Disk control apparatus, disk control method, remote disk control apparatus, and remote disk control method

• US 20030131163A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ishii, Atsushi, Takahashi, Hideo, Yanagisawa, Tatsuya, Kobayashi, Hidefumi, Miyazaki, Daisuke, Masuda, Hideo, Hirose, Rei
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1062 Data buffering arrangements, e.g. recording or playback buffers

Abstract

A disk control apparatus formats each track of a storage disk device in a short time. The disk control apparatus (1) has a cache memory (14) which stores a part of data, a management table (20) which indicates whether a track of the storage disk device (2) has been initialized to a predetermined track format, and control units (10, 12) which create the track format referring to the management table (20) when an input/output request is received from the host (3). The factory shipment format flag of this management table is set to “1” when factory formatting is executed, and the table is transferred to the disk. By this method, high-speed factory formatting is possible.

Claims

1. A disk control apparatus for performing input/output control of data of a storage disk device according to an input/output request from a host, comprising:

a cache memory which stores a part of the data of said storage disk device;

a management table which indicates whether a track of said storage disk device has been initialized to a predetermined track format; and

a control unit which creates said track format referring to said management table when an input/output request is received from said host.

2. The disk control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit sets a flag to indicate whether said initialization is completed in said management table according to the instruction from the outside, and performs to initialize the track format of the track of said storage disk device.

3. The disk control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit develops write data into said cache memory and writes said write data and said track format on said storage disk device, when a write request is received from said host.

4. The disk control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit creates said track format referring to said management table, and responds to said host, when a read request is received from said host.

5. The disk control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein further comprises a list table for storing a plurality of track format patterns,

and said control unit creates the track format specified by said list table referring to said management table, when an input/output request is received from said host.

6. A disk control method for controlling input/output of data of a storage disk device according to an input/output request from a host, comprising:

an initialization step of setting the information which indicates whether a track of said storage disk device has been initialized to a predetermined track format in a management table; and

an input/output control step of creating said track format referring to said management table when an input/output request is received from said host.

7. The disk control method according to claim 6, wherein said initialization step is for setting a flag to indicate whether said initialization has been completed in said management table, and initializing the track formatting of a track of said storage disk device according to an instruction from the outside.

8. The disk control method according to claim 6, wherein said control step is for developing said write data to said cache memory when a write request is received from said host, then writing said write data to said storage disk device along with said track format.

9. The disk control method according to claim 6, wherein said control step is for creating said track format referring to said management table when a read request is received from said host, and responding to said host.

10. The disk control method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of storing a plurality of track format patterns in a list table, and

said control step is for creating a track format specified by said list table referring to said management table when an input/output request is received from said host.

11. A remote disk control apparatus for controlling input/output of data of a storage disk device according to an input/output request from a host, comprising:

a cache memory which stores a part of the data of said storage disk device;

a management table which indicates whether a track of said storage disk device has been initialized to a predetermined track format;

a control unit which creates said track format referring to said management table when an input/output request is received from said host; and

a remote unit which transfers the initialization information of said management table to an another disk control apparatus of a secondary center according to a copy instruction from said host.

12. The remote disk control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said remote unit transfers the information regarding to track that has not been initialized.

13. The remote disk control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said remote unit transfers a range of said tracks that have not been initialized.

14. The remote disk control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said remote unit creates a track format for said track that has not been initialized and transfers the created track format to another disk control apparatus.

15. A remote disk control method for controlling input/output of data of a storage disk device according to an input/output request from a host, comprising:

an initialization step of setting information to indicate whether a track of said storage disk device has been initialized to a predetermined track format in a management table;

a control step of creating said track format referring to said management table when an input/output request is received from said host; and

a remote step of transferring the initialization information of said management table to an another disk control apparatus of a secondary center according to a copy instruction from said host.

16. The remote disk control method according to claim 15, wherein said remote step is for transferring the information regarding to said track that has not been initialized.

17. The remote disk control method according to claim 15, wherein said remote step is for transferring a range of said tracks that have not been initialized.

18. The remote disk control method according to claim 15, wherein said remote step is for creating a track format for said track that has not been initialized and transferring said created track format to said another disk control apparatus.