JP2001297538A - Digital data storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow holding of the use state data of a recording medium even after the recording medium is formatted with a digital data storage device. SOLUTION: The information including a load count number, the number of formatting times, total light groups and total read groups is previously written into a region A of a device area 31 of a tape 13. In formatting the tape 13, the tape is formatted by erasing the data in another region without erasing the data of this region. Then, the life of the tape 13 may be discriminated in accordance with the information indicating the use state recorded in this region.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to management and control of recording medium information in a digital data storage (DDS) device for sequentially recording and reproducing a large amount of data on a magnetic recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional digital data storage device, in order to manage recording medium information, the number of load counts, the total number of write groups, and the like of the recording medium after the recording medium is formatted in a system area according to the DDS standard. Information such as the total number of read groups is recorded and stored. Therefore, by stopping the use of the recording medium when the number of writes, the number of reads, or the like reaches a predetermined value, it is possible to perform management such as preventing a recording / reading error from occurring.

[0003]

However, simply storing information in the system area based on the DDS standard as described above clears the information when the recording medium is reformatted. That is, there is a disadvantage that the information is not information obtained after the use of the recording medium is started but information obtained after reformatting, and the life of the recording medium cannot be accurately controlled.

Conventionally, information stored in the system area only relates to the life of the medium, and positional information such as a file mark necessary for efficiently searching for a recording medium has not been recorded.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and has as its object to enable accurate life management from the start of use. It is another object of the present invention to make it possible to efficiently search for a recording medium.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital data storage apparatus for sequentially recording / reproducing data on / from a magnetic recording medium. The present invention is characterized in that the use state data of the recording medium including the number of write groups and the total number of read groups is recorded.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the digital data storage device of the first aspect, a file mark indicating a file use state and an end position of the data are provided in an area of the device area to be formatted at the time of formatting. Data position information including end-of-data shown is recorded.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the digital data storage device of the second aspect, there is provided a search means for searching for a file mark or an end position during reproduction based on data position information of the recording medium. It is assumed that.

According to the present invention, even if the medium is reformatted, it is possible to accurately determine the use state of the medium, and to provide an efficient search even in the medium search operation.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital data storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, an interface unit (IF unit) 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes an interface unit with a host computer (not shown). The system control unit 12 generates data to be recorded on the tape 13 based on a command from the host computer input from the interface unit 11,
It controls playback. At the time of formatting, control is performed so that necessary data is written into the system area and reference area of the tape 13 as will be described later, and necessary information is written into a control track and a time code track of the tape. The signal processing section 14 adds an error correction code or the like, outputs a signal to the recording / reproducing head 17 on the rotating drum 16 via the recording / reproducing section 15, and reads the signal from this head. The tape 13 is wound around reels 18 and 19, and runs through a semicircular portion of the rotating drum 13. The traveling control unit 20 includes a motor for driving the reels 18 and 19 and the rotating drum 16.
At a predetermined speed together with the head. Here, the system control unit 12 constitutes a search unit for selecting a necessary file based on a file mark in a device area 31 described later when searching for a predetermined file from the tape 13.

FIG. 2 shows the format of a tape which is a recording medium according to the DDS standard used for this tape. On the tape 13, in addition to the device area 31, the reference area 32, and the system area 33, a data area 34 in which actual data is recorded and an end of data (EOD) 35 indicating an end position of the data are recorded. At the position, an end of tape (EOT) 36 indicating the end of the tape is recorded. System area 33
As in the conventional example, information such as a load count number indicating the number of times the recording medium has been loaded, a total write group number indicating the total number of write groups, and a total read group number indicating the total number of read groups are stored in the table. Has been recorded.

In this embodiment, the device area 3
As shown in FIG. 1, an area A for recording data indicating a use state, that is, a load count number, a format number, a total write group, and a total read group is provided. Further, a file mark 1, a file mark 2,... Corresponding to a file formed in the data area, and an area B for recording EOD data indicating the end position of the data are provided. The number of times of formatting indicates the number of times of formatting. The file mark is in the data area 34
3 shows the start point position of each file formed in the file.
The load count number, the total write group, and the total read group are counted up for each use similarly to the system area 33. In this way, the data contents of these areas are the same as the data written in the system area at the first use, but the area A of the device area is not erased even if it is formatted. Then the value will be different from that of the system area.

When formatting is performed after using the tape as the recording medium, the area A of the device area 31
All areas except for are subject to formatting. Therefore, not only is all data in the data area 34 erased, but also the load count number, total write group, and total read group in the system area 33 become zero. At the time of formatting, the file marks 1, 2,..., EOT, etc. in the area B in the device area 31 are also erased. However, the area A remains without being erased, and the number of times of formatting is incremented. Therefore, even after the format is repeated many times, the number of load counts from the beginning of use, the number of times of formatting, the total number of write groups, and the total number of read groups can be confirmed. Therefore, based on such information, when the tape is used more than a predetermined number of times, the data recorded on the tape can be protected by performing processing such as stopping the use of the tape. Further, when an error occurs in a tape as a recording medium, it is possible to recognize an accurate medium use state of the medium.

By writing a file mark or EOD in the device area 31 at the head of the tape, it is possible to efficiently search the recording medium.

[0015]

As described above, according to the digital data storage device according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the accurate use condition of the recording medium, to judge the performance of the recording medium, and to manage the life of the recording medium. Can be performed accurately.
In addition, it is possible to accurately recognize the use end time of the medium.

Further, according to the second and third aspects of the present invention, by recording a file mark and an end of data indicating a data recording state in a device area of a recording medium, the medium can be efficiently searched by using the file mark and the end of data. Operation becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a format indicating use of a tape used in the data storage device according to the present embodiment and contents written in a device area and a system area.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Media format of DDS standard 2 Media information 11 Interface unit 12 System control unit 13 Tape 14 Signal processing unit 15 Recording / reproducing unit 16 Rotating drum 17 Recording / reproducing head 18, 19 Reel 20 Running control unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A digital data storage device for sequentially recording / reproducing data on / from a magnetic recording medium, wherein a non-formatted device area of the magnetic recording medium includes a load count number, a total write group number, and a total read group number. A digital data storage device characterized by recording usage state data. 2. A data format information including a file mark indicating a file use state and an end of data indicating an end position of data is recorded in an area of the device area to be formatted at the time of formatting. The digital data storage device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The digital data storage device according to claim 2, further comprising search means for searching for a file mark or an end position at the time of reproduction based on data position information of said recording medium.