EP0508441A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Recording device having short data writing time
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Filing: 1992-04-10
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-04-10
Abstract
Abstract A recording device which improves a response time to write data by reporting to a host computer the completion of writing operation prior to the completion of writing redundancy data. Data writing command information from the host computer is stored in a command/status memory backed up by a power source in an array controller, and the completion of writing operation is reported to the host computer at the time of the completion of writing updated data prior to the completion of writing redundancy data. Redundancy data is written as a background process. If redundancy data could not be written due to any abnormality of the power source or the like, such redundancy data may be generated from the data in other disk units of the same redundancy group in accordance with writing command information stored in the command/status memory, thereby completing the writing of redundancy data.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshio Mitsubishi Denki K.K. Matsumoto
- 👤 Hiroshi Mitsubishi Denki K.K. Baba
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:37
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11C; G11C29/00; G11C29/70; G11C29/74; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/08; G06F11/10; G06F11/1076; G06F11/16; G06F11/20; G06F11/2015; G06F11/22; G06F2211/00; G06F2211/10; G06F2211/1002; G06F2211/109
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A recording device comprising: (a) an interface section for providing an interface with a main unit such as a host computer; (b) a recording means for recording data; (c) a redundancy providing means for providing redundancy data for recorded data; and (d) a control section for causing data to be recorded in said recording means in accordance with a data recording request from said main unit by way of said interface section, said control section adapted to report to said main unit the completion of data recording operation by way of said interface section and cause redundancy data provided by said redundancy providing means to be recorded in the recording means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
59 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 1, further including a non-volatile memory means for storing commands from said main unit and internal process states of said recording device, whereby, when any abnormality occurs in said recording device, commands from said main unit are executed according to the information stored in said non-volatile memory means or data are reconstructed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 2 wherein said non-volatile memory means is a RAM backed up by a secondary power source such as a battery.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
101 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said recording means includes a plurality of recording sections arranged in an array for recording data; said recording device further including a non-volatile memory for storing information, said control section being operable to cause recording request information from said main unit by way of said interface section to be stored in said non-volatile memory, report the completion of recording operation to said main unit by way of said interface section and cause data to be recorded in said recording means in accordance with the recording request information stored in said non-volatile memory.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
98 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said recording means includes a plurality of recording sections arranged in an array for recording data, said control section being operable to cause data to be striped and recorded in at least two of said recording sections, alter recording sections which is to record data in accordance with the number of recording sections in which striped data are already recorded and the number of recording sections rewritten at the present time and cause said redundancy providing means to provide the data thus obtained as data for generating redundancy data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
A recording device comprising: (a) a recording means having a plurality of recording sections arranged in an array for recording data; (b) a plurality of data transfer means connected to said recording sections of said recording means; and (c) a control section for, if access through one of said plurality of data transfer means to said recording means is erroneous, selecting another data transfer means thereby enabling data transfer through said another transfer means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said control section operates to select, if any one of said plurality of data transfer means is already selected and occupied, an unused transfer means, thereby enabling data transfer through said selected transfer means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
A recording device comprising: (a) recording sections for recording data; (b) alternative recording units usable in place of said recording section; and (c) a maintenance diagnosis means for diagnosing said alternative recording units to decide whether any said alternative recording unit can be used or not.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 8 further comprising a means for selecting and setting the number of said alternative recording units.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
45 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 8 wherein said alternative recording units are always held in an available condition, held in a deenergized and disabled condition except for at the time of diagnosis or replacement, or held in a combination of above two conditions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 10 wherein the conditions in which said alternative recording units are held are selectable.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 10 wherein said alternative recording units in a disabled condition are energized at the time of diagnosis and deenergized after the completion of diagnosis so as to be held in a power-off condition.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 10 wherein said alternative recording units in a disabled condition are kept energized with physical operation of said recording section normally being stopped, and, while diagnosis is executed, said recording section is operated and then is stopped again after the diagnosis is completed.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
62 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 10 further comprising an error recording means for recording error information during recording data in and reproducing data from said recording section, wherein said maintenance diagnosis means is operable to decide whether said recording section should be replaced with said alternative recording unit in accordance with the error information recorded in said error recording means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
48 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 14, wherein said recording section may be replaced with said alternative recording unit during the operation of the system and a time required for the replacement in compliance with a system request or a plurality of preferential replacement levels is set.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A recording device as claimed in Claim 14 further comprising a remote communication means whereby information about the replacement or fault information about said recording device may be communicated to an external locations such as a maintenance center.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
131 words
A recording device comprising: (a) a recording means having a plurality of recording sections arranged in an array for recording data; (b) alternative recording units usable in place of said recording sections of said recording means; (c) a control section for causing data including redundancy data to be striped and recorded in and reproduced from said recording means, and for, if a part of said recording means fails and data is reconstructed in at least one of said alternative recording units during the operation of the system, causing unreconstructed data to be reconstructed at the time access to the unreconstructed data of said faulty recording section or at the time of access to data of other recording section involved with the unreconstructed data of said faulty recording section in providing redundancy.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
94 words
An array-type recording device as claimed in Claim 17 wherein, if the access is made for the purpose of reading out data, data transfer and the completion of process are reported when the data to be read out is prepared, and a reconstruction process is performed, whereas, if said access is made for the purpose of writing data, the completion of process is reported at the time of the completion of writing data in recording sections other than said alternative recording units prior to the completion of writing data in said alternative recording units.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
74 words
An array-type recording device comprising: (a) a recording means having a plurality of recording sections arranged in an array for recording data; (b) a control section for causing data to be striped and recorded in and reproduced from said recording means; (c) alternative recording units usable in place of said recording sections of said recording means; and (d) a means for causing data having no errors to be recorded in said replacement recording sections.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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