Data control equipment, method to control data and recording...

Details Data control equipment, method to control data and recording... Data control equipment, method to control data and recording...

2000-05-18

2004-06-22

Homere, Jean R. (Department: 2177)

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

C707S793000, C711S161000, C711S162000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06754680

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to management of data recorded in recording media. More specifically, the present invention relates to a data management apparatus for recording and reproducing time-wise continuous data and its data management method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Data should be recorded and reproduced seamlessly at a high speed in systems like a video server system and nonlinear editing system where time-wise continuous analog signals like images, voices and sounds are digitized and where stream-oriented data is recorded to and reproduced from a recording medium like a hard disk. To meet these requirements, various data management apparatuses have been proposed.
Shown in
FIG. 29
is a block diagram of a data management apparatus disclosed in the Japanese patent application laid open under No.10-275058. A computer
8
that makes up this data management apparatus includes a CPU
9
, an I/O adapter
10
, a memory
5
, a PCI bus
1
as host bus, SCSI adapters
2
(k) as host adapters connected to the PCI bus
1
(in the present specification, k represents a natural number of one to four), hard disks
4
(k) as recording medium connected to SCSI buses
3
(k) of those SCSI adapters
2
(k), and a control unit
11
that controls access to the hard disks
4
(k).
Four SCSI adapters
2
(
1
) to
2
(
4
) paired with four hard disk
4
(
1
) to
4
(
4
) respectively form a group of four recording units. That is, of the four adapters and four hard disks, each pair having the same number in the parentheses form one unit.
Each SCSI adapter
2
(k) permits bus master DMA transfer. In other words, a controller
6
built in the SCSI adapter
2
(k) acquires occupancy right of the PCI bus
1
, and can transfer any data on the memory
5
to a buffer
7
built in the SCSI adapter
2
(k).
In the above arrangement, the host bus used is a PCI bus. Any other kind of data transfer bus may be used instead as long as the transfer speed requirements are met. SCSI adapters are used as host adapters. As their alternative, host adapters of any other kind may do as long as they permit bus master DMA transfer.
The I/O adapter
10
can input in the memory
5
a high bit rate stream data in fixed size blocks, and transfer the same to a specific area in the memory
5
or output data—that is already recorded in a specific area in the memory
5
—as a stream data according to instructions from the control unit
11
.
The control unit
11
comprises a recording control means
111
, a file management means
112
and reproduction control means
113
that are each constituted of software working under CPU. In another arrangement, the data required for control, especially file management information managed by the recording control means
111
, is stored in recording means, a hard disk, for example, other than the above-mentioned hard disk
4
(k).
In other words, the recording control means
111
under the control of CPU
9
allocates and records among the respective hard disks
4
a stream data continuously inputted in the memory
5
in fixed size blocks so that the data are recorded in time without fail (that is, no overflow in memory
5
is ensured). The file management means
112
arranges and manages the data recorded on the respective hard disks
4
. The reproduction control means
113
controls the data so that the data allocated in the respective hard disks
4
is read out and rebuilt one after another into a stream data and outputted to the I/O adapter
10
.
Detailed procedure of recording data by the recording control means
111
is explained.
Inputting means (not shown) included in the recording control means
111
divides a stream data inputted from I/O adapter
10
in blocks {circumflex over (
1
)}, {circumflex over (
2
)}, {circumflex over (
3
)} . . . of a fixed size and allocates the above data divided in blocks {circumflex over (
1
)}, {circumflex over (
2
)}, {circumflex over (
3
)} . . . of a fixed size to the respective hard disks
4
(k) by relating the data thereto so that a plurality of hard disks
4
(k) forming the above described recording unit group makes one logical recording space.
At the same time, writing means (not shown) included in the recording control means
111
directs the respective SCSI adapters
2
(k) to transfer the above allocated blocks {circumflex over (
1
)}, {circumflex over (
2
)}, {circumflex over (
3
)} . . . of a fixed size to the respective hard disks
4
(k). So directed, controllers
6
(k) built in the SCSI adapters
2
(k) store the above blocks {circumflex over (
1
)}, {circumflex over (
2
)}, {circumflex over (
3
)} . . . of a fixed size in the buffers
7
(k) and record data on the hard disks
4
(k) respectively.
To illustrate, as shown in
FIG. 30
, the controller
6
(
1
) records the fixed-size block {circumflex over (
1
)} on the hard disk
4
(
1
). The controller
6
(
2
) records the block {circumflex over (
2
)} of a fixed size on the hard disk
4
(
2
). And the controller
6
(
3
) records the block {circumflex over (
3
)} of a fixed size on the hard disk
4
(
3
). This way, the above blocks {circumflex over (
1
)}, {circumflex over (
2
)}, {circumflex over (
3
)} . . . of a fixed size are recorded in sequential order.
The above process alternates between the step of transferring data to a buffer
7
(k) forming a recording unit from the stream data source and the step of recording the data from the buffer
7
(k) to a hard disk
4
(k). In a plurality of recording units, the above-described steps are apparently performed simultaneously, permitting high-speed and seamless recording of data.
The file management means
112
manages a variety of pieces of information about the stream data recorded on the hard disk
4
(k) above as file management information. (Details of the file management information will be explained later.)
In case files are managed by a computer etc. in a usual manner, the file system, for example, a file allocation table (FAT), provided in the operating system used in the computer is employed. Therefore, such functions as a function of recovering broken data on the hard disk (“recovering function”), and a function of detecting defective regions on the hard disk (“defective region detecting function”) are performed by using the above-mentioned file system.
Naturally, however, it is necessary to independently design the recovering function or the defective regions detecting function in a management apparatus provided with an independent file system as described above and not with the file system adopted in the operating system.
In the file systems such as FAT, data to be recorded and file management information are stored on the same recording medium but in different regions. As a result the head has to seek frequently on the hard disk. However, since recording and reproduction of a stream data like video data has to be carried out seamlessly at a high speed the seeking of the head on the hard disk has to be minimized.
In consideration of that, it is necessary to develop a file system that records file management information on a recording medium independent from the data to be recorded. Furthermore, the file system must posses functions of recovering data and detecting defective regions.
In other words, when file management information stored in the aforesaid other recording medium is damaged due to some circumstances, the information can not be recorded or reproduced even though the stream data itself exists on the hard disk
4
. In such a case, the file management information stored on the above-mentioned data recording medium has to be repaired. In addition, in case on-going data recording is interrupted because of some trouble, a variety of pieces of information on the stream data recorded up to the point of the interruption is not normally registered as file management information on the above-mentioned other recording medium. Then, to avoid the stream data becoming invalid, it is necessary to generate file management information on the above-mentioned other recording medium.
Fu

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