Information processing apparatus and data backup method

• US 8,838,918 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ohyama, Sadayuki, Ishii, Takanori, Matsuda, Shinnosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KAUSHIKKUMAR M
• Application Number:
  US12/362,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0614 Improving the reliability of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a battery for providing the interior of the information processing apparatus with power; a volatile memory for storing data; a nonvolatile memory for backupping the data stored in the volatile memory; a controller for controlling backup of the data in accordance with a process comprising the steps of: saving the data into the nonvolatile memory; upon recovery of the power from the external power source, writing back the data into the volatile memory; and deleting the data saved in the nonvolatile memory; wherein when the power from an external power source to the information processing apparatus is stopped during deleting data in the nonvolatile memory, the controller selectively writes back deleted data from the volatile memory into the nonvolatile memory.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus operable with power from an external power source, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a volatile memory that stores data;

a nonvolatile memory to backup the data stored in the volatile memory;

a battery unit that supplies power to the information processing apparatus when the power from the external power source to the information processing apparatus is stopped, the battery unit being charged by the external power source; and

a controller that controls backup of the data in accordance with a process including;

saving the data stored in the volatile memory into the nonvolatile memory when the power from the external power source to the information processing apparatus is stopped,

writing back the data saved in the nonvolatile memory into the volatile memory upon recovery of the power from the external power source,

deleting the data saved in the nonvolatile memory after the writing back,

resaving, from the volatile memory into the nonvolatile memory, data deleted from the non-volatile memory when the controller detects that the power has again stopped while deleting the data saved in the nonvolatile memory,

receiving a notification of an amount of battery-charge from the battery unit when the writing back of the data saved in the nonvolatile memory into the volatile memory is completed after the power is recovered from the external power source,

calculating a number of data that is deleted based on the received amount of the battery-charge, and

deleting a calculated number of data from among the data saved in the nonvolatile memory after the writing back of the data.