JP2011086324A - Storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase read speed of a small-capacity file, for a recording device which inefficiently reads data of the small-capacity file. <P>SOLUTION: A storage device includes: a first recording device that reads a small-capacity file at a slow speed; a second recording device that reads the small-capacity file at a high speed; and a control part controlling them. The small-capacity file of the first recording device is copied to the second recording device in advance. When a request is made to read the small-capacity file recorded in the first recording device from a host device, data are read from the second recording device whose read speed is high. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a storage apparatus such as a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, or a solid state drive.

  For example, JP 2001-160252 A (Publication 1). In this publication, “It is easy to improve the reading speed of data from a recording medium having a relatively low reading speed by applying a cache function”. When a read request is received from the host computer via the interface, it is determined whether or not the requested data is cached in the cache memory. The data is read, and the data is taken and accumulated in the free area of the cache memory, the correspondence information (reference information) between the cache address and the disk address is stored, the data is read from the cache memory and transferred to the host computer. Is disclosed.

Publication number JP-A-2001-160252

  Depending on the recording device, the size of the recorded data and the recording method may affect the reading speed. For example, an optical disk drive requires a seek time when reading data, and the seek time does not depend on the size of the data. Therefore, in contrast to reading sequential data having a large data size, reading fragmented data having a small data size is inefficient in terms of reading speed. In the background art described above, the data stored in the cache is data requested to be read from the host computer, and it is not considered that the read efficiency differs depending on the size of the read data. In addition, copying large-size data to the cache takes time to copy and increases the area required for recording, which is inefficient for handling as a cache. An object of the present invention is to read a small-capacity file at a high speed with respect to a recording apparatus having a low-capacity file reading efficiency.

  The above object is achieved by the invention described in the claims as an example.

  Realizes high-speed reading of a small-capacity file for a recording device that reads a small-capacity file slowly.

It is a block diagram of a storage apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing which copies the data of the disk loaded in ODD to SSD. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing when there exists a data read-out request | requirement with respect to the disk loaded in ODD. It is a figure explaining a point where reading efficiency is bad, when reading fragmentary small data. It is a flowchart which shows the selection process of a recording device.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the storage apparatus of the present invention. Reference numeral 101 denotes a host computer which is a host device of the storage apparatus, and reference numeral 102 denotes the storage apparatus. The storage device 102 includes a control unit 103, an ODD 104 as a first recording device, and an SSD 105 capable of reading at a higher speed than the ODD 104 as a second recording device. Both the ODD 104 and the SSD 105 can be accessed from the host computer 101, and the control unit 103 has a unique buffer area.

  When the disk 106 is inserted into the ODD 104, the control unit 103 reads file information such as the file size and update date recorded on the loaded disk 106, and reads a file having a predetermined size or less from the disk 106. . Then, the read file is copied to the SSD 105. When there is a data read request from the host computer 101 to the disk 106, the control unit 103 determines to which file the data with the read request belongs by referring to the file information, and the file is already stored in the SSD 105. Determine whether the file has already been copied. Whether or not copying has been completed is managed by setting a copy completion flag indicating that copying has been completed by the control unit 103 when the file on the disk 106 is copied to the SSD 105. Alternatively, each time it is determined, the file information on the SSD 104 or the disk 106 may be referred to confirm whether or not the copying has been completed. The flag or the file information of each recording device is stored in the control unit 103. Alternatively, it may be stored in the SSD 105 and read as needed. If the data requested to be read has already been copied to the SSD 105, the control unit 103 reads the corresponding data from the SSD 105 and transmits it to the host computer 101.

  In this way, when the host computer 101 requests a small capacity file recorded on the disk 104, it can be transmitted to the host computer 101 at high speed. Note that the file information acquisition of the disk 106 and the copy process to the SSD 105 are performed when the ODD 104 is usable but not processed (idle state). By performing the process in the idle state, the copy process can be performed without affecting other processes. If another operation is executed during the copy process, the copy process is interrupted, the state is retained, and the copy process is re-executed after the other operation is completed. Alternatively, the copy process may be performed from the beginning without holding the state. Alternatively, file information acquisition and copy processing may be performed when a disc is inserted or according to an instruction from the host computer 101. Although it takes time to acquire the disk information and to copy to the SSD 105, the file copied to the SSD 105 can be read at a high speed for subsequent reading from the disk 106.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control of processing for copying a small capacity file of the disk 106 loaded in the ODD 103 according to the first aspect of the present invention to the SSD 104 in the storage apparatus shown in FIG. In step (indicated by “S” in the figure) 201, the control unit 103 issues a request to copy the file on the disk 106 loaded in the ODD 104 to the SSD 105, and proceeds to step 202 to set the data size of the file on the disk 106 for each file. To measure. In step 203, it is determined whether or not the measured data size is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. If it is smaller, the process proceeds to step 204, where the file is read from the disk 106 and copied to the SSD 105. If it is large, nothing is done. Then, in step 205, it is confirmed whether or not the data size measurement has been completed for all files on the disk 106. If completed, the process ends. If not completed, the process returns to step 202 to return to the next file. The data size is measured, and the process proceeds to the copy operation in the same manner.

  In this way, it is possible to select only a small capacity file from the disk 106 loaded in the ODD 104 and copy it to the SSD 105.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a high-speed read control process according to claim 1 of the present invention in the storage apparatus 102 shown in FIG. When the control unit 103 receives a read request from the host computer 101 to the disk 106 loaded in the ODD 104 via the external interface in step 301, the control unit 103 proceeds to step 302 and copies the file to which the requested data belongs to the SSD 105. If it is determined that the data has been copied, the process proceeds to step 303 to read out the data from the SSD 105, transfer it to the host computer 101 via the external interface in step 304, and perform this process in step 305. finish. If it is determined in step 302 that the data has not been copied to the SSD 105, the process proceeds to step 306, where the data is read from the disk 106, transferred to the host computer 101 via the external interface in step 304, and this process is performed in step 305. finish.

  In this way, when the file to which the data requested by the host computer 101 belongs is in the SSD 1015, the data can be read from the SSD 105 to realize high-speed reading.

  Here, the point of preferentially copying the small capacity file to the SSD 105 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows a case where large data is read sequentially, and FIG. 4B shows a case where a plurality of fragmented small data are read. When multiple small pieces of data are read, ODD requires seek time for each data read. Therefore, the read time of a small piece of data occupies much time compared with the case of reading a large amount of data sequentially. Since the SSD does not require seek time, it is more efficient to copy a small fragmented file to the SSD and read from the SSD 105 when there is a read request from the host computer 101.

  It should be noted that the conditions (copying conditions) used for selecting files to be copied when copying files on the disk 106 loaded in the ODD 104 to the SSD 105 are not limited to the above-mentioned conditions, but only a predetermined data size from the disk 106. A file with a small data size may be preferentially copied, or a priority order may be added to each file on the disk 106 in advance, and the control unit 103 may copy only a high priority file to the SSD 105. . Alternatively, in the case of an optical disc drive, the data recorded on the inner circumference of the disc may have a slower reading speed than the data recorded on the outer circumference, so the file to which the data recorded on the inner circumference belongs is given priority. You may copy to SSD105.

  The area for copying the file on the disk 106 loaded in the ODD 104 of the SSD 105 is determined in advance, and the file on the disk 106 is copied only in that area. All the recordable areas of the SSD 105 may be copied areas. Alternatively, the copy area may be controlled by the control unit 103 according to the remaining amount of the recordable area of the SSD 105. As a result, the data amount of the file to be copied from the disk 106 can be flexibly changed according to the use state of the user.

  Next, handling of files on the disk 106 that has been copied to the SSD 105 when the disk 106 is ejected from the ODD 104 will be described. The configuration of the storage device is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which a file on the disk 106 that has been copied to the SSD 105 is erased when the disk 106 is ejected from the ODD 104.

When the disk 106 is ejected, a data read request from the host computer 101 to the disk 106 is not performed until the disk 106 is inserted into the ODD 104 again, so the file on the disk 106 copied to the SSD 105 is transferred to the control unit. 103 erases.
By the above method, the recordable area of the SSD 105 can be increased.

  Next, unlike the second embodiment, a case where the file on the disk 106 copied to the SSD 105 is not erased at the time of ejection will be described.

  By saving the file on the disk 106 to the SSD 105 without erasing it after the disk is ejected, the next time the same disk 106 is inserted into the ODD 104, a new file is copied from the disk 106 to the SSD 105. You can use the saved file again.

  For files already copied to the SSD 105, the host computer 101 can refer to the files stored in the SSD 105 and delete them if unnecessary. The control unit 103 manages the frequency of data read and The control unit 103 may delete a file that has not been read for a period after a certain period. Further, when another disk is inserted into the ODD 104 next time, the file on the previous disk that has been copied to the SSD 105 may be deleted. By the above method, the recordable area of the SSD 105 can be increased.

  In addition, the control unit 103 may control the file copied to the SSD 105 so that the file cannot be directly read from the host computer 101, and the control unit 103 encrypts the file on the disk 106 when copying the file to the SSD 105. The contents may be hidden from the host computer 101. As a result, the content of the copyright-protected disc 106 can be copied to the SSD 105, and high-speed reading can be performed.

  Whether or not the same disk has been inserted is determined by a method in which the control unit 103 makes a determination using the disk ID described in the BCA (Burst Cutting Area) of the disk, or the ODD 104 determines the disk in the writable area of the disk. Possible methods include writing IDs. When copying a disk file to the SSD 105, copy the disk ID along with it, and when the disk is inserted, the controller 103 reads the ID of the inserted disk, and the ID of the disk already stored in the SSD 105 To determine whether the disks are the same.

  Thereby, it is possible to determine the inserted disc, and it is possible to determine whether or not the small capacity file of the inserted disc has already been copied to the SSD 105.

  In connection with the third embodiment, even when the disk 106 is ejected from the ODD 104, the information on the disk 106 is stored in the SSD 105. However, when the disk 106 is inserted into the ODD 104 next time, the data on the disk 106 is updated. The case where it has met will be described.

First, a description will be given of updating the data of a file that has been updated on the disk 106 that has been copied to the SSD 105 when the data on the disk 106 has been updated. The control unit 103 refers to the file information of the data of the disk 106 inserted into the ODD 104 and the file information of the disk 106 that has been copied to the SSD 105, and determines the contents of the disk 106 and the contents of the disk 106 previously copied to the SSD 105. Compare. If the data on the disk 106 has been updated, only the updated file is read from the disk 106 and overwritten on the SSD 105.
By the above method, even if the data recorded on the disk 106 is updated, the file previously stored in the SSD 105 can be effectively reused.

  Next, since the update process of the file of the SSD 105 is performed, for example, when the ODD 104 is in an idle state, it is not always completed. Therefore, the host computer 101 determines whether the update has been completed or not. A selection procedure of a recording apparatus that reads data when a read request is issued to the ODD 104 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the host computer 101 issues a read request to the ODD 104, first, in step 502, the control unit 103 determines whether the file information on the disk 106 has already been acquired, using a flag indicating the file information acquisition status. The flag indicating the file information acquisition status is set when the disk 106 is inserted into the ODD 104 and the control unit 103 acquires the file information of the disk 106. If the control unit 103 has already acquired the file information, the process proceeds to step 503. If it has not been acquired, the process proceeds to step 506 and the data is read from the disk 106. In step 503, it is determined from the file information to which file the data requested by the host computer 101 has issued a read request, and it is confirmed whether the file is a file to be copied to the SSD 105. If it is a file to be copied, the process proceeds to step 504. If it is not a file to be copied, the process proceeds to step 506 and data is read from the disk 106. In step 504, the update date and time of the disk 106 data requested to be read and the data copied to the SSD 105 are compared. If there is no difference between the data in the disk 106 and the SSD 105, the process proceeds to step 505, and the data is read from the SSD 105. If there is a difference, the process proceeds to step 506 and data is read from the disk 106.
Note that the determination processing in step 502 does not use a flag indicating the file information acquisition status, but may check whether or not the file information has been acquired by referring to the area storing the file information for each determination.

  According to the above method, if the data on the updated disk 106 has already been copied to the SSD 105, it can be read from the SSD 105 and read at high speed.

  Next, the operation of the storage apparatus when writing a file from the host computer 101 to the disk 106 inserted into the ODD 104 will be described.

  When writing a file from the host computer 101 to the disk 106, the control unit 103 determines whether or not the file satisfies a copy condition to the SSD 105. If the condition is satisfied, the file is written to the disk 106 and simultaneously written to the SSD 105, and the file information of the SSD 105 is updated.

  By the above method, if the file to be written satisfies the copy conditions, the file can be retained on the SSD 105 without being read from the disk 106 again, and when the file is read, it can be read from the SSD 105 at high speed. it can.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the optical disk drive is used as the first recording device. However, another recording device with low reading efficiency of a small capacity file may be used, and a solid recording device may be used as the second recording device. It is also conceivable to use a recording device capable of reading a small-capacity file at a high speed other than the state drive. Further, data to be copied to the second recording device may be selected by a method other than the above-described embodiment.

  The units included in the storage apparatus are described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to those including all the configurations described.

101 Host computer (host device)
102 Storage device 103 Control unit 104 Optical disc drive (ODD)
105 Solid state drive (SSD)
106 disk 401 seek time 402 data read time

Claims (17)

A first recording device capable of writing and reading data;
A second recording device capable of writing and reading data, and having a faster reading speed of a small-capacity file compared to the first recording device;
Means for copying data recorded in the first recording device to the second recording device without going through a host device; and
When the host device issues a read request to the data recorded in the first recording device, if the data has already been copied to the second recording device, the data from the second recording device A storage device comprising a control unit having means for reading
The control unit selects only a file having a data size equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold from the data recorded in the first recording device, and copies the selected file to the second recording device. . A first recording device capable of writing and reading data;
A second recording device capable of writing and reading data, and having a faster reading speed of a small-capacity file compared to the first recording device;
Means for copying data recorded in the first recording device to the second recording device without going through a host device; and
When the host device issues a read request to the data recorded in the first recording device, if the data has already been copied to the second recording device, the data from the second recording device A storage device comprising a control unit having means for reading
The control unit copies data recorded in the first recording device to the second recording device in order from a small capacity file. A first recording device capable of writing and reading data;
A second recording device capable of writing and reading data, and having a faster reading speed of a small-capacity file compared to the first recording device;
Means for copying data recorded in the first recording device to the second recording device without going through a host device; and
When the host device issues a read request to the data recorded in the first recording device, if the data has already been copied to the second recording device, the data from the second recording device A storage device comprising a control unit having means for reading
In the case where a priority is added to each file of data recorded in the first recording device, the control unit only selects the high priority file among the data recorded in the first recording device. The storage apparatus is characterized by selecting and copying to the second recording apparatus. A first recording device capable of writing and reading data;
A second recording device capable of writing and reading data, and having a faster reading speed of a small-capacity file compared to the first recording device;
Means for copying data recorded in the first recording device to the second recording device without going through a host device; and
When the host device issues a read request to the data recorded in the first recording device, if the data has already been copied to the second recording device, the data from the second recording device A storage device comprising a control unit having means for reading
A storage apparatus characterized in that, among data recorded in the first recording device, data written in a slow reading portion is preferentially copied to the second recording device. The storage apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The second recording device secures a recording area for copying data of the first recording device,
The storage device is characterized in that the control unit performs copying from the first recording device to the second recording device only for a size equal to or smaller than the secured recording area. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The control unit sets a recording area of the second recording device for copying data of the first recording device to the second recording device according to a remaining amount of a recordable area of the second recording device. A storage device characterized by controlling. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The first recording device is an optical disc drive;
The storage device, wherein the second recording device is a solid state drive. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
When the first recording device is a removable disk drive,
The controller erases the data of the disc loaded in the first recording device that has been copied to the second recording device when the disc is ejected from the first recording device. Storage device. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
When the first recording device is a removable disk drive,
The controller does not erase the data of the disc loaded in the first recording device that has been copied to the second recording device when the disc is ejected from the first recording device. But,
A storage apparatus, wherein data relating to a previous disk is erased from the second recording apparatus when another disk is inserted into the first recording apparatus. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
When the first recording device is a removable disk drive,
The control unit transfers the data of the disc loaded in the first recording device that has been copied to the second recording device to the second recording device even when the disc is ejected from the first recording device. Record it,
When the same disc is inserted into the first recording device again,
Data is not newly copied from the disc to the second recording device,
A storage apparatus characterized by using data on a disk already recorded in the second recording apparatus. The storage device according to claim 10,
The control unit, the data that has not been used for a long time among the data of the disc loaded in the first recording device that has been copied to the second recording device,
A storage apparatus, wherein the storage apparatus is deleted from the second recording apparatus when it has not been used for a long time. The storage device according to claim 10 or 11,
The control unit checks the date and time of data update of the disc when the disc on which data has already been copied to the second recording device is loaded into the first recording device, and if there is no data update The data is not newly copied from the disc to the second recording device,
Use the data already copied to the second recording device,
When there is data update, among the data already copied to the second recording device, only the updated data is newly copied from the disk to the second recording device. . The storage device according to any one of claims 9 to 12,
The control unit refers to the unique information of the disc inserted in the first recording device,
Means for recording whether the data has been copied to the second recording device together with the unique information;
When the disc is inserted into the first recording device, the unique information of the inserted disc is compared with the unique information of the disc already recorded in the second recording device, and the first recording device And determining whether the disk inserted in the disk is a disk whose data has already been copied to the second recording apparatus. The storage device according to any one of claims 9 to 13,
The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit writes management information for discriminating the disc into the disc inserted into the first recording device. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
The control unit encrypts the data of the first recording device copied to the second recording device,
A storage device that is controlled so that it cannot be read directly from a host device. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
The storage device, wherein the control unit copies data of the first recording device to the second recording device when there is no disk read or write request to the first recording device. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The control unit, when writing data from the host device to the first recording device, also writes the data to the second recording device.

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