Data management apparatus

A data management apparatus for performing hierarchical storage management using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, comprising:

• suppression process means for suppressing data operation requested by another device if the data requested to read by the device is not stored in the primary storage device;
• block size setting process means for setting the data size of a block, based on the size of the data requested to read when storing the data in the primary storage device in units of blocks;
• data writing process means for writing data read from the secondary storage device into the primary storage device one after another in units of the blocks whose data size is set if the requested data is not stored in the primary storage device;
• and
• release process means for releasing the suppression of the data operation which is targeted to only already written data every time the data is written into the primary storage device in units of the blocks.

A data management method for performing hierarchical storage management using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, comprising:

• suppressing data operation requested by another device if the data requested to read by the device is not stored in the primary storage device;
• setting the data size of a block, based on the size of the data requested to read when storing the data in the primary storage device in units of blocks;
• writing data read from the secondary storage device into the primary storage device one after another in units of the blocks whose data size is set if the requested data is not stored in the primary storage device;
• and
• releasing the suppression of the data operation which is targeted to only already written data every time the data is written into the primary storage device in units of the blocks.

A storage medium on which is recorded a program for enabling a computer to perform hierarchical storage management using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, said program comprising:

• suppressing data operation requested by another device if the data requested to read by the device is not stored in the primary storage device;
• setting the data size of a block, based on the size of the data requested to read when storing the data in the primary storage device in units of blocks;
• writing data read from the secondary storage device into the primary storage device one after another in units of the blocks whose data size is set if the requested data is not stored in the primary storage device;
• and
• releasing the suppression of the data operation which is targeted to only already written data every time the data is written into the primary storage device in units of the blocks.

A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, and representing a program for enabling a computer to perform hierarchical storage management using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, said program comprising:

• suppressing data operation requested by another device if the data requested to read by the device is not stored in the primary storage device;
• setting the data size of a block, based on the size of the data requested to read when storing the data in the primary storage device in units of blocks;
• writing data read from the secondary storage device into the primary storage device one after another in units of the blocks whose data size is set if the requested data is not stored in the primary storage device;
• and
• releasing the suppression of the data operation which is targeted to only already written data every time the data is written into the primary storage device in units of the blocks.