Abstract: A method is described for logically isolating a cache memory bank from the other cache memory banks, as well as from the associated disk drive system and the computer system, while allowing effective use of the remaining cache banks. Linked lists of pointers to free space in a given cache bank are located entirely within the bank; therefore, failure of, or removal of, a cache bank does not prevent the computer and disk drive system from utilizing the free space in the remaining banks. The implementation of the method is such that initialization of all cache memory banks may also be efficiently performed.

Abstract: A method is described for managing data records stored in non-volatile memory in a disk drive system with cache memory. A variable-length directory containing descriptors of disk records is used to locate a selected record non-volatile memory. A table, ordered sequentially by record number, is used to quickly locate a record in non-volatile memory without having to perform a time-consuming search. In order to efficiently utilize space in non-volatile memory, a list is kept of free space for storing record descriptors. After an initial nominal allocation, additional free space is allocated only when required, thus further increasing the efficiency of use of non-volatile memory.