File management method and information processing device

• US 7,555,483 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ochi, Makoto, Suto, Masato, So, Hirokazu, Inoue, Shinji, Maeda, Takuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bullock; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US10/533,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

An information processing device that reads out and records data from and on an information recording medium includes a file system controller. File system control information is constructed in a system memory within the information processing device, and the file system controller unifies and controls a plurality of information recording media which are managed by individual file systems into a single virtual file system. In addition, the file system controller manages a priority order that indicates an information recording medium to be utilized with priority if files having the same name exist. This priority order can be changed in response to a request from an application program. Thus, the processor can unify and manage the plurality of information recording media and, also, enables the application to access all of the files having the same name.

Claims

1. An information processing device in which a plurality of information recording media is simultaneously attached when said plurality of information recording media exists, wherein data stored in an information recording region is managed as a file by means of an individual file system, comprising:

a plurality of slots which are provided in the body of said information processing device to attach the respective information recording media;

a system memory which retains file system control information for recognizing individual file systems constructed in said plurality of information recording media and unifies and controls the individual file systems into a single virtual file system, wherein said file system control information includes;

(1) slot information including a priority order retained in said file system control information showing a priority for use of the plurality of information recording media and system information showing a file system in said information recording media, and

(2) open information showing information on opened files as well as flags for files having the same name;

a file system controller which refers to said slot information and said open information, and which sets said flags and accesses a file in a logical information recording region of said information recording media based on the priority order when files having the same name exist in said plurality of information media; and

an access controller which selectively accesses one of the plurality of slots and accesses an address in said information recording media designated by said file system controller, and acquires data of a file.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said file system controller initializes said slot information and open information of file system control information in said system memory where a state is initially set for said application program in a manner that said information recording media are not attached and that all of the files are not open, when said information processing device is turned on.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said file system controller sets the priority order of said slots in said slot information in advance for the respective slots when said information processing device is turned on.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said file system controller creates slot information in reference to data recorded on a management information region of said information recording media and data in a part of a data region, wherein said file system controller constructs a part of said file system control information when said information recording medium is attached to any of said plurality of slots.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

when opening a specific file from said information recording medium, said file system controller refers to said slot information included in said file system control information, accesses all of the information recording media attached to the slots in an order based on said priority order included in said file system control information, confirms whether or not a file designated by an application exists, creates open information when a designated file is initially discovered, registers a flag that indicates whether or not a file having the same name exists with file information when the file having the same name exists in another information recording medium, and creates a file handle which is related to said open information.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

when reading out data of a specific file from said information recording medium, said file system controller refers to said open information by using a file handle acquired at the time of file opening from said application, determines which slot information is to be utilized, and gives the obtained slot number to said access controller in order to read out file data required for said application from a specific information recording medium.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

when recording file data on said information recording medium, said file system controller refers to said open information by using a file handle acquired at the time of file opening from said application, determines which slot information is to be utilized, and gives the obtained slot number to said access controller in order to record file data produced by said application on a specific information recording medium, and updates the slot information of the file system control information retained by said system memory.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

when closing a specific file from said information recording medium, said file system controller refers to said open information by using a file handle acquired at the time of file opening from said application, determines a slot number that is being utilized, and gives the obtained slot number to said access controller in order to record management information in a management information region of said specific information recording medium, and initializes the open information of the file.

9. A file management method for managing data stored in respective information recording regions within a plurality of information recording media by means of a file system controller and an access controller of an information processing device, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

setting a utilization priority order for a plurality of slots to which said information recording media are attached;

creating slot information with system information in reference to data in a management information region recorded in said information recording medium and data in a part of a data region when said information recording media are attached to any of said plurality of slots, said file system controller producing a part of file system control information;

opening a specific file from an information recording medium, referring to said slot information included in said file system control information and said priority order included in said file system control information, accessing all of the information recording media attached to the slots, confirming whether or not a file that is designated by an application exists, creating open information when a designated file exists, registering a flag that indicates whether or not a file having the same name exists with said open information, and thereby, producing the rest of said file system control information, and thus constructing a unified file system where individual systems in said plurality of information recording media are unified through said file system controller;

reading out data of a specific file from said information recording medium, referring to open information of said file system control information by using a file handle acquired at the time of file opening from said application, determining which slot information is to be utilized, and giving the obtained slot number to said access controller, and thereby reading out file data required for said application from a specific information recording medium through said file system controller; and

recording file data on said information recording medium, referring to said file system control information by using a file handle acquired at the time of file opening from said application determining which slot information is to be utilized, and giving the obtained slot number to said access controller, and thereby recording file data produced by said application in a specific information recording medium, and updating slot information of said file system control information through said file system controller.

10. The file management method according to claim 9, wherein

said plurality of information recording media are all managed by the same type of file system.

11. The file management method according to claim 9, wherein

said plurality of information recording media are managed by different types of file systems.

12. The file management method according to claim 9, wherein

said file system controller uniquely specifies a file to be accessed on the basis of said priority order from among files having the same name that exist in said plurality of information recording media.

13. The file management method according to claim 9, wherein

said file system controller confirms the existence of files having the same name in said plurality of information recording media, and gives the result to said application program.

14. The file management method according to claim 9, wherein

said file system controller confirms the existence of files having the same name in said plurality of information recording media, and gives the result to said application program in response to a request from said application program at an arbitrary time point.