STORAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090210464A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHIANG-LIN, YI-TA
• Application Number:
  US12/257,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210464A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1044 Space efficiency improvement

Abstract

A storage management system includes a storage unit with first and second partitions with consecutive physical addresses. The control unit manages the storage unit and has a measurement unit, arrangement unit, and reallocation unit. The arrangement unit arranges currently stored files in the two partitions. The measurement unit measures the file, the free space of the two partitions, a difference between the file size and the free space of the second partition, and determines whether the free space of the second partition is sufficient to store the file. The reallocation unit shares the free space from the first partition to the second partition.

Claims

1. A storage management system, comprising:

a storage unit having a first partition and a second partition with consecutive physical addresses and configured for storing a new file; and

a control unit configured for managing the storage unit and comprising;

a measurement unit configured for measuring size of the new file to be stored and free space of the first and the second partitions respectively, a difference between the new file and the free space of the second partition, and determining whether the free space of the second partition is sufficient to store the new file;

an arrangement unit configured for arranging currently stored files in the first and second partitions; and

a reallocation unit configured for sharing the free space of the first partition with the second partition to store the file.

2. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the storage unit further comprises a partition table recording the number, sizes, and physical addresses of the currently stored files in the partitions.

3. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the first partition comprises a parameter block, a file allocation table, a partition list, and a storage area, and the second partition comprises a parameter block, a file allocation table, a partition list, and a storage area.

4. The storage management system of claim 3, wherein a first partition information table comprises the parameter block, the file allocation table, the partition list, and the second partition information table comprises the parameter block, the file allocation table, the partition list.

5. The storage management system of claim 4, further comprising a buffer configured for temporarily storing logical addresses of the first and second partitions according to the first and the second partition information tables;

the control unit further comprising a buffering unit configured for utilizing the buffer.

6. The storage management system of claim 5, wherein the control unit further comprises an association unit configured for establishing an association between the physical addresses and the logical addresses of the stored files according to the first and second partition information tables.

7. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises an encoding unit configured for setting a password to encode the new file of the second partition.

8. A method of storage management, wherein a storage unit is provided and comprises a first partition and a second partition with consecutive physical addresses, the method comprising:

arranging files currently stored in the first partition and the second partition;

measuring a size of a new file to be stored and free space of the second partition;

determining whether the free space of the second partition is sufficient to store the new file;

if not, measuring a difference between the free space of the second partition and the size of the file;

measuring free space of the first partition to determine whether the free space of the first partition exceeds the difference;

if so, sharing a size of the difference from the first partition with the second partition; and

storing the file into the second partition.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of storing the file to the storage unit if the free space of the second partition exceeds the size of the file to be stored.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of issuing an error message if the free space of the first partition is less than the difference between the free space of the second partition and the size of the file to be stored.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first partition comprises a first partition information table, and the second partition comprises a second partition information table.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of updating the first and the second partition information tables after storage of the new file.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of temporarily storing logical addresses of the currently stored files in a buffer after update of the first and second partition information tables.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of establishing an association between the physical addresses and the logical addresses of the stored files according to the first and second partition information tables.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising setting a password to encode the new file in the second partition after association.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising, if the stored file is deleted from the second partition;

temporarily storing logical addresses of the currently stored file in the buffer; and

sharing the difference from the second partition with the first partition.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising a step of updating the first and the second partition information tables after share.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a step of associating the logical addresses of the currently stored files according to the first and second partition information tables after update.