JPH0863379A - Information processor with backup external storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To automatically record only files which are important to a user on a small-capacity storage external device as backup files. CONSTITUTION: In addition to a mass storage HDD 2, a small-sized, small- capacity HDD 3 is provided and when a file managing mechanism 12 is requested to write a file as a result of the execution of an application program by a CPU 1, the directory of the requested file is checked by a backup recording mechanism 13; and a directory where the file that needs to be recorded as a backup file is read out by referring to a definition file 22 on the mass-storage HDD 2 and then it is checked whether or not there is the directory of the requested file is under, the directory defined in the definition file 22 by referring to a directory file 21. When so, the requested file is recorded on both the mass- storage HDD 2 and small-sized, small-capacity HDD 3, but when not, the file is recorded on only the mass-storage HDD 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to basic software,
In addition to a large-capacity external storage device in which various application programs and the like are managed and stored as files, a small-capacity external storage device for backup is provided.
The present invention relates to an information processing device represented by a workstation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, various files such as data (files) created by a user using an information processing device such as a workstation are stored in a large-capacity external storage device (large-capacity nonvolatile storage device), for example, a large-capacity hard disk device. Recorded in.

However, a hard disk device generally fails at a certain frequency. Therefore, conventionally, in order to ensure the safety of files created by the user, (1)
A method of backing up files to a tape medium or a floppy disk by a user operation, (2) duplicating a hard disk and automatically backing up all files has been applied.

However, in the method (1), the user (operator) has to operate the information processing apparatus each time, and the method (2) automatically backs up. However, there is a drawback that the cost is increased due to duplication of the hard disk.

Further, the exchange of relatively large amount of backed up data is conventionally performed by (3) tape medium, (4) L
It was carried out via a network such as AN. But,
The above (3) has a drawback that the working time becomes long and the above (4) cannot be used without a network environment.

[0006]

As described above, conventionally, there is a problem that a complicated user operation is required to back up important data for a user in order to prevent the cost from increasing. there were.

Further, in order to automatically take a backup in order to reduce the burden on the user, the hard disk must be duplicated, which causes a problem of high cost.

Also, exchange of backed up data is
It wasn't easy. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to automatically back up and record only files (data) important to a user in a small-capacity external storage device, thereby reducing the burden on the user and increasing the cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device capable of preventing the above situation.

Another object of the present invention is to back up only the target file by using the directory of the file which is important for the user to identify the file which is important for the user, without requiring any special designation operation by the user. It is to provide an information processing device that can be taken. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that allows easy exchange of backup data.

[0010]

The present invention comprises a first external storage device in which basic software, various application programs, etc. are managed and stored as files, and a file management mechanism for managing each file. The information processing apparatus is provided with a second external storage device having a smaller capacity than the first external storage device for backing up a file of a predetermined type and writing the file to the file management mechanism. Is requested, the type of the target file is checked, and if the file is of a predetermined type, the file is saved in both the first external storage device and the second external storage device, If the file is not of a predetermined type, backup recording means for saving the file only in the first external storage device is provided. And wherein the digit.

The present invention is also characterized in that the directory of the file is used as the information indicating the type of the file. The present invention is also characterized in that the second external storage device has a structure that is detachably attached to the information processing device body.

[0012]

In the above structure, for example, data (file) created by executing the application program
Is issued to the file management mechanism, the backup recording means in the file management mechanism checks the type of file to be written.

If the directory of the file is used as the information indicating the type of the file and all the files under the specific directory are defined in advance as important files for the user, the backup recording means is It suffices to check whether or not the target file is a file under the specific directory.

When the backup recording means determines that the target file is a predetermined specific type of file (a file under a specific directory), the file is regarded as important to the user, and the file is determined to be important. Is doubly recorded in the first external storage device and the second external storage device.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the target file is not a predetermined specific type of file (a file under a specific directory), the backup recording means determines that the file is not important to the user. If not, the file is recorded only in the first external storage device.

As described above, according to the above configuration, the type of file to be backed up is determined in advance, and when the file to be backed up is created, for example, information of that type is added to the file. By doing so, the backup of only the files that are determined to be important to the user can be automatically recorded in the second external storage device (which has a smaller capacity than the first external storage device), so that the burden on the user is reduced. Reduce. In particular, if the directory to which the file belongs is used as the information indicating the file type, the user does not have to perform a special designation operation for designating whether or not the file is a backup target file. The burden is further reduced.

As the second external storage device, a small-sized and small-capacity external storage device detachably mounted on the main body of the device, which is called "HDD pack" used in personal computers in recent years, is used. If so, the external storage device can be easily used as a data exchange medium with another information processing device, and even if a problem occurs in the external storage device, the external storage device can be changed to a normal external storage device. It is possible to start actual use by simply exchanging the files and collectively copying necessary files (for example, files under a specific directory) from the first external storage device.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a workstation will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The workstation shown in FIG. 1 is a CPU 1 which serves as a control center of the workstation, a large-capacity external storage device (nonvolatile storage device), for example, a 3.5 inch 1 GB (gigabyte) hard disk device (hereinafter,
A large-capacity HDD 2 and a small and small-capacity external storage device, for example, a 2.5-inch hard disk device of 200 to 300 MB (megabyte) (hereinafter, small and small-capacity HD
(Referred to as D). A keyboard,
A display device, a printer device and the like are omitted.

The CPU 1 has a main memory (not shown) in which various programs and data are stored. This C
PU1 has an operating system (hereinafter referred to as O
11) is built.

The OS 11 includes a file management mechanism 12 for managing various files stored in the large capacity HDD 2. This file management mechanism 12 backs up files that are important to the user with a small capacity HDD.
3 has a backup recording mechanism 13 for recording.

The large-capacity HDD 2 is for storing the basic software, various application programs, data created by the user, etc. as files. A directory file 21 for managing various files stored in the large capacity HDD 2 is placed in the large capacity HDD 2.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the directory structure of the directory file 21. In this embodiment, all the files under the directory home (/ home) in FIG. 2 are defined as important to the user (there is a need for backup recording). This definition is
It is made on a special file (hereinafter referred to as a definition file) 22 stored in the large capacity HDD 2. The definition file 22 is usrimp in the example of FIG.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a compact small capacity HDD
Reference numeral 3 is for backing up and recording files important to the user. This small, small capacity HDD 3
It has a so-called "HDD pack" structure, and is detachably mounted in the apparatus housing 10, as indicated by reference numeral 301 in FIG.

Next, the operation of the configuration of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Now, for CPU1, OS
11 has been built, and the workstation in FIG.
It is assumed that the system operation according to S11 is possible. In this state, the user operates the workstation to load the application program specified by the user from the large-capacity HDD 3 into the main memory of the CPU 1 according to the OS 11, and the application program is loaded into the CPU.
It is supposed to be executed in 1.

In this state, the user creates the desired data (file) by using the function of the application program being executed while having a conversation with the workstation through the screen or the like.

It is assumed that the creation of the file is completed, and the file write request is issued to the file management mechanism 12 of the OS 11 by the application program execution operation of the CPU 1 according to the user's instruction operation (step S1).

Then, the file management mechanism 12 (the backup recording mechanism 13 therein) checks the directory of the requested file (step S2). At the same time, the file management mechanism 12 (internal backup recording mechanism 13) needs to perform backup recording by referring to the definition file 22 (file indicated by usrimp in FIG. 2 in this embodiment) in the large capacity HDD 2. Read the directory that defines the file that is important to the user (step S
3).

Next, the file management mechanism 12 (the backup recording mechanism 13 therein) refers to the directory file 21, and the directory (the file indicated by) obtained in step S2 is the directory read in step S3 (in this embodiment, the directory). , (Home in FIG. 2) or not (step S4).

Definition file 22 (usripm)
Directory defined in (here / home)
If it is a write request for a file below, the file management mechanism 12 (the backup recording mechanism 13 therein)
Regards the file as an important file for the user, and the small and small capacity HDD 3 and the large capacity HDD 2
Double writing for recording in both (step S5,
S6).

On the other hand, for example, as shown in the file under / temp in FIG. 2, the definition file 22 (usr
directory defined in imp) (/ home)
If the write request is for a file that is not under, the file management mechanism 12 (the backup recording mechanism 13 therein)
Records the file as a non-important file and records it only in the large-capacity HDD 2 (step S6).

By the above operation, the files important to the user are doubly recorded in (the storage medium of) the large capacity HDD 2 and the small size small capacity HDD 3 as indicated by reference numerals 201 and 202 in FIG. The other files are recorded only in the large-capacity HDD 2 as indicated by reference numeral 203 in FIG.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the files under the directory defined (designated) in the definition file 22 are regarded as important files for the user, and the large capacity HDD 2 and the small size small capacity HDD 3 , And files under the other directories are recorded only in the large-capacity HDD 2.

That is, according to this embodiment, a directory common to files important to the user is defined as the definition file 22.
All files under that directory are large HDD2 and small small H.
Automatically recorded in DD3.

Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the user does not have to perform an operation for double writing each time a file is written, and the safety of data can be improved without bothering the user at all times. Further, in order to reduce the burden on the user, it is not necessary to duplicate the large-capacity HDD and double-write all the files as in the conventional case, so that it is possible to prevent cost increase.

Now, in this embodiment, the small and small capacity HDD 3 is used.
Whether or not the data recorded in (1) is normal is checked by the CPU 1, for example, when the system is started up (when the power is turned on).

Here, when a defect of the small-sized small-capacity HDD 3 is found, a message to that effect is displayed on the screen, for example, and it is requested to replace the small-sized small-capacity HDD 3 with a normal one. The small-sized small-capacity HDD 3 is removable due to the "HDD pack" structure, and therefore can be easily replaced with a normal small-sized small-capacity HDD 3.

When the CPU 1 completes the replacement with the normal small-sized small-capacity HDD 3, the large-capacity HDD 2 replaces the file indicated by reference numeral 202 in FIG. Batch copy and then start actual use.

Further, since the small-sized small-capacity HDD 3 is detachable as described above, it can be used as a data exchange medium with another workstation or personal computer. In the above embodiment, the definition file 22 describing the directory to which the target file belongs is used to define (designate) a file (file to be backed up and recorded) important to the user. It is also possible to use information indicating a file type common to the files to be added to, for example, the header of the file.

It is also possible to use another external storage device in place of the HDDs 2 and 3. In particular, by using a memory card in which a non-volatile memory is mounted instead of the HDD 3, it becomes easier to use as a data exchange medium.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the invention is applied to the workstation has been described, but the invention is not limited to this, and the invention can be applied to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer.

[0042]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
In addition to the first external storage device normally prepared in the information processing device, a second external storage device having a smaller capacity than the first external storage device is provided, and file writing is requested to the file management mechanism. In this case, the type of the target file is checked in the backup recording means, and if the file is of a predetermined type, the first file is selected.
Is stored in both the external storage device and the second external storage device, and if the file is not a predetermined type, the file is stored only in the first external storage device, which is important for the user. Files (data) can be automatically backed up and recorded in a small-capacity second external storage device to ensure data safety.
It is possible to reduce the burden on the user and prevent the cost from increasing.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to identify the file (type) which is important to the user, the directory of the file is used, and only the files under the predefined (set) directory are used as the second. By performing backup recording on the external storage device, it is possible to back up only the target file without requiring any special designation operation by the user.

According to the present invention, the backup data can be easily exchanged by using the small-sized and small-capacity external storage device detachably mounted on the main body of the device as the second external storage device. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a directory structure shown by a directory file 21 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing that the small-sized small-capacity HDD 3 in FIG. 1 is removably mounted on the apparatus housing 10.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation at the time of writing a file in the embodiment.

5 is a diagram showing a large capacity HDD 2 and a small capacity H after a file is written according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4;
The figure which shows the file structure in DD3.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... CPU, 2 ... Large capacity HDD (first external storage device), 3 ... Small small capacity HDD (second external storage device),
10 ... Device housing, 11 ... OS (operating system), 12 ... File management mechanism, 13 ... Backup recording mechanism, 21 ... Directory file, 22 ... Definition file.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a first external storage device in which basic software, various application programs, etc. are managed and stored as files, and a file management mechanism for managing each file. A second external storage device having a smaller capacity than the first external storage device for backing up a file of a specified type, and a file write request to the file management mechanism. The type of file is checked, and if the file is of the predetermined type, the file is stored in both the first external storage device and the second external storage device, and the file of the predetermined type is stored. If it is not a file, a backup recording means for storing the file only in the first external storage device is provided. The information processing apparatus according to claim. 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a first external storage device in which basic software, various application programs, etc. are managed and stored as files, and a file management mechanism for managing each file by a directory. A second external storage device having a smaller capacity than the first external storage device for backing up files under a predetermined directory and a file write request to the file management mechanism. , Whether or not the target file is under the predetermined directory, and if the file is under the predetermined directory, the file is stored in the first external storage device and the second external storage device. Stored in both external storage devices and stored under the predetermined directory. If not, the information processing apparatus characterized by comprising a backup recording means for storing the file only to the first external storage device. 3. An information processing apparatus comprising: a first external storage device in which basic software, various application programs, etc. are respectively managed and stored as files, and a file management mechanism for managing each file by a directory, Defining means for defining a directory of files to be backed up, and a second external storage device having a smaller capacity than the first external storage device for backing up files under the directory defined by the defining means When a file write request is made to the file management mechanism, it is checked whether the target file is under the directory defined by the defining means, and the file under the defined directory is checked. If so, copy the file to the first external storage device or And a backup recording unit that saves the file in both the second external storage device and saves the file only in the first external storage device if the file is not under the defined directory. A characteristic information processing device. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second external storage device is detachably provided.