JP5088302B2 - Data storage system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data storage system, and more particularly, to a data storage system having a function of storing data files from a plurality of users and appropriately providing the stored data files in response to requests from individual users.

  There is an ever-increasing demand for safe storage of computer-generated data files, from business data for various businesses to private data for individuals. In order to meet such demands, services for storing and storing data files from a large number of users are beginning to spread. In order to provide such a service, a data storage system that can safely store the stored data without damaging or leaking the data is indispensable.

  In a general data storage system, a hard disk device is used as a physical storage unit for data files. However, a physical storage unit such as a hard disk device always has a lifetime of the device, and the risk of loss of stored data due to a failure cannot be avoided. For this reason, usually, an operation with redundancy using a RAID system or the like is performed, and various techniques related to this have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a hard disk redundancy management device having a function of automatically saving data in a spare hard disk device when a failure occurs.

In addition, ensuring security is an important factor for realizing a safe data storage system. In terms of ensuring security, various techniques have been conventionally proposed. For example, Patent Document 2 below discloses a technique of a hard disk device with a lock function. Patent Document 3 below discloses a technique for improving security by dividing one data file and distributing and storing it in a plurality of hard disk devices connected via a network.
JP 2007-193711 A JP 2007-35136 A International Publication No. WO01 / 046808

  In recent years, carbon dioxide reduction policies to prevent global warming and energy conservation policies due to rising prices of oil resources, etc. have been promoted on a global scale, and power saving measures are becoming an urgent issue even in systems using electronic devices. is there. For this reason, energy saving measures are taken in various electronic devices including personal computers. For example, a typical personal computer that is now widely used is a standby mode (generally called a hibernation mode, a standby mode, a sleep mode, etc.) that consumes less power than a normal operation mode when the user is not using it. Specifically, a measure is taken to stop the rotation of the magnetic recording disk of the hard disk device.

  However, in the case of a data storage system having a function of storing data files from a plurality of users and appropriately providing the stored data files in response to requests from individual users, which user accesses which data file Since it is impossible to predict whether deposits and withdrawals will be made, it is difficult to apply energy saving measures by conventional general methods as they are. For this reason, in this type of data storage system, sufficient energy saving measures are not currently taken.

  Accordingly, the present invention aims to take sufficient energy saving measures in a data storage system having a function of storing data files from a plurality of users and appropriately providing the stored data files in response to requests from individual users. And

(1) According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data storage system for storing a data file deposited from a user.
A management computer that receives access from a user computer;
A management data storage unit that receives access from a management computer;
A plurality of user data storage units that are accessed from a management computer;
Composed by
Each user data storage unit has an operation mode in which data files can be written and read in response to an access from the management computer, and consumes less power than the operation mode, and in response to an instruction from the management computer The operation mode and the standby mode are independently operated for each unit based on the mode switching instruction from the management computer based on the two modes of the standby mode for maintaining the state that can be shifted to the operation mode. Can be switched,
The administrator computer
Based on the registration request given from the user computer, a user registration table for registering “information necessary for authentication” and “affiliation group” of each user is created, and this user registration table is stored in the management data storage unit. A user registration table creation section;
Based on the setting request given from the user computer, a specific user data storage unit is assigned to a group to which each user belongs, and the correspondence between each group and the user data storage unit assigned to the group is determined. An allocation table creating unit that creates an allocation table to be stored and stores the allocation table in the management data storage unit;
Based on the setting request given from the user computer, a schedule table showing the correspondence between the group to which each user belongs and the usage time zone set for the group is created, and this schedule table is stored as management data A schedule table creation unit to be stored in the unit;
An access authentication unit that authenticates that the access is a legitimate access with reference to the user registration table when accessed from a user computer;
When an instruction to deposit a file to be stored is received through regular access from a user computer, the group to which the accessing user belongs is recognized and assigned to the recognized group by referring to the allocation table. A unit selection unit for selecting the user data storage unit being
A deposit processing unit that stores a file to be stored in a predetermined storage location in the user data storage unit selected by the unit selection unit, and records the storage location in a file storage location table in the management data storage unit;
When an instruction to retrieve the specified file is received through regular access from the user computer, the storage location of the specified file is recognized by referring to the file storage location table, and the specified file is read from the storage location and accessed. An extraction processing unit provided to a user computer with
Each user data storage unit is set to the operation mode in the use time zone set for the allocation target group or a predetermined operation time zone including the use time zone, and is set to the standby mode in other time zones. A switching processing unit for giving a mode switching instruction to each user data storage unit based on the allocation table and the schedule table;
Is provided.

(2) According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first aspect described above,
The switching processing unit sets the operating time zone from the time before the start of the usage time zone to the time after the predetermined margin time to the time after the end of the usage time zone by the predetermined margin time as the start of the operating time zone. A mode switching instruction for shifting to the operation mode is given, and a mode switching instruction for shifting to the standby mode is given at the end of the operation time zone.

(3) According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first or second aspect described above,
A part or all of the user data storage unit is configured by a device that incorporates an optical or magnetic recording disk and maintains the disk in a rotating state in the operation mode and stops the disk in the standby mode. It is a thing.

(4) According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to third aspects described above,
A process in which the user registration table creation unit inputs a registration request for a predetermined user from the user computer and registers the user identification code, the access password, and the group to which the predetermined user belongs in the user registration table Is to do.

(5) According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the fourth aspect described above,
When the access authentication unit is accessed from a user computer, the user identification code and access password given from the user computer match the user identification code and access password registered in the user registration table. In this case, the access is authenticated as a legitimate access.

(6) According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the fifth aspect described above,
The unit selection unit recognizes the group to which the accessing user belongs by referring to the user registration table.

(7) According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to third aspects described above,
A process in which a user registration table creation unit inputs a registration request for a predetermined user from a user computer and registers a user identification code including a group identifier and an access password in the user registration table for the predetermined user. And
The unit selection unit recognizes the group to which the user belongs based on the group identifier included in the user identification code of the accessing user.

(8) According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to seventh aspects described above,
One or more user data storage units necessary for the allocation table creation unit to input a setting request including information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group and to secure the requested maximum used capacity for each group Is assigned to the predetermined group.

(9) According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the eighth aspect described above,
The allocation table creation unit records information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group in the allocation table,
Each time the unit selection unit selects a user data storage unit based on a deposit instruction from a user of a predetermined group, the unit selection unit has a function of accumulating and counting the total amount of stored data for the group. When the deposit instruction is given, if the accumulated total capacity exceeds the maximum use capacity when the instruction is executed, the instruction is rejected.

(10) According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the eighth or ninth aspect described above,
The allocation table creation unit allocates the same user data storage unit to a plurality of groups for each predetermined allocation capacity constituting the partial portion.

(11) According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the tenth aspect described above,
When the allocation table creation unit allocates the same user data storage unit to multiple groups, it takes into account the usage time zone set in the schedule table, giving priority to groups with longer usage time zone overlap periods. It is to be assigned.

(12) According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the tenth or eleventh aspect described above,
For each group, the allocation table creation unit sends a setting request including information on “sharable” or “unsharable” indicating whether or not to allow the user data storage unit used by itself to be shared with other groups. For the group to which the setting request including the information “unshareable” is input, a process for exclusively allocating the user data storage unit is performed.

(13) According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to twelfth aspects described above,
The schedule table creation unit performs the process of creating a schedule table by inputting a setting request that includes a usage time zone specified in units of month, day, day of the week, weekday, holiday, or start time to end time. Is.

(14) According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to thirteenth aspects described above,
When the deposit processing unit and the take-out processing unit receive access in a time zone other than the usage time zone set in the schedule table, the access is rejected.

(15) According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to thirteenth aspects described above,
When the deposit processing unit and the retrieval processing unit are accessed, and the user data storage unit to be processed is in the standby mode, the user data storage unit to be processed operates from the standby mode. Give instructions to shift to the mode, execute the file deposit or retrieval process, and after the process is completed, unless it is time to shift to the operation mode, the user data storage unit to be processed An instruction to shift from the operation mode to the standby mode is given.

(16) According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to thirteenth aspects described above,
The management computer further includes a billing processing unit that creates a billing table for recording usage fees charged to the user and stores the billing table in the management data storage unit,
This billing processing unit calculates a usage fee in response to a setting request given from each group.

(17) According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the sixteenth aspect described above,
As a setting request given by each group, whether the management computer permits sharing of the “maximum used capacity”, “usage time zone”, and the user data storage unit used by itself with other groups It has a function to accept the setting request including the information of "Shareable" or "Unshareable"
As the billing processing unit increases the “maximum usage capacity”, the higher the price, the longer the “usage time zone”, the higher the price, and “unshared” is higher than “shared”. The usage fee is calculated.

(18) According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the sixteenth or seventeenth aspect described above,
When the deposit processing unit and the retrieval processing unit are accessed, and the user data storage unit to be processed is in the standby mode, the user data storage unit to be processed operates from the standby mode. Give instructions to shift to the mode, execute the file deposit or retrieval process, and after the process is completed, unless it is time to shift to the operation mode, the user data storage unit to be processed , Has a function to give an instruction to shift from the operation mode to the standby mode,
When the charging processing unit is accessed during a time zone other than the usage time zone, the overtime surcharge is recorded in the charging table.

(19) According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the first to eighteenth aspects described above,
The management computer further includes an allocation update unit,
An allocation update process for changing the contents of the allocation table based on a predetermined algorithm, a file transfer process for transferring a file between user data storage units so as to conform to the changed allocation contents, Is to do.

(20) According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the nineteenth aspect described above,
The allocation table creation unit inputs a setting request including information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group, and performs processing for recording the information in the allocation table.
The allocation update unit reads: “There is a first user data storage unit having storage capacity X, the total allocation capacity for the first user data storage unit is Y, and there is a second user data storage unit, The first user data storage instead of the second user data storage unit when the condition that the total allocated capacity for the second user data storage unit is Z and XY ≧ Z is satisfied The contents of the allocation table are changed based on the algorithm “reallocate units”.

(21) According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the twentieth aspect described above,
When there are a plurality of candidates for the second user data storage unit that satisfy the condition, the usage time zone for the first user data storage unit and the second time are set in consideration of the usage time zone set in the schedule table. The candidate with the longest overlap period with the usage time zone for the user data storage unit is selected, and the allocation content is changed.

(22) According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the twentieth or twenty-first aspect described above,
For each group, the allocation table creation unit sends a setting request including information on “sharable” or “unsharable” indicating whether or not to allow the user data storage unit used by itself to be shared with other groups. Record the information in the allocation table,
If there is a group in which “unshareable” is recorded among the groups to which the first user data storage unit or the second user data storage unit is allocated, the allocation content is not changed. It is a thing.

(23) According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the nineteenth aspect described above,
The allocation update unit reads: “If there is a user data storage unit that satisfies the condition that the integrated value of the time when the operation mode was entered exceeds the predetermined limit time in the period from the time of introduction to the present time, The content of the allocation table is changed based on an algorithm of “reallocating another user data storage unit instead of a data storage unit”.

(24) According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the nineteenth to twenty-third aspects described above,
The allocation update unit preferentially selects and executes the file transfer process between the two user data storage units while the two user data storage units are in the standby mode.

(25) According to a 25th aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the above 1st to 24th aspects,
The management computer further includes a backup processing unit,
This backup processing unit selects a predetermined user data storage unit as a backup unit, and copies to copy part or all of the data stored in the management data storage unit to the selected backup unit Processing.

(26) According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the twenty-fifth aspect,
The backup processing unit performs the selection process using the condition “unit with short total usage time zone set for the allocation target group” as one condition for selecting a backup unit. is there.

(27) According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in the data storage system according to the twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth aspect described above,
The backup processing unit now performs the selection process using the condition that “the unit with a small integrated value of the time when the operation mode is entered during the period from the introduction to the present time” as one condition for selecting the backup unit. Is.

  The data storage system according to the present invention has a function of storing data files from a plurality of users and appropriately providing the stored data files in response to requests from individual users. In addition, since the usage time zone is set in advance for each user group and the user data storage unit for storing the data file is assigned to each user group, the user data storage unit is set for each user data storage unit. It becomes possible to set the operation mode only during the time period corresponding to the use time period, and set the other time periods to the standby mode. For this reason, it is possible to take sufficient energy saving measures. Further, when a hard disk device or the like is used as a user data storage unit, in the standby mode, the rotation of the magnetic recording disk or the like can be stopped, so that the merit of extending the life of the device itself can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiments.

<<< §1. Basic concept of the present invention >>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a specific operation mode of the data storage system 100 according to the present invention. The part surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line in the middle part of the figure is a component of the data storage system 100. This system is a system for archiving data files deposited by users. As shown in the figure, a management computer 110, a management data storage unit 120, and a plurality of user data storage units 130 (user data indicated by broken lines). A group of storage units).

  The management computer 110 is constituted by a server computer and receives access from individual user computers 11 to 16 (client computers) connected via a network, as will be described later. On the other hand, both the management data storage unit 120 and the user data storage unit 130 are storage devices that are accessed from the management computer 110. Specifically, in the embodiment shown here, the management data storage unit 120 and the user data storage unit 130 are configured by a hard disk drive device. ing. However, management data storage unit 120 stores management data to be described later, whereas user data storage unit 130 stores data files deposited from individual users.

  In the system according to the present invention, it is assumed that a plurality of user data storage units are used. In the example of FIG. 1, the user data storage unit 130 surrounded by a broken line is composed of four units. The important point here is that each user data storage unit is capable of writing and reading data files in response to access from the management computer 110, and consumes less power than this operation mode. Each unit operates in two modes, that is, a standby mode that maintains a state in which a transition to an operation mode can be made in accordance with an instruction from the management computer 110, and based on a mode switching instruction from the management computer 110. In addition, the operation mode and the standby mode can be switched independently of each other.

  For example, a general hard disk drive device has a built-in magnetic recording type disk, and while rotating this magnetic recording type disk, the magnetic recording head is moved to a predetermined position to write and read data. become. In the case of an information recording apparatus incorporating an optical recording disk, the optical recording head is moved to a predetermined position while rotating the optical disk, and data is written or read. In either case, considerable power supply is required to rotate the disk at high speed. Therefore, many recent computers are devised to save power consumption by stopping the rotation of the disk when access to the connected disk built-in storage device is unnecessary. .

  In general, when a storage device with a built-in optical or magnetic recording disk is used as the user data storage unit, control is performed to keep the built-in disk in the rotating state in the operation mode and keep the built-in disk in the stopped state in the standby mode. Is possible. Of course, in order to write or read data files in response to access from the management computer 110, it is necessary to rotate the built-in disk. The mode is changed to wait until the built-in disk is in a stable rotating state, and then writing and reading operations are performed.

  In the end, the operation mode can immediately write or read data files, and thus has an advantage of high responsiveness but has a disadvantage of high power consumption. On the other hand, the standby mode cannot write or read data files immediately, and thus has a disadvantage of low responsiveness but has an advantage of low power consumption. Therefore, in the case of a hard disk device dedicated to a computer used by an individual user such as a personal computer, it is necessary to switch to the operation mode, the standby mode, or the user as appropriate according to the usage mode of the user. It is enough.

  However, in the case of the data storage system 100 having a function of storing data files from a large number of users and appropriately providing the stored data files in response to requests from individual users as in the system shown in FIG. It is necessary to decide whether to put the data storage unit 130 in the operation mode or the standby mode by some reasonable judgment process. In particular, when developing a business that uses the data storage system 100 to deposit data files from customers for a fee, a decrease in responsiveness with respect to the loading and unloading of data files directly leads to a decrease in service to customers. Therefore, the actual situation is that the user data storage unit 130 is forced to operate in the standby mode. Under such circumstances, sufficient energy saving measures have not been taken in the conventional data storage system used in the data storage business for a fee.

  A feature of the present invention is that a sufficient energy saving measure is taken by introducing a rational determination process as to whether the user data storage unit 130 is set to the operation mode or the standby mode in such a data storage system 100. It is intended to be. The basic policy is that each user is classified into a group, a specific user data storage unit is assigned to each group, and a desired use time zone is set for each group in advance. The user data storage unit is set to the operation mode in the usage time zone set for the group to be assigned, and to the standby mode in other time zones.

  If the mode of each user data storage unit is switched based on such a basic policy, it is possible to realize energy saving by setting the standby mode in a time zone where the user does not plan to use. In addition, as long as each user loads and unloads the data file during the usage time, the user data storage unit used by the user is in the operation mode, so that sufficient responsiveness can be ensured.

  In FIG. 1, three users A1, A2 and A3 belonging to group A access management computer 110 using user computers 11, 12, and 13, respectively, and two users belonging to group B are shown. Example in which B1 and B2 access the management computer 110 using the user computers 14 and 15, respectively, and one user C1 belonging to the group C accesses the management computer 110 using the user computer 16 It is shown. Of course, in practice, it is possible to operate a data storage business using this data storage system 100 for a larger number of users and a larger number of groups. Hereinafter, a simple example shown in FIG. The configuration and operation of the system will be described.

<<< §2. Configuration and operation of data storage system according to the present invention >>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration example of the data storage system 100 shown in FIG. As described above, the system 100 includes the management computer 110, the management data storage unit 120, and a plurality of user data storage units 130. The blocks 110, 120, and 130 shown in FIG. 2 are the blocks shown in FIG. 110, 120, and 130. The user computer 10 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to any of the user computers 11 to 16 shown in FIG.

  As shown, the management computer 110 includes a user registration table creation unit 111, an allocation table creation unit 112, a schedule table creation unit 113, a switching processing unit 114, an access authentication unit 115, a unit selection unit 116, a deposit processing unit 117, A take-out processing unit 118 is provided. However, in practice, the management computer 110 is configured by a server computer that receives access from the user computer 10 via a network, and each of the above components has a dedicated program for the server computer. It can be realized by incorporating.

  On the other hand, the management data storage unit 120 has a function of storing various management data created by the management computer 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a user registration table 121, an allocation table 122, a schedule table 123, and a file storage location table 124 are stored as management data. Here, the user registration table 121 is a table created by the user registration table creation unit 111, the allocation table 122 is a table created by the allocation table creation unit 112, and the schedule table 123 is a schedule table creation unit. The file storage location table 124 is a table created by the deposit processing unit 117. In the figure, the management data storage unit 120 is shown as a single block. However, for practical purposes, the management data storage unit 120 may be configured by an aggregate of a plurality of storage devices. Absent. Of course, the plurality of storage devices may be distributed over a network.

  Further, as described in §1, the user data storage unit 130 is actually composed of four independent units (for example, hard disk drive devices), and is based on a mode switching instruction from the management computer 110. The operation mode and the standby mode can be switched independently for each unit. Here, for convenience of explanation, these four user data storage units will be referred to as S001, S002, S003, and S004.

  The user registration table creation unit 111 creates a user registration table 121 for registering “information necessary for authentication” and “affiliation group” of each user based on a registration request given from the user computer 10. It is a component that performs processing for storing the user registration table 121 in the management data storage unit 120.

  In the illustrated user registration table 121, a user identification code and an access password are registered as “information required for authentication” of each user. The user identification codes U (A1), U (A2), U (A3), and the like illustrated in FIG. 2 are codes assigned to each user indicated as “ID” in FIG. In the figure of the present application, the password for access of each user is described as “XXXXXXX” for convenience, but in practice, a unique password is set for each user.

  The allocation table creation unit 112 allocates a specific user data storage unit to a group to which each user belongs based on a setting request given from the user computer 10, and each group and user data allocated to the group This is a constituent element that creates an allocation table 122 indicating a correspondence relationship with the storage unit and stores the allocation table 122 in the management data storage unit 120.

  For example, according to the allocation table 122 shown in the figure, the unit S001 is allocated to the group A, the units S002 and S003 are allocated to the group B, and the unit S004 is allocated to the group C. This is because a data file deposited from a user belonging to group A is stored in unit S001, a data file deposited from a user belonging to group B is stored in unit S002 or S003, and deposited from a user belonging to group C. The data file is stored in the unit S004. Details of the allocation process by the allocation table creation unit 112 will be described in §3.

  Based on the setting request given from the user computer 10, the schedule table creation unit 113 creates a schedule table 123 indicating the correspondence between the group to which each user belongs and the usage time zone set for the group. The schedule table 123 is a component that performs processing for storing the schedule table 123 in the management data storage unit 120.

  In the illustrated example, a usage time zone of “5th, 15th, 25th of every month” is set for group A, a usage time zone of “weekdays 23: 00 to 23:30” is set for group B, and group C The use time zone of “Saturday, Sunday, holiday” is set for. As will be described later, such setting of the usage time zone is performed based on a setting request from the manager of each group. These use time zones are the time zones self-declared for each group, and indicate the time zones in which the data storage system is scheduled to be deposited and retrieved. In principle, it is assumed that each user deposits and retrieves data files during the usage time zone set for the group to which the user belongs (uses other than the usage time zone will be described later).

  The switching processing unit 114 is a central component for achieving the object of the present invention “to take sufficient energy saving measures”, and from the operation mode to the standby mode for each of the user data storage units S001 to S004. And a function for giving a switching instruction from the standby mode to the operation mode. Based on these instructions, the user data storage units S001 to S004 each shift to a separately designated mode.

  Here, the switching processing unit 114 refers to the allocation table 122 and the schedule table 123, so that the user data storage units S001 to S004 enter the operation mode in the usage time period set for the group to be allocated, respectively. Processing to give a switching instruction is performed so that the standby mode is set in a time zone other than.

  For example, in the illustrated example, the switching instruction for the user data storage unit S001 is made based on the following processing. First, referring to the allocation table 122, it can be recognized that the group to be allocated to the unit S001 is the group A. Therefore, when the use time zone of group A is referred to using the schedule table 123, it can be recognized that it is “5th, 15th, 25th of every month”. Therefore, the switching processing unit 114 performs a process of giving a switching instruction to the unit S001 so that “5th, 15th, 25th of every month” is in the operation mode and the standby mode is set in other time zones. .

  Specifically, a switching instruction to shift to the operation mode is given at midnight on the 5th of every month, a switching instruction to shift to the standby mode is given at 0:00 on the 6th of every month, and the morning of the 15th of every month At 0 o'clock, a switching instruction to shift to the operation mode is given, and at midnight of the 16th of every month, a switching instruction to shift to the standby mode is given, and at 25 o'clock on the 25th of every month, to switch to the operation mode A switching instruction is given, and a switching instruction to shift to the standby mode is given at midnight on the 26th of every month.

  Similarly, the switching instruction for the user data storage units S002 and S003 is made based on the following processing. First, referring to the allocation table 122, it can be recognized that the group to be allocated to the units S002 and S003 is the group B. Thus, referring to the use time zone of group B using the schedule table 123, it can be recognized that “weekdays 23: 00 to 23:30”. Therefore, the switching processing unit 114 performs a process of giving a switching instruction to the units S002 and S003 so that “weekdays 23: 00 to 23:30” are in the operation mode and the other time zones are in the standby mode. Do. Specifically, a switching instruction to shift to the operation mode is given at 23:00 on weekdays, and a switching instruction to shift to the standby mode is given at 23:30 on weekdays. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, the standby mode is maintained throughout the day.

  The switching instruction for the user data storage unit S004 is made based on the following processing. First, referring to the allocation table 122, it can be recognized that the group to be allocated to the unit S004 is the group C. Therefore, referring to the use time zone of group C using the schedule table 123, it can be recognized that “Saturday, Sunday, holiday”. Therefore, the switching processing unit 114 performs a process of giving a switching instruction to the unit S004 so that “Saturday, Sunday, holiday” is the operation mode and the standby mode is set in other time zones. Specifically, if the weekend is a non-consecutive weekend, give a switching instruction to shift to the operation mode at midnight on Saturday, and give a switching instruction to shift to the standby mode at midnight on Monday. You should give it.

  As described above, the user data storage units S001 to S004 are in the standby mode except for the usage time zone set for the allocation target group by the operation of the switching processing unit 114, and therefore, the present invention “takes energy saving measures”. The purpose of is achieved.

  Next, the function of the access authentication unit 115 will be described. The access authentication unit 115 performs a function of authenticating that the access is a legitimate access by referring to the user registration table 121 when accessed from the user computer 10. In the case of the example shown here, the user computer 10 is required to input a user identification code and an access password when accessing the management computer 110. When the access authentication unit 115 is accessed from the user computer 10, the user identification code and access password given from the user computer 10 are registered in the user registration table 121. If the password matches, the access is authenticated as a legitimate access.

  Here, when the access authentication unit 115 authenticates that the access is authorized, the data file can be deposited or taken out. If the authentication is not authorized, a predetermined error message is returned to the user computer 10.

  If there is a regular access from the user computer 10 requesting the deposit of the file to be stored, the request is first given to the unit selection unit 116. When the unit selection unit 116 receives an instruction to deposit a file to be stored by regular access from the user computer 10 in this way, the unit selection unit 116 recognizes the group to which the user performing the access belongs and refers to the allocation table 122. Then, the user data storage unit assigned to the recognized group is selected.

  On the other hand, the deposit processing unit 117 stores the storage target file in a predetermined storage location in the user data storage unit selected by the unit selection unit 116, and stores the storage location in a file storage location table in the management data storage unit 120. The process of recording in 124 is performed.

  For example, consider a case where the user A1 shown in FIG. 1 makes an access requesting a deposit with a predetermined data file “aaa101” as a storage target file. In this case, first, the user authentication code “U (A1)” and the access password “XXXXXXX” of the user A1 are given to the access authentication unit 115. The access authentication unit 115 refers to the user registration table 121 and confirms the match between the user identification code “U (A1)” and the access password “XXXXXXX”, and authenticates the access as a regular access. Then, the deposit request is delivered to the unit selection unit 116. The unit selection unit 116 refers to the user registration table 121, recognizes that the user having the user identification code “U (A1)” belongs to “group A”, refers to the allocation table 122, A process of selecting the user data storage unit “S001” assigned to the recognized “group A” is performed. Thus, the deposit processing unit 117 stores the storage target file “aaa101” in a predetermined storage location in the unit “S001” selected by the unit selection unit 116, and stores the storage location in the file in the management data storage unit 120. Processing to record in the storage location table 124 is performed.

  The data on the first line of the file storage location table 124 shown in FIG. 2 is data recorded by such processing, and the storage location of the storage target file “aaa101” is “S001 / P01 / T13 / S43”. It shows that there is. Here, “S001” is a code indicating the user data storage unit “S001”, “P01” is the platter number of the hard disk drive device constituting this unit S001, “T13” is the track number, and “S43” is Sector number. Eventually, the storage target file “aaa101” is stored in the sector “S43” in the track “T13” in the platter “P01” in the unit “S001” (actually, the file in a more complicated format) The storage location is shown, but here a simple example as shown is shown for convenience).

  It should be noted that processing for finding and storing a specific storage target file “aaa101” in the selected user data storage unit S001 and storing the data indicating the storage location in the file storage location table 124 Since the recording process is a known technique as a data file storage process for a general hard disk drive, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, when a user belonging to group B makes a deposit request, the unit selection unit 116 sets “S002”, “S003” as user data storage units assigned to “group B”. In this case, the deposit processing unit 117 may perform processing for finding and storing the storage target file by finding a predetermined storage location in the unit S002 or S003 (for example, First, an allocation area in the unit S002 is searched, and if a storage location sufficient to store the storage target file is not found, a process for searching for an allocation area in the unit S003 may be performed.

  The file storage location table 124 shown in FIG. 2 is created by such processing by the deposit processing 117. Specifically, the files “aaa101”, “aaa102”, and “aaa103” are files stored by a deposit request by the user A1, and the files “aaa204” and “aaa205” are stored by a deposit request by the user A2. The file “aaa306” is a file stored in response to a deposit request by the user A3. Since these files are files stored in response to a request from a user belonging to group A, the storage location is unit S001. On the other hand, the storage location of the file “bbb407” stored by the request from the user B1 belonging to the group B and the file “bbb508” stored by the request from the user B2 is the unit S002. The storage location of the file “ccc609” stored in response to a request from the user C1 belonging to is unit S004. This is because the unit selection unit 116 performs selection based on the allocation table 122 illustrated.

  On the other hand, when the access from the user computer 10 is a regular access and the access is an access requesting the retrieval of the storage target file, the request is processed by the retrieval processing unit 118. That is, the extraction processing unit 118 designates a specific file by regular access from the user computer 10 and receives an instruction to extract the specified file, with reference to the file storage location table 124, the specified file. The designated file is recognized, the designated file is read from the storage location, and this is provided to the user computer 10 that has been accessed.

  For example, when there is a retrieval request specifying the file “aaa101” from the user A1, the retrieval processing unit 118 refers to the file storage location table 124 so that the storage location of the specified file “aaa101” is “S001 / P01”. / T13 / S43 ”, the designated file“ aaa101 ”stored in the sector“ S43 ”in the track“ T13 ”in the platter“ P01 ”in the unit“ S001 ”is read out, and this is read by the user. To the computer 10.

  As long as the time period during which the user accesses the deposit request and retrieval request is within the group usage time period, the user data storage unit to be processed by the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 is always in the operation mode. Since the state is switched, writing and reading operations on the unit can be performed immediately. Therefore, as long as the user uses in the usage time zone of the group to which the user belongs, there is no problem that the responsiveness decreases.

  For practical use, it is preferable to delete an unnecessary data file among the data files that have been deposited. In this case, an erasure processing unit is further provided in the management computer 110, and the data in the file storage location table 124 is deleted for the data file that has received an erasure request from the user, and the user data storage unit It is only necessary to deal with releasing the area that was the storage location of the erasure request file. Such a data file erasing process is also a well-known technique, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

<<< §3. Specific operation procedure of data storage system according to the present invention >>>
Next, a specific operation procedure of the data storage system shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When actually performing a data storage business using this system, first create a user registration table by recruiting users in groups, set a schedule table for each group, and set an allocation table for each group After these preparations are completed, the mode is switched for each user data storage unit, and the data file is taken in and out according to the request from each user. Hereinafter, these procedures will be described in order based on specific examples.

(1) Creation of User Registration Table As already described, the user registration table creation unit 111 shown in FIG. 2 inputs a registration request for a predetermined user from the user computer 10 and a user identification code for the predetermined user. And a process for registering the access password and the affiliation group in the user registration table 121.

  In the embodiment shown here, an administrator is set for each group, and user registration is performed based on a registration request from the administrator. Of course, by registering himself / herself as one user, the administrator can also transfer data files to / from this system. Here, for convenience of explanation, in the example shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the user A1 is a group A manager, the user B1 is a group B manager, and the user C1 is a group C manager.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, in practice, an administrator registration table for managing such information related to the administrator is separately provided and stored in the management data storage unit 120. Is preferred. In this administrator registration table, an administrator identification code, an access password, and a group for each administrator are registered. Items to be registered in the administrator registration table are described in, for example, a use application received from each administrator, and the staff of the operating company of this system manually operates the management data storage unit 120. Enter it.

  In FIG. 2, two arrows are drawn between the user computer 10 and the management computer 110, but the left arrow indicates an access route as an administrator, and the right arrow indicates The access route as a general user is shown. In the access route (left arrow) as an administrator, it is possible to access the constituent elements surrounded by broken lines in the figure, that is, the table creation units 111, 112, and 113. Access for making requests. On the other hand, the access path (right arrow) as a general user is an access for making a data file deposit request or retrieval request via the access authentication unit 115. When there is an access as an administrator, the administrator identification code and password are authenticated by referring to the administrator registration table described above (the administrator access authentication unit for performing the authentication is The illustration is omitted in FIG. 2).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a registration request given from the administrator of each user group to the data storage system 100 shown in FIG. The user registration table creation unit 111 creates the user registration table 121 based on such a registration request. FIG. 3 (a) is an example of a registration request given by an administrator (user A1) of group A, and user identifications for three users A1 (administrator himself) belonging to group A, A2 and A3. Contains information indicating the code and access password. Based on such a registration request, the user registration table creation unit 111 creates a table constituting the first to third rows of the user registration table 121 shown in FIG. To store.

  Similarly, FIG. 3B is an example of a registration request given by the group B administrator (user B1), and the users for the two users B1 (administrator himself) and B2 belonging to the group B are shown. It contains information indicating the identification code and access password. Based on such a registration request, the user registration table creation unit 111 creates a table constituting the fourth to fifth lines of the user registration table 121 shown in FIG. (The table of the 4th line to the 5th line is added to the existing table of the 1st line to the 3rd line).

  Further, FIG. 3C is an example of a registration request given by an administrator of group C (user C1), and a user identification code for one user C1 (administrator himself) belonging to group C. Contains information indicating the password for access. Based on such a registration request, the user registration table creation unit 111 creates a table constituting the sixth line of the user registration table 121 shown in FIG. 2, and stores this in the management data storage unit 120 (existing) The table of the 6th row is added to the table of the 1st row to the 5th row).

  As in the example of group C, the “group” in the present invention may have only one user. When a data storage service business is developed using the data storage system according to the present invention, a customer may be a corporate user or an individual user. In general, if a corporate user, group registration with all employees of the corporation as a member and group registration at each office are performed, so one group is generally composed of multiple users. . On the other hand, in the case of an individual user, as in the example of group C, there are not a few cases in which one group is constituted by one user. Of course, if a group is registered on a family basis, a group will consist of several users.

  The user registration table 121 shown in FIG. 2 is a table registered by the user registration table creation unit 111 in this way. Here, the information in the identification code and password fields is the information included in each registration request shown in FIG. 3, and the information in the group field indicates the group to which the administrator who made each registration request belongs. Information. Of course, the manager of each group can give a registration request to add a new member as appropriate, and the user registration table 121 is updated each time. In addition, if necessary, a registration request for deleting an already registered member can be given. In this case, information on a row corresponding to the member that has received the deletion instruction is deleted from the user registration table 121.

  The information in the user registration table 121 thus registered is used for authentication by the access authentication unit 115 and also for group recognition by the unit selection unit 116 as described above. That is, the unit selection unit 116 can recognize the group to which the accessing user belongs by referring to the user registration table 121. For example, when there is an access by the user identification code U (B1), it can be recognized that the access is from a user belonging to the group B by referring to the user registration table 121.

  Note that the user registration table 121 shown in FIG. 2 has three fields, an identification code field, a password field, and a group field, but the group to which the user belongs can be recognized from the user identification code itself. In this case, the group column is not necessarily provided. For example, the user registration table creation unit 111 inputs a registration request for a predetermined user from the user computer 10, and for the predetermined user, a user identification code including a group identifier and an access password are stored in the user registration table. If the processing registered in 121 is performed, the unit selection unit 116 can recognize the group to which the user belongs based on the group identifier included in the user identification code of the accessing user. In the user registration table 121, there is no need to provide a group column.

  Specifically, for example, if the symbol “A” in the user identification code “U (A1)” for the user A1 can be used as the group identifier of the user, the user identification code “U (A1)” Since the group identifier “A” is included, it can be understood from the user identification code “U (A1)” itself that the user belongs to the group “A”. Similarly, it can be understood that the user having the user identification code “U (B2)” belongs to the group “B” and the user having the user identification code “U (C1)” belongs to the group “C”. Therefore, there is no problem even if the group column is not provided in the user registration table 121 shown in FIG.

(2) Setting of Schedule Table Next, the function of the schedule table creation unit 113 will be described based on specific examples. The schedule table creation unit 113 indicates a correspondence relationship between the group and the use time zone set for the group based on a setting request given from the user computer 10 operated by the administrator of the specific group. The schedule table 123 is created, and the schedule table 123 is stored in the management data storage unit 120.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting request given from the administrator of each user group to the allocation table creation unit 112 and the schedule table creation unit 113 shown in FIG. The schedule table creation unit 113 creates the schedule table 123 based on the usage time zone information included in such a setting request. For example, FIG. 4A is an example of a setting request given from the manager of group A (user A1).

  This setting request is a request for setting various conditions when the group A uses the data archiving system, and includes information on three conditions of maximum usage capacity, usage time zone, and sharing availability. The maximum used capacity indicates the maximum data capacity that can be used for deposit by users belonging to the group A. In the illustrated example, a capacity value of 1500 GB is shown. Therefore, in the example shown here, the total capacity of the data files deposited by the three users A1, A2 and A3 is 1500 GB at the maximum. This maximum used capacity information is referred to when creating an allocation table, as will be described later.

  On the other hand, the usage time zone indicates a time zone during which a user belonging to the group A deposits or retrieves the data file. In the illustrated example, the time zone of 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month is designated. Has been. This indicates the time zone of 0:00 to 24:00 on the 5th, 0:00 to 24:00 on the 15th, and 0:00 to 24:00 on the 25th every month, and the three users A1 belonging to the group A , A2 and A3, in principle, use this data storage system during these time periods.

  The sharing availability information is information indicating whether to permit sharing of the user data storage unit used by itself with other groups. A group that is set to "Shareable" may be assigned the same user data storage unit as another group, but is set to "Cannot be shared" The same user data storage unit as other groups is not assigned to a group. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 4A, since the group A has issued a setting request “shared”, there is a possibility that the same user data storage unit as other groups may be assigned to the group A. The unit allocation according to the sharing possibility will be described in detail in §4.

  Similarly, FIG. 4B shows a setting request given from the administrator (user B1) of group B. The maximum use capacity “3000 GB”, the use time zone “weekdays 23: 00 to 23:30”, “ The condition that “cannot be shared” is set. FIG. 4C shows a setting request given by the manager (user C1) of the group C. The maximum usage capacity is “600 GB”, the usage time zone is “Saturday, Sunday, Holiday”, and “Shared”. Conditions are set.

  The schedule table creation unit 113 functions to create the schedule table 123 based on the usage time zone information in the setting request and store it in the management data storage unit 120. The content of the schedule table 123 illustrated in FIG. 2 corresponds to the use time zone in the setting request for each group shown in FIG.

  The “usage time zone” in the present invention may be set by any method as long as it can indicate a finite period on the time axis. For example, in the above example, group A is set in “date units”, and group B has a setting in which an additional condition “weekday” is imposed on the designation in “start time to end time units”. Group C performs a setting specifying “day of the week” and “holiday”. In this way, the schedule table creation unit 113 inputs the setting request including, for example, a month, a day, a day of the week, a weekday, a holiday, or a usage time zone specified in units of a start time to an end time, and sets the schedule table 123. What is necessary is just to be able to perform the process to create.

  Of course, the manager of each group can change the setting contents of the schedule table 123 by giving a new setting request to the management computer 110 as necessary. When there is a new setting request, the schedule table creation unit 113 performs a process of changing the setting contents of the schedule table 123.

(3) Setting of Allocation Table Next, the function of the allocation table creation unit 112 will be described based on specific examples. The allocation table creation unit 112 allocates a specific user data storage unit to the group based on a setting request given from the user computer 10 operated by the administrator of the specific group, and is assigned to the group and the group. An allocation table 122 indicating a correspondence relationship with the user data storage unit is created, and the function of storing the allocation table 122 in the management data storage unit 120 is achieved.

  As already described, a setting request as shown in FIG. 4 is given from the manager of each group. The allocation table creation unit 112 refers to the information on the maximum usage capacity and sharing availability in these setting requests, and performs a process of allocating a specific user data storage unit to each group. However, since the shared allocation of units will be described in detail in §4, a basic allocation process in the case where one user data storage unit is allocated to only one group will be described below.

  The basic allocation process performed by the allocation table creation unit 112 is a setting request including information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group, and is required to secure the requested maximum used capacity for each group. One or a plurality of user data storage units are assigned to the predetermined group.

  Here, for convenience of explanation, let us consider a case where the four user data storage units S001 to S004 shown in FIG. 2 are each configured by a hard disk drive device having a storage capacity of 2000 GB. In this case, one unit is allocated to a group having a maximum usage capacity of 2000 GB or less, two units are allocated to a group having a maximum usage capacity exceeding 2000 GB and 4000 GB or less, and the maximum usage capacity is 4000 GB. It is only necessary to assign three units to a group of more than 6000 GB and perform an assignment process such as.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of specific group assignment performed for each of the user data storage units S001 to S004 based on the setting request shown in FIG. In this example, the allocation table creation unit 112 first allocates one unit S001 to the group A (maximum used capacity 1500 GB) based on the setting request shown in FIG. On the basis of the setting request shown in (b), two units S002 and S003 are allocated to the group B (maximum used capacity 3000 GB), and further, on the basis of the setting request shown in FIG. One unit S004 is allocated to the maximum available capacity 600 GB).

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, since shared allocation is not performed, one user data storage unit is allocated to only one group. The hatched part in the figure is an area where the allocation is actually performed, and the remaining part is an empty area without allocation (non-allocation area).

  The contents of the allocation table 122 illustrated in FIG. 2 indicate the allocation result shown in FIG. For practical use, it is preferable to record the maximum use capacity and shareability information included in the setting request for each group together in the allocation table 122. In that case, the assignment table shown in FIG. 6 may be stored in the management data storage unit 120 instead of the assignment table 122 illustrated in FIG. With reference to the allocation table shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to immediately recognize the information about the maximum available capacity and sharing availability set for each group, along with the units allocated for each group.

(4) Unit mode switching As described above, when (1) creation of a user registration table, (2) setting of a schedule table, and (3) setting of an allocation table are completed, this data storage system is actually used. It becomes possible to operate. An object of the present invention is to promote energy saving during the operation, and the object is achieved by a mode switching instruction by the switching processing unit 114.

  Each user data storage unit S001 to S004 can immediately write a target data file when there is a deposit request from the deposit processing unit 117, and when there is a retrieval request from the retrieval processing unit 118. An operation mode in which the target data file can be read immediately, and a state in which the power consumption is lower than that in this operation mode, and when the deposit request and the retrieval request are made, the operation mode can be entered. It is possible to operate in two modes: a standby mode to be maintained (deposit requests and take-out requests given during the standby mode also serve as instructions for switching to the operation mode).

  Specifically, as already described, in the case of a user data storage unit incorporating a light or magnetic recording disk, the disk is kept in the rotating state in the operation mode, and the disk is kept in the stopped state in the standby mode. do it.

  However, the difference between the operation mode / standby mode is not necessarily limited to the difference between the disk rotation state / stop state. For example, if the unit has a function of turning on / off the main power supply based on the switching instruction from the switching processing unit 114, the main power supply is maintained in the operation mode and the main power supply is turned off in the standby mode. You may keep it in a state. In this case, in the standby mode, not only the disk is stopped, but also main functions including an electronic circuit for executing data writing and reading processing are stopped. In this standby mode, when there is a request from the management computer, only the function of switching the main power source to the ON state and shifting to the operation mode continues to work.

  The switching processing unit 114 gives a mode switching instruction to each unit based on the allocation table 122 and the schedule table 123. Specifically, as already described, each of the user data storage units S001 to S004 is in the operation mode in the usage time zone set for the allocation target group, and is in the standby mode in other time zones. A switching instruction may be given (of course, a unit that is not assigned at all may be kept in a standby mode until it is assigned). However, even when a switching instruction for shifting to the standby mode is given, if the user data storage unit is currently executing a data file write process or read process, after these processes are completed, Make transition to standby mode.

  Moreover, practically, instead of giving a mode switching instruction at the beginning and end of the use time zone set in the schedule table 123, a predetermined operation time zone including this use time zone is set, and the operation time zone It is preferable to give a mode switching instruction at the start and end. In other words, the mode switching is performed so that each user data storage unit becomes an operation mode in a predetermined operation time zone including a use time zone set for a group to be allocated, and enters a standby mode in other time zones. Just give instructions.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the use time zone and the operation time zone. As shown in the figure, the use time zone is a time zone set as a period from the start t1 to the end t2, and as already described, it is a time zone determined based on the setting request given by the manager of each group. . On the other hand, the operation time zone is a time zone set as a period from the start t3 to the end t4, and is a time zone including the use time zone. Here, the start time t3 of the operation time zone is set to a time point that is a predetermined margin time α before the start time t1 of the use time zone, and the end time t4 of the operation time zone is a predetermined time from the end time t2 of the use time zone. It is set at a time point after the margin time β.

  When performing mode switching using the operating time zone instead of the usage time zone, the switching processing unit 114 starts from the time point t3 that is a predetermined margin time α before the usage time zone start time t1 and ends the usage time zone t2. The operation time zone is set up to a time point t4 after a predetermined margin time β, and a mode switching instruction for shifting to the operation mode is given to the start time t3 of this operation time zone, and at the end t4 of the operation time zone, A mode switching instruction for shifting to the standby mode may be given.

  The margin times α and β can be set to arbitrary times that are considered appropriate in the operation of the system, and different margin times can be set for individual groups. Alternatively, for example, it is possible to set 5% of the length of the usage time zone as the margin time α and 3% of the length of the usage time zone as the margin time β. Of course, either one of α and β may be set to 0.

  As described above, the first reason for giving the mode switching instruction by setting the operating time zone including the usage time zone is to deal with the physical delay characteristics that are unavoidable for the user data storage unit. For example, in a hard disk drive or the like, even if a mode switching instruction for shifting to the operation mode is given, writing or reading is not immediately possible. When an instruction to shift to the operation mode is given, the hard disk drive device rotates the built-in disk, but a certain amount of time is required until the disk rotation is stabilized. Therefore, if the margin time α is set to a time necessary for the rotation of the disk to be stable, the rotation of the disk is in a stable state at the start t1 of the use time zone, and data writing is performed. And an environment suitable for safe reading.

  In addition, after the user makes a data write / read request, a certain amount of time is required until the data write / read process is actually completed. Therefore, in consideration of the case where the user makes a data write or read request just before the end t2 of the use time period, it is not preferable to give a mode switching instruction to shift to the standby mode at the end t2. If the margin time β is set, even if the user makes a data write / read request just before the end t2 of the usage time zone, the data write / read processing is safely performed before the transition to the standby mode. Can be completed.

  The second reason for setting the operation time zone including the use time zone and giving the mode switching instruction is to provide a slight allowance for the use time zone specified by the user and to improve the service for the user. For example, according to the setting request shown in FIG. 4 (b), for group B, a usage time zone of “weekdays 23: 00 to 23:30” is set. This usage time zone setting is convenient when data backup work is performed at the end of each day's work, but since there is only 30 minutes usage time every night, mode switching operation is not much. If done strictly, user convenience is impaired. For example, there may be a case where it is desired to finish the backup work at 22:55 because the work was completed early, or the work may be delayed and the backup work may be shifted to 23:35. In addition, when the user's clock is slightly delayed or advanced, there are cases where the user actually intends to use the watch in the correct use time zone, but actually it is in another time zone.

  If an operating time zone with a slight margin is set in the usage time zone specified by the user and a mode switching instruction is given based on this operating time zone, even in the above case, the user can enter the usage time zone. The same convenience as using it will be obtained.

(5) Data File Loading / Removal A user registered in the user registration table 121 can deposit and retrieve a desired data file by performing authentication using a user identification code and a password. That is, when there is a deposit request from the user, the unit selection unit 116 selects a unit assigned to the group to which the user belongs, and the deposit processing unit 117 selects a predetermined unit in the selected user data storage unit. The file to be stored is stored in the storage location. Information indicating the storage location is recorded in the file storage location table 124 in the management data storage unit 120. On the other hand, if there is a retrieval request from the user, the retrieval processing unit 118 refers to the file storage location table 124 to recognize the storage location of the designated file, reads the designated file from the storage location, Is provided to the user computer that has accessed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the user data storage unit is assigned to each group based on the maximum usage capacity specified in each setting request, and the deposit exceeding the maximum usage capacity is performed. It is not possible. Therefore, in practice, it is preferable to provide a mechanism for rejecting deposit instructions that exceed the maximum available capacity. In the embodiment shown here, the allocation table creation unit 112 has a function of recording information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group in the allocation table 122 (see the allocation table in FIG. 6). A check should be made so that the maximum usage capacity is not exceeded.

  Specifically, for example, each time the unit selection unit 116 selects a user data storage unit based on a deposit instruction from a user in a predetermined group, the total capacity of stored data for the group is counted and accumulated. Thus, when a new deposit instruction is given, if the accumulated total capacity exceeds the maximum available capacity when the instruction is executed, the instruction may be rejected. Of course, when the deposited data file is deleted, the accumulated value of the stored data is reduced.

  By the way, in the system according to the present invention, there is an inherent problem to be noted when there is an access for depositing and retrieving a data file from a user. This is the handling when there is an access in a time zone other than the usage time zone set in the schedule table. As described above, in principle, each user is assumed to deposit and retrieve data files during the usage time zone set for the group to which the user belongs. However, for some reason, it may be necessary to deposit and retrieve the data file in a time zone other than the set usage time zone.

  The simplest handling for such an access outside of the hours is, as a rule, a denial of access. In this case, each time the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 receive an access from the user, the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 refer to a necessary table in the management data storage unit 120 to access the access within the usage time zone of the user. The process of determining whether or not is is performed. Then, when access is received in a time zone other than the usage time zone set in the schedule table 123, processing for rejecting the access may be performed.

  In this way, if the strict operation of rejecting access outside the usage time zone is performed, each unit can be shifted to the standby mode as set in the schedule table, so that a sufficient energy saving effect can be achieved. . However, from the user's point of view, the convenience is considerably lowered.

  In order to improve the convenience for the user, it may be handled that the access other than the use time zone is accepted as it is. In other words, the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 respond to the request regardless of whether or not the access is within the usage time period when there is an access requesting the deposit or retrieval of the data file from the user. It is sufficient to execute the process.

  However, if there is an access outside the usage time zone, there is a high possibility that the unit to be processed is in the standby mode, and data cannot be written or read in the standby mode. Accordingly, when the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 are accessed, and the user data storage unit to be processed is in the standby mode, the deposit processing unit 117 and the take-out processing unit 118 perform the processing on the user data storage unit to be processed. Then, after giving instructions to shift from standby mode to operation mode, executing file deposit or retrieval processing, and after processing is complete, it will be subject to processing unless it is time to shift to operation mode What is necessary is just to perform the process which gives the instruction | indication which transfers to a standby mode from an operation mode with respect to a user data storage unit.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the use time zone of group A set in the schedule table 123 is “5th, 15th, 25th of every month”. In such a setting, suppose that the user A1 accesses the management computer 110 and gives a retrieval request to retrieve the data file “aaa101” on the 13th. In response to this request, the fetch processing unit 118 refers to the file storage location table 124 and recognizes that the storage location of the data file “aaa101” is “S001 / P01 / T13 / S43”, and sends it to the unit S001. A read instruction is given to the user. However, since the 13th is outside the usage time zone, the unit S001 is in the standby mode, and the file cannot be read as it is.

  Therefore, when a write instruction or a read instruction is given to the unit S001 during the standby mode, the given write instruction or read instruction is executed after spontaneously shifting from the standby mode to the operation mode. Make the following settings. Then, the write instruction given from the deposit processing unit 117 and the read instruction given from the take-out processing unit 118 also serve as instructions for shifting from the standby mode to the operation mode, and the switching instruction from the switching processing unit 114 is Even if it is not, the mode is automatically switched to the operation mode.

  In the case of the above example, the unit S001 voluntarily shifts from the standby mode to the operation mode upon receiving an instruction to read the data file “aaa101”, and retrieves the read data file “aaa101” and provides it to the processing unit 118 Will do. Thus, the user A1 can retrieve the desired data file “aaa101” even in a time zone other than the originally scheduled use time zone of “5th, 15th, 25th of every month”. However, as described above, when the unit S001 is in the standby mode, the reading operation is performed after the unit S001 is shifted to the operation mode. Processing cannot always be expected. From the viewpoint of the user A1, it seems that there is a time lag from when the take-out request is given until the take-out operation is actually completed. However, considering that it is a temporary use other than the use time zone, the user's understanding of the inconvenience of that degree will be obtained.

  As described above, even when the processing target unit is in the standby mode, the deposit processing unit 117 and the take-out processing unit 118 shift to the operation mode by giving a write or read instruction to the unit. The target process can be executed. However, since it is the time zone that should have been in the standby mode, it has been forced to shift to the operation mode. Therefore, after the target processing is completed, the unit should be returned to the standby mode again. . Therefore, the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 have a function of giving an instruction to return the operation mode to the standby mode to the user data storage unit to be processed after the target processing is completed. .

  In the case of the above example, when the data file “aaa101” is provided from the unit S001 to the retrieval processing unit 118, the retrieval processing unit 118 gives an instruction to return to the standby mode from the operation mode to the unit S001. Thus, the unit S001 returns to the standby mode again.

  However, if it is already time to shift to the operation mode when the target processing is completed, the switching processing unit 114 gives a mode switching instruction to shift to the operation mode. There is no need to give an instruction to return to the standby mode from the processing unit 117 or the extraction processing unit 118.

<<< §4. Shared allocation of user data storage units >>
In §3 (3) described above, the basic assignment process has been described on the assumption that one user data storage unit is assigned to only one group. However, in such basic allocation processing, as in the example shown in FIG. 5, useless areas (areas not hatched in FIG. 5) that are not allocated are generated in each unit. Therefore, it cannot be denied that the utilization efficiency of the hardware resource called the storage device is lowered. Therefore, practically, the allocation table creation unit 112 allocates the same user data storage unit to a plurality of groups for each predetermined allocation capacity constituting the partial portion as necessary. It is preferable to perform an operation that allows the user data storage unit to be shared by a plurality of groups.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, 600 GB is allocated to the unit S004 in response to a setting request from the group C. In this case, if an operation allowing shared allocation is performed, the unit S003 allocated to the group B has an unallocated area of 1000 GB, so the unallocated area of the unit S003 to the group C Can also be assigned. In this case, in the unit S003, 1000 GB of the total storage capacity 2000 GB is allocated to the group B, 600 GB is allocated to the group C, 400 GB is an unallocated area, and the unit S004 is completely free. Become. Therefore, the utilization efficiency of the user data storage unit is improved.

  However, some users may want to avoid sharing the same unit with another group. For example, if you happen to share the same unit with another group of users who frequently put data in and out, the lifetime of that unit may be shortened regardless of how often you use it. high. Therefore, a user who wants to avoid troubles that may interfere with the loading / unloading of data files will be reluctant to share with another group.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to consider such a situation on the user side, information on whether sharing is possible is included in the setting request for each group as in the example shown in FIG. This information is information indicating whether or not the user data storage unit used by itself is allowed to be shared with other groups, and the information is also recorded in the allocation table as shown in FIG. It will be.

  Eventually, the allocation table creation unit 112 includes “sharable” or “unsharable” information indicating whether or not each group is allowed to share the user data storage unit used by itself with other groups. For groups to which a setting request including “unshareable” information is given, in principle, the same user data storage unit is assigned to a plurality of groups in common, as required. In other words, a process for exclusively allocating user data storage units may be performed.

  A user who is reluctant to share with another group may set “unshareable” in the setting request for his / her group. Then, the unit assigned to the own group becomes a device dedicated to the own group and is not used by other groups.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, since the groups A and C have issued a setting request “shared”, the groups A and C can be shared and assigned to the same unit. However, since the group B issues a setting request “unshared”, the unit assigned to the group B is exclusive to the group B. Therefore, even when the operation of performing shared allocation of units is adopted, if allocation processing is performed based on each setting request shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the allocation result as shown in FIG. (The 600 GB to be allocated to the group C is insufficient in the unallocated area of the unit S001 and cannot be shared with the group B, so that it must be allocated to the unit S004 after all).

  Here, in order to show a specific example of such shared allocation, in the allocation state as shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 8, the managers of the new groups D, E, and F receive each group. Let's consider a specific allocation process when there is a setting request for. There are various policies for allocating units in response to such setting requests, but here, as an example, an example of allocating according to the policy of “perform shared allocation as much as possible when sharing is possible” is used. This will be described below.

  First, it is assumed that a setting request as shown in FIG. This setting request indicates that the maximum use capacity 300 GB is set for the group D under the condition “shared”. As described above, when a request for setting “shared” is received, the allocation table creation unit 112 searches for a unit having an unallocated capacity of 300 GB from among units already allocated to the “shared” group. Process.

  Specifically, referring to the allocation table shown in FIG. 6, the units S001 and S004 are “sharable”, and both are storage devices having a capacity of 2000 GB. It can be understood that the unit has (unallocated capacity). Therefore, the allocation table creation unit 112 performs a process of allocating any of the units S001 and S004 to the group D. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the unit S004 is assigned. As a result, in the unit S004, 600 GB is allocated to the group C, 300 GB is allocated to the group D, and the remaining 1100 GB is vacant.

  Next, suppose that a setting request as shown in FIG. This setting request indicates that the maximum use capacity 500 GB is set for the group E under the condition of “unusable”. As described above, when a setting request “unshareable” is received, the allocation table creation unit 112 may perform a process of allocating a new unit to the group. Here, 500 GB of the new unit S005 is allocated to the group E.

  Here, when the unit S005 is a storage device having a capacity of 2000 GB, the remaining 1500 GB becomes a free area. Moreover, since this 1500 GB is not allocated to other groups, the storage capacity for that is wasted as a resource, but the hardware of unit S005 becomes a device dedicated to group E, The adverse effect of shortening the lifetime due to use does not occur. Of course, if the group E subsequently performs setting correction to increase the maximum available capacity, the above-mentioned 1500 GB of free capacity can be used for the increase.

  Further, assume that a setting request as shown in FIG. This setting request indicates that the maximum use capacity 400 GB is set for the group F under the condition “shared”. In this case, the allocation table creation unit 112 searches for a unit having a free capacity of 400 GB from among units already allocated to the “shareable” group. As a result, since it can be recognized that the units S001 and S004 are candidates for assignment, processing for assigning any of them to the group F is performed. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the unit S004 is assigned. As a result, in the unit S004, 600 GB is assigned to group C, 300 GB is assigned to group D, 400 GB is assigned to group F, and the remaining 700 GB is left empty.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the allocation of the six groups A to F performed for the five units S001 to S005 through such a process. Three groups C, D, and F are commonly allocated to the unit S004. By performing such an allocation process, an allocation table 122 as shown in FIG. 10 is stored in the management data storage unit 120. Here, the tables for the groups A to C are exactly the same as the table shown in FIG. 6, and the portions of the groups D to F are newly added based on the setting request shown in FIG. . In practical use, the allocation table 122 records not only the correspondence between each unit and the group name to be allocated, but also the allocated capacity for each group. Is preferred. For example, for the unit S004 shown in FIG. 9, allocation information such as “C: 600 GB, D: 300 GB, F: 400 GB” is recorded. Furthermore, if information “total capacity: 2000 GB” is recorded, it can be immediately calculated that the unallocated capacity is 700 GB.

  Of course, since each setting request shown in FIG. 8 also includes information on the usage time zones of individual groups, the schedule table creation unit 113 stores the usage time zones for the groups D to F in the schedule table 123. Execute the process to add. That is, a usage time zone of “Sunday 12:00 to 24:00” is set for group D, a usage time zone of “Monday, Wednesday, Friday” is set for group E, and “Friday, The usage time zone “Saturday, Sunday” is set. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schedule table to which contents are added based on the setting request shown in FIG.

  The switching processing unit 114 performs a process of giving a mode switching instruction to each user data storage unit based on this schedule table. For units having a plurality of allocation target groups, Switching may be performed so that the operation mode is set in any use time zone (or a predetermined operation time zone including this use time zone) of the plurality of groups and the standby mode is set in other time zones. In other words, for a unit in which a plurality of allocation target groups exist, a time corresponding to the logical sum of each usage time period (or a predetermined operation time period including this usage time period) for the plurality of groups. Switching may be performed so that the operation mode is set to the band and the standby mode is set to other times.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, three groups C, D, and F are commonly allocated to the unit S004. Therefore, from the schedule table of FIG. 11, the use time zone or the operation time zone of each of these three groups is grasped, and the operation mode is set in the time zone corresponding to the logical sum thereof, and the standby mode is set in other time zones. It is sufficient to perform such switching. Specifically, if switching based on the logical sum of the usage time zones is performed, the time zone “Saturday, Sunday, holiday”, the time zone “Sunday 12: 00 to 24:00”, and “Friday” , Saturday, Sunday ”switching control may be performed so that the operation mode is set in the time period corresponding to the logical sum of the time periods. In this case, the time zone corresponding to the logical sum is "Friday, Saturday, Sunday, holiday" after all, so, for example, in the month where there is no holiday, the unit S004 operates at midnight on Friday. Will be switched to the standby mode at midnight on Monday.

  In this way, when a plurality of groups are shared and allocated to one unit, the unit is in an operation mode over a time period corresponding to the logical sum of the use time period or the operation time period of each group, so that it is possible to save energy. Therefore, it is preferable to share and assign the same unit to groups having similar usage time zones as much as possible. Therefore, practically, when the allocation table creation unit 112 allocates the same user data storage unit to a plurality of groups, the overlapping period of the usage time zone is greater in consideration of the usage time zone set in the schedule table. It is preferable to assign long groups preferentially.

  Actually, the above-described allocation result shown in FIG. 9 is an example in which such preferential allocation is performed. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 5, when the setting request shown in FIG. 8A for group D is given, two units S001 and S004 are candidates for shared allocation as described above. If the policy of “assigning groups with longer overlapping periods in priority” is preferentially assigned, unit S004 will be assigned preferentially. This is because the usage time zone of group A assigned to unit S001 is “5th, 15th, 25th of every month”, whereas the usage time zone of group C assigned to unit S004 is “Saturday. , Sunday, holidays ”, the possibility that the overlapping period with the usage time zone“ Sunday 12:00:00 to 24:00 ”of group D will be longer is the usage time zone of group C“ Saturday, Sunday, holiday ”. This is because it becomes higher.

  More specifically, the overlap period of the use time zone of group C and the use time zone of group D is “Sunday 12: 00 to 24:00”, and it is surely overlapped by 12 hours every week. On the other hand, the overlapping period of the usage time zone of group A and the usage time zone of group D cannot be accurately defined unless the relationship between the date and the day of the week is determined. Even if one of them is Sunday, the overlap period is only 12 hours per month. Therefore, the effect of energy saving becomes higher when one unit is shared by groups C and D than when one unit is shared by groups A and D.

  For the same reason, when the setting request shown in FIG. 8 (c) for the group F is given, the unit S004 is preferentially allocated instead of the unit S001. That is, at the time when the setting request for the group F is processed, the groups C and D are already allocated and allocated to the unit S004, and the logical sum of the usage time zones is “Saturday, Sunday, holiday”. Yes. Therefore, at this point, if the policy of “allocating a group with a longer overlapping period in the usage time period preferentially” is adopted, the unit S004 is also preferentially allocated rather than the unit S001.

  In order to actually calculate the overlap period of the usage time zone, it is necessary to define the relationship between the date and day of the week, and the date of the holiday, so practically, the time of allocation processing is the starting point. The overlap period may be calculated for a predetermined period (for example, one month) on the actual calendar, and selection may be made such that groups with longer overlap periods are preferentially assigned to the same unit.

<<< §5. Add billing function >>>
When developing a business for depositing data files from customers for a fee using the data storage system according to the present invention, it is necessary to charge each customer in the name of a usage fee or the like. Here, an embodiment to which a charging processing function is added will be described as a convenience for making such a charge.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a data storage system according to a modification of the present invention to which this accounting processing function is added. A major difference from the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that an accounting processing unit 141 is further provided in the management computer 110. The billing processing unit 141 has a function of creating a billing table 125 that records usage fees charged to the user and storing the billing table 125 in the management data storage unit 120.

  In the case of the embodiment shown here, the billing processing unit 141 has a function of automatically calculating a usage fee to be recorded in the billing table 125 in response to a setting request given from each group. The specific formula for calculating the usage fee is a matter that should be determined as appropriate when operating this system, but basically it is preferable to automatically calculate the usage fee using the following algorithm: .

  As described above, in the case of the embodiment described here, the management computer 110 sends a setting request (see FIGS. 4 and 8) including information on “maximum usage capacity”, “usage time zone”, and “sharing availability”. It has a function to accept. Therefore, the billing processing unit 141 is expensive as the “maximum usage capacity” is large, and is expensive as the “usage time zone” is long, and “unshared” is more expensive than “shared”. Thus, the usage fee may be calculated.

  This is because the larger the “maximum usage capacity”, the more hardware resources called user data storage units will be used, and the extra cost will be required. If the “usage time zone” is longer, The longer it is, the longer it takes to maintain the user data storage unit in the operation mode, and it is considered that an extra cost is required. In addition, in the setting of “unshareable”, the hardware resource of the user data storage unit is reduced. This is because efficient use is hindered, and it is considered that extra costs are required. If the usage fee is calculated using such an algorithm, the user will make a setting request that seems to be optimal for him in consideration of cost performance.

In practice, it is only necessary to provide a function of calculating the usage fee not in units of individual users but in units of individual groups, for example, automatically calculating usage fees in units of one month. An example of the fee structure is as follows.
<Basic usage fee>
300 yen / month per group However, the maximum usage capacity is up to 300 GB, and the monthly usage time is up to 10 hours.
When the maximum usage capacity exceeds 300 GB, 20 yen is added for every 100 GB.
If the cumulative value of the usage time zone for one month exceeds 10 hours, 5 yen is added every hour.
Add 200 yen if you do not allow sharing the user data storage unit that you use with other groups

  If the billing processing unit 141 is provided with a function for automatically calculating a monthly usage fee for each group based on the above fee system, the billing amount for each group is automatically calculated every month. For example, the monthly usage fee for the group A for which the setting request shown in FIG. 4 (a) is made is 300 yen (basic usage fee) +240 yen (use capacity surcharge: 20 yen × (1500 GB−300 GB) / 100) +310 yen (use time surcharge: 5 yen x (24 hours x 3-10 hours)) + 0 yen (no sharing prohibition surcharge) = 850 yen. In addition, the monthly usage fee for Group B who made the setting request shown in FIG. 4 (b) is 300 yen (basic usage fee) + 540 yen (usage capacity surcharge: if the weekday of the month is 22 days) 20 yen × (3000 GB−300 GB) / 100) +5 yen (use time extra: 5 yen × (0.5 hours × 22-10 hours)) + 200 yen (unusable extra) = 1045 yen. Similarly, the monthly usage fee for Group C, which made the setting request shown in FIG. 4 (c), is 300 yen (basic usage fee) + 60 yen, assuming that Saturday, Sunday, and holidays of the current month are 8 days. (Usage capacity surcharge: 20 yen × (600 GB-300 GB) / 100) +910 yen (utilization time surcharge: 5 yen × (24 hours × 8-10 hours)) + 0 yen (no sharing impossibility surcharge) = 1270 yen.

  Of course, various other fee systems can be set. For example, the basic number of users that can be registered as one group is determined, and when performing user registration exceeding the basic number, an additional number of people may be added. Alternatively, if the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 count the number of times data files are taken in / out for each group, it is also possible to add an extra charge according to the number of times of withdrawal / insertion.

  In §3 (5), an operation mode is described in which data files can be deposited and retrieved even when the user accesses a time zone other than the preset usage time zone. Specifically, when the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 are accessed, and the user data storage unit to be processed is in the standby mode, the user data storage unit to be processed The unit is instructed to shift from standby mode to operation mode, executes file deposit or retrieval processing, and after the processing is complete, On the other hand, an instruction to shift from the operation mode to the standby mode may be given.

  In this way, when the user requests the deposit or removal of the data file in a time zone other than the preset usage time zone, in order to respond to this, the unit that should be in the standby mode is It is necessary to transition to the operation mode temporarily. Therefore, from the viewpoint of the system operator, unscheduled power consumption is forced. Therefore, when access is received in a time zone other than the usage time zone in this way, it is preferable that the billing processing unit 141 performs a process of counting the overtime surcharge in the billing table 125.

  For example, when the deposit processing unit 117 and the retrieval processing unit 118 receive a deposit request or a retrieval request, whether or not the request is given within the usage time period by referring to the schedule table 123. If it is a time zone other than the usage time zone, a function for reporting the fact to the charging processing unit 141 may be provided. Each time the billing processing unit 141 receives such a report of overtime use, the number of times of overtime use, the capacity of files taken in and out by overtime use, and the unit temporarily moved to the operation mode due to overtime use. What is necessary is just to perform the process which records the extra charge calculated according to matters, such as time, in the billing table 125 for the group to which the user outside the hour belongs.

<<< §6. Addition update function >>>
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a modification in which an allocation update function is added to the data storage system shown in FIG. The difference from the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that an allocation update unit 142 is further provided in the management computer 110. The allocation updating unit 142 performs an allocation change process for changing the contents of the allocation table 122 based on a predetermined algorithm, and a file transfer process for transferring a file between user data storage units so as to conform to the changed allocation contents. And a function of performing

  As already described, the allocation process of the user data storage unit for each group is performed by the allocation table creation unit 112 based on the setting request given from the manager of each group. The result is stored in the management data storage unit 120 as an allocation table 122. The allocation updating unit 142 has a function of examining the contents of the allocation table 122 and changing the allocation when it is determined that a change is necessary based on a predetermined algorithm. Yes.

  As illustrated in §4, the allocation table creation unit 112 has a function of executing an allocation process as efficiently as possible when there is a setting request for a new group, and the maximum use capacity, availability of sharing, etc. If there is a setting change request from the manager of each group for the above condition, it also has a function of changing the contents of the allocation table 122 in response to the request. If such a change is repeated, the allocation result at each time point may not necessarily be efficient.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when there is a setting request from three groups A, B, and C, the assignment table creation unit 112 performs the assignment as shown in FIG. . The allocation shown in FIG. 5 is efficient as the allocation based on the setting request shown in FIG. However, suppose that there was a request from the manager of group A to reduce the maximum available capacity to 1200 GB. In this case, the allocation of the unit S001 to the group A is 1200 GB, and the remaining 800 GB is a free area. Therefore, if 600 GB for the group C assigned to the unit S004 is transferred to the 800 GB portion which is the free area of the unit S001, the unit S004 becomes completely free. Can be.

  The allocation updating unit 142 checks the contents of the allocation table 122 at a predetermined timing (for example, once a week) and determines whether more efficient allocation can be performed based on a predetermined algorithm. have. In the above example, it is determined that the allocation of 600 GB for group C should be changed from unit S004 to unit S001. Based on such a determination, the allocation updating unit 142 performs a process of changing the contents of the allocation table 122. Not only that, but also between the user data storage units so as to conform to the changed allocation contents. Perform file transfer processing to transfer files. In the case of the above example, the unit column for group C in the allocation table 122 is rewritten from S004 to S001, and an allocation area of 600 GB is secured for group C in unit S001, and the data file ( A file transfer process for transferring a maximum of 600 GB) to a new allocation area in the unit S001 is performed. This file transfer process includes a process of rewriting the storage location of the file storage location table 124.

  The following basic algorithm can be employed as an algorithm for the allocation updating unit 142 to check the contents of the allocation table 122 and determine that the allocation should be changed. First, as shown in FIG. 14, it is assumed that there is a first user data storage unit S100 (transfer destination) having a storage capacity X, and the total allocated capacity for the first user data storage unit S100 is Y. (It may be assigned to multiple groups). On the other hand, it is assumed that there is a second user data storage unit S200 (transfer source) and the total allocated capacity for this second user data storage unit S200 is Z (also assigned to a plurality of groups). Also good). In this case, if the condition of XY ≧ Z is satisfied, the first user data storage unit S100 may be reassigned instead of the second user data storage unit S200.

  In this case, a file transfer process for transferring the data file stored in the second user data storage unit S200 to the new allocation area of the first user data storage unit S100 is performed. As a result, since there is no allocation to the second user data storage unit S200, the unit S200 can be always maintained in the standby mode until a new allocation is performed, and a large energy saving effect can be obtained. become.

  In the above algorithm, when there are a plurality of candidates that should become the second user data storage unit S200 that satisfies the conditions, the first user data storage is performed in consideration of the use time zone set in the schedule table. It is preferable that the allocation content is changed by selecting a candidate having the longest overlap period between the usage time zone for the unit S100 and the usage time zone for the second user data storage unit S200. This is because, as described in §4, a higher energy saving effect can be obtained by sharing and allocating groups having similar use time zones to the same unit as much as possible.

  Further, as in the embodiments described so far, for each group, “sharable” or “unsharable” indicating whether or not the user data storage unit used by itself is allowed to be shared with other groups. When the setting request including the information is input, for example, as in the example shown in FIG. 10, information on whether sharing is possible is recorded for each group on the allocation table. When making a determination, if there is a group in which “unshareable” is recorded among the groups to which the first user data storage unit S100 or the second user data storage unit S200 is assigned, It is necessary not to change the allocation contents between the units.

  In the end, in order to perform the allocation update process based on the algorithm described above, the allocation update unit 142 may be made to periodically execute the procedure shown in FIG.

  First, in step S1, attention is paid to one of the plurality of user data storage units. For example, when there are n units, attention should be paid in order from the first unit. In step S2, it is checked whether or not the target unit can be shared. Specifically, referring to an allocation table as shown in FIG. 10, a group that is an allocation target of the target unit may be recognized, and the setting of whether or not the group can be shared may be examined. Here, when sharing is not possible, there is no room for changing the allocation of the target unit, so the process returns to step S1, and the next unit is set as the target unit.

  On the other hand, if it can be shared, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S3, and the free capacity (XY) for the target unit is calculated. Then, the process proceeds to step S4, and another unit that has a current allocated total capacity Z that is equal to or less than the free capacity (XY) of the target unit and that can be shared is extracted as a candidate. In step S5, a candidate having the longest usage time zone overlap period for the target unit is selected from the extracted candidates, and an allocation change is performed to change the allocation to the selected candidate to the allocation to the target unit.

  Finally, the process proceeds to step S6, and the processes from step S1 are repeatedly executed until the focus on all units is completed. In this way, if the above processing is executed focusing on all the units, the allocation changing process by the allocation updating unit 142 is completed.

  As described above, the example of changing the allocation from the viewpoint of energy saving has been described. However, considering that this data storage system will be operated for a long period of time, the allocation change from the viewpoint of the device life of the user data storage unit is also performed. It is preferable to do this. In general, various storage devices such as a hard disk drive device have a higher probability of failure as the usage time becomes longer. In particular, in a hard disk drive device or the like, it is known that the failure probability becomes extremely high when the cumulative time in which the operation mode is maintained after being introduced as a new product exceeds a predetermined limit time. Therefore, for practical use, if there is a unit whose accumulated time of operation mode has exceeded the predetermined limit time, the use of the unit is immediately terminated, and another unit is replaced instead of the unit. It is preferable to assign.

  For this purpose, the allocation updating unit 142 determines that “there is a user data storage unit that satisfies the condition that the integrated value of the time when the operation mode is entered exceeds the predetermined limit time in the period from the time of introduction to the present time. In this case, a process for changing the contents of the allocation table may be performed based on an algorithm of “reallocating another user data storage unit instead of the user data storage unit”. Of course, in this case, each user data storage unit needs to have a function of integrating the time when the operation mode is set.

  As already described, the allocation updating unit 142 performs allocation change processing for changing the contents of the allocation table 122 and transfers files between user data storage units so as to conform to the changed allocation contents. Although it is necessary to perform transfer processing, when performing file transfer processing between two user data storage units, the two user data storage units should be executed as much as possible during a time period in which they are in the standby mode. preferable. This is because there is a high possibility of receiving access from the user during the operation mode, and there is a risk that trouble will occur if there is access from the user during the file transfer process.

<<< §7. Management data backup function added >>>
FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a modification in which a management data backup function is added to the data storage system shown in FIG. The difference from the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that a backup processing unit 143 is further provided in the management computer 110. The backup processing unit 143 selects a predetermined user data storage unit as a backup unit, and copies part or all of the data stored in the management data storage unit 120 to the selected backup unit. And a copy process.

  As already described, the management data storage unit 120 and the user data storage unit 130 are both storage devices that receive access from the management computer 110, and specifically, both are configured by a hard disk drive device or the like. become. However, in the management data storage unit 120, as shown in FIG. 16, data constituting tables such as a user registration table 121, an allocation table 122, a schedule table 123, and a file storage location table 124 (herein referred to as management data). Will be stored. This management data is indispensable for operating the data storage system. If it is damaged, it will cause a serious trouble in the operation of the system.

  Therefore, the backup processing unit 143 has a function of automatically backing up all or part of the management data to an unallocated area of any user data storage unit at a predetermined timing. For this purpose, the backup processing unit 143 first performs a selection process for selecting any one of the user data storage units as a backup unit, and subsequently, part or all of the data stored in the management data storage unit 120 ( Copy processing for copying data designated in advance as a backup target) to the selected backup unit is executed.

  The selection condition as a backup unit is firstly that there is an unallocated capacity sufficient to store management data to be backed up. Of course, if necessary, a plurality of units may be selected as backup units.

  In the case of the embodiment shown here, the backup processing unit 143 further sets the condition “a unit with a short total usage time zone set for the allocation target group” as one condition for selecting a backup unit. It has a function of performing the used selection process.

  For example, consider a case where one of four units assigned as shown in FIG. 5 is selected as a backup unit. Here, assuming that the capacity of management data to be backed up is 100 GB, the units S001, S003, and S004 all have a free capacity (unallocated area) for storing management data. Therefore, in order to narrow down using the condition “units with a short total time of usage hours set for the group to be allocated”, the total time of usage hours in one month unit is totaled. View. Here, if the week is 22 days on weekdays, 8 days on weekends and holidays, in the case of unit S001, the total usage time zone for group A to be allocated is 72 hours, unit S003. In this case, the total usage time zone for the allocation target group B is 11 hours, and in the case of unit S004, the total usage time zone for the allocation target group C is 192 hours. Is unit S003. Therefore, the backup unit selected based on the above condition is the unit S003.

  In this way, if a unit for backup is selected using the condition that “a unit that has a short total usage time zone set for the group to be allocated”, a unit that is expected to be unused by the user is backed up as much as possible. Therefore, a safer backup destination can be secured.

  Note that in the above example, the unit S003 cannot be selected in the above example in which the unit assigned to the group set to “unshareable” is not selected as a backup unit (FIG. 4 ( As shown in b), group B is set to “unshareable”), and unit S001 is selected as the unit with the next shortest total usage time.

  In addition, the backup processing unit 143 performs a selection process using the condition “a unit with a small integrated value of the time in the operation mode in the period from the introduction to the present time” as one condition for selecting the backup unit. It is also possible. This is obtained by adding the device life of the user data storage unit to one of the selection conditions.

  As described in §6, various storage devices including a hard disk drive device have a higher probability of failure as the usage time becomes longer. Therefore, if each user data storage unit is provided with a function for accumulating the time when the operation mode is entered, the "integrated value of the time when the operation mode is activated during the period from the introduction to the present time" Since it can be confirmed for each unit, if a unit having the smallest integrated value is selected as a backup unit, a unit with higher reliability can be selected as a backup destination of management data.

  As described above, the management data is indispensable for operating the data storage system, and therefore can be considered to be more important data than the data file deposited from the user. If such an idea is followed, the policy that management data is given priority over user data and is backed up to a more reliable unit makes sense.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific operation | movement form of the data storage system 100 which concerns on this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration example of a data storage system 100 according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the registration request | requirement given from the administrator of each user group with respect to the data storage system 100 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting request | requirement given to the data storage system 100 shown in FIG. 2 by the administrator of each user group. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific group allocation performed with respect to each user data storage unit S001-S004 based on the setting request | requirement shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific allocation table produced based on the setting request | requirement shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the utilization time slot | zone and operation time slot | zone in this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting request | requirement given to the data storage system 100 shown in FIG. 2 by the administrator of the new user group. It is a figure which shows an example of the group allocation to which the content was added based on the setting request | requirement shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific allocation table to which the content was added based on the setting request | requirement shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific schedule table to which the content was added based on the setting request | requirement shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the data storage system which concerns on the modification of this invention which added the accounting process function. It is a block diagram which shows the data storage system which concerns on the modification of this invention which added the allocation update function. It is a figure which shows the basic algorithm which performs allocation update. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the allocation update process based on the basic algorithm shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the data storage system which concerns on the modification of this invention which added the backup processing function.

Explanation of symbols

11-16: User computer (client)
100: Data storage system 110: Management computer (server)
111: User registration table creation unit 112: Assignment table creation unit 113: Schedule table creation unit 114: Switching processing unit 115: Access authentication unit 116: Unit selection unit 117: Deposit processing unit 118: Extraction processing unit 120: Management data storage unit 121: User registration table 122: Allocation table 123: Schedule table 124: File storage location table 130: User data storage unit 141: Accounting processing unit 142: Allocation update unit 143: Backup processing units A to F: User groups A1 to A3: Users B1 and B2 belonging to group A: Users belonging to group B C1: Users belonging to group C S1 to S6: Steps S001 to S005 in the flowchart: Individual user data storage units S100 and S200: Individuals User data storage unit t1 to t4: 1 point U (A1) ~U on the time axis (C1): the user identification code X, Y, Z: data capacity alpha, beta: margin time

Claims (27)

A data storage system for storing data files deposited by users,
A management computer that receives access from a user computer;
A management data storage unit that receives access from the management computer;
A plurality of user data storage units receiving access from the management computer;
With
Each of the user data storage units has an operation mode in which data files can be written and read in response to access from the management computer, and consumes less power than the operation mode. Operates in two modes: a standby mode that maintains a state that allows the transition to the operation mode according to the instruction, and independently for each unit based on the mode switching instruction from the management computer Switching between the operation mode and the standby mode is possible,
The management computer is:
Based on a registration request given from a user computer, a user registration table for registering “information necessary for authentication” and “affiliation group” of each user is created, and this user registration table is stored in the management data storage unit. A user registration table creation unit,
Based on the setting request given from the user computer, a specific user data storage unit is assigned to a group to which each user belongs, and the correspondence between each group and the user data storage unit assigned to the group is determined. An allocation table creating unit that creates an allocation table to be stored and stores the allocation table in the management data storage unit;
Based on a setting request given from a user computer, a schedule table showing a correspondence relationship between a group to which each user belongs and a use time zone set for the group is created, and the schedule table is used as the management data. A schedule table creation unit to be stored in the storage unit;
An access authentication unit that authenticates that the access is a regular access with reference to the user registration table when accessed from a user computer;
When an instruction to deposit a file to be stored is received through regular access from a user computer, the group to which the accessing user belongs is recognized and assigned to the recognized group by referring to the allocation table. A unit selection unit for selecting the user data storage unit being
A deposit processing unit for storing the storage target file in a predetermined storage location in the user data storage unit selected by the unit selection unit, and recording the storage location in a file storage location table in the management data storage unit;
When receiving an instruction to retrieve the designated file by regular access from the user computer, the storage location of the designated file is recognized with reference to the file storage location table, and the designated file is read from the storage location, A take-out processing unit for providing this to a user computer that has been accessed;
Each of the user data storage units becomes the operation mode in a usage time zone set for a group to be allocated or a predetermined operation time zone including the usage time zone, and in the other time zones, the standby mode and Based on the allocation table and the schedule table, a switching processing unit that gives a mode switching instruction to each user data storage unit,
A data storage system comprising: The data storage system according to claim 1,
The switching processing unit sets an operation time zone from a time point before a predetermined margin time from the start of the usage time zone to a time point after the predetermined margin time from the end of the usage time zone, and the start of the operation time zone. And a mode switching instruction for shifting to the operation mode, and a mode switching instruction for shifting to the standby mode at the end of the operating time period. The data storage system according to claim 1 or 2,
Part or all of the user data storage unit is configured by a device that incorporates an optical or magnetic recording disk, maintains the disk in a rotating state in the operation mode, and maintains the disk in a stopped state in the standby mode. A data storage system. The data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A process in which the user registration table creation unit inputs a registration request for a predetermined user from the user computer and registers the user identification code, the access password, and the group to which the predetermined user belongs in the user registration table A data storage system characterized by The data storage system according to claim 4,
When the access authentication unit is accessed from a user computer, the user identification code and access password given from the user computer are used as the user identification code and access password registered in the user registration table. A data storage system that authenticates the access as a legitimate access if they match. The data storage system according to claim 5, wherein
A data storage system in which a unit selection unit recognizes a group to which an accessing user belongs by referring to a user registration table. The data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A process in which a user registration table creation unit inputs a registration request for a predetermined user from a user computer and registers a user identification code including a group identifier and an access password in the user registration table for the predetermined user. And
A data storage system, wherein a unit selection unit recognizes a group to which the user belongs based on a group identifier included in a user identification code of a user who is accessing. In the data storage system in any one of Claims 1-7,
One or more user data storage units necessary for the allocation table creation unit to input a setting request including information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group and to secure the requested maximum used capacity for each group A data archiving system that performs a process of allocating to the predetermined group. The data storage system according to claim 8, wherein
The allocation table creation unit records information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group in the allocation table,
Each time the unit selection unit selects a user data storage unit based on a deposit instruction from a user of a predetermined group, the unit selection unit has a function of accumulating and counting the total amount of stored data for the group. A data storage system characterized in that, when a deposit instruction is given, if the accumulated total capacity exceeds a maximum use capacity when the instruction is executed, the instruction is rejected. The data storage system according to claim 8 or 9,
A data archiving system, wherein the allocation table creation unit allocates the same user data storage unit to a plurality of groups for each predetermined allocated capacity constituting the partial portion. The data storage system according to claim 10,
When the allocation table creation unit allocates the same user data storage unit to multiple groups, it takes into account the usage time zone set in the schedule table, giving priority to groups with longer usage time zone overlap periods. A data storage system characterized by assigning. The data storage system according to claim 10 or 11,
For each group, the allocation table creation unit sends a setting request including information on “sharable” or “unsharable” indicating whether or not to allow the user data storage unit used by itself to be shared with other groups. A data archiving system that performs a process of exclusively allocating a user data storage unit for a group to which a setting request including information on "unshareable" is input. In the data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The schedule table creation unit performs a process of creating a schedule table by inputting a setting request including a month, a day, a day of the week, a weekday, a holiday, or a usage time zone specified in units of a start time to an end time. And data storage system. In the data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A data storage system characterized in that when a deposit processing unit and a retrieval processing unit are accessed in a time zone other than a usage time zone set in the schedule table, the access is rejected. In the data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
When the deposit processing unit and the retrieval processing unit are accessed, and the user data storage unit to be processed is in standby mode, the user data storage unit to be processed is Gives an instruction to shift to the operation mode, executes the depositing / retrieving process of the file, and after the process is completed, unless the time to shift to the operation mode is reached, the user data storage unit to be processed is A data storage system characterized by giving an instruction to shift from an operation mode to a standby mode. In the data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The management computer further includes a billing processing unit that creates a billing table for recording usage fees charged to the user and stores the billing table in the management data storage unit,
The data storage system, wherein the charging processing unit calculates a usage fee in response to a setting request given from each group. The data storage system according to claim 16, wherein
As a setting request given by each group, whether the management computer permits sharing of the “maximum used capacity”, “usage time zone”, and the user data storage unit used by itself with other groups It has a function to accept the setting request including the information of "Shareable" or "Unshareable"
As the billing processing unit increases the “maximum usage capacity”, the higher the price, the longer the “usage time zone”, the higher the price, and “unshared” is higher than “shared”. A data storage system that calculates usage fees. The data storage system according to claim 16 or 17,
When the deposit processing unit and the retrieval processing unit are accessed, and the user data storage unit to be processed is in standby mode, the user data storage unit to be processed is Gives an instruction to shift to the operation mode, executes the depositing / retrieving process of the file, and after the process is completed, unless the time to shift to the operation mode is reached, the user data storage unit to be processed is On the other hand, it has a function to give an instruction to shift from the operation mode to the standby mode,
A data storage system characterized in that an overtime surcharge is recorded in a billing table when a billing processing unit is accessed in a time zone other than a usage time zone. The data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
The management computer further includes an allocation update unit,
The allocation update unit, an allocation change process for changing the contents of the allocation table based on a predetermined algorithm, a file transfer process for transferring a file between user data storage units so as to conform to the changed allocation contents, A data storage system characterized by The data storage system according to claim 19, wherein
The allocation table creation unit inputs a setting request including information indicating the maximum used capacity for each group, and performs processing for recording the information in the allocation table.
The allocation update unit reads: “There is a first user data storage unit having a storage capacity X, the total allocated capacity for the first user data storage unit is Y, and there is a second user data storage unit. When the condition that the allocated total capacity for the second user data storage unit is Z and XY ≧ Z is satisfied, the first user data storage unit is replaced by the first user data storage unit. The data storage system is characterized in that the content of the allocation table is changed based on an algorithm of “reallocating the user data storage unit”. The data storage system according to claim 20,
When there are a plurality of candidates for the second user data storage unit that satisfy the condition, the usage time zone for the first user data storage unit and the second time are set in consideration of the usage time zone set in the schedule table. A data archiving system, wherein a candidate having the longest overlap period with the use time zone of the user data storage unit is selected and the allocation content is changed. The data storage system according to claim 20 or 21,
For each group, the allocation table creation unit sends a setting request including information on “sharable” or “unsharable” indicating whether or not to allow the user data storage unit used by itself to be shared with other groups. Record the information in the allocation table,
If there is a group in which “unshareable” is recorded among the groups to which the first user data storage unit or the second user data storage unit is allocated, the allocation content should not be changed. A data storage system characterized by The data storage system according to claim 19, wherein
The allocation update unit reads: “If there is a user data storage unit that satisfies the condition that the integrated value of the time when the operation mode was entered exceeds the predetermined limit time in the period from the time of introduction to the present time, A data archiving system, wherein the contents of an allocation table are changed based on an algorithm of “reallocating another user data storage unit instead of a data storage unit”. The data storage system according to any one of claims 19 to 23,
A data archiving system in which an allocation updating unit preferentially selects a time zone in which the two user data storage units are in a standby mode and executes a file transfer process between the two user data storage units . In the data storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 24,
The management computer further includes a backup processing unit,
The backup processing unit selects a predetermined user data storage unit as a backup unit, and copies part or all of the data stored in the management data storage unit to the selected backup unit A data storage system characterized by performing copy processing. The data storage system according to claim 25,
The backup processing unit performs a selection process using the condition “a unit with a short total time in the usage time zone set for the allocation target group” as one condition for selecting a backup unit. Data storage system. The data storage system according to claim 25 or 26,
The backup processing unit performs a selection process using the condition “a unit with a small integrated value of the time when the operation mode is entered during the period from the introduction to the present time” as one condition for selecting a backup unit. And data storage system.

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