JP2000173155A - Device and method for recording/reproducing data - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accelerate a recording/reproducing rate of data in accordance with acceleration of a transfer rate of the data without making a device to have the constitution of larger sale than required. SOLUTION: An AV server is provided with a data recording/reproducing part 20 of disk array structure, a data input part 21, data output parts 22A-22C, a high speed interface part 23 for transferring the data in between other AV servers, a control part 24 for controlling the whole AV server, and a common data bus 25 whereto the data recording/reproducing part 20, a data input part 21, data output parts 22A-22C, a high speed interface part 23 and a control part 24 are connected. By means of dispersing the data to perform the recording/reproducing operation by using the data recording/reproducing part 20 of two AV servers which are connected through the high speed interface part 23, the acceleration of the recording/reproducing rate corresponding to the acceleration of the transfer rate is attained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a data recording / reproducing apparatus and method for recording and reproducing video / audio data and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a recording / reproducing apparatus for video / audio data for a broadcasting station, digital recording has been performed by using a randomly accessible recording / reproducing medium such as a hard disk, whose recording density is rapidly increasing and the price is decreasing. Devices for recording and reproducing coded video / audio data are becoming widespread.

In general, in these video / video data recording / reproducing devices (hereinafter also referred to as AV servers), a required data transfer rate is high, and in addition to the video data, a constant data is transmitted for a predetermined time in accordance with a broadcasting standard. It is required to reliably reproduce or record the amount of data. Therefore, recently, multiple hard disk drives are operated in parallel to increase the transfer rate and record parity data so that even if one of the hard disks fails, the original data can be restored A recording / reproducing device that ensures reliability by performing (reconstruction), a so-called disk array device, is used as a data recording / reproducing unit in an AV server.

In such an AV server, usually, a plurality of video / audio data can be recorded and reproduced at a time. AV servers with various numbers of inputs and outputs, such as 1 input, 2 outputs, 2 inputs, 3 outputs, and 6 inputs and 6 outputs, have been put into practical use in accordance with user applications.

Here, a general configuration of a disk array device including a plurality of hard disk devices will be described with reference to FIG. This disk array device has a plurality of
Here, eight hard disk devices (HDD1 in the figure)
To HDD8. ) 111-118 and a disk array controller 102 for controlling these hard disk devices 111-118. One hard disk device (HDD 8) 118 among the plurality of hard disk devices 111 to 118 is dedicated to parity data. Although FIG. 9 shows eight hard disk devices 111 to 118, the number of hard disk devices is not limited to this.

In the disk array device shown in FIG. 9, input data 101 is divided by a disk array controller 102 into predetermined units (for example, 1 byte), and the divided data D0, D1, D
, D3, D4, D5,...
1 to 117, the respective hard disk devices 111 to
117 is written to the hard disk. The parity data P0, P1,... Of the data written to the hard disk by the respective hard disk devices 111 to 117 are calculated by the disk array controller 102, and the parity data P0, P1,. 1
18 is written to the hard disk. Dividing and recording data on a plurality of hard disks in this manner is called striping.

In the disk array device shown in FIG. 9, when reproducing the data recorded by the hard disk devices 111 to 117, the disk array controller 102 controls the hard disk devices 111 to 117.
The data is further reproduced, and the reproduced data are arranged in the same manner as at the time of input, and unified and output. Such unification of data recorded on a plurality of hard disks by division is called unification. When playing the data,
The disk array controller 102 reproduces parity data from the hard disk device 118 and performs error detection and error correction based on the parity data.

In the disk array device as shown in FIG. 9, when any one of the hard disk devices 111 to 117 fails, the data is recorded on the basis of the data and parity data recorded by the other normal hard disk devices. It is possible to reconstruct the data by calculating the original data and re-recording the calculated data on the failed hard disk and the replaced hard disk, and it is also possible to restore the redundancy at the same time .

As described above, in the disk array device shown in FIG. 9, the transfer rate of input / output data can be increased, and the reliability can be improved.

[0010]

By the way, in order to realize simultaneous recording and reproduction of multi-channel data, a transfer rate of (required data transfer rate per channel) .times. (Number of channels) is assured. It is becoming common to operate a plurality of hard disks or a plurality of disk array devices at the same time so as to secure the same.

In general, the number of hard disks required in a system can be determined by a time called a time slot, which is allocated to each channel, and an amount of data to be accessed within the time. That is, for example, in a five-channel system, in a system in which access to a hard disk is permitted for each channel every 1.5 seconds, the number of hard disks that can end data writing within 300 ms is required. .

Here, the access time required for the hard disk drive to read and write data is defined as follows. Access time = number of seeks x (maximum seek time + rotation wait time) + number of head switching times x head switching time + data transfer time

Now, in order to shorten the data transfer time, it is only necessary to reduce the amount of data to be accessed within a fixed time by one hard disk drive. That is, it is sufficient to increase the number of hard disk devices.

On the other hand, with the start of digital television and the like, the required transfer rate is increasing year by year. Therefore, in order to cope with such a high transfer rate, it is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which the number of hard disk devices can be increased or decreased in one device (AV server). However, in this case, it is necessary to configure the AV server with, for example, sufficient power capacity and housing, and the configuration of the AV server becomes unnecessarily large, and unnecessary parts are required depending on the type of application. More and consequently,
There is a problem that the AV server becomes a device with a high initial investment.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data recording / reproducing apparatus which does not have an unnecessarily large configuration, and which can be used in accordance with an increase in data transfer rate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a data recording / reproducing apparatus and method capable of increasing a recording / reproducing rate.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A data recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention records data input from the outside,
A data recording / reproducing device for reproducing recorded data and outputting the same to the outside, comprising: a data recording / reproducing unit for recording and reproducing data; a data input / output unit for inputting / outputting data; A data transfer unit for transferring data to and from the data recording / reproducing device, and the data input / output unit transmits input data to the data recording / reproducing device via the data recording / reproducing unit and the data transferring unit in the data recording / reproducing device. Data can be recorded separately from the connected data recording / reproducing unit in another data recording / reproducing device, and the data recording / reproducing unit in its own data recording / reproducing device and the data recording / reproducing in another data recording / reproducing device can be recorded. And control means for unifying the data reproduced from the unit and outputting the data.

According to the data recording / reproducing method of the present invention, data is transferred between a data recording / reproducing unit for recording and reproducing data, a data input / output unit for inputting / outputting data, and another data recording / reproducing device. A data recording / reproducing method for recording data input from the outside using a data recording / reproducing device having a data transfer unit for performing, and reproducing and outputting the recorded data to the outside, The data input / output unit divides and records the input data into the data recording / reproducing unit in its own data recording / reproducing device and the data recording / reproducing unit in another data recording / reproducing device connected via the data transfer unit In addition, the data reproduced from the data recording / reproducing unit in the data recording / reproducing device of the own device and the data recording / reproducing unit in another data recording / reproducing device are unified and output.

In the data recording / reproducing apparatus or the data recording / reproducing method of the present invention, the input data is transferred to another data recording / reproducing apparatus connected to the data recording / reproducing section of the data recording / reproducing apparatus of the own apparatus via the data transfer section. And data recorded and reproduced by the data recording / reproducing unit in the own data recording / reproducing device and the data recording / reproducing unit in another data recording / reproducing device. And output it.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data recording / reproducing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. A data recording / reproducing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as an AV server) according to the present embodiment has a disk array structure capable of securing redundancy, increasing a transfer rate during recording / reproducing, and increasing capacity. A data input unit 21 for inputting AV data from outside;
Three data output units 22A to 22C for outputting AV data to the outside, a high-speed interface unit 23 as a data transfer unit for transferring data between other AV servers, and control of the entire AV server. Control unit 24, data recording / reproducing unit 20, data input unit 21, data output units 22A to 22C, high-speed interface unit 23
And a common data bus 25 to which the control unit 24 is connected.

The data recording / reproducing unit 20 includes a plurality of (here, eight) hard disk devices (hereinafter, referred to as HDDs).
81, a disk array controller 28 for controlling these HDDs 81 to 88, and a bus interface 29 for connecting the disk array controller 28 to the data bus 25. One HDD
88 is dedicated to parity data. The disk array controller 28 records the divided data obtained by dividing the data to be recorded by the seven HDDs 81 to 87, and records the parity data for error detection and correction of the data to be recorded in the HDD 88. . Also, the disk array controller 28
Is configured to reproduce and unify the divided data recorded by the HDDs 81 to 87, and perform error detection and error correction using parity data to generate reproduced data.

The data input unit 21, a video interface 31 for inputting image data V _I from the outside,
An audio interface 32 for inputting voice data A _I from the outside, the video data V _I and the audio interface 32, entered in the video interface 31
In the compression processing and the audio data A _I input (encoded)
An encoder 33 for generating compressed data, a buffer memory 34 for temporarily storing output data of the encoder 33, and a bus interface 35 for connecting the buffer memory 34 to the data bus 25. are doing.

Each of the data output units 22A to 22C has a buffer memory 37 for temporarily storing the reproduced data from the data recording / reproducing unit 20, and a buffer memory 37 for connecting the buffer memory 37 to the data bus 25. A bus interface 36, a decoder 38 for decompressing (decoding) compressed data that is output data of the buffer memory 37 to generate video data and audio data, and outputting the video data V _O output from the decoder 38 to an external device And an audio interface 40 for outputting the audio data A _O output from the decoder 39 to the outside.

The high-speed interface unit 23 includes a network interface 48 for connection to a network (not shown), a buffer memory 47 connected to the network interface 48, and a buffer memory 4 connected to the network interface 48.
7 and a bus interface 46 for connecting the data bus 25.

The control unit 24 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 41, a memory 42 including a ROM (read only memory) and a RAM (random access memory), and a CP to which the CPU 41 and the memory 42 are connected.
It has a U bus 43 and a bus bridge 44 for connecting the CPU bus 43 and the data bus 25.

In this embodiment, it is possible to connect to each other via a plurality of AV servers via the high-speed interface unit 23 and the network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a state in which two AV servers are connected. In this figure, the network interfaces 48 of two AV servers are connected to each other by a network 49. Note that FIG.
In the figure, components other than the data recording / reproducing unit 20, high-speed interface unit 23 and data bus 25 of each AV server are omitted.

Next, the operation of the AV server according to the present embodiment will be described. The following description also serves as a description of the data recording / reproducing method according to the present embodiment.

First, an operation of recording data input to the data input unit 21 by the data recording / reproducing unit 20 will be described. At this time, the external video data V _I and audio data A _I are input to the encoder 33 via the video interface 31 and the audio interface 32, respectively, and are compressed to generate compressed data. The compressed data is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 34 and then sent out to the data bus 35 by the bus interface 35. This data is input to the bus interface 29 of the data recording / reproducing unit 20,
A plurality of HDDs by the disk array controller 28
The data is divided into 81 to 87 and recorded, and parity data is calculated. The parity data is recorded in the dedicated HDD 88.

Next, the operation of outputting data recorded by the data recording / reproducing unit 20 from the data output units 22A to 22C will be described. At this time, the data reproduced from each of the HDDs 81 to 87 is arranged and unified by the disk array controller 28 of the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the same manner as at the time of input, and the parity data reproduced from the HDD 88 is used. Error detection and error correction are performed to generate reproduced data. The reproduced data is transmitted to the data bus 25 by the bus interface 29. This data is output to the data output unit 22
A to 22C. The transferred data is input to a bus interface 36, temporarily stored in a buffer memory 37, and then decompressed by a decoder 38 to generate video data and audio data. It is output to the outside by 40.

In the AV server according to the present embodiment, the time is divided on the data bus 25 so that data transfer between the blocks connected to the data bus 25 does not conflict. Data transfer is controlled using time slots. Here, the control of the data transfer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 (a)
It shows the contents of a time slot. Thus, in the AV server, the fixed time interval T1 is divided into four time slots TS1 to TS4. The time slots TS1 to TS4 are assigned to the data input unit 21 and the data output units 22A to 22C, respectively. The data input unit 21 and the data output units 22A to 22C
It occupies the data bus 25 during its assigned time slot.

The control unit 24 sends commands necessary for recording and reproducing data to the data input unit 21 and the data output unit 22 in accordance with the time slots shown in FIG.
After transmitting any one of A to 22C to the data recording / reproducing unit 20, the right to use the data bus 25 is passed to any of the data input unit 21 and the data output units 22A to 22C. FIG.
(B) and (c) show an example of a change in the state of the data bus 25 and the data recording / reproducing unit 20. In FIG. 3B, the data bus (1) represents the data bus 25 in its own AV server. FIG.
In (c), the array (1) represents the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in its own AV server.

In FIG. 3B, C1 to C4 represent commands sent from the control unit 24 to one of the data input unit 21 and the data output units 22A to 22C and to the data recording / reproducing unit 20, respectively. W1 represents recording data to be transferred from the data input unit 21 to the data recording / reproducing unit 20. Also, R1 to R3 are respectively transmitted from the data recording / reproducing unit 20 to the data output units 22A to 22A.
C represents the reproduction data to be transferred to C. In the data recording / reproducing unit 20, the SCSI connected to each of the HDDs 81 to 88
(Small Computer System Interface)
Commands are sent to the DDs 81 to 88 and the HDDs 81 to 88 are sent.
Interprets and executes commands inside. That is,
The HDDs 81 to 88 record or reproduce data after seeking and rotating. When the recording or reproduction of this data is completed, a status to that effect is returned from the HDDs 81 to 88 on the SCSI bus.

As described above, each data input unit 21 and each data output unit 22A to 22C access the common data recording / reproducing unit 20 in a time-division manner using time slots, so that each data input unit 21 and data Output unit 22A
Recording and reproduction of continuous AV data can be performed for every .about.22C.

Here, as long as there is a margin in the transfer rate of the data bus 25, recording and reproduction can be performed without any problem even if there are a plurality of data transfer destinations. That is, the transfer rate of the data bus 25 is set to 2 for the transfer of the video / video data corresponding to the time T1 in the time slot described above.
If it is doubled, for example, data input from the data input unit 21 can be simultaneously transferred to a plurality of disk array devices (data recording / reproducing units 20), and even if the transfer rate of input / output data is increased. Response is possible.

However, in general, if the number of HDDs can be changed or the number of built-in disk array devices can be changed according to the increase in the data transfer rate, for example, It is necessary to configure the AV server with sufficient power supply capacity and housing, which is disadvantageous in cost.

Therefore, in the AV server according to the present embodiment, the high-speed interface unit 23 having the same transfer rate is connected to the data bus 25, and as shown in FIG. The two AV servers are connected to each other through a data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the own AV server and a data recording / reproducing unit 2 in another AV server.
By performing recording and reproduction while dispersing data between 0 and 0, it is possible to increase the recording and reproduction rate corresponding to the increase in the transfer rate.

Here, the operation of the AV server when recording and reproducing data using two AV servers connected as shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows the contents of a time slot. FIG.
(B) and (c) show their own AV servers (hereinafter referred to as first A
It is called V server. 4 shows an example of a change in the state of the data bus 25 and the state of the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the parentheses. In FIG. 4B, the data bus (1) represents the data bus 25 in the first AV server. In FIG. 4C, the array (1) represents the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server. FIG.
(D) and (e) show other AV servers (hereinafter referred to as a second AV server).
Say server. 4 shows an example of a change in the state of the data bus 25 and the state of the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the parentheses. In addition,
In FIG. 4D, the data bus (2) is connected to the second AV
This represents the data bus 25 in the server. FIG.
In (e), the array (2) represents the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server.

In FIGS. 4B and 4D, C1 to C4
Are the control units 24 in the first AV server, respectively.
From one of the data input unit 21 and the data output units 22A to 22C in the first AV server and the data recording / reproducing unit 2 in the first AV server and the second AV server.
0 indicates a command to be sent. 4 (b) and 4 (c), W1-1 is a data input / output unit 21 in the first AV server to a data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server.
Represents the recording data to be transferred to. Also, R1-1 to R1-1
R3-1 is a data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server to a data output unit 2 in the first AV server, respectively.
It shows the reproduction data to be transferred to 2A to 22C. FIG.
In (d) and (e), W1-2 represents recording data to be transferred from the data input unit 21 in the first AV server to the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server.
R1-2 to R3-2 represent reproduction data transferred from the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server to the data output units 22A to 22C in the first AV server, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the time slot TS
In 1, the transfer of the data W1-1 in the first AV server and the transfer of the data W1-2 in the second AV server are performed. Similarly, in the time slot TS2, the first
Transfer of data R1-1 in the AV server and the second A
The transfer of the data R1-2 in the V server is performed, and the transfer of the data R2-1 in the first AV server and the transfer of the data R2-2 in the second AV server are performed in the time slot TS3. In the time slot TS4, the transfer of the data R3-1 in the first AV server and the transfer of the data R3-2 in the second AV server are performed.

By such an operation, the data W1-1 and W1-2 input to the data input unit 21 in the first AV server are transmitted to the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server and to the second The data is distributed and recorded in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the AV server. Also, data R1-1 and R1-2, R2-1, and R2-distributedly recorded in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server and the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server. 2, R3-1 and R3-2 are unified and output from any of the data output units 22A, 22B, and 22C in the first AV server.

Next, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, when recording and reproducing data using the two AV servers connected as shown in FIG. 2, data recording and reproduction in each AV server will be described. The data striping in the unit 20 will be described. FIG. 5 shows a state of data striping in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server, and FIG. 6 shows a state of data striping in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server. I have. In this example, a series of input data D0, D1, D2, D3, D
, D5,... In predetermined units (for example, 1 byte)
It is allocated to a first AV server and a second AV server. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the disk array controller 28 of the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server inputs D0, D
2, D4, D6,... Are input. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, D1, D3, D5, D7,... Are input as input data 92 to the disk array controller 28 in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the first AV server, the data D0, D2, D4, D6,... Are divided by the disk array controller 28 in a predetermined unit (for example, 1 byte). By each H
The data is written to the hard disks in the DDs 81 to 87. Also, each HD
The parity data P0, P1,... Of the data to be written to the hard disk are calculated by D81 to D87, and the parity data P0, P1,.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6, the second AV
In the server, the data D1, D3, D5, D7,... Are divided by the disk array controller 28 in predetermined units (for example, 1 byte), and are sequentially written to the hard disks in the HDDs 81 to 87 by the HDDs 81 to 87. Also, the disk array controller 28 calculates parity data P0, P1,... Of the data to be written to the hard disk by the HDDs 81 to 87, and the parity data P0, P1,.
The data is written to the hard disk in the HDD 88 by the DD 88.

When reproducing data recorded over two AV servers in this way, the data reproduced by the HDDs 81 to 87 is unified for each AV server, and the reproduced data for each AV server is unified. Are further unified into a series of data D0, D1, D2, D3, D4, D
5,... Are reproduced.

As described above, by distributing and recording / reproducing data across two AV servers, the two AV devices can be apparently transferred at twice the transfer rate of one AV server. It becomes possible to use it as a device that has.

FIG. 7 shows a data recording / reproducing unit 20 and a data output unit 22 (data output unit) for enabling data to be distributed and recorded / reproduced over two AV servers as described above. 22A to 22C are represented.)
1 shows an example of a main part of the configuration of FIG. In this example,
The data output unit 22 includes a buffer memory 37 connected to the data bus 25 via a bus interface, and processes output data from the buffer memory 37 to process the video data V.
A video processing circuit 51 for outputting _O and a buffer memory 3
7, an audio processing circuit 52 for processing the output data to output audio data A _O , a reproduction address controller 53 for controlling a reproduction address of the buffer memory 37, and a recording address controller 54 for controlling a recording address of the buffer memory 37. , Playback address controller 53
And CPU controlling recording address controller 54
55. The buffer memory 37 corresponds to a storage unit in the present invention that can change the order of writing and reading data. The CPU 55 corresponds to control means in the present invention. The video processing circuit 51 corresponds to a part of the decoder 38 and the video interface 39 in FIG. The audio processing circuit 52 corresponds to a part of the decoder 38 and the audio interface 40 in FIG.

The data recording / reproducing section 20 shown in FIG. 7 includes a buffer memory 61 connected to the data bus 25 via a bus interface, a reproduction address controller 62 for controlling a reproduction address of the buffer memory 61, and a buffer memory 61. And a disk array controller 28 connected to the buffer memory 61. The buffer memory 61 corresponds to a storage unit according to the present invention that can change the order of writing and reading data. The data recording / reproducing unit 20 further includes HDDs 81 to 88, and a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) connected to the disk array controller 28 and each of the HDDs 81 to 88.
e) Protocol controller (hereinafter referred to as SPC)
And a CPU 64 for controlling the reproduction address controller 62, the recording address controller 63, the disk array controller 28, and the SPCs 71 to 78. The disk array controller 28 includes a parity operation circuit 66, which is connected to the SPC 78.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the data recording / reproducing device 20 writes the data requested to be read into the buffer memory 61 in an arbitrary order and transfers the data to the data output unit 22 via the data bus 25. It is possible to transfer in any order. Similarly, the data output unit 22 also transfers the transferred data to the buffer memory 3 in an arbitrary order.
7 and transfer to the video processing circuit 51 and the audio processing circuit 52 can be performed in any order.

5 and 6 by the structure shown in FIG.
Data recording / reproducing units 2 of a plurality of AV servers
Even if a transfer request of data distributed and recorded at 0 occurs, the data reproduced from each data recording / reproducing unit 20 and transferred to the data output unit 22 is transferred to the buffer memory 37 of the data output unit 22. By changing the order of reading from the plurality of data recording / reproducing units 20, it is possible to return to the original order before recording in the plurality of data recording / reproducing units 20 and send the original order to the video processing circuit 51 and the audio processing circuit 52.

Although not shown, the data input unit 21
Similarly to the data output unit 22, the configuration includes a buffer memory, a reproduction address controller, a recording address controller, and a CPU. Thereby, the first AV
The data input to the data input unit 21 of the server is
As shown in FIG. 6, the data can be distributed to the data recording / reproducing units 20 of a plurality of AV servers for each fixed size.

Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8, it is a flowchart showing the operation of the CPU 55 in the data output unit 22 at the time of data reproduction. When the data reproduction operation is started in response to the data reproduction request, the CP in the data output unit 22
U55 sends a data reproduction request (reproduction command) to the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in each AV server (step S101). Here, the CPU 55 determines whether or not the data requested to be reproduced is in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 (hereinafter referred to as an additional array) in the second AV server that has been added using the high-speed interface unit 23. Is determined (step S102), and the destination of the data reproduction request (reproduction command) is determined.

If the data requested to be reproduced is not in the extension array (step S102; N), the reproduction command is sent to the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the first AV server. CP of the data recording / reproducing unit 20 receiving the reproducing command
The U64 sends a reproduction command to each of the SPCs 71 to 78 (step S103). Next, the HDDs 81-88 are controlled by the SPCs 71-78, and data is reproduced from the HDDs 81-88.
The data is recorded in the buffer memory 61 via the disk array controller 28 (step S104), and is unified. This unified data is stored in the data recording / reproducing unit 20.
The data is transferred from the buffer memory 61 in the data output unit 22 to the buffer memory 37 in the data output unit 22 via the data bus 25 (step S105). At this time, for example, the address of the buffer memory 37 in the data output unit 22 is specified and the data is transferred to the buffer memory 37 so that the data is output (reproduced) from the data output unit 22.

On the other hand, if the data requested to be reproduced exists in the additional array (step S102; Y), the reproduction command is sent to the second A via the high-speed interface unit 23.
The data is sent to the data recording / reproducing unit 20 (referred to as array (2) in FIG. 8) in the V server (step S108). The CPU 64 of the data recording / reproducing unit 20 in the second AV server that has received the reproducing command sends the reproducing command to each of the SPCs 71 to 78 (Step S109). Next, each SPC7
HDDs 81 to 88 are controlled by 1 to 78,
Data is reproduced from 81 to 88, and this data is
71-78, via the disk array controller 28,
Recorded in the buffer memory 61 (step S11
0), unified. The unified data is transferred from the buffer memory 61 in the data recording / reproducing unit 20 to the data bus 25 and the high-speed interface unit 2 of the second AV server.
3. The data is transferred to the buffer memory 37 in the data output unit 22 of the first AV server via the high-speed interface unit 23 of the first AV server and the data bus 25 of the first AV server (step S111). At this time, for example, the address of the buffer memory 37 in the data output unit 22 is specified and the data is transferred to the buffer memory 37 so that the data is output (reproduced) from the data output unit 22.

In the data output unit 22, the buffer memory 3
7, the data is transferred to the video processing unit 51 and the audio processing unit 52, and the video and audio are reproduced (step S106). Next, the CPU 55 of the data output unit 22
Determines whether the transfer of all the data requested to be reproduced has been completed (step S107). If the transfer has not been completed (N), the process returns to step S102 to repeat the above operation. If the transfer of the data requested to be reproduced has all been completed (step S107; Y), the reproduction of the data is terminated.

In the data output section 22, the video processing section 51
By properly controlling the order in which data is transferred from the buffer memory 37 to the audio processing unit 52, video / audio data can be reproduced. Then, by continuously performing the operation shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to reproduce the video / audio data without interruption.

In this embodiment, the data input unit 2
1. Both the data output unit 22 and the data recording / reproducing unit 20 are provided with a buffer memory and a controller for controlling its recording address and reproducing address. However, the configuration may be changed as appropriate according to the control method and the type of memory. Alternatively, a controller for controlling the buffer memory and its recording address and reproduction address may be provided in at least one of the data input unit 21, the data output unit 22, and the data recording / reproduction unit 20.

For example, a FIFO (first in first out) memory is used as the buffer memory 61 of the data recording / reproducing unit 20, and the control of the order of all data is controlled by the data input unit 2.
1. It is also possible to realize only by a buffer memory provided in the data output unit 22 and a controller for controlling its recording address and reproduction address.

Alternatively, another block (data input unit 2)
1. When data is transferred to the data output unit 22 or the data recording / reproducing unit 20), data can be transferred to an arbitrary address of the transfer destination memory, and the data is rearranged when the memory is accessed. It is also possible to realize the control of the order of the data by simultaneously performing the data transfer processing.

In the AV server according to the present embodiment, the data input unit 21 is connected via a common data bus 25.
And the data output unit 22 performs recording and reproduction of data. Therefore, at the time of data transfer, the transfer destination block (the data input unit 21, the data output unit 22, or the data recording and reproduction unit 20) is designated, and the data is reproduced. It is possible to transfer When a plurality of AV servers are connected via the high-speed interface unit 23, identification information (ID) representing each block is set in advance, and a transfer destination is specified using the identification information. It is possible.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, data is recorded and reproduced by dispersing data across the data recording and reproducing sections 20 built in a plurality of AV servers to perform recording and reproduction. Rate can be improved. Therefore, even if the required data transfer rate is increased, the data recording / reproducing rate can be increased accordingly.

Further, according to the present embodiment, only the high-speed interface unit 23 is added as an AV server.
It is possible to realize the above-described high recording / reproducing rate. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an extra power supply or a hard disk control unit in one housing in advance in order to increase or decrease the number of hard disk devices, so that the configuration of the AV server is unnecessarily large. Without increasing the data transfer rate, the data recording / reproducing rate can be increased. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both expandability and economy.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a buffer memory capable of changing the order of writing and reading data and a controller for controlling its recording address and reproduction address are provided with a data input unit 21, a data output unit 22, Since it is provided in at least one of the data recording / reproducing units 20, it is easy to rearrange and transfer data when recording / reproducing data by distributing data to the data recording / reproducing units 20 of a plurality of AV servers. It becomes possible.

Further, according to the present embodiment, by combining a plurality of AV servers having the same structure, it is possible to easily construct a plurality of types of systems having different required transfer rates.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made. For example, the number of data input units and data output units can be changed as appropriate. Further, in the present invention, it is also possible to connect three or more data recording / reproducing devices via a data transfer unit and to perform recording / reproducing by dispersing data over the three or more data recording / reproducing devices. .

[0065]

As described above, according to the data recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects or the data recording / reproducing method according to the fifth aspect, the data input / output unit includes:
The input data is divided and recorded in a data recording / reproducing unit in its own data recording / reproducing device and a data recording / reproducing unit in another data recording / reproducing device connected via a data transfer unit. The data reproduced from the data recording / reproducing unit in the data recording / reproducing device of the present invention and the data recording / reproducing unit in the other data recording / reproducing device can be unified and output. There is an effect that the data recording / reproducing rate can be increased in accordance with the increase in the data transfer rate without using a large-scale configuration as described above.

According to the data recording / reproducing apparatus, at least one of the data recording / reproducing section and the data input / output section has a storage means capable of changing the order of writing and reading of data. Therefore, when data is recorded and reproduced by distributing the data to the data recording and reproducing units of a plurality of data recording and reproducing devices, the data can be easily rearranged and transferred.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a data recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a state where two data recording / reproducing apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 are connected;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for describing control of data transfer in the data recording / reproducing device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation when recording and reproducing data by connecting two data recording and reproducing devices shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of data striping in a data recording / reproducing unit in a first data recording / reproducing apparatus when two data recording / reproducing apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 are connected to perform data recording / reproducing; It is.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of data striping in a data recording / reproducing unit in a second data recording / reproducing apparatus when two data recording / reproducing apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 are connected to perform data recording / reproducing; It is.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a main part of a configuration of a data recording / reproducing unit and a data output unit in the data recording / reproducing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU in a data output unit when data is reproduced by the data recording / reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a general configuration of a disk array device.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 data recording / reproducing unit, 21 data input unit, 22
(22A to 22C) Data output unit, 23 High-speed interface unit, 24 Control unit, 81 to 88 HD
D.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A data recording / reproducing device for recording data input from outside and reproducing the recorded data and outputting the data to the outside, comprising: a data recording / reproducing unit for recording and reproducing data A data input / output unit for inputting / outputting data, and a data transfer unit for transferring data to / from another data recording / reproducing device. The data recording / reproducing device in the data recording / reproducing device and the data recording / reproducing device in another data recording / reproducing device connected via the data transfer unit can be divided and recorded, and the own data recording / reproducing device can be used. A data recording / reproducing section within the data recording / reproducing apparatus and a control means for unifying and outputting data reproduced from the data recording / reproducing section in the other data recording / reproducing apparatus. Data recording and reproducing apparatus. 2. The data recording / reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the data recording / reproducing unit has a plurality of hard disk devices. 3. The data recording / reproducing unit records, by a plurality of hard disk devices, divided data obtained by dividing data to be recorded and data for error detection and correction of the data to be recorded by a plurality of hard disk devices. 3. The data recording / reproducing method according to claim 2, wherein the recorded divided data is reproduced to be unified, and the reproduced data is generated by performing error detection and error correction using the data for error detection and correction. apparatus. 4. The data recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the data recording / reproducing unit and the data input / output unit includes a storage unit capable of changing an order of writing and reading of data. . 5. A data recording / reproducing unit for recording and reproducing data, a data input / output unit for inputting / outputting data,
Using a data recording / reproducing device provided with a data transfer unit for transferring data to / from another data recording / reproducing device, data recorded from outside is recorded and the recorded data is reproduced. A data recording / reproducing method for outputting data to an external device, wherein the data input / output unit transmits the input data to another data connected to the data recording / reproducing unit in the data recording / reproducing apparatus of the data input / output unit via the data transfer unit. The data recorded and reproduced in the data recording and reproducing unit in the recording and reproducing device is recorded separately, and the data reproduced from the data recording and reproducing unit in the own data recording and reproducing device and the data recording and reproducing unit in the other data recording and reproducing device are recorded. A data recording / reproducing method characterized by unifying and outputting.