File management apparatus, file management method, and recording medium containing file management program
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsKiyoshi Owada, Masaya Miyazaki
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Abstract
A file management apparatus is used in an information processor using a media exchange type storage device including a plurality of storage media, at least one data access device, and a storage media exchanging means as an external storage device. The file management apparatus includes a data block management device for dividing storage regions of the respective storage media into data blocks of fixed capacity and managing the use states of the divided data blocks. A data block allocation device allocates unused data blocks shown by the data block management device to a file to which a writing request from the information processor has been given.
Claims32
A file management apparatus used in an information processor using a media exchange type storage device comprising a plurality of storage media, at least one data access device for recording and reproducing data to/from the storage media, and a storage media exchanging means for mounting and dismounting the arbitrary storage medium in/from the arbitrary data access device, as an external storage device, the file management apparatus including:
- a data block management means for dividing storage regions of the respective storage media into data blocks of fixed capacity and managing the use states of the divided data blocks;
- and
- a data block allocation means for allocating unused data blocks shown by the data block management means to a file to which a writing request from the information processor has been given, wherein:
- data writing of the file to which the writing request has been given is performed to the data blocks allocated by the data block allocation means, using the storage media exchanging means and the data access device;
- and
- at the start of file writing, the storage medium having the most unused data blocks which are shown by the data block management means is selected as a medium for writing.
A file management method used in an information processor using a media exchange type storage device comprising a plurality of storage media, at least once data access device for recording and reproducing data to/from the storage media, and a storage media exchanging means for mounting and dismounting the arbitrary storage medium in/from the arbitrary data access device, as an external storage device, the file management method including:
- a data block management process for dividing storage regions of the respective storage media into data blocks of fixed capacity and managing the use states of the divided data blocks;
- and
- a data block allocation process for allocating unused data blocks shown by the data block management process to a file to which a writing request from the information processor has been given, wherein:
- data writing of the file to which the writing request has been given is performed to the data blocks allocated by the data block allocation process, using the storage media exchanging means and the data access device;
- and
- at the start of file writing, the storage medium having the most unused data blocks which are shown by the data block management process is selected as a disk to be written.
A recording medium containing a program for performing file management by a computer, which medium is readable by the computer, in an information processor using a media exchange type storage device comprising a plurality of storage media, at least one data access device for recording and reproducing data to/from the storage media, and a storage media exchanging means for mounting and dismounting the arbitrary storage medium in/from the arbitrary data access device, as an external storage device, the recording medium wherein:
- file management processes in the program include a data block management process for dividing storage regions of the respective storage media into data blocks of fixed capacity and managing the use states of the divided data blocks, and a data block allocation process for allocating unused data blocks shown by the data block management process to a file to which a writing request from the information processor has been given;
- data writing of the file to which the writing request has been given is performed to the data blocks allocated by the data block allocation process, using the storage media exchanging means and the data access device;
- and
- at the start of file writing, the storage medium having the most unused data blocks which are shown by tho data block management process is selected as a disk to be written.
A file management apparatus used in an information processor using a media exchange type storage device comprising a plurality of storage media, at least one of a data access device for recording and reproducing data to/from the storage media, and a storage media exchanging means for mounting and dismounting the arbitrary storage medium in/from the arbitrary data access device, as an external storage device, the file management apparatus including:
- a data block management means for dividing storage regions of the respective storage media into data blocks of fixed capacity and managing the use states of the divided data blocks;
- a data block allocation means for allocating unused data blocks shown by the data block management means to a file to which a writing request from the information processor has been given, said data blocks being limited to a range of data blocks on the selected storage medium;
- and
- a virtual disk management means for managing sets of media numbers for identifying the storage media and data block numbers for identifying the data blocks on the respective storage media, and the corresponding virtual data block numbers for identifying the data blocks on all the storage media, converting, for a writing request to the data block specified by the virtual data block number, the virtual data block number of the requested data block into the corresponding media number and data block number, and performing writing to the data block with the obtained data block number on the storage medium with the obtained media number, using the storage media exchanging means and the data access device, wherein:
- (1) data writing of the file to which the writing request has been given is performed on the data blocks allocated by the data block allocation means, using the storage media exchanging means and the data access device;
- (2) at the start of file writing, the storage medium having the most unused data blocks that are shown by the data block management means is selected as a medium for writing;
- (3) the data block is specified by the virtual data block number in the data block management means and the data block allocation means;
- (4) writing to the data block allocated by the data block allocation means is performed by the virtual disk management means;
- and
- (5) when an input specifying the storage medium for writing is given from the outside at the file writing, the specified storage medium is selected as a medium for writing, in place of the storage medium having the most unused data blocks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.