Virtual storage system and method
First Claim
1. Apparatus for the storage of digital data organized into records comprising:
- host interface means for receiving data from a host computer;
cache means connected to said host interface means for temporary storage of said data;
storage device interface means for connecting said cache means to one or more memory storage devices of one or more classes of storage devices for comparatively long-term storage of said data; and
controller means including address recall means, for;
(a) determining where said data is to be stored on said storage devices;
(b) controlling flow of said data from said host interface means through said cache means and said storage device interface means onto said storage devices; and
(c) storing the addresses at which said data has been stored on said storage devices;
whereby a given user-defined data set may be stored on a plurality of storage devices, selected from one or more classes of storage devices by said controller means.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A virtual storage system for use in conjunction with a host computer is disclosed. The system features a memory control processor external to the host computer which divides user-defined data sets into blocks of a size convenient for storage on, e.g., magnetic media and individually assigns these blocks to locations determined external to the host. In this way, the extent of a particular data file is not specified by the user; nor is empty space allocated in anticipation of future use. The virtual memory system may additionally comprise a high speed cache memory for receiving data written to the memory system at high speed from the host. Data anticipated to be the subject of future requests can be staged to the cache, so that it can be supplied to the host at high speed, thus improving system performance. Data compression and decompression may be incorporated in the storage system. Numerous data back-up and automated recovery processing operations may additionally be performed by this system without specific instruction from the host.
426 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for the storage of digital data organized into records comprising:
-
host interface means for receiving data from a host computer; cache means connected to said host interface means for temporary storage of said data; storage device interface means for connecting said cache means to one or more memory storage devices of one or more classes of storage devices for comparatively long-term storage of said data; and controller means including address recall means, for; (a) determining where said data is to be stored on said storage devices; (b) controlling flow of said data from said host interface means through said cache means and said storage device interface means onto said storage devices; and (c) storing the addresses at which said data has been stored on said storage devices; whereby a given user-defined data set may be stored on a plurality of storage devices, selected from one or more classes of storage devices by said controller means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. A data processing and storage system, comprising:
-
at least one host computer for performing arithmetic and logic operations on digital data, an extremely high speed, relatively low capacity memory means in said computer, and interface means for transmitting and receiving data from external memory means; and a virtual storage system, comprising; relatively low speed, high capacity storage devices; host interface means for receiving data from and transmitting data to said host; a high speed, relatively low capacity cache memory means connected to said host interface means; and a controller for allocating appropriate storage locations on said relatively low speed, high capacity storage devices for data received from said host and stored in said cache, for accordingly controlling the flow of data from said cache to said relatively low speed, high capacity storage devices, and for storing said storage locations. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. The method of operation of a data processing and storage system, said system comprising data processing means for outputting results of said processing for storage, and a data storage unit, said data storage unit comprising:
-
plural types of addressable storage devices for long-term storage of said data; and controller means for allocating long-term storage locations within said long-term storage devices to said data and for controlling flow of data from said data processing means to said long-term storage devices; wherein the improvement comprises performing the step of determining where and on what type of addressable data storage device(s) the data is to be stored in said controller means, exclusive of the function of said data processing unit. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A magnetic data storage system comprising means for receiving data from a host computer, means for temporary storage of said data, means for allocating locations on long-term storage media for said data, and for controlling flow of said data through said system, memory means for recall of said locations for long-term storage of said data, and means for periodically duplicating data stored in a first long-term storage location by copying it to a second long-term storage means, wherein said means for duplicating data is controlled such that said copying step is performed with respect to only that data which has been operated upon in the interim since the last preceding copying step, as indicated by said memory means for recall.
-
21. A data storage and recall system, comprising means for receiving data from means for processing data, means for long-term storage of said data, means for temporary storage of said data, means for allocating locations on long-term storage media for said data, means for controlling flow of said data through said system, memory means for recall of said locations for long-term storage of said data, and means for outputting said data upon instruction.
-
22. A data storage system for connection to a host computer, said host computer being adapted to indicate to said storage system that a particular data access request is one of a sequence of such requests to be directed to a particular user data set during execution of a particular user program, wherein said data storage system comprises:
long-term, lower speed data storage means and shorter term, higher speed data storage means, where upon receipt from said host computer by said data storage system of a first data access command request directed to a portion of a user data set, said data storage system transfers a larger portion of said user data set than that requested from said large capacity, slower speed memory means into said smaller capacity, higher speed memory means in anticipation of further host access requests directed to said user data set. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
24. Method of operation of a data processing and storage system comprising a host computer system and a data storage system, said data storage system comprising:
-
long-term magnetic storage media of relatively high capacity and relatively low speed, and short-term semi-conductor memory means of relatively low capacity and relatively high speed, wherein said host indicates to said storage system that a particular data access request is one of a series of access requests directed to a particular user-defined data set in execution of a user program, wherein said data storage system comprises processor means for responding to said indication by transferring portions of said user defined data set not called for by said host from said large capacity, slow speed magnetic storage means to said low capacity, high speed semi-conductor memory means in anticipation of further requests directed to said data set by said host in execution of said program. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
-
26. A data storage subsystem for connection to a host computer by way of a channel comprising:
-
magnetic disk data storage means; magnetic tape data storage means; solid-state cache data storage means; data bus means for transmission of data from said channel to said disk means, from said disk means to said cache means and from said cache means to said tape means; and controller means for directing the flow of data along said data bus means connecting said cache means, said channel means and said tape means unit, whereby a data set can be copied from a disk memory means into said cache and thence to said tape means. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
-
-
30. In a data storage subsystem adapted to be connected to a channel interfacing a host computer system with a data storage subsystem, the improvement which comprises:
said data storage subsystem comprising; controller means; disk storage means; tape storage means; and solid state cache memory means, said cache means being effectively connected to said magnetic disk storage means and to said magnetic tape storage means, said controller means controlling flow of data between said disk means and said cache means and between said cache means and said tape means, whereby upon indication that a given data set or portion of a data set should be copied to tape media for backup purposes, said data set or portion of a data set may be copied from said disk to said cache and thence to said tape.
Specification