JPH0743635B2 - Semiconductor disk device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [Overview] A memory having a predetermined fixed capacity is divided into a plurality of capacities,
A host system for controlling a semiconductor disk device having a function of being able to regard each of the plurality of divided drives as a plurality of drives, and at least a specific logical capacity and a disk for each of the plurality of drives. By providing an instruction means capable of designating a device type and issuing the instruction in the host system, an arbitrary logical capacity indicated by an operand of the instruction is given to each drive of the semiconductor disk device and the disk device type. Is to be dynamically set.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a semiconductor disk device, and in particular, has a function of dividing a memory having a predetermined fixed capacity into a plurality of capacities and treating each of the plurality of divided capacities as a plurality of drives. The present invention relates to a control method capable of dynamically setting and changing the capacity of each drive and the device type in a semiconductor disk device.

Conventionally, a magnetic disk device, a magnetic tape device, etc. have been used as an external storage device of an information processing device, which is still the mainstay of a large-capacity external storage device, but recent remarkable advances in semiconductor technology. As a result, inexpensive semiconductor memory has come to be provided, and with this semiconductor memory,
When viewed from the software side, a high-speed semiconductor disk device having the same specifications as the magnetic disk device described above has been configured and has come to be used as a high-performance external storage device.

When such a semiconductor disk device is used as an external storage device, it is necessary that the memory capacity of the semiconductor disk device can be efficiently used, and the specific measures have already been made by the applicant of the present application in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-277521 ( JP 61-1651
No. 53).

In this conventional method, the plurality of drives (DRV0
~ The method to set the optimum logical capacity ~ according to the variable capacity data set written in DRV4) is disclosed. However, since it is a setting method using switches etc., it is set dynamically according to the usage conditions. However, there was a need for a more flexible method for setting the capacity of each drive and device type.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the conventional semiconductor disk device described above, in which (a) is an overall configuration diagram and (b) is shown.
Is an example of a control table, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-277521.

For details of this semiconductor disk device, refer to
Since it is disclosed in No. 277521, it is omitted here, but it is summarized as follows.

That is, in this semiconductor disk device, as is apparent from this figure, a memory having a predetermined fixed capacity is divided into a plurality of capacities (for example, ~), and each of the divided plurality is divided into a plurality of pieces. Of the plurality of drives (DRV0 to DRV4), the semiconductor disk device having a function that can be regarded as the drives (DRV0 to DRV4). 1
2) is provided, and the logical capacity of the drive is set by the above setting means in accordance with the size of the variable capacity data set written in each drive prior to operation.

Specifically, by the setting switch unit 12 described above, (b)
The control table shown in the figure (in this example, the director (DI
R) 4a, provided in the control processor (SSP) 9)
When the data for generating 8'is set in the small disk 11 corresponding to each drive, the control processor (SS
In response to the interrupt from P) 9, the director (DIR) 4a initializes its own control table 8'with the data contents set in the small disk 11.

Thereafter, when data having a predetermined data set size is transmitted from a host system (CPU) (not shown), the director (DIR) 4a causes the host system (CP) to
Based on the content of the command sent from U) and the content of the control table 8 ', the data set is controlled to be written in the drive (DRV0 to DRV4) designated by the command.

However, in this conventional method, when setting the logical capacity corresponding to the size of the data set to be written for a plurality of drives (DRV0 to DRV4), the operator operates the setting switch unit 12 described above. There is a problem that the logical capacity of each drive cannot be dynamically set at the time of system operation or at the time of diagnosis (especially when diagnosing all areas). was there.

In addition, there is a problem that it is impossible to emulate by setting the types of semiconductor disk devices having different storage capacities per track.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, the present invention is a method for dynamically setting a type of a semiconductor disk device and a logical capacity of each drive from a host system controlling the semiconductor disk device in correspondence with each drive. It is intended to provide.

[Means for Solving Problems] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows an example of the entire structure and (b) shows the present invention. An example of the instruction format is shown.

According to the present invention, a semiconductor disk device having a function of dividing a memory having a predetermined fixed capacity into a plurality of capacities and treating each of the plurality of divided capacities as a plurality of drives (DRV0-). The host system (CPU) 1 for controlling the disk drive is provided with command means (1a) capable of designating at least a specific logical capacity ~ and a disk device type A ~ for each of the plurality of drives (DRV0 ~). In the host system (CPU) 1, the instruction (1
By issuing a), an arbitrary logical capacity designated by the operand of the instruction (1a) is output to a plurality of drives (DRV0-) included in the semiconductor disk device.
The disk device type A and the disk device type A are configured to be dynamically settable.

[Action]

That is, according to the present invention, the memory having a predetermined fixed capacity is divided into a plurality of capacities, and each of the plurality of divided capacities can be regarded as a plurality of drives (DRV0-). A host system (CPU) for controlling the semiconductor disk device is provided with command means for specifying at least a specific logical capacity ~ and disk device type A ~ for each of the plurality of drives (DRV0 ~).
By issuing the command in the host system (CPU), each drive (DRV0-) included in the semiconductor disk device is provided with an arbitrary logical capacity designated by the operand of the command and a disk device type A-. Since it can be dynamically set, the logical capacity of each drive and the device type can be dynamically set during the system operation, and the semiconductor disk device of the different device type can be set in the semiconductor disk device. There is an effect that the device can be set and emulated.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The above-mentioned FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention.
The specific command means 1a issued by the host system (CPU) 1 in this figure {see (b) figure} is a function necessary for implementing the present invention. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same objects, and in the instruction format shown in this figure (b), the device type is a type that can be emulated on the semiconductor disk device (SSD) (specifically, Is 1
The capacity of the track and the record format in the track are different), and the capacity indicates the logical capacity. or,
In this figure (b), "CE" shown in each drive (DRV0 to DRV3) indicates a maintenance cylinder.

The device type and the logical capacity setting method for each drive according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 while referring to the control table 8'of FIG. 2 (b).

First, the host system (CPU) 1 is the processor 1 (DIR)
Issuing the specific instruction 1a shown in FIG.
After the processor 1 (DIR) 4a decodes the instruction by the decoder (DEC), the processor 1 (DIR) 4a instructs the processor 2 (SSP) 9 in the string module (SM) 5 which is one control unit of the semiconductor disk device (SSD). , Instructing to change the setting of the control table 8 '.

The processor 2 (SSP) 9 is a drive (DRV0 to DRV3) in the track memory (TM) 10 which is a subordinate storage area.
As an offline control table 8 '
Contents indicated by the operand of instruction 1a (device type /
Redefinition processing is completed by the logical capacity), and at the time when the redefinition processing is completed, the completion of the redefinition processing is notified by the interrupt means (INT) to the processor 1 (DIR) 4a.

The processor 1 (DIR) 4a
It functions to generate a control table similar to the control table 8'and perform re-formatting in the track memory (TM) 10 based on the generated control table. Similar processing is performed by processor 1 (DIR) 4a
Is also performed for other string modules (SM) 5. For this reason, the control table 8'is assigned to the processor 2 (SS
P) 9 and processor 1 (DIR) 4a must be set.

In this way, the redefinition of the control table 8'and the re-formatting of the track memory (TM) 10 which were conventionally performed from the setting switch unit 12 are performed by a specific command in the host system (CPU) 1. Issuing dynamically.

As described above, according to the present invention, the processor in the semiconductor disk device redefines the contents of the control table according to the operand designated by the specific instruction issued by the host system (CPU) and the redefined control. The feature is that the track memory (TM) is re-formatted based on the contents of the table.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above in detail, the semiconductor disk device of the present invention divides a memory having a predetermined fixed capacity into a plurality of capacities, and divides each of the plurality of capacities into a plurality of drives (DRV0-). To the host system (CPU) that controls the semiconductor disk device with the function that can be regarded as
By providing command means capable of designating at least a specific logical capacity ~ and disk device type A ~ for each of the plurality of drives (DRV0 ~), and issuing the command in the host system (CPU) In the system (DRV0-) of the semiconductor disk device, it is possible to dynamically set an arbitrary logical capacity-indicated by an operand of the instruction and a disk device type A-. In operation, the logical capacity of each drive and the device type can be dynamically set, and semiconductor disk devices of different device types can be set and emulated in the semiconductor disk device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional semiconductor disk device. In the drawings, 1 is a host system (CPU), 1a is the format of the instruction of the present invention, 4a is a director, or processor 1 (DIR), 5 is a string module (SM), 9 is a control processor, or processor 2 (SSP). , 10 is a track memory (TM), 12 is a setting switch, ~ is a logical capacity, A is a type of semiconductor disk device, DRV0 ~ is a drive, respectively.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A function, which is connected to a host system, divides a memory having a predetermined fixed capacity into a plurality of capacities, and can regard each of the divided plurality as a plurality of drives (DRV0-). In the semiconductor disk device including the above, the plurality of drives (DRV0
~) Is provided with a means for decoding an instruction specifying the logical capacity of the disk device type and the disk device type, and the instruction (1) is sent to the plurality of drives (DRV0-).
A semiconductor disk device characterized in that it is possible to dynamically set an arbitrary logical capacity specified by the operand a) and a disk device type.