Storing plural data records on tape in an entity with an index entry common to those records
First Claim
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1. A data storage method for storing user data organized into a plurality of records and associated information on a sequentially-accessible data storage medium, comprising the steps of:
- writing the data to said medium in groups independently of said organization of the records, said groups forming a sequence of groups on said medium and each group having an associated index;
writing cumulative information to the medium for each of said groups such that the cumulative information is indicative of the contents of all of the groups up to and including the group in the sequence of groups for which the cumulative information is written;
writing specific information indicative of the individual contents of each group to at least one entry in its associated index, said specific information being usable to facilitate access to the individual contents;
forming at least one entity having a plurality of records; and
writing a single entry with specific information to at least one group index for each entity so formed, each said entry being related to a corresponding entity and substantially no entry being related to any individual record of said corresponding entity.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for storing user data organized into a plurality of data records on tape is provided. User data is first accepted from a host computer. The user data is then organized into data groups independent of the record structure. Records are then assigned to data entities where each data entity has at least one data record. A group index is formed to which information pertaining to the records and/or entities contained within the group is written. Data is then stored on the tape in groups along with each associated group index.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A data storage method for storing user data organized into a plurality of records and associated information on a sequentially-accessible data storage medium, comprising the steps of:
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writing the data to said medium in groups independently of said organization of the records, said groups forming a sequence of groups on said medium and each group having an associated index; writing cumulative information to the medium for each of said groups such that the cumulative information is indicative of the contents of all of the groups up to and including the group in the sequence of groups for which the cumulative information is written; writing specific information indicative of the individual contents of each group to at least one entry in its associated index, said specific information being usable to facilitate access to the individual contents; forming at least one entity having a plurality of records; and writing a single entry with specific information to at least one group index for each entity so formed, each said entry being related to a corresponding entity and substantially no entry being related to any individual record of said corresponding entity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for storing user data organized into a plurality of records on a storage means and for retrieving the user data therefrom, comprising:
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a first processing means configured for writing the data to a sequentially-accessible data storage medium in groups independently of said organization of the records, said groups forming a sequence of groups on said medium and each group having an associated index; and a second processing means configured for writing cumulative information to the medium for each of said groups such that the cumulative information is indicative of the contents of all of the groups up to and including the group in the sequence of groups for which the cumulative information is written; a third processing means configured for writing specific information indicative of the individual contents of each group to at least one entry in that group'"'"'s associated index, said specific information being usable to facilitate access to the individual contents, at least one said entry having said specific information corresponding to a plurality of records defining an entity, and substantially no entry being related to any individual record of said corresponding entity. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A data storage system, comprising:
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a group processor for organizing data records into groups of data records, said groups forming a sequence of groups, and for each group, (i) assembling cumulative information indicative of the contents of all of the groups up to and including the group in the sequence of groups for which the cumulative information is assembled, and (2) creating an associated index for each group, each index having at least one index entry indicative of the individual contents of said group associated therewith and which is common to at least a plurality of said data records within said group such that said plurality of data records have a single index entry and none of said plurality of data records have a corresponding individual entry; and a recording device coupled to said group processor for writing said groups of data records, associated indices, and said cumulative information to a sequentially-accessible data storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification