Data storage apparatus and method allocating sets of data

• US 6,317,807 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cox, Penelope Susan, Shepherd, David Colin Charles, Dorricott, Martin Rex
• Primary Examiner(s): Yoo, Do Hyun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Namazi, Mehdi
• Application Number:
  US09/612,710
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 711/114, 711/113, 711/171-172, 711/148, 711/100, 711/153, 711/102, 714/6, 707/205
• US Class Current: 711/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A data storage apparatus has a plurality p of storage spaces for storing sets of data. Each of the spaces has: available (unused) space x₁ for storage; a number x₂ of data sets already stored; a number x₃ of channels available for transferring data to the space; and a number x₄ of times the space is scheduled to be used for reading out sets of data therefrom. An allocation factor Qp=f(ai, xi) is calculated for each space where ai are weighting factors ranking xi in order of importance. A data set is allocated to the space having the “best” (e.g. lowest) value of Qp at the time the data is to be allocated. Once allocation factors determined, then data may be allocated according to usage indices representing the ability of a space to store the data at the time of allocation.

Claims

1. Data storage apparatus comprising:

a plurality of data storage spaces for the storage of sets of data;

a plurality of resources for recording/reproducing said sets of data; and

means for transferring the sets of data to/from the data storage spaces according to usage indices indicative of the capacity of the data storage spaces to transfer data in different modes of operation of the data storage spaces, wherein

each operation allocates at least a portion of said resources for recording/reproducing said sets of data, and

a set of usage indices corresponding to a set of data storage spaces indicates at least one of a number of files stored, a number of resources available, and a number of operations assigned for said set of data storage spaces.

2. A method of transferring sets of data to/from data storage spaces of a data storage apparatus, comprising the steps of:

providing said data storage spaces;

allocating to different operations resources for recording/reproducing said sets of data; and

transferring the sets of data to and/or from the data storage spaces, according to usage indices indicative of the capacity of the resources to transfer data in different modes of operation of the data storage spaces, wherein

a set of usage indices corresponding to a set of data storage spaces indicates at least one of a number of files stored, a number of resources available, and a number of operations assigned for said set of data storage spaces.