer interaction devices are connected to the computer (the human-computer interaction devices are specifically defined as: including but not limited to graphics cards, display terminal devices-monitors, projectors, televisions, etc., sound cards, speakers, headphones, microphones, Mouse, keyboard, gamepad and other input and output devices, the same below), when logging in and/or using this computer with multiple user names at the same time, these human-computer interaction devices need to be allocated to different workstations according to the wishes of the computer user ( Each workstation is composed of one or several human-computer interaction devices that share the resources of a computer host, which can be used by one user, the same below). At present, there have been several solutions for this distribution method and system, but these known solutions have certain problems.

The first solution is the currently popular technical solution, including the following three steps:

1. After connecting the human-computer interaction device to the computer, turn on the power of the computer and log in to the computer. At this time, the human-computer interaction device belongs to only one login user.

2. Run the one-machine multi-workstation software, enter the workstation configuration interface, present all the human-computer interaction equipment to the computer user, and the computer user allocates these human-computer interaction equipment to different workstations;

3. Subsequently, when the computer enters the working state of multiple workstations, under the scheduling of the one-machine multiple workstation software, each human-computer interaction device will automatically belong to a different one according to the allocation in step 2.

200810003350.8 No. workstation. Different computer users log in to any of the workstations with their own user names and use the computer independently at the same time.

The shortcoming of the first scheme is: in step 2-that is, the workstation configuration step, the user is required to have a professional computer level, which is difficult to configure; in addition, the configuration method adopted in this scheme is also very unintuitive.

The United States Patent (Patent No.: US7030836; Authorized Publication Date: April 18, 2006) discloses a second technical solution, which is called a method and system for configuring a multi-user computer system. This article presents another method for configuring human-computer interaction equipment for each user of a "one-machine multi-workstation" computer. In this method, the software automatically configures the non-display human-computer interaction equipment during the configuration process, and then The computer user manually participates in the configuration of the human-computer interaction display device in an intuitive manner according to the prompts, minus the manual configuration of the non-display human-computer interaction device by the computer user, and makes the configuration process of the display device more intuitive.

The technical solution in this paper introduces the concept of "collection", and all peripherals belonging to the same workstation are defined as a collection in this patent.

The program includes the following three steps:

1. After connecting the human-computer interaction device to the computer, turn on the power of the computer and log in to the computer. At this time, the human-computer interaction device belongs to only one login user.

2. Run the one-machine multi-workstation software, the computer will automatically configure the human-computer interaction equipment (steps c and d require the user to participate manually), the configuration process is as follows: a) All non-USB, non-display human-computer interaction Devices form a set (the set does not contain display devices for the time being, so it is temporarily incomplete); b) All USB and non-display human-computer interaction devices are organized into multiple sets according to a certain logic (and display devices are not included for the time being), logic It is complicated, with certain prerequisites, and it is necessary to analyze the connection relationship between all USB devices and the USB Hub, but it does not involve the practice of adding hardware feature marks in the USB Hub.

c) The set defined by the above logic has at least one keyboard or mouse. The work of this step is to assign the display devices to each set one by one, so the system displays a prompt box in the first display device and asks the user to Click any button of the keyboard or mouse of the workstation that you want to group with the display device, and then add the display device to the set where the keyboard or mouse the button comes from according to the user's button.

200810003350.8 Section d) For other display devices, follow step c one by one.

3. After the configuration process is over, each workstation enters the working state according to the configuration result. Different computer users log in to any of the workstations with their own user names and use the computer independently at the same time.

The disadvantages of the above-mentioned patents are as follows: First, according to the configuration method of this patent, each workstation must have at least one keyboard (or other designated type of human-computer interaction input device). Such preconditions are unreasonable. If the input device does not use a keyboard (or the aforementioned designated type of human-computer interaction input device), the configuration method cannot be completed.

Second, according to the configuration method of the patent, the human-computer interaction devices plugged into different USB hubs (child hub and parent hub) may belong to different sets (corresponding to different workstations), or they may be forced to belong to the same set. On a set (corresponding to the same workstation), it is easy for ordinary users to mistake the latter situation for an error.

Third, when the configuration is completed, it enters the multi-workstation working state. If the configured human-computer interaction device is disconnected from the host, for example, the user plugs and unplugs these devices or the device has poor contact with the host, or the user will have Switching a configured USB device from one USB socket to another socket in the same USBHub may cause configuration errors, causing some human-computer interaction devices to not work according to the configuration results; in other words, adopt this solution "One machine with multiple users" computers and various human-computer interaction devices have poor working stability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to overcome the shortcomings of the above technology, the present invention provides a configuration method of a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, which can make most or all of the steps in the configuration process be automatically completed by the "one machine with multiple workstations" software , And the system is relatively stable. At the same time, the present invention also provides a USB Hub box used in the device configuration method, a computer system containing the USB Hub box, and a workstation card.

The specific technical solution is as follows.

A method for configuring a computer system with "one machine with multiple workstations", the system includes a host, multiple graphics cards are installed in the host, and the host is connected to at least one special USB Hub. The method executes one machine with multiple workstations through the system The method includes the following steps: (1) Identify all the special USB Hub connected to the host; make each special USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation;

200810003350.8 The original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card. It should be noted that the three sub-steps in step (1) are not restricted in order. For a better solution, the steps (1) are as follows: 1Identify all special USB Hubs connected to the host; 2Make each special USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation; 3Make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to A graphics card.

(2) The human-computer interaction equipment connected to the special-standard USB Hub is allocated to the extended workstation corresponding to the special-standard USE Hub; other human-computer interaction equipment is allocated to the original workstation.

It should be noted that the special standard USB Hub refers to a USB Hub with a characteristic mark that can be recognized by the computer and that can pass authentication._oThe USB Hub box refers to a device with a built-in USE Hub, including a device with only a built-in USB Hub or a device formed by the USB Hub integrating other devices and keys. The special standard USB Hub box refers to a device with a special standard USB Hub built in. The original workstations refer to those workstations formed by the human-computer interaction equipment directly connected to the computer host sharing the resources of the computer host. The extended workstation refers to a workstation in which a human-computer interaction device connected to a special USB Hub shares the resources of a computer host. It is well known that before step (1), all special USB Hubs that will be used in the future should be turned on and connected to the host.

The special standard USB Hub is directly connected with the host respectively. Its meaning is to not allow special USB Hubs to be connected in series.

The better solution for "identifying all special USB Hubs connected to the host" is as follows: When the characteristic marks of the special USB Hub are stored in the main chip of the USB Hub or stored in the external ROM of the main chip of the USB Hub The steps of "identifying all special USB Hubs connected to the host" are specifically: a) Reading out the characteristic information of the USE Hub stored in each USB Hub main chip or in the external ROM of the USB Hub main chip ; B) Authenticate the read USB Hub characteristic mark information one by one. If the characteristic mark information is the specified characteristic mark information (the value and meaning of the characteristic mark information shall be agreed in advance with the relevant USB Hub hardware manufacturer, different Manufacturers USB Hubs feature flag information is different), the certification is passed, and the USE Hub is the special standard USB Hubo. When the characteristic flag of the special USB Hub is stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub, the The specific steps of "Identify all special USBHub connected to the host" are: a) Read out the characteristic information stored in the main chip of each USB device or the external ROM of the main chip outside the USB device; b) one by one The characteristic mark information of the USB device read is authenticated, such as

200810003350.8 If the characteristic mark information is the specified characteristic mark information (the value and meaning of the characteristic mark information are agreed in advance with the relevant USB device hardware manufacturer, the characteristic mark information of USB devices of different manufacturers is different), then the certification is passed, The USB Hub connected to the USB device is the special standard USB Hub ο When the characteristic mark of the special standard USB Hub adopts the number of the host USB interface connected to the USB Hub, the "identification" The specific steps of connecting all the special standard USBHub on the host computer are: the USB Hub connected to the computer host through one of the designated host USB interfaces is the special standard USB Hub ο For those supported on the windowsXP operating system The dual-head graphics card is also equivalent to two of the multiple graphics cards of the present invention, and is also within the protection scope of the present invention.

The USB Hub is respectively connected to a human-computer interaction device, and the human-computer interaction device is one of a keyboard, a mouse, a game joystick, a sound card, a microphone, and a camera, and a combination thereof in addition to the graphics card.

It should be noted that when the system executes step (1), the better way is that the USB Hub in the system does not need to be connected to a human-computer interaction device.

When the system executes step (2) and step (1), it is better to restart the system and then connect to the human-computer interaction device.

The steps of "make each special standard USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation" are specifically as follows: Set the number of extended workstations in the system to the number of identified special standard USB Hubs, so that the extended workstations and special standard USB Hub correspond.

In a better solution, the step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card" includes the following sub-steps: 4a) Only a prompt window pops up on the display terminal device connected to one graphics card, prompting the user to pass An input device of the workstation paired with the display terminal inputs an action; at) waits for a certain period of time; during this waiting time, if an action from an input device is recognized, if the input device from which the input action comes is related to a certain If the special standard USB Hub is connected, or the input action itself comes from a special standard USB Hub box, then the graphics card connected to the display terminal device corresponds to the expansion workstation corresponding to the special standard USB Hub. If the input action comes from that input If the device is directly connected to the host computer, the graphics card connected to the display terminal device corresponds to the original workstation; 4c) Repeat steps 4a) and 4b) until all graphics cards pop up the prompt window described in step 4a).

200810003350.8 The better solution, the step of "making the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card" includes the following sub-steps: Lead the video output of the host graphics card to the special standard USB Hub, in the special standard USB Hub A signal detection device is set on the periphery, this device is used to identify whether the graphics card outputs a specific signal;

5a) Only make one graphics card output the specific video signal described in step 5a);

5b) Waiting for a certain period of time; within this waiting time, if a special USB Hub display box recognizes the video input signal, the graphics card is divided into the expansion workstation corresponding to the special USB Hub display box;

5c) Repeat steps 5b) and 5c) until all graphics cards have output the specific video signal described in step 5a);

5d) Graphics cards that have not been allocated are allocated to the original workstation.

The step 5b) can also be "only one graphics card output ordinary video signal" or "only one graphics card does not output video signal", as long as the output of the graphics card is different from other graphics cards in the host, and the step 5a) The signal checking device can identify the output of the graphics card and feed it back to the host computer in time through the special USB Hub.

In the present invention, the user is allowed to configure multiple graphics cards to the same workstation. After the configuration, there may also be a situation that no graphics cards are configured in a certain workstation. At this time, the computer can configure the configuration of the human-computer interaction equipment of this workstation. Some adjustments (temporarily deactivate all the devices in the workstation, or configure all the devices in the workstation to another workstation) can also continue to maintain the independence of the workstation (the workstation may temporarily have no output, or use audio Non-display output methods such as output).

Preferably, when "one machine with multiple workstations" is one machine with dual workstations and each workstation is equipped with a graphics card, the present invention can adopt a dual graphics card switching method for quick configuration. The specific steps of the method are as follows: Or a certain key combination is pressed, and the graphics cards in the two workstations are swapped. The meaning is that when the configuration relationship between the graphics card and the workstation does not meet the wishes of the computer user, there is a shortcut key for switching, which can be set through the keyboard or directly on the USE Hub box to facilitate the user to switch. At any stage after the configuration relationship between the workstation and the graphics card is determined, this shortcut key can be used to switch the configuration of the graphics card. It should be noted that the dual graphics card switching method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system of the present invention can not only be applied to the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system of the present invention, but also can be applied to other various types of "one machine, multiple workstations" computer system.

200810003350.8 "The first machine multiple workstation" computer system.

Before step (1) of the configuration method, the method further includes step (0) as follows: all the graphics cards connected to the host display the same user interface.

In the device configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, when there are multiple special USB Hub boxes in the system, the characteristic signs of each special USB Hub box are different.

The device configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system is characterized in that the special mark USE Hub box has a characteristic mark that can be recognized by the system, and is obtained by the following method: read the original stored in the USB Hub chip The default feature mark to identify; or read the feature mark stored in the external ROM of the USB Hub main chip to identify; or read the feature mark stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub to identify; or read the USB Hub box connected The host's USB interface number or other characteristic signs to identify.

The device configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system is characterized in that the "original default feature mark" is one of the VID, PID or product serial number of the USB Hub, and the "connected The characteristic mark "stored in the USB device of the USB Hub" is one of the VID, PID, and product serial number of the USB device.

A USB Hub box used in the device configuration method of the above-mentioned "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system includes a USB Hub main chip and peripheral circuits, which have computer-recognizable characteristic marks and are stored in the USB Hub main chip, or The external ROM of the USB Hub main chip or stored in a USB device connected to the USB Hub.

Further, the USB Hub box integrates a human-computer interaction device including one or a combination of a USB infrared receiver, a USB wireless receiver, and a USB sound card.

Preferably, the USB Hub box integrates a button that can trigger an input event, and when the button is touched, the USB Hub box can cause the host to generate an input event.

The USBHub box integrates a video input interface and integrates a device for identifying specific video signals.

A "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, the system includes a host with multiple graphics cards installed in the host, the host is connected to the above-mentioned USB Hub box, the USB Hub box includes the USB Hub main chip and peripheral circuits, which can be recognized by the computer , And stored in the USBHub main chip, or the external ROM of the USB Hub main chip, or stored in the USB device connected to the USB Hub

200810003350.8 No. in preparation.

And the USB Hub box integrates a human-computer interaction device including one of a USB infrared receiver, a USB wireless receiver, a USB sound card or a combination thereof, wherein the human-computer interaction device has two functions of input and output .

The USB Hub box integrates a button that can trigger an input event. When the button is touched, the USB Hub box can cause the host to generate an input event.

The USE Hub box, the USE Hub box integrates a video input interface, and integrates a device for identifying a specific video signal.

In the computer system, the USB Hub boxes are respectively connected to human-computer interaction devices. The human-computer interaction device is one or a combination of a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control receiver, a game joystick, a sound card, a speaker, a microphone, and a camera.

The configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system of the present invention is simplified and can be applied to a computer system using a common USE Hub. The system includes a host with multiple graphics cards installed in the host, and the host is connected to at least one USB Hub, this method executes the configuration of one machine with multiple workstations through the described system. This method does not need to authenticate the USB Hub, and includes the following steps:

(I) Identify all USB Hubs connected to the host; make each USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation; make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card respectively. It should be noted that the three sub-steps in step (i) are not restricted in order. For a better solution, step (i) is as follows: 1Identify all USB Hubs connected to the host; 2Make each USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation; 3Make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card.

(Ii) The human-computer interaction device connected to the USB Hub is allocated to the extended workstation corresponding to the USB Hub; other human-computer interaction devices are allocated to the original workstation.

A workstation card that integrates at least one graphics card and at least one USB port or PS/2 port, the graphics card and the USB port have a one-to-one correspondence in hardware design. In a "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system, the same workstation card The graphics card and the human-computer interaction device connected to the workstation card correspond to the same workstation.

The configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system of the present invention can be further simplified by adopting the above-mentioned workstation card, which is inserted into the slot of the mainboard in the computer host and has a video output interface and USB interface (and/or PS/2 interface). The workstation card can integrate other human-computer interactive connection devices (such as USB Hub) or other people on a graphics card.

200810003350.8 The interface of the first machine interactive device is formed.

The human-computer interaction device connected to the same workstation card and the graphics card integrated in the workstation card are automatically configured to the same extended workstation, and other human-computer interaction devices and graphics cards are automatically configured as the original workstation.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: First, compared with the U.S. patent in the prior art, the configuration method provided by the present invention is used in the computer, and the configuration process of all non-display human-computer interaction devices can be completed automatically. And there is no need to require at least one keyboard for each workstation.

Second, compared with the US patent in the prior art, since the configuration of the aforementioned workstation has nothing to do with the USB device itself, but only with the USB Hub, the user can hot-plug any USB device in the working state of multiple workstations. Unplug (one hot plug by the user, just add or remove a device from the corresponding workstation without causing other effects). The user can also connect an unconfigured USB device to a common USB Hub, and the device will automatically belong to the workstation corresponding to the USB Hub and work normally in the workstation; at the same time, in the multi-workstation state, Allow the ordinary USB Hub itself to be hot-plugged (the user's hot-plugging only adds or reduces the equipment in the corresponding workstation without causing other effects, and the workstation still exists); Third, when the computer is in a single-user working state At the time, if there are multiple graphics cards installed in the computer, the operating system usually only activates one of them, and the graphics card enabled by the operating system may not be what the user expects to enable. Therefore, the present invention proposes a configuration state in which all graphics cards are enabled. In this configuration state, all graphics cards work normally, and all graphics cards output the same video signal, ensuring that the user can use any display connected to the computer. Terminal Equipment.

Fourth, the present invention also proposes a variety of USBHub boxes and workstation cards. By using the hardware characteristics of the USB Hub box and workstation card, as well as the hardware characteristics of the graphics card, USB Hub, and other human-computer interaction devices during the configuration process, it is greatly simplified The configuration method of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system is introduced.

Fifth, when there are only two workstations in the system, it is allowed to switch the graphics cards of the two workstations through shortcut keys.

Sixth, use the common USB Hub as the logo to divide different workstations, or use the USB socket on the USE root Hub as the logo to divide different workstations.

Description of the drawings

200810003350.8 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the connection of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer human-computer interaction equipment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the software module division of the "one machine with multiple workstations" according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the basic configuration parameter table of each workstation of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software of the embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a logical schematic diagram of the method for configuring the "one machine and multiple workstations" system adopted in the "one machine and multiple workstations" software of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of "a method for configuring a multi-workstation software graphics card for one computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the dynamic configuration of the human-computer interaction equipment of each workstation of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the parameter structure of the "man-machine interaction device table of each workstation of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software in the embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the configuration result of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software multi-workstation in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the "special standard USE Hub display box" of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of software module division of "one machine with multiple workstations" according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for fast switching of a graphics card according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of software module division of "one machine with multiple workstations" according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an expansion workstation card used in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software multiple workstations according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of software module division of "one machine with multiple workstations" according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. In Embodiment 1, the computer system shown in FIG. 1 includes a computer host 100. The computer host 100 is equipped with two graphics cards (not shown in the figure), one of which is connected to the video output line 101 The display 102 and another graphics card are connected to the TV set 103 through a video output line 104.

A USB Hub 105 is connected to the host computer 100 through a USB connection line 106, and another USB Hubll is connected to the host computer 100 through another USB connection line 116; wherein a USB mouse 114 and a USB remote control are connected to the USB Hub 105, as shown in the figure List the remote

200810003350.8 The receiving terminal Π2 of the remote controller and the remote control transmitter 113; a USE mouse 115 is connected to the USB Hub111.

Among them, the VID information stored in the main chip of the USB Hub 105 is JYD". The VID information stored in the main chip of the USB Hub 111 is not "JYD". In addition, the computer host 100 is also directly connected to a PS/2 keyboard 107, PS/2 mouse 108, USB mouse 109, USB keyboard 110.

In order to configure the computer system in Figure 1 as a "one machine with multiple workstations" system, this solution installs a set of "one machine with multiple workstations" software in the computer. The software includes 4 modules and two common parameters, as shown in Figure 2. As shown, the 4 modules are: "one machine with multiple workstations" configuration module 200, single user operation management module 201, multiple workstation operation support module 202, and working state switching module 203. The two common parameters are: working state parameters 204 and Basic configuration parameter table 205.

Among them, the "one machine with multiple workstations" configuration module 200 includes a "special standard USB Hub authentication parameter" 207, which is used to determine whether the USB Hub connected to the computer host is the specified special standard USE Hub. In this solution, the "special standard USB Hub authentication parameter" The value of "Special Standard USB Hub Authentication Parameters" is "JYD".

The working state parameter 204 is used to indicate the working state, and is generally stored on the hard disk in the host, with a value of 0 or 1, indicating the single-user state and the multi-workstation state respectively; the basic configuration parameter table 205 is generally stored in the host On the hard disk, it is used to indicate workstation configuration information, including the graphics card corresponding to each workstation and the information of the special USB Hub corresponding to each extended workstation. In this solution, the basic configuration parameter table adopts the form of a linked list, as shown in As shown in FIG. 3, the linked list head represents the original workstation. Each time an extended workstation is added, a table node is added to represent it, where the table node 300 represents the configuration information of the extended workstation 1.

Please refer to Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4 together. After installing the "One Machine Multiple Workstations" software, run the "One Machine Multiple Workstations" configuration module 200, and the software will execute the following configuration methods. The steps are:

1. Make all the graphics cards installed in the host computer output the same user interface (step 400). The result of this step is that the current display 102 and the TV 103 will display the same user interface;

2. Identify all special USB Hubs connected to the host (step 401), specifically: read

200810003350.8 Take the VID information of all USB Hubs connected to the host computer. If the VID information of a USB Hub is the same as the value of "Special Standard USB Hub Authentication Parameter" 207, then the USB Hub is a special standard USB Hub; otherwise, the USBHubUlTOE ^USBHib. The execution result of this step is: USB Hub 105 is recognized as a special standard USB Hub, and USB Hub 111 is recognized as a non-special USB Hub ο

3. Make each special standard USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation (step 402), specifically: For each special standard USB Hub, add an extended workstation to the basic configuration parameter table 205, and connect the special standard USB Hub equipment The name is recorded in the extended workstation; the result of this step is: the extended workstation 1 (300 in Figure 3) is added to the basic configuration parameter table 205, and the device name of the special USB Hubl05 is recorded in the extended workstation 1.

4. Make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card (step 403). The specific logic is shown in Figure 5. The result of this step is: a) A prompt window pops up on the display 102, prompting the user to pass a certain and The input device paired with the display 102 inputs an action. At this time, suppose that the user presses any button of the PS/2 mouse, and the prompt window in the display 102 disappears; b) A prompt window pops up on the TV, prompting the user to pass a certain and The input device paired with the TV set 103 inputs an action. At this time, suppose that the user presses any button of the USB mouse 114, and the prompt window in the TV set 103 disappears; c) Record the device name of the graphics card connected to the display 102 to the basic The "device name of the graphics card corresponding to the original workstation" in the configuration parameter table 205, and the device name of the graphics card connected to the TV 103 is recorded in the "device name of the graphics card corresponding to the extended workstation 1" in the basic configuration parameter table 205 .

5. Set the working status (step 404), specifically: set the working status parameter 204 to 1, indicating the status of multiple workstations; at this point, the "one machine with multiple workstations" configuration module has finished running, and the configuration results are recorded in the basic configuration parameter table 205 When the multi-workstation operation support module 202 is started and executed, the system will execute step 405 to allocate the human-computer interaction devices connected to each special standard USB Hub to the expansion workstations corresponding to each special standard USB Hub; other human-computer interactive devices Assigned to the original workstation.

The specific execution logic of step 405 is shown in Figure 6, which dynamically generates and maintains a "man-machine interaction device table for each workstation" parameter 206, which records the original workstation and each

200810003350.8 The human-computer interaction equipment list of the currently active extended workstation. The so-called extended workstation is active, it means that the special USB Hub corresponding to the extended workstation can be recognized by the system.

The structure of the parameters of the "man-machine interaction device table of each workstation" 206 is shown in FIG. 7. When the mouse 114 is disconnected from the computer host, the item "device name of the mouse 114" is deleted from the parameter, and the processing of other devices is analogous.

After the multi-workstation operation support module 202 is executed, the computer enters the multi-workstation operation state according to the basic configuration parameter table 205 and the "man-machine interaction device table of each workstation" parameter 206. In the multi-workstation operating state, the computer system in this embodiment will be divided into an original workstation and an extended workstation as shown in Figure 8. The two workstations operate independently and can be used independently by two users.

As shown in Figure 2, the "one machine with multiple workstations" software described in the first embodiment includes a single-user operation management module 201 and a working state switching module 203; wherein the working state switching module 203 allows the user to perform shortcut operations Change the value of the working state parameter 204, thereby changing the current working state; when the value of the working state parameter 204 is equal to 0, the single-user operation management module 201 is executed and the multi-workstation operation support module 202 is stopped. When the single-user operation management module 201 is executed, the computer will no longer be divided into a workstation. When the value of the working state parameter 204 is equal to 1, the multi-workstation operation support module 202 is executed and the single-user operation management module 201 is stopped.

Another better embodiment 2, as shown in Figure 9, in this solution, a special standard USB Hub display box 802 is connected to the host, and the special standard USB Hub display box 802 is integrated with a special standard USB Hub803. , The specific video signal output by the graphics card is passed through the box to the display terminal device (800 is the video signal line), and there is a video signal feedback module 801 in the box. When a specific video signal passes, the video signal feedback module 801 The event will be acquired, and the event will be fed back to the host computer through the special USB Hub803.

After adopting this scheme, the step 4 in the above scheme "make the original workstation and each extended workstation correspond to a graphics card" can be changed to the following method (not shown): a) Only make one graphics card output a specific video signal; b ) Wait for a certain period of time. During this time, the one-machine multi-workstation configuration module 200 of the "one-machine multi-workstation" software running in the host continuously detects whether there is a special USB Hub display box 802

200810003350.8 The event "This USE Hub display box has received a specific video signal from the graphics card" is reported to the host computer; within this waiting time, if the multi-workstation configuration module 200 detects a special USB Hub display box 802 The computer sends the feedback event, Bei U: Find the device name of the special USB Hub from the basic configuration parameter table 205, so as to find the extended workstation where the device name is located; change the device of the graphics card in step a) The name is recorded in the extended workstation.

c) Repeat steps a) and b) until all graphics cards have output specific video signals; d) The graphics cards that have not been assigned are assigned to the original workstation. The device name is recorded in the "device name of the graphics card corresponding to the original workstation".

The step a) can also be "only one graphics card outputs ordinary video signals" or "only one graphics card does not output video signals", as long as the output of the graphics card is different from other graphics cards in the host in step a), and In step b), the one-machine multi-workstation configuration module 200 can obtain timely feedback on the output of the graphics card from the special USB Hub display box.

There is also an embodiment 3, which simplifies the previous embodiment, and the steps in the embodiment "identify all the special USB Hubs connected to the host" and the step "make each special USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation" Respectively modified to "Identify all USE Hubs connected to the host" and "Make each USB Hub correspond to an extended workstation", specifically: USB Hub is not authenticated, and for each USB Hub connected to the host, An extended workstation is added to the basic configuration parameter table 205, and the device name of the USB Hub is recorded in the extended workstation; when the computer system is a "one machine with two workstations" system, it includes one original workstation and one extended workstation. The invention also discloses another better embodiment 4. The "one machine with multiple workstations" software has one more graphics card configuration switching module 208 than that in the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, this module defines a set of graphics card switching modules. The shortcut button, according to the software logic shown in Figure Π, when the graphics card switching shortcut button is pressed, the device names of the graphics cards corresponding to the two workstations in the basic configuration parameter table 205 are exchanged, and the multiple workstation operation support module 202 It will operate according to the new basic configuration parameter table 205.

The present invention also discloses an embodiment 5, as shown in FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the working state switching module 203 not only allows the user to change the working state parameter 204 through a shortcut operation, but also allows the user to change the basic parameters through a shortcut. Configuration parameter table 205 of each parameter

200810003350.8 The first value, the multi-workstation operation support module 202 will operate according to the new basic configuration parameter table 205.

Although the computer system in the foregoing embodiment of the present invention has only one original workstation and one extended workstation, a system with multiple extended workstations can also be implemented, which obviously also falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

The present invention also provides a workstation card. As shown in FIG. 13, the workstation card 900 has an insert 907, which can be inserted into the slot of the motherboard in the computer host, and has a video output interface 901 and a USB interface 902. The workstation The card 905 has a PS/2 interface 904. 906 in the figure is the screw hole of the video output interface. The workstation card can be formed by integrating other human-computer interaction device interfaces on a graphics card.

Embodiment 6 of the "one machine with multiple workstations" computer system using this workstation card is shown in Figure 14. All human-computer interaction devices connected to the same workstation card are automatically configured as an extended workstation and connected to a common board. The human-computer interaction equipment on the card is automatically configured as the original workstation.

For Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 6, the workstation configuration process can be completely completed by the "one machine with multiple workstations" software, so during implementation, the configuration module 200 of the "one machine with multiple workstations" software does not need to run separately, as shown in Figure 15. As shown, after installing the "one machine, multiple machines, multiple workstations" software, you can directly start the multi-workstation operation support module 202, and run the one-machine multi-workstation configuration module 200 in the process of running the module 202 to realize the configuration of the workstation. Embodiment 6, the specific steps of this configuration process are:

I) Identify all workstation cards in the system. Make each workstation card correspond to an extended workstation.

II) The human-computer interaction equipment connected to the workstation card and the graphics card integrated in the workstation are all configured to the expansion workstation corresponding to the workstation card; other human-computer interaction equipment and graphics cards are allocated to the original workstation.

Although the present invention has been described in detail and the embodiments are cited, it is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that various alternatives, modifications and changes can be made in accordance with the above description. Therefore, all these alternatives, modifications and All changes should be included in the spirit and scope of the claims.

200810003350.8