Multi-media storage system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A multi-media storage system comprising:
- (a) a storage device storing data and redundant data; and
(b) a control unit for accessing the data and redundant data stored in the storage device to provide data in response to a request;
wherein the control unit includes;
a timeout table storing a first time limit for providing data after a request;
a data generator generating data from the redundant data stored in the storage device to provide the data in response to the request, when an access to said storage device is not completed when the first time limit has passed, so that the data is provided in response to the request within a second time limit after the first time limit a data buffer area for temporarily storing data and redundant data from the storage device for accesses to the storage device; and
wherein the timeout table stores a plurality of first time limits corresponding to a plurality of users based on a size of available data buffer area so that the data buffer is not emptied before at least a portion of the data accessed from the storage device is stored in the data buffer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In case of consecutive transmission of a large amount of data such as dynamic image data, a multi-media storage system of the invention generates and transmits data stored in a faulty disk drive when one of a plurality of disk drives being faulty caused by an internal calibration or an error of the disk drive and the faulty disk drive does not respond within a predetermined length of time set in a timeout table. The multi-media storage system cancels an access to the faulty disk drive, generates data to be read from the faulty disk drive based on data stored in the other disk drives of the plurality of disk drives and the redundant data and continues to transmit data.
-
Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A multi-media storage system comprising:
-
(a) a storage device storing data and redundant data; and (b) a control unit for accessing the data and redundant data stored in the storage device to provide data in response to a request; wherein the control unit includes; a timeout table storing a first time limit for providing data after a request; a data generator generating data from the redundant data stored in the storage device to provide the data in response to the request, when an access to said storage device is not completed when the first time limit has passed, so that the data is provided in response to the request within a second time limit after the first time limit a data buffer area for temporarily storing data and redundant data from the storage device for accesses to the storage device; and
wherein the timeout table stores a plurality of first time limits corresponding to a plurality of users based on a size of available data buffer area so that the data buffer is not emptied before at least a portion of the data accessed from the storage device is stored in the data buffer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A multi-media storage system comprising:
-
(a) a plurality of data disk drives for respectively storing of multi-media data; (b) a redundant disk drive for storing redundant data of the multi-media data stored in the plurality of disk drives; and (c) a control unit, including; a plurality of ports connected to the plurality of disk drives and the redundant disk drive, for accessing the plurality of disk drives and the redundant disk drive to provide data in response to a request and at least one unused port connectable to a disk drive;
the multi-media storage system further comprising;a new disk drive storing multi-media data to be attached to the at least one unused port; and a compute means for computing new redundant data based on the redundant data stored in the redundant disk drive and the multi-media data stored in the new disk drive and storing the new redundant data in the redundant disk drive, when the new disk drive is connected to the at least one unused port. - View Dependent Claims (10)
-
-
11. A data accessing method for a multi-media storage system having a plurality of disk drives, coupled to users through a host system and having a storage device, a control unit and a data buffer, the data storing method comprising the steps of:
-
storing data and redundant data in the storage device; setting a first time limit in a timeout table in the control unit for each user; receiving a data access request from the host system for data; setting a first timer upon receiving the data access request based upon the time limit set in the timeout table; issuing a data access instruction to one of the disk drives; generating redundant data to transmit to the host system when the one disk drive does not respond within the first time limit as determined by the first timer so that the data is provided in response to the request within a second time limit after the first time limit temporarily storing data and redundant data from the storage device for accesses to the storage device in the data buffer, and wherein the timeout table stores a plurality of first time limits corresponding to a plurality of users based on a size of available data buffer area so that the data buffer is not emptied before at least a portion of the data accessed from the storage device is stored in the data buffer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
-
-
14. A data storing method for a multi-media storage system including a plurality of disk drives for respectively storing one group of multi-media data, a disk drive for storing redundant data, and a control unit connected to the plurality of the disk drives, and connected to the disk drive for storing redundant data, the data storing method comprising the step of:
-
adding a new disk drive storing a new group of multi-media data to the multi-media storage system by connecting the new disk drive to the control unit; computing new redundant data based on the redundant data stored in the disk drive for storing redundant data and the new group of multi-media data stored in the new disk drive; and storing the new redundant data in the disk drive for redundant data. - View Dependent Claims (15)
-
Specification