Continuous data server apparatus and data transfer scheme enabling multiple simultaneous data accesses

A continuous data server apparatus for transferring continuous data stored in data memory media, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of data memory control unit groups for reading out desired continuous data from the data memory media, each group of the plurality of data memory control unit groups including at least one data memory control unit;
• at least one communication control unit group for transferring the desired continuous data to a communication path each group of the at least one communication control unit group including at least one communication control unit;
• and
• a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units for storing the desired continuous data read out by the plurality of data memory control units and to be given to the at least one communication control unit, wherein per each one of the at least one communication control unit group, at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly for one of the plurality of data memory control unit groups and another at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly for another one of the plurality of data memory control unit groups.

A method for transferring continuous data stored in data memory media to a requested transfer destination in a continuous data server apparatus having a plurality of data memory control units for reading out desired continuous data from the data memory media, at least one communication control unit for transferring the desired continuous data read out from the data memory media to a communication path connected to the requested transfer destination and a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units wherein per each one of the at least one communication control unit, at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly for one of the plurality of data memory control units and and another at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly for another one of the plurality of data memory control units, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving an access request for the desired continuous data from an exterior of the continuous data server apparatus;
• b) selecting corresponding ones of the plurality of data memory control units connected with the data memory media which store the desired continuous data;
• c) selecting the at least one communication control unit connected to the communication path;
• d) controlling the corresponding ones of the plurality of data memory control units, selected in the selecting step b), to read out the desired continuous data stored in the data memory media, and to write the desired continuous data read out from the data memory media into corresponding ones of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units;
• and
• e) controlling the at least one communication control unit, selected in the selecting step c), to read out the desired continuous data stored in the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units, and to transfer the desired continuous data read out from the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units to the communication path.

An apparatus for making accesses in parallel to a plurality of disk devices, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of disk control units for reading out desired data from the plurality of disk devices;
• a plurality of buffer memory units, provided in correspondence to said plurality of disk control units, for storing the desired data read out by the plurality of disk control units;
• and
• a plurality of calculation units connected in series, each of the plurality of calculation units comprising four terminals, being connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of disk control units and one of the plurality of buffer memory units, and
• means for carrying out a prescribed calculation according to input from a first prescribed set of at least one of said four terminals and for outputting a calculation result to a second prescribed set of at least one of said four terminals not in said first prescribed set.

An apparatus for making accesses in parallel to a plurality of disk devices, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of connection ports connected with said plurality of disk devices;
• a plurality of buffer memory units, provided in correspondence to said plurality of connection ports, for storing the data to be inputted/outputted to/from the connection ports;
• and
• a plurality of calculation units connected in series, each calculation unit having four terminals including an upper stage side terminal, a lower stage side terminal, a buffer memory unit side terminal, and a disk device side terminal, being connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of connection ports and one of the plurality of buffer memory units, each of the plurality of calculation units comprising any one of:
• a first function unit for carrying out a prescribed one of an exclusive OR calculation and an exclusive AND calculation according to data entered from the buffer memory unit side terminal and data entered from the upper stage side terminal, and for outputting a calculation result to the lower stage side terminal,
• a second function unit for outputting data entered from the upper stage side terminal to the lower stage side terminal, and
• a third function unit for outputting data entered from the disk device side terminal to the buffer memory unit side terminal.

An apparatus for making accesses in parallel to a plurality of disk devices, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of connection ports connected with said plurality of disk devices;
• a plurality of buffer memory units, provided in correspondence to said plurality of connection ports, for storing the data to be inputted/outputted to/from the connection ports;
• and
• a plurality of calculation units connected in series, each calculation unit having four terminals including an upper stage side terminal, a lower stage side terminal, a buffer memory unit side terminal, and a disk device side terminal, being connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of connection ports and one of the plurality of buffer memory units, each of the plurality of calculation units comprising any one of:
• a first function unit for carrying out a prescribed one of an exclusive OR calculation and an exclusive AND calculation according to data entered from the upper stage side terminal and data entered from the lower stage side terminal, and for outputting a calculation result to the buffer memory unit side terminal,
• a second function unit for outputting data entered from the lower stage side terminal to the buffer memory unit side terminal and the upper stage side terminal,
• a third function unit for carrying out said prescribed one of the exclusive OR calculation and the exclusive AND calculation according to data entered from the buffer memory unit side terminal and the data entered from the upper stage side terminal, and for outputting a calculation result to the lower stage side terminal,
• a fourth function unit for carrying out said prescribed one of an exclusive OR calculation and the exclusive AND calculation according to data entered from the buffer memory unit side terminal and the data entered from the lower stage side terminal, and for outputting a calculation result to the upper stage side terminal,
• a fifth function unit for outputting data entered from the upper stage side terminal to the lower stage side terminal,
• a sixth function unit for outputting data entered from the lower stage side terminal to the upper stage side terminal,
• a seventh function unit for outputting data entered from the disk device side terminal to the buffer memory unit side terminal, and
• an eighth function unit for outputting data entered from the buffer memory unit side terminal to the disk device side terminal.

A continuous data server apparatus for making accesses in parallel to a plurality of disk devices, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of disk control units for reading out desired continuous data from the plurality of disk devices;
• and
• a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units, provided in correspondence to said plurality of disk control units, for storing the desired continuous data read out by the plurality of disk control units;
• wherein the continuous data stored in the plurality of disk devices are arranged over said plurality of disk control units in sub-block units, the plurality of disk control units read out the desired continuous data in block units, the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units stores the desired continuous data in block units, and the desired continuous data are obtained by reading out data from the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units sequentially in sub-block units.

A method for transferring desired continuous data between data memory media and an archiving device, the method being performed in a continuous data server apparatus including a plurality of data memory control units for reading/writing the desired continuous data from/to the data memory media and further including a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units, wherein per the archiving device, at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly for one of the plurality of data memory control units and another at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly for another one of the plurality of data memory control units, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving an access request with respect to the archiving device for the desired continuous data;
• selecting one of the plurality of data memory control units which is connected with the data memory media relevant to the desired continuous data;
• and
• transferring the desired continuous data between the archiving device and one of the plurality of data memory control units by temporarily storing the desired continuous data in at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units.

A continuous data server apparatus for transferring continuous data stored in data memory media, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of data memory control units for reading out desired continuous data from the data memory media;
• at least one communication control unit for transferring the desired continuous data to a communication path;
• and
• a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units for storing the desired continuous data read out by the plurality of data memory control units and to be transferred by the at least one communication control unit, wherein at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly per each and every combination of each one of the plurality of data memory control units with each one of the at least one communication control unit.

A continuous data server apparatus for transferring continuous data stored in data memory media, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of data memory control unit groups for reading out desired continuous data from the data memory media, each group of the plurality of data memory control unit groups including at least one data memory control unit;
• at least one communication control unit group for transferring the desired continuous data to a communication path, each group of the at least one communication control unit group including at least one communication control unit;
• and
• a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units for storing the desired continuous data read out by the plurality of data memory control units and to be given to the at least one communication control unit, wherein at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly per each and every combination of each one of the plurality of data memory control unit groups with each one of the at least one communication control unit group.

A method for transferring continuous data stored in data memory media to a requested transfer destination in a continuous data server apparatus having a plurality of data memory control units for reading out desired continuous data from the data memory media, at least one communication control unit for transferring the desired continuous data read out from the data memory media to a communication path connected to the requested transfer destination and a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units, wherein at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly per each and every combination of each one of the plurality of data memory control units with each one of the at least one communication control unit, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving an access request for the desired continuous data from an exterior of the continuous data server apparatus;
• b) selecting corresponding ones of the plurality of data memory control units connected with the data memory media which store the desired continuous data;
• c) selecting the at least one communication control unit connected to the communication path;
• d) controlling the corresponding ones of the plurality of data memory control units, selected in the selecting step b), to read out the desired continuous data stored in the data memory media, and to write the desired continuous data read out from the data memory media into corresponding ones of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units;
• and
• e) controlling the at least one communication control unit, selected in the selecting step c), to read out the desired continuous data stored in the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units, and to transfer the desired continuous data read out from the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units to the communication path.

A method for transferring desired continuous data between data memory media and an archiving device, the method being performed in a continuous data server apparatus including a plurality of data memory control units for reading/writing the desired continuous data from/to the data memory media and further including a plurality of dedicated buffer memory units, wherein at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units is provided dedicatedly per each and every combination of each one of the plurality of data memory control units with the archiving device, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving an access request with respect to the archiving device for the desired continuous data;
• selecting one of the plurality of data memory control units which is connected with the data memory media relevant to the desired continuous data;
• and
• transferring the desired continuous data between the archiving device and one of the plurality of data memory control units by temporarily storing the desired continuous data in at least one of the plurality of dedicated buffer memory units.