Method to increase the life span of limited cycle read/write media

• US 7,467,274 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Neufeld, E. David, Neufeld, Judy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Sanjiv
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li; Zhuo H
• Application Number:
  US10/039,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,542 Days
• Field of Search: 711/4, 711/100, 711/5, 711102-103, 711104-105, 711165-166, 711161-162, 711109-111, 711/114, 365/185.29, 365/185.33, 707/205, 709/225
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems

Abstract

A file system technique extends the life cycle of limited read/write media. Rewrite cycles of each file and/or each region of the media may be tracked. Different regions of the media are classified as static and dynamic based on their respective number of rewrite cycles. Static files are migrated to the more worn out or dynamic regions of the media, and dynamic files are integrated to the less worn out or static regions of the media. The file system is further sensitized by allocating a new file to an available region after a most recently used region. Where multiple versions of a data region exist, the file system marks a version of the data region as unstable after a certain number of rewrite cycles to the version and directs rewrite cycles to a subsequent version of the data region.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing a life span of a read/write storage medium, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying whether a file on a read/write storage medium is a static file or a dynamic file;

migrating the file to a dynamic region of the read/write storage medium if the file is a static file; and

migrating the file to a static region of the read/write storage medium if the file is a dynamic file.

2. The method of claim 1, the identifying step comprising the step of:

counting a number of rewrite cycles of the file.

3. The method of claim 2, the identifying step comprising the step of:

comparing the number of rewrite cycles of the file to a predetermined rewrite cycle threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined rewrite cycle threshold is associated with a read/write storage medium identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined rewrite cycle threshold is associated with a drive identifier for the read/write storage medium.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined rewrite cycle threshold is based on self-testing by performing rewrite cycles to a data block of the read/write storage medium until the data block is unstable.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined rewrite cycle threshold is stored in a file allocation table.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the number of rewrite cycles of the file is stored in a file allocation table.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the read/write storage medium comprises a compact disk read/write disk.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the read/write storage medium comprises a tape drive.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the read/write storage medium comprises a floppy disk drive.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the read/write storage medium comprises an electrically erasable medium.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying whether the file is a static file or a dynamic file comprises initially identifying whether the file is a static file or a dynamic file based on a type of the file.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein identifying whether the file is a static file or a dynamic file comprises reclassifying the file, based on a number of rewrite cycles to the file, from the initial identification of a static file or a dynamic file.

22. The method of claim 3, further comprising setting the predetermined rewrite cycle threshold based on a type of the read/write storage medium.

13. A file system adapted to enhance a life span of a read/write storage medium, the system comprising:

a means for identifying whether a file on a read/write storage medium is a static file or a dynamic file;

a means for migrating the file to a dynamic region of read/write storage medium if the file is a static file; and

a means for migrating the file to a static region of the read/write storage medium if the file is a dynamic file.

14. The file system of claim 13, the means for identifying comprising:

a counter to count a number of rewrite cycles of the file.

15. The file system of claim 14, the means for identifying comprising:

a means for comparing the number of rewrite cycles of the file to a predetermined rewrite cycle threshold.

16. The file system of claim 13, the means for identifying comprising:

a means for identifying a file type of the file, wherein the file is initially identified as static or dynamic based on the file type of the file.

23. The file system of claim 16, wherein the means for identifying whether the file is a static file or dynamic file reclassifies the file, based on a number of rewrite cycles to the file, from the initial identification of a static file or a dynamic file.

17. A computer system adapted for enhancing a life span of a read/write storage medium, the system comprising:

a processor-executable file system adapted to;

identify whether a file on a read/write storage medium is a static file or a dynamic file;

migrate the file to a dynamic region of the read/write storage medium in response to identifying the file as a static file; and

migrate the file to a static region of the read/write storage medium in response to identifying the file as a dynamic file.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the file system identifies the file as a static file or dynamic file based on counting a number of rewrite cycles of the file.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the file system identifies the file as a static file or dynamic file based on comparing the number of rewrite cycles of the file to a predetermined rewrite cycle threshold.