Security device for a mass storage

• US 20030079098A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Proidl, Adolf
• Granted Patent: US 6,907,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata

Abstract

A storage management device (5, 12) is intended for managing data storage areas (DSB) of a mass storage, such as a hard disk (5), for example. Associated data storage areas (ID1, ID2, ID3) of the mass storage are concatenated by concatenation data (VD). The storage management device (5, 12) contains backup means (12) in order to determine backup data (SD), before overwriting the concatenation data (VD) with modified concatenation data (GVD), the backup data (SD) identifying the modified concatenation data (GVD) to be stored on the mass storage. If the process of storing the modified concatenation (GVD) is unexpectedly interrupted, the storage management device (5, 12) is designed to determine valid concatenation data (VD, GVD).

Claims

1. A storage management device (5, 12) for managing storage areas (DSB, VSB) of a mass storage (9), it being possible by means of the mass storage (9) to store concatenation data (VD) in management storage areas (VSB), which define a concatenation of data storage areas (DSB), in which associated information data (ID1, ID2, ID3) can be stored by the mass storage (9), having

storage control means (8) for determining data storage areas (DSB) identified by the concatenation data (VD) as unassigned, and for determining modified concatenation data (GVD), which identify a concatenation modified by writing information data (ID) to be stored to unassigned data storage areas (DSB), and having

buffer storage means (6) for buffer storing the modified concatenation data (GVD), and having

writing means (7) for writing the information data (ID) to be stored to unassigned data storage areas (DSB) determined by the storage control means (8) and for writing all the modified concatenation data (GVD) to a first concatenation subarea (VTB1) and a to second concatenation subarea (VTB2) of the management storage area (VSB),

characterized in that

backup means (12) are provided for determining backup data (SD) identifying the modified concatenation data (GVD) to be written, and in that the writing means (7) are designed, before writing the modified concatenation data (GVD) to the first and the second concatenation subarea (VTB1, VTB2), to write the backup data (SD) to a backup subarea of the management storage area (VSB), and in that the backup means (12) are designed, following an unscheduled interruption in writing the modified concatenation data (GVD), to determine by reference to the backup data (SD) whether the concatenation data (VD) stored in the first concatenation subarea (VTB1) or in the second concatenation subarea (VTB2) form valid concatenation data (VD, GVD).

2. A storage management device (5, 12) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first and the second concatenation subarea (VTB1, VTB2) contain concatenation data (VD) of a so-called File Allocation Table (FAT32).

3. A storage management device (5, 12) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the backup means (12) are designed to determine a checksum of the modified concatenation data (GVD) as backup data (SD).

4. A storage management device (5, 12) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the writing means (7) are designed to write the backup data (SD) to a part of the first concatenation subarea (VTB1) and/or of the second concatenation subarea (VTB2) not occupied by the File Allocation Table (FAT32).

5. A storage management device (5, 12) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the backup means (12) are designed, following an unscheduled interruption in writing of the modified concatenation data (GVD), to check completion data (AD) stored in the File Allocation Table (FAT), which identify whether writing of the modified concatenation data (GVD) was validly completed before the unscheduled interruption, the backup means (12) being designed to determine the valid concatenation data (VD, GVD) stored in the concatenation subareas (VTB1, VTB2) by reference to the backup data (SD) only after an invalid completion of writing the modified concatenation data (GVD).

6. A storage management device (5, 12) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that directory data (DIR), which in each case contain a start address (AP1, AP2, AP3) for all data storage areas identified by a concatenation as belonging thereto, can be stored in the management storage areas (VSB), and in that directory data (GDIR) modified by writing in information data (ID3) to be stored can be stored by the buffer storage means (6), and in that before writing the modified directory data (GDIR) stored in the buffer storage means (6) to the management storage area (VSB), the writing means (7) copy the directory data (DIR) already stored in the management storage area (VSB) to an unassigned part of the management storage area (VSB), and in that the backup means (12), following an unscheduled interruption in writing the modified concatenation data (GVD), are designed to determine the valid directory data (DIR, GDIR) according to the result of determining the valid concatenation data (VD, GVD).

7. A storage management device (5, 12) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the storage management device (5, 12) is formed by a computer (1), which performs a storage management method.

8. A storage management method for managing storage areas (VSB, DSB) of a mass storage (9), it being possible by means of the mass storage (9) to store concatenation data (VD) in management storage areas (VSB), which define a concatenation of data storage areas (DSB), in which associated information data (ID1, ID2, ID3) can be stored on the mass storage (9), the method comprising the steps of:

determining data storage areas (DSB) identified by the concatenation data (VD) as unassigned;

determining modified concatenation data (GVD), which identify a concatenation modified by writing information data (ID3) to be stored into unassigned data storage areas (DSB);

buffer storing of the modified concatenation data (GVD);

writing the information data (ID3) to be stored to unassigned data storage areas (DSB) determined;

writing all the modified concatenation data (GVD) to a first concatenation subarea (VTB1) and to a second concatenation subarea (VTB2) of the management storage area (VSB),

the method comprising the further steps of;

determining the backup data (SD) identifying the modified concatenation data (GVD) to be written in;

writing the backup data (SD) to a backup subarea of the management storage area (VSB) before writing the modified concatenation data (GVD) to the first and the second concatenation subarea (VTB1, VTB2);

determining by reference to the backup data (SD), following an unscheduled interruption in writing the modified concatenation data (GVD), whether the concatenation data (VD) stored in the first concatenation subarea (VTB1) or in the second concatenation subarea (VTB2) form valid concatenation data (VD, GVD).

9. A storage management method as claimed in claim 8, comprising the further steps of:

writing the backup data (SD) to a part of the first concatenation subarea (VTB1) and/or of the second concatenation subarea (VTB2) not occupied by a File Allocation Table (FAT32).

10. A storage management method as claimed in claim 9, comprising the further steps of:

checking completion data (AD) stored in the File Allocation Table (FAT32) following an unscheduled interruption in writing the modified concatenation data (GVD), which completion data (AD) identify whether writing of the modified concatenation data (GVD) was validly completed before the unscheduled interruption, it being determined by reference to the backup data (SD) only after an invalid completion of writing the modified concatenation data (GVD) which of the concatenation data (VD) stored in the concatenation subareas (VTB1, VTB2) was validly stored.