Abstract: A cache processing unit manages the data, which is in a cache memory, in a page unit including plurality pieces of block data each of which serves as an access unit of a host, and processes input and output requests from a host to a storage device. In a case in which dirty data in a cache memory which is updated by a host and newer than stored data in a storage device is to be written back to the storage device, and when an incontinuous area is determined in a page of the dirty data, a write-back process unit reads out an incontinuous area from a storage device when a read command is issued, subjects it to a merge so as to generate a continuous area, and performs a write back by one time of write command issue.

Abstract: In case an error statistics of one of the disk drives exceeds a predetermined threshold, the disk is determined as a suspect disk drive. A recovery mode is set successively. During the time when a setting of the recovery mode is in progress and no access is made from a host 16 in this time, the address range of the suspect disk drive is specified. At the same time, a processing is started in that the data of the suspect disk is copied to a spare disk 34 sequentially to recover the data. The data of the suspect disk drive is copied to the spare disk drive 34 to recover the data when the address range of the suspect disk drive does not correspond to the write failure address range of a management table 48. The data of a normal disk drive is copied to the spare disk drive 34 to recover the data when the address range of the suspect disk drive corresponds to the write failure address range of the management table 48.

Abstract: When receiving a notification of an error detected by patrol processing of the device adaptor for a secondary disk apparatus, a first recovery processing unit reads out data corresponding to the error location from a normal primary disk apparatus and writes the data into the error disk apparatus to eliminate the error. If it is determined that the content of the error notification is abnormality of the block ID which is an identifier of the order of writing data, a second recovery processing unit retrieves a correct write address indicated by the identifier, compares data of the error disk apparatus with that of the normal disk apparatus, determines that a lost write exists in the case of mismatch, and eliminates the lost write by writing the data read out from the normal disk apparatus into the error disk apparatus.

Abstract: An input/output device includes a creating unit that creates a first data pattern that is different from a second data pattern created last time, a writing unit that writes the first data pattern as a written data pattern, and a judging unit that reads out a data pattern written in the input/output device as a read data pattern and judges whether the written data pattern and the read data pattern coincide with each other.

Abstract: A RAID apparatus that at least duplicates identical data to store thus duplicated data, which, when an instruction of writing data is given, writes data to a local cache and to a mirror cache, and writes data of the local cache to a primary disk and writes data of the mirror cache to a secondary disk. When an instruction of reading out data is given, and specified data is retained in the caches, the RAID apparatus outputs valid data of the local cache or the mirror cache, while when specified data is not retained in the caches, the RAID apparatus outputs valid data of the primary disk or the secondary disk.

Abstract: A RAID controller accesses an access request area on logical volumes distributed and stored on a plurality of physical disks according to a disk access request from a host. The controller has a plurality of management modules which are in-charge of plurality of the redundant groups respectively and issuing a logical format request for each area of said logical volume by referring to a management table for managing progress information of the logical format processing. Each management module has a plurality of the management table for being in-charge of said plurality of redundant groups and a queue for queuing the disk access request. The management module, according to the disk access request, judges whether all the access request areas have been logically formatted referring to the management table.

Abstract: A storage system prevents a time out error of the host I/O caused by a stagnation of command processing in the storage system for accessing a disk device according to the host I/O request and internal I/O request. In DTC, counters for managing the requests in-process for host I/Os (host read) and internal I/Os (pre-fetch, write back) individually are provided, and the number of processing requests to be issued to a virtual disk (RLU) is limited individually. By assigning priority to the host I/Os, the load balance of the host I/Os and internal I/Os can be controlled. For rebuild/copy back, a dedicated load control mechanism is disposed where the load adjustment between ordinary I/Os and rebuild/copy back is performed.

Abstract: An input/output control apparatus controls input/output requests from a host unit to a plurality of subordinate unit. A priority order managing section in the input/output control apparatus controls a priority order of the input/output requests based on priority orders of the input/output requests given by the host unit, for each of the subordinate units.

Abstract: A storage control apparatus concatenates a plurality of logical units to construct a large capacity logical unit, wherein logical units extending over a plurality of controllers can be concatenated. The channel adapter sends an I/O request to one controller which charges one logical unit constituting the concatenation logical unit, out of a plurality of controllers when an I/O request is sent from a host to the concatenation logical unit LU linking a plurality of logical units, executes I/O processing in the one controller, then sends the I/O request to another controller which charges another logical unit constituting the concatenation logical unit, and continues I/O processing in the another controller.

Abstract: A processing method for copying between storage device data regions and a memory system are provided to allow immediate access in a state of having completed copying in response to a copy instruction, even when actual data is being copied in a remote system, thus preventing a decrease in the performance of the access to the copy source during copying. Processes include copying data in a data region of a copy source to an intermediate media data region for each prescribed block unit in response to a copy instruction, as well as copying the data copied to the intermediate media data region to a copy destination data region. Processes also include interrupting copying and processing an access when there is an external access for a block of the copy source or the copy destination data region during the copy processing.

Abstract: A RAID device changes the redundancy of the RAID configuration, while allows various RAID level conversions and capacity increase. Using new and old RAID configuration definition information which define at least a RAID level and a number of logical devices, the control unit performs RLU mapping based on the respective RAID configuration definition information, and performs staging and write back to change the RAID configuration. Therefore various RAID level conversions and capacity increase can be implemented.

Abstract: An input/output scheduling unit forms input/output groups obtained by grouping inputs/outputs to/from a disk apparatus. The input/output scheduling unit defines a ratio of the time during which each input/output group uses the disk apparatus and defines quanta &tgr;1 to &tgr;3 during which each input/output group can continuously use the disk apparatus on the basis of the defined time ratios. When input/output requests are received from a plurality of input/output groups to the disk apparatus, the input/output scheduling unit performs the time-sharing for sequentially switching the allocating times &tgr;1 to &tgr;3 between the input/output groups which competed and using the disk apparatus. Further, an allocating time of the remaining quanta is distributed to the quanta on the shortage side by an allocating time control unit in accordance with a degree of jam of each input/output group.

Abstract: A storage controller executes logical format to enable host access to a physical disk, where the logical format of a physical disk is executed without waiting for host access. The storage controller comprises a logical format management module having bit map memory for managing progress information on format processing of a logical volume, and a lower layer module which accesses a physical disk according to the request of the management module. The management module judges whether all the access areas have been formatted referring to the bit map memory, requests the disk access to the lower layer module if judged as formatted, while, issues a logical format processing request before the disk access, queues the disk access request to the queue if not formatted, further searches the unformatted area from the bit map memory, and issues a logical format processing request if no disk access request exists in the queue.

Abstract: A plurality of music apparatus 10 to 30 such as an electronic musical instrument and a microphone apparatus are connected by wireless to a mixer apparatus 40. A Bluetooth module is adopted as wireless communication means to construct a piconet with mixer apparatus 40 functioning as a master and music apparatus 10 to 30 functioning as slaves. Audio signals and MIDI data from music apparatus 10 to 30 are transmitted by wireless to mixer apparatus 40 through isosynchronous communication procedure using Bluetooth modules 11, 21, 31, 41. In mixer apparatus 40, with regard to the MIDI data, music tone signals based on the MIDI data are produced, whereafter the produced music tone signals and the aforesaid audio signals transmitted by wireless are mixed. Wiring by means of cables between a plurality of music apparatus and a mixer apparatus is abolished, thereby eliminating the cumbersomeness of wiring and the restrictions accompanying the wiring.

Abstract: A RAID controller accesses an access request area on logical volumes distributed and stored on a plurality of physical disks according to a disk access request from a host. The controller has a plurality of management modules which are in-charge of plurality of the redundant groups respectively and issuing a logical format request for each area of said logical volume by referring to a management table for managing progress information of the logical format processing. Each management module has a plurality of the management table for being in-charge of said plurality of redundant groups and a queue for queuing the disk access request. The management module, according to the disk access request, judges whether all the access request areas have been logically formatted referring to the management table.

Abstract: A storage controller executes logical format to enable host access to a physical disk, where the logical format of a physical disk is executed without waiting for host access. The storage controller comprises a logical format management module having bit map memory for managing progress information on format processing of a logical volume, and a lower layer module which accesses a physical disk according to the request of the management module. The management module judges whether all the access areas have been formatted referring to the bit map memory, requests the disk access to the lower layer module if judged as formatted, while, issues a logical format processing request before the disk access, queues the disk access request to the queue if not formatted, further searches the unformatted area from the bit map memory, and issues a logical format processing request if no disk access request exists in the queue.

Abstract: An input/output control apparatus controls input/output requests from a host unit to a plurality of subordinate unit. A priority order managing section in the input/output control apparatus controls a priority order of the input/output requests based on priority orders of the input/output requests given by the host unit, for each of the subordinate units.

Abstract: A disk time-sharing apparatus is constructed by a disk apparatus having disk drives, an input/output request unit for issuing an input/output request to the disk apparatus, and an input/output scheduling unit. The input/output scheduling unit forms input/output groups obtained by grouping inputs/output sources to/from the disk apparatus, defines a ratio of time during which each input/output group uses the disk apparatus, and decides quanta (allocating time) &tgr;1 to &tgr;3 during which each input/output group can use the disk apparatus continuously on the basis of the defined time ratio. When input/output requests are received to the disk apparatus from a plurality of input/output groups, a time-sharing for using the disk apparatus by switching the allocating time &tgr;1 to &tgr;3 sequentially among the competing input/output groups is performed.

Abstract: The invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and/or curing digestive disorders such as digestive ulcers, gastritis, etc. The pharmaceutical composition contains, as the active ingredient, an aluminosilicate having silver and zinc ions, and it has an excellent effect for protecting gastric mucous membrane and an excellent effect of promoting the curing of a gastric ulcer.

Abstract: A processing method for copying between storage device data regions and a memory system are provided to allow immediate access in a state of having completed copying in response to a copy instruction, even when actual data is being copied in a remote system, thus preventing a decrease in the performance of the access to the copy source during copying. Processes include copying data in a data region of a copy source to an intermediate media data region for each prescribed block unit in response to a copy instruction, as well as copying the data copied to the intermediate media data region to a copy destination data region. Processes also include interrupting copying and processing an access when there is an external access for a block of the copy source or the copy destination data region during the copy processing.