Method for reorganizing additional writing format storage media volume

• US 20020141296A1
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Junichi, Tezuka, Kenichi, Mizokami, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 369/30.2
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22

Abstract

In an additional writing format optical disk library unit or the like, the processing for automatically reorganizing a volume is carried out effectively so as to intend to reuse media.

It is judged whether the number of residual blank media surfaces in a volume is small. If the number is small, media surfaces each having a low data valid rate are extracted from the volume. Valid data on the extracted media surfaces is written and added to a medium surface which is currently set as a writing target, so that data relocation is carried out. Media surfaces occupied only by invalid areas are deregistered from the volume. Further, the media surfaces deregistered from the volume are formatted. The formatted media surfaces are re-registered into the volume.

Claims

1. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume in which a plurality of media surfaces are integrated into one logical volume, and data is written into said logical volume on an additional writing format, said method comprising the steps of:

judging whether a number of residual blank media surfaces in said logical volume is smaller than a threshold value;

extracting, from said logical volume, media surfaces each having a data valid rate lower than a threshold value if said number of residual blank media surfaces is smaller than said threshold value;

adding valid data on said extracted media surfaces sequentially to a medium surface which is currently set as a writing target, to thereby carry out data relocation; and

deregistering media surfaces occupied only by invalid areas from said logical volume.

2. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

formatting said media surfaces deregistered from said logical volume; and

re-registering said formatted media surfaces into said logical volume.

3. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

said additional writing format storage media volume is an optical disk volume.

4. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

said threshold value for judging said number of residual blank media surfaces in said logical volume and said threshold value for extracting media surfaces each having a low data valid rate are inputted and set desirably from an input unit.

13. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 1 or 5, wherein:

said media surfaces are replaced by media.

5. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume in which a plurality of media surfaces are integrated into one logical volume, and data is written into said logical volume on an additional writing format, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a storage media library out of said logical volume;

reading only valid data sequentially from a head medium surface of said logical volume; and

adding said read data to a medium surface where last valid data in said logical volume is written, so as to follow an area of said last valid data on.

6. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 5, wherein:

media occupied only by invalid areas by relocation are released from management of said logical volume.

7. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 5 or 6, wherein:

when data relocation is interrupted, a medium surface address of a medium then set as a target is retained; and

when said data relocation is resumed, data is added to follow said medium surface address.

8. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 5 or 6, wherein:

when data relocation is interrupted, a medium surface address of a medium then set as a target is retained so that normal data writing is resumed from said medium surface address.

9. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to claim 5 or 6, wherein:

when normal data writing is completed, a medium surface address of a medium then set as a target is retained so that data relocation is resumed from said medium surface address.

10. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein:

one volume is constituted by groups of media in libraries belonging to different classes; and

valid data on media in one of said libraries is copied to media in another library sequentially by data relocation so that media to manage in said original library are finally removed.

11. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein:

only a group of media most of which are occupied by invalid areas is selected from said logical volume;

data relocation is carried out on said selected group of media; and

said media are released from volume management.

12. A method for reorganizing an additional writing format storage media volume according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein:

said storage media libraries are optical disk libraries storing a large number of optical disks, each of said media libraries using one volume constituted by integrating a plurality of disk surfaces.