JP2011028716A - Backup device and backup method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve user-friendliness by causing only a backup device to efficiently and surely executing differential backup while taking the initiative. <P>SOLUTION: The backup device 120 includes a directory identifier generation part 162 which generates a directory identifier with directory meta information as a seed; a file identifier generation part 164 which generates a file identifier with file meta information as a seed; a file holding part 124 which holds, together with one or more files, a management table 230 associating medium information, the directory identifier and the file identifier therewith; a backup determination part 166 which determines, upon connection of an optional external storage medium, the necessity of backup of each file stored in the optional external storage medium based on the management table 230; and a file duplication part which copies the file from the external storage medium to the file holding part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a backup apparatus and a backup method that are connected to an external storage medium and back up only a differential file between a file stored in the connected external storage medium and a file copied to itself.

  In recent years, digital cameras and digital video cameras having an imaging function have been improved in function and resolution, and digital televisions capable of displaying captured image (still image or video) files have high resolution. It has become common. Accordingly, it has become possible to capture and display HD (High Definition) image quality. With such a background, when a captured image file is viewed, an image file is displayed on a digital television as it is without being printed on a paper medium.

  In order to view an image file in such a display form, a user connects a digital camera or the like to a digital television via a cable and transfers the image file captured by the digital camera or the like to the digital television or from the digital camera. The memory card that can be inserted and removed is reinserted into the digital television, and an image file is transferred from the memory card to the digital television. However, depending on such means, each time an attempt is made to display an image file, the digital camera and the digital television must be connected or the memory card must be inserted and removed, which is troublesome.

  Therefore, the image file captured by a digital camera or the like is temporarily backed up to a BD (Blu-ray Disc) recorder or the like provided with a large-capacity storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and then connected between devices and memory A form in which an image file stored in a BD recorder or the like is displayed on a digital television at a desired timing without performing complicated processing such as card insertion / removal has come to be used.

  When backing up image files from a digital camera to a BD recorder, a storage medium built in the digital camera or a removable memory card functions as a mere external storage medium for the BD recorder, and the BD recorder uses its external storage. Copy all files in the medium to the BD recorder.

  However, when such image file backup is performed multiple times, if the BD recorder captures files that have already been backed up each time, the time spent for backup continues to increase as the number of image files in the digital camera increases. There is a problem that the convenience is reduced. Therefore, a differential backup technique that avoids duplicate backup of a file that has been backed up once has been studied.

  For example, identification information that uniquely identifies all files is described in a structured document and held in the transmission side device (digital camera side), and the transmission side device updates the structured document every time a new file is saved. A technique is disclosed in which a receiving apparatus (BD recorder) refers to the structured document to prevent duplicate backup (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-236232 A

  In the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, when a file in the transmission-side device such as a digital camera is updated (deleted, added, or changed), an operation history is left in the structured document in the transmission-side device. By referring to the operation history, the file in which the difference has occurred can be grasped. In order to use such a technique, both the transmission side device and the reception side device must follow a unified rule. However, since the transmission side device (digital camera) and the reception side device (BD recorder) are not always provided by the same vendor, there are cases where the rules regarding the backup cannot be matched. Therefore, depending on the vendor and model of the receiving apparatus, effective operation information cannot be obtained, which hinders accurate differential backup.

  Also, in the conventional technology, the date and time information that the transmission side device and the reception side device performed backup is stored separately, and by referring to this date and time information during the next backup processing, backup of files with the same date and time is performed. I was avoiding it. However, since the date and time information is generated based on the internal time of each of the transmission side device and the reception side device, the differential backup is not performed correctly unless the internal times of both are exactly matched (synchronized). There was a problem.

  Furthermore, since the conventional techniques including Patent Document 1 manage only the operation history for all the files in the transmission side device, the necessity of backup is determined regardless of the number of files that have been backed up. The comparison processing to be judged had to be executed for the number of all files in the transmission side device. Therefore, the backup processing time tends to be longer in proportion to the increase in the number of files stored in the transmission side device.

  In view of such a problem, the present invention provides a backup device without a unified rule between the transmission side device (information processing device) and the reception side device (backup device) and without matching the internal time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a backup device and a backup method capable of improving the convenience for the user by performing differential backup efficiently and reliably mainly.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following apparatus and method.
(1) A backup device that is connected to an external storage medium and backs up a file stored in the connected external storage medium, and has a directory identifier with a seed of directory meta information that can recognize whether a directory has been updated or not. A directory identifier generation unit to be generated, a file identifier generation unit that generates a file identifier based on file meta information that can recognize whether a file has been updated, and a backup of the one or more files together with one or more files Media information that identifies the original external storage medium, the directory identifier corresponding to the directory to which the one or more files belonged in the external storage medium that is the backup source, and the one or more files Associate the file identifier A file holding unit that holds a management table, and a backup determination unit that determines whether backup of each file stored in the arbitrary external storage medium is necessary based on the management table when an arbitrary external storage medium is connected; And a file duplicating unit for duplicating one or a plurality of the files determined to be backed up by the backup judging unit from the external storage medium to the file holding unit.
(2) The backup determination unit causes the directory identifier generation unit to generate the directory identifier corresponding to the directory to which the one or more files determined to be backed up belong to the one or more files. The backup apparatus according to (1), wherein the file identifier generation unit generates the corresponding file identifier, and registers the generated directory identifier and the file identifier in the management table.
(3) The backup determination unit determines whether the medium information of the connected external storage medium exists in the management table. If the medium information does not exist in the management table, the external storage medium All files stored in are copied to the file duplicating unit and stored in the file holding unit, and a directory identifier corresponding to a directory to which the duplicated file belongs is generated in the directory identifier generating unit, The file identifier generation unit generates a file identifier corresponding to the generated file, associates the medium information with the generated directory identifier and the file identifier, and registers them in the management table. The backup device according to 1) or (2).
(4) The backup determination unit determines whether the medium information of the connected external storage medium exists in the management table, and when the medium information exists in the management table, the external storage medium The directory identifier generation unit generates a directory identifier corresponding to the directory provided in the directory, determines whether the generated directory identifier is associated with the medium information of the management table, and generates the directory 4. The backup device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein when an identifier is associated with the medium information in the management table, a file under the directory hierarchy is not duplicated.
(5) The management table is also associated with directory information that can identify the directory that is the seed of the directory identifier, and the backup determination unit associates the generated directory identifier with the medium information of the management table. If the directory information is not associated with the medium information of the management table, it is determined whether the directory information of the directory is associated with the medium information of the management table. All files are copied to the file replication unit and stored in the file holding unit, and a file identifier corresponding to the copied file is generated in the file identifier generation unit, and the medium information and the generated directory identifier are The directory information and Backup apparatus according to (4), characterized in that registered in the management table in association with the file identifier made.
(6) When the directory information is associated with the medium information in the management table, the backup determination unit causes the file identifier generation unit to generate a file identifier corresponding to the file under the directory hierarchy, and the file It is determined whether or not an identifier is associated with the directory of the management table, and when the generated file identifier is associated with the directory of the management table, the file is not duplicated. The backup device according to 5).
(7) The management table is also associated with file information that can identify the file identifier seed file, and the backup determination unit associates the generated file identifier with the directory of the management table. If not, it is determined whether the file information of the file is associated with the directory of the management table. If the file information is not associated with the directory of the management table, the file is stored in the file duplication unit. It is copied and stored in the file holding unit, and the medium information, the generated directory identifier, the directory information, the generated file identifier, and the file information are associated with each other and registered in the management table. Bag described in (6) above -Up apparatus.
(8) When the file information is associated with the directory of the management table, the backup determination unit copies the file to the file replication unit and overwrites the file holding unit, and the directory identifier of the management table And the file identifier is updated to the generated directory identifier and the generated file identifier. (7).
(9) The management table is also associated with a converted file name obtained by converting the file name of the file that is the seed of the file identifier, and the backup determination unit stores the generated file identifier in the directory of the management table. If not associated, the file duplicating unit is duplicated, the file name of the file is converted into a converted file name, the converted file name is stored in the file holding unit, the medium information and the generated The backup device according to (6), wherein a directory identifier, the directory information, the generated file identifier, and the converted file name are associated with each other and registered in the management table.
(10) A medium identifier generation unit that generates a medium identifier using the medium information that can specify the external storage medium as a seed, and the medium identifier is associated with the management table instead of or in addition to the medium information. The backup device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the backup determining unit determines whether or not each file needs to be backed up using the medium identifier instead of the medium information. .
(11) The backup determination unit does not update the directory identifier of the management table corresponding to the directory when the directory of the file holding unit or a file belonging to the directory is deleted, added, or changed. The backup device according to any one of (1) to (10).
(12) The backup determination unit does not update the file identifier of the management table corresponding to the file depending on the deletion, addition, or change of the file in the file holding unit. The backup device according to any one of the above.
(13) A backup method for connecting to an external storage medium and backing up a file stored in the connected external storage medium, wherein the external is a backup source of the one or more files together with one or more files Medium information for specifying a storage medium, a directory identifier corresponding to the directory to which the one or more files belong in the external storage medium as the backup source, and a file identifier corresponding to the one or more files. An associated management table is stored in advance, and when an arbitrary external storage medium is connected, the necessity of backup of each file stored in the arbitrary external storage medium is determined based on the management table, and backup is required. The determined one or more files are transferred from the external storage medium. Backup method characterized by replicating the yl holder.

  By using the present invention, even if there is no unified rule between the information processing device and the backup device, and even if the internal times are not matched, only the backup device is mainly used to perform differential backup efficiently and reliably. By executing, it is possible to improve user convenience.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the schematic connection relation of the backup system concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a backup device according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the device descriptor information in a storage medium. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the hierarchical structure in a storage medium. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of directory meta information. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a management table. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the hierarchical relationship of a management table. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating edit of a file. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating edit of a file. It is the flowchart which showed the whole flow of the backup method concerning 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the management table concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the whole flow of the backup method concerning 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

(First embodiment: backup system 100)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic connection relationship of the backup system 100 according to the present embodiment. The backup system 100 includes an information processing apparatus 110, a backup apparatus 120, and a display 130.

  The information processing apparatus 110 can acquire images (still images or moving images) of digital cameras, digital video cameras, mobile phones, PHS (Personal Handy phone System), notebook personal computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), game machines, etc. It is composed of various electrical devices and has a functional unit 112 and a storage medium 114. In addition, as functions not shown, the function unit 112 includes a memory used as a buffer, an imaging unit, an image output unit, an operation unit, and the like.

  The functional unit 112 of the information processing apparatus 110 controls the entire information processing apparatus 110 and performs functions specific to each of the information processing apparatuses 110. For example, in the case of a digital camera or a digital video camera, the subject imaging function is performed. The storage medium 114 holds a file generated as a result of the function unit 112 functioning, for example, a captured image file in the case of a digital camera or a digital video camera.

  While the information processing apparatus 110 does not cause the functional unit 112 to function independently, the storage medium 114 can accept external access from the backup apparatus 120 or the like. At this time, the information processing apparatus 110 (particularly the storage medium 114) is recognized as a simple external storage medium by the backup apparatus 120.

  For example, when the backup device 120 and the information processing device 110 are connected through wireless communication such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection cable 116 or IEEE802.11b / a / g / n, the storage medium 114 is a memory card. If the storage medium 114 is replaced from the information processing apparatus 110 to the backup apparatus 120, the backup apparatus 120 directly accesses the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110 like a memory in the backup apparatus 120, and stores the file. Can be read out.

  The backup device 120 includes a BD player, DVD player, CD player, HDD player, mobile phone, PHS (Personal Handy phone System), notebook personal computer, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), portable TV, game machine, etc. It is composed of various devices that can be connected or have a display, and has a central control unit 122 and a file holding unit 124. As other functions not shown, the central control unit 122 includes a memory used as a buffer, a disk drive, a video input / output unit, an operation unit, and the like.

  The display 130 includes a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and the like, and can display an image file stored in the backup device 120.

  In the backup system 100, the image file captured by the information processing apparatus 110 and held in the storage medium 114 can be backed up to the backup apparatus 120. Once the image file is backed up in the backup device 120, the user can display the image file on the display 130 at a desired timing without taking out the information processing device 110 again.

  However, after the user having the information processing apparatus 110 completes the backup from the information processing apparatus 110 to the backup apparatus 120, the file of the information processing apparatus 110 that has been backed up is not necessarily deleted. Therefore, in the information processing apparatus 110, there may occur a situation in which a file that has been backed up to the backup apparatus 120 and a file that has not yet been backed up are mixed. Under such circumstances, if a backup of a file that has not been backed up is attempted, the backup is executed up to the file that has been backed up, and a large amount of time is spent on the backup. Therefore, the backup device 120 of the present embodiment performs differential backup that avoids duplicate backup of files that have been backed up once.

  Further, the backup device 120 according to the present embodiment is only the backup device 120 even if there is no rule unified between the information processing device 110 on the transmission side and the backup device 120 on the reception side, and the internal times are not matched. The purpose is to improve the convenience of the user by executing differential backup efficiently and reliably. Hereinafter, the backup device 120 will be described in detail.

(Backup device 120)
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the backup device 120 according to the present embodiment. The backup device 120 includes an external connection unit 150, an operation unit 152, a remote control I / F unit 154, a file holding unit 124, and a central control unit 122.

  The external connection unit 150 is configured by a USB port or the like, and establishes a connection with the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110 as an external storage medium through the USB connection cable 116.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the device descriptor information 210 in the storage medium 114. The external connection unit 150 refers to the device descriptor information 210 and the string descriptor information 212 located under the device descriptor information 210 shown in FIG. 3 in the storage medium 114 recognized as the USB mass storage, and The medium information for specifying the storage medium 114, for example, the vendor ID 214, the product ID 216, and the serial number 218 is read. Further, when the external connection unit 150 establishes a connection with the information processing apparatus 110 via wireless communication such as IEEE802.11b / a / g / n, a MAC (Media Access Control) address used for establishment of connectionless communication is set. It can also be medium information.

  If the storage medium 114 is an SD card, the value of a CID (The Card IDentification) register can be used as medium information for specifying the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110. The CID includes an MID (Manufacturer ID) field indicating a vendor, a PNM (Product name) field indicating a product name, and a PSN (Product serial number) field indicating a serial number.

  When the external connection unit 150 finishes reading the medium information, the external connection unit 150 functions as a file duplication unit that duplicates the file in the storage medium 114 to the file holding unit 124 in accordance with an instruction from the central control unit 122. The file duplicating unit performs the backup process of the present embodiment on one or more files determined to be backed up by a backup determining unit 166 described later. At this time, the external connection unit 150 also reads the directory to which each file belongs, and forms a hierarchy of the same format as the storage medium 114 in the file holding unit 124.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the hierarchical structure 220 in the storage medium 114. When the information processing apparatus 110 is a digital camera, the captured image file is generally held in the storage medium 114 in a hierarchical structure 220 in the DCF (Design Rule for Camera File system) format shown in FIG. . In the storage medium 114, as shown in FIG. 4, a “DCIM” directory 222 is formed immediately below the root directory, and a “100ABCDE” directory 224 that stores image files is further formed below that layer. The “100ABCDE” directory 224 stores a plurality of files specified by file names (file information) in which arbitrary alphanumeric characters are juxtaposed.

  Also, here, the DCF format is cited as the hierarchical structure 220, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is constructed in a SD Video format moving image file recorded on an SD memory card or a general-purpose external HDD device for a personal computer. Any directory and file structure may be used.

  The external connection unit 150 includes directory information (for example, a directory path) that can specify each directory in the DCF format hierarchical structure 220 shown in FIG. 4, directory meta information that can recognize whether each directory has been updated, and each file. File information (for example, a file name, etc.) and file meta information that can recognize whether each file has been updated are read out.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of directory meta information. Here, directory meta information that can be acquired by a “stat” command compliant with POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface for Unix (registered trademark)), which is an application interface standard, is shown. In the directory meta information in the POSIX, as will be described later, a last modification time 226 capable of mainly grasping whether or not there is an update is used. Although illustration thereof is omitted here, the file meta information is also configured in the same format as the directory information shown in FIG.

  The operation unit 152 includes a switch such as a keyboard, a cross key, and a joystick, a touch panel installed on the display surface of the display 130, and receives a user operation input to the backup device 120.

  The remote control I / F unit 154 acquires a command corresponding to an operation input by the user through infrared communication with the remote control 132 and transmits the command to the central control unit 122. When such a command is input, the central control unit 122 performs processing corresponding to the command, such as backup processing and image file reproduction processing.

  The file holding unit 124 includes a RAM, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard disk drive), and the like, and holds one or more files backed up from the information processing apparatus 110 and a management table 230 described later. Note that the HDD is precisely an apparatus, but for the sake of convenience of explanation, it is treated as synonymous with a recording medium in this description.

  The central control unit 122 controls the entire backup device 120 by a semiconductor integrated circuit including a central processing unit (CPU), a ROM storing programs, a RAM as a work area, and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the central control unit 122 functions as a medium identifier generation unit 160, a directory identifier generation unit 162, a file identifier generation unit 164, and a backup determination unit 166.

  The medium identifier generation unit 160 generates a medium identifier using the medium information that can identify the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110 as a seed, for example, the vendor ID 214, the product ID 216, the serial number 218, and the like. Specifically, the medium identifier generation unit 160 juxtaposes any one or all of the medium information, and arranges, for example, the vendor ID 214 “04f1”, the product ID 216 “001c”, and the serial number 218 “01000c005276” all in one line. A hash value having a predetermined number of digits is generated in the character string “04f1 001c 01000c005276” using an existing one-way hash function such as MD5 (Message Digest Algorithm 5) or SHA1 (Secure Hash Algorithm 1).

  The directory identifier generation unit 162 generates a directory identifier with the directory meta information that can recognize whether or not the directory is updated as a seed. Such a directory identifier is generated using a one-way hash function, like the medium identifier. For example, a character string in which the directory path “/ dicm / 100abcde” as directory meta information and the last modification time 226 “2009/07/07 13: 52: 12: 123” shown in the directory meta information in FIG. 5 are arranged in a line. Hash “/ dicm / 1004abcde2009 / 07/0713: 52: 12: 123”. By setting the directory path and the last modification time 226 as seeds, the hash values are different unless the same directory path is updated at the same time in the backup device 120, and each directory can be reliably identified using the directory identifier. It becomes like this.

  The directory meta information may include all the parameters of the directory meta information shown in FIG. 5 (except for the last access time 228), or 1 selected from the parameter group constituting the directory meta information of FIG. Alternatively, only a plurality of parameters may be used. In this embodiment, the last modification time 226 that is the time when the directory or the file belonging to the directory is last modified is used. Here, the last access time 228 is excluded because the last access time 228 is updated only by accessing the file even if the file belonging to the directory is not substantially modified. This is because it becomes a hindrance to detect this.

  In the present embodiment, the directory identifier generation unit 162 consistently acquires the seeded directory meta information from the transmission side, that is, the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110. Accordingly, since whether or not the directory meta information has been updated is acquired from the same directory meta information of the same information processing apparatus 110, the difference in internal time between the backup apparatus 120 and the information processing apparatus 110 is used as the directory identifier. The same directory identifier can be generated at any time as long as there is no update of a directory or a file belonging to the directory without any influence.

  In the present embodiment, such backup processing is managed only by the backup device 120 on the receiving side. In other words, the rules regarding the backup processing exist only in the backup device 120, and thus the information processing device 110. There is no need for any unified rules.

  With such a configuration, even if there is no rule unified between the information processing apparatus 110 on the transmission side and the backup apparatus 120 on the reception side, and the internal time is not synchronized, it is ensured that only the reception side backup apparatus 120 completes. Differential backup can be executed, and user convenience can be improved.

  The file identifier generation unit 164 generates a file identifier using the file meta information that can recognize whether or not the file is updated as a seed. Similar to the directory identifier, such a file identifier is also generated using a one-way hash function. For example, in the file meta information, the file name “ABCS0001.JPG” which is file information and the last modified time 226 “2009/07/07 13: 52: 12: 123” arranged in a line “ABCS0001.JPG2009” / 07/0713: 52: 12: 123 ". By setting the file name and the last modification time 226 as seeds, the hash values are different unless the same file name is updated at the same time in the backup device 120, and each file can be reliably identified using the file identifier. It becomes like this.

  The file meta information, like the directory meta information, may include all parameters (except the last access time 228), or use only one or a plurality of parameters selected from the parameter group constituting the file meta information. May be.

  In the present embodiment, since the file identifier generation unit 164 also consistently acquires the file meta information serving as seeds from the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110, as with the directory identifier generation unit 162, Unless there is a simple update, the same file identifier can be derived at any time.

  As described above, the medium identifier, the directory identifier, and the file identifier generated by the medium identifier generation unit 160, the directory identifier generation unit 162, and the file identifier generation unit 164 are the medium information, directory information, and file information read by the external connection unit 150. Are associated with each other to form a management table. Such a management table is held in the file holding unit 124.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the management table 230. The management table 230 includes a storage medium table 232 for managing the storage medium 114 shown in FIG. 6A, a directory table 234 for managing directories shown in FIG. 6B, and FIG. ) And a file table 236 for managing files, which are linked according to their hierarchical relationship.

  The management table 230 is configured with a null value when no file is held in the file holding unit 124, and when an arbitrary file is duplicated in the file holding unit 124, the backup determination unit 166 described later uses the storage medium 114. A value corresponding to the relationship between the folder and the folder is registered.

  In the storage medium table 232 of FIG. 6A, a medium identifier 240, medium information 242 and directory link number 244 are associated with a plurality of storage media 114. The medium identifier 240 is an identifier generated using the medium information 242 as a seed, and the medium information 242 includes a vendor ID 214, a product ID 216, a serial number 218, and the like (here, the vendor ID 214, the product ID 216, and the serial number 218 are juxtaposed. Medium information 242). The directory link number 244 includes an exclusive number that can be distinguished from others, and when a directory exists under the hierarchy of each storage medium 114, the directory link number 244 specifies the directory table 234 corresponding to the directory.

  Normally, an arbitrary device path indicating the storage position of the storage medium 114 in the file holding unit 124 is allocated to each storage medium 114 when connected to the backup device 120. Such a device path generation rule depends on an OS (Operating System), and for example, a sequential number according to the order of connection to the backup device 120 is assigned. When such a device path can uniquely identify each storage medium 114, the device path can be used as the medium information 242.

  In the directory table 234 of FIG. 6B, a directory link number 244 and a directory identifier 250 are associated with all the directories (here, the directory link number L0001) under the hierarchy of the specific one storage medium 114. , Directory information 252 and file link number 254 are associated with each other. The directory identifier 250 is an identifier generated by using directory meta information that can recognize whether or not a directory has been updated as a seed. The directory information 252 includes a directory path in the storage medium 114 (or a relative directory path in the file holding unit 124). Indicated. Further, the inode number 264 written in the directory meta information of FIG. 5 can be used as the directory information 252. The file link number 254 specifies the file table 236 corresponding to the file when the file exists under the hierarchy of each directory.

  In the file table 236 of FIG. 6C, a file link number 254, a file identifier 260, and a file identifier 260 corresponding to each of all the files (here, the file link number L0011) below a specific one directory, File information 262 is associated. The file identifier 260 is an identifier generated with the file meta information that can recognize whether or not the file is updated as a seed, and the file information 262 indicates a file name in the storage medium 114. The inode number 264 written in the file meta information can also be used as the file information 262.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the hierarchical relationship of the management table 230 shown in FIG. As described above, in the management table 230, the storage medium table 232, the directory tables 234 (234a, 234b), and the file tables 236 (236a, 236b, 236c, 236d, 236e, 236f) are linked using the link numbers. ing.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, only one storage medium table 232 is formed in the file holding unit 124 of the backup device 120. Further, as many directory tables 234 (234a, 234b) as the number of storage media 114 of the information processing apparatus 110 that have been registered (registered in the past) are generated. Then, the file tables 236 (236a, 236b, 236c, 236d, 236e, 236f) are generated as many as the number of directories in the directory table 234 where even one file exists below the hierarchy.

  Each table (storage medium table 232, directory table 234, file table 236) of the management table 230 may be stored in the file holding unit 124 as a data file linked to each other, or stored as a relational database table. Also good.

  The backup determination unit 166 determines whether or not each file stored in the storage medium 114 needs to be backed up based on the management table 230 when the storage medium 114 as an external storage medium is connected. Then, the file duplicating unit (external connection unit 150) duplicates one or more files determined to be backed up by the backup judging unit 166 from the storage medium 114 to the file holding unit 124. Also, the backup determination unit 166 causes the directory identifier generation unit 162 to generate a directory identifier 250 corresponding to the directory to which one or more files determined to need backup belong, and corresponds to the one or more files. The file identifier 260 is generated by the file identifier generator 164, and the generated directory identifier 250 and file identifier 260 are registered in the management table 230. Hereinafter, a specific operation of the backup determination unit 166 will be described in detail.

  The backup determination unit 166 determines whether or not the medium information 242 of the connected storage medium 114 exists in the management table 230, particularly the storage medium table 232, and the medium information 242 is stored in the storage medium table 232 of the management table 230. If it does not exist, all files stored in the storage medium 114 are copied to the file copying unit and stored in the file holding unit 124.

  Then, the backup determination unit 166 causes the directory identifier generation unit 162 to generate the directory identifier 250 corresponding to the directory to which the copied file belongs, and causes the file identifier generation unit 164 to generate the file identifier 260 corresponding to the copied file. The medium information 242, the generated directory identifier 250, the directory information 252, the generated file identifier 260, and the file information 262 are associated with each other and registered in the management table 230.

  With this configuration, when the storage medium 114 is newly connected, that is, when no file in the storage medium 114 is held in the file holding unit 124, the storage medium 114 is compared by comparing only the medium information 242. It is possible to grasp that all the files inside are not backed up. Therefore, it is not necessary to determine whether or not each file has already been backed up in the file holding unit 124, and the backup device 120 can efficiently and reliably execute the differential backup and reduce the backup time.

  At this time, the backup determination unit 166 may determine the necessity of backup of each file using the medium identifier 240 instead of the medium information 242.

  As described above, the medium information 242 is generated by juxtaposing one or a plurality of vendor IDs 214, product IDs 216, serial numbers 218, MAC addresses, and the like. However, the information processing apparatuses 110 having different vendors often have different numbers of medium information 242, a method of giving information, and lengths of values, and do not necessarily correspond to all of the medium information 242 described above. Therefore, when the medium information 242 is used as a target for comparing the presence / absence of the backup determination unit 166, it is difficult to unify the contents, the number of characters, and the like.

  The medium identifier 240 functions in the same way as the medium information 242 in that the storage medium 114 can be uniquely specified, and can be unified to a predetermined number of digits. Therefore, the differential backup can be executed more efficiently and reliably by using it as a target for comparing the presence / absence of the backup determination unit 166 instead of the medium information 242, and the convenience of the user is further improved through shortening the backup time. It becomes possible to make it.

  As described above, the backup determination unit 166 determines whether or not the medium information 242 of the connected storage medium 114 (hereinafter, the medium identifier 240 is used) exists in the storage medium table 232 of the management table 230. When the medium identifier 240 exists in the storage medium table 232 of the management table 230, the directory identifier generator 162 generates the directory identifier 250 corresponding to the directory provided in the storage medium 114, and the generated directory It is determined whether or not the identifier 250 is associated with the medium identifier 240 in the management table 230, particularly in the directory table 234.

  Then, when the generated directory identifier 250 is associated with the medium identifier 240 in the directory table 234 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 does not copy the file under the directory hierarchy.

  As described above, when an arbitrary directory in the storage medium 114 and a file belonging to the directory are already held in the file holding unit 124, the arbitrary directory can be determined only by determining the presence or absence of the directory identifier 250 in the management table 230. And that the files belonging to that directory have been backed up. Therefore, there is no need to determine whether or not each file has already been backed up in the file holding unit 124, and the backup device 120 can efficiently and reliably execute the differential backup and further shorten the backup time. it can.

  On the other hand, when the directory identifier 250 is not associated with the directory table 234 of the management table 230, there are two possible reasons. One is a case where the directory and all the files belonging to the directory are not held in the file holding unit 124, and the other is a directory hierarchy of the connected storage medium 114 although the directory already exists. This is a case where some update occurs in the file and the directory identifier 250 is also updated along with the update of the directory meta information.

  As described above, when the directory identifier 250 is not associated, it can be determined by using the directory information 252 which one of the above two reasons is caused. This is because even in the former case, even the directory information 252 does not exist in the management table 230, and in the latter case, the directory information 252 is updated, but the directory information 252 is associated with the directory table 234. .

  Therefore, if the generated directory identifier 250 is not associated with the medium identifier 240 in the directory table 234 of the management table 230, the backup determining unit 166 determines that the directory information 252 of the directory, for example, the directory path is the directory of the management table 230. It is determined whether or not it is associated with the medium identifier 240 in the table 234.

  Then, when the directory information 252 is not associated with the medium identifier 240 in the directory table 234 of the management table 230, the backup determining unit 166 causes all the files under the directory hierarchy to be copied to the file copying unit and stored in the file holding unit 124. Then, the file identifier generating unit 164 generates a file identifier 260 corresponding to the copied file, and the medium identifier 240, the generated directory identifier 250, the directory information 252, the generated file identifier 260, and the file information. 262 is registered in the management table 230 in association with each other.

  Here, since neither the directory identifier 250 nor the directory information 252 is associated with the management table 230, it can be understood that the directory and all the files belonging to the directory are not backed up. Therefore, it is not necessary to determine whether or not each file has already been backed up in the file holding unit 124, and the backup device 120 can efficiently and reliably execute the differential backup and further reduce the backup time. .

  Further, when the directory information 252 is associated with the medium identifier 240 in the directory table 234 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 generates the directory identifier 250 associated with the directory information 252 in the directory table 234 as a directory identifier. The file identifier 260 is updated to the directory identifier 250 generated by the unit 162 and the file identifier 260 corresponding to the file under the directory hierarchy is generated, and the file identifier 260 is associated with the directory in the file table 236 of the management table. Judge whether or not

  Then, when the generated file identifier 260 is associated with the directory in the file table 236 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 does not copy the file.

  As described above, when a file belonging to an arbitrary directory is already held in the file holding unit 124, the file belonging to the arbitrary directory has been backed up only by determining the presence or absence of the file identifier 260 in the management table 230. I can understand that. Therefore, the backup device 120 can efficiently and surely execute the differential backup and further reduce the backup time.

  On the other hand, when the file identifier 260 is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230, the reason is that, as with the directory identifier 250, the file belonging to the directory is not held in the file holding unit 124, or the file is held in the file There are two points that exist in the section 124, but that some update has occurred in the file in the connected storage medium 114, and the file identifier 260 has been updated along with the update of the file meta information of the file. Then, when the file identifier 260 is not associated with the file table 236, it can be determined by using the file information 262 as with the directory information 252 as to which of the above two events is due. .

  Therefore, when the generated file identifier 260 is not associated with a directory in the file table 236 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 has file information 262 of the file, for example, a file name in the file table 236 of the management table 230. Determine if it is associated with a directory.

  When the file information 262 is not associated with a directory in the file table 236 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 copies the file to the file replication unit, stores the file information in the file holding unit 124, the medium identifier 240, The new directory identifier 250, directory information 252, generated file identifier 260, and file information 262 are associated and registered in the file table 236 of the management table 230.

  Here, since neither the file identifier 260 nor the file information 262 is associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230, it can be understood that the file is not backed up. Therefore, the backup device 120 can efficiently and reliably execute the differential backup, and can further reduce the backup time.

  In addition, when the file information 262 is associated with a directory in the file table 236 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 copies the file to the file replication unit and overwrites the file holding unit 124 with the file in the management table 230. The identifier 260 is updated to the generated file identifier 260.

  Here, the file identifier 260 is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230, but the file information 262 is associated, so that the file is already backed up to the file holding unit 124, but the file is not stored. You can know that you are receiving some kind of update. In the present embodiment, the purpose is to back up a file on the storage medium 114. Even if the file has been backed up in the past, if the file on the storage medium 114 is updated, the file in the file holding unit 124 is saved. Should also reflect that update. In the present embodiment, it is possible to execute differential backup efficiently and reliably by overwriting the file in the file holding unit 124 with the file updated in the storage medium 114.

  As described above, even if there is no rule unified between the information processing device 110 on the transmission side and the backup device 120 on the reception side by the backup device 120 described above, and the internal time does not match, that is, the information processing device 110. It is possible to reduce the time spent for backup and improve user convenience by executing differential backup efficiently and surely with only the backup device 120 as the main body, without being limited to vendors and models It becomes possible.

  Incidentally, the user can not only reproduce the file backed up in the file holding unit 124 of the backup device 120 but also edit (correct, move, delete) the file and the directory to which the file belongs through the operation unit 152. . Here, the file movement corresponds to a file deletion process from the movement source directory and a file addition process to the movement destination directory.

  8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams for explaining file editing. When the user performs an operation input for displaying a list of directories and files through the operation unit 152, the central control unit 122 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen 270 on which a list of directories and files shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display 130. The plurality of thumbnails in the GUI screen 270 may be prepared separately from each image file, or may be generated by thinning out the image file each time.

  When the user selects one thumbnail (image file) from the GUI screen 270 through the operation unit 152, the central control unit 122 displays the edit menu shown in FIG. 9 regarding the image file corresponding to the selected thumbnail. 272 is displayed on the display 130 to prompt further user input. When the user selects “delete” from the edit menu 272 through the operation unit 152, the central control unit 122 executes the file deletion process after confirming deletion to the user.

  When such editing of a directory or file is executed on the above-described backup device 120 that is not considered to be edited, the directory identifier 250 and the file identifier 260 of the management table 230 are updated. When the directory identifier 250 or the file identifier 260 is updated, when the information processing apparatus 110 that is the backup source of the file that is the seed of the file identifier 260 is connected again, the file is backed up again.

  For example, when a file is updated in the information processing apparatus 110, the update of the file should be reflected in the backup apparatus 120, but for the update of a file that has already been backed up in the backup apparatus 120 as described above. Until further backup is applied, the file updated by the backup device 120 is inadvertently rewritten to the file before the update, or wasted time is wasted due to unnecessary backup processing.

  Therefore, even if the directory of the file holding unit 124 or a file belonging to the directory is deleted, added, or changed, the backup determination unit 166 of the present embodiment and the directory identifier 250 of the management table 230 corresponding to the directory and the file It is assumed that the file identifier 260 of the management table 230 corresponding to is not updated. That is, when the file is updated in the information processing apparatus 110, the differential backup is executed. However, when the file is updated in the backup apparatus 120, the differential backup is limited.

  Depending on the file update in the backup device 120, the management table 230 is not updated, thereby avoiding the generation of useless directory identifiers 250 and file identifiers 260, and unnecessary backup processing from the information processing device 110 to the backup device 120. Thus, differential backup can be executed efficiently and reliably, and the convenience of the user can be improved through shortening the backup time.

(Backup method)
Next, a backup method for backing up only a difference file between a file stored in the storage medium 114 of the connected information processing apparatus 110 and a file copied to the backup apparatus 120 itself, using the backup apparatus 120 described above. This will be specifically described.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the backup method. The file holding unit 124 includes, together with one or more files, a medium identifier 240 that identifies the information processing apparatus 110 on the transmission side of the one or more files, and a directory identifier 250 that corresponds to a directory belonging to the storage medium 114. The management table 230 in which the file identifiers 260 corresponding to the files belonging to the directory are associated according to the hierarchical relationship is held in advance.

  When any information processing apparatus 110 is connected to the backup apparatus 120 (YES in S302), the external connection unit 150 establishes a connection with the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110 (S304), and the vendor ID 214, product The medium information 242 such as the ID 216 and the serial number 218 is read (S306). Then, the medium identifier generation unit 160 generates a medium identifier 240 using the medium information 242 as a seed (S308).

  Subsequently, the backup determination unit 166 determines whether backup of each file stored in the storage medium 114 is necessary based on the management table 230. Specifically, the backup determination unit 166 determines whether or not the generated medium identifier 240 exists in the storage medium table 232 of the management table 230 (S310), and stores the medium identifier 240 in the storage medium table 232 of the management table 230. Is not present (NO in S310), it can be instantaneously determined that the backup from the storage medium 114 has never been executed in the past, so all the directories stored in the storage medium 114 and their hierarchies exist. All files are copied to the file holding unit 124 according to the hierarchical structure (S312).

  At this time, the backup determination unit 166 sends a command for generating a directory identifier corresponding to the directory to which the copied file belongs and a file identifier corresponding to the copied file to the directory identifier generation unit 162 and the file identifier generation unit. In response to the command, the directory identifier generation unit 162 generates a directory identifier using the directory meta information that can recognize whether the directory is updated or not as a seed (S314), and the file identifier generation unit 164 Then, a file identifier with the file meta information that can recognize whether or not the file is updated as a seed is generated (S316). Then, the backup determination unit 166 associates and registers the medium identifier 240, the directory information 252, the directory identifier 250, the file identifier 260, and the file information 262 in the management table 230 (S318).

  Here, since it is instantaneously determined that the backup related to the connected information processing apparatus 110 has never been performed in the past, it is possible to omit the difference detection process for determining whether or not differential backup is necessary. The backup process can be started immediately.

  Further, when the medium identifier 240 exists in the management table 230 (YES in S310), it indicates that the storage medium 114 has been backed up in the past, and therefore backup of the directory under the hierarchy of the storage medium 114 is performed. In order to determine necessity, the backup determination unit 166 causes the directory identifier generation unit 162 to generate a directory identifier 250 corresponding to the directory provided in the storage medium 114 (S320), and the directory identifier 250 is stored in the management table 230. It is determined whether the directory table 234 is associated with the medium identifier 240 (S322).

  Here, when the directory identifier 250 is associated with the management table 230 (YES in S322), it can be instantaneously determined that all files under the directory hierarchy have not been updated. It is not copied to the holding unit 124.

  Here, since it is immediately determined that a differential backup is not required simply by accessing the directory table 234, especially when there are a large number of files under the directory, the file holding unit 124 for each file. Compared with the case where it is determined whether or not the data has already been backed up, the difference detection processing time can be significantly reduced.

  When the directory identifier 250 is not associated with the management table 230 (NO in S322), the backup determination unit 166 determines whether the directory information 252 of the directory is associated with the medium identifier 240 in the directory table 234 of the management table 230. Judgment is made (S324).

  When the directory information 252 is not associated with the directory table 234 of the management table 230 (NO in S324), it can be determined that the directory is a directory newly added after the previous backup, and therefore all files under the directory hierarchy are stored. The file is copied to the file holding unit 124 (S326).

  Then, the backup determination unit 166 causes the file identifier generation unit 164 to generate a file identifier 260 corresponding to the copied file (S328), generates a medium identifier 240, a generated directory identifier 250, directory information 252, The file identifier 260 and the file information 262 are associated with each other and registered in the management table 230 (S330).

  Here, it is possible to detect a new directory simply by searching the directory table 234. Therefore, especially when there are a large number of directories, it is possible to significantly reduce the processing time for difference detection.

  When the directory information 252 is associated with the management table 230 (YES in S324), it can be determined that all or a part of the files under the directory hierarchy have been updated, and therefore the backup determination unit 166 determines the directory in the directory table 234. The directory identifier 250 associated with the information 252 is updated to the directory identifier 250 generated by the directory identifier generator 162, and the file identifier 260 corresponding to the file under the directory hierarchy is generated by the file identifier generator 164 (S332). It is determined whether or not the file identifier 260 is associated with the directory in the file table 236 of the management table 230 (S334).

  When the file identifier 260 is associated with the file table 236 of the management table (YES in S334), since it can be determined that the file is not a newly added file, the file is not copied to the file holding unit 124.

  When the file identifier 260 is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230 (NO in S334), the backup determination unit 166 associates the file information 262 of the file with the medium identifier 240 in the file table 236 of the management table 230. It is determined whether or not (S336).

  If the file information 262 is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230 (NO in S336), the file is copied to the file holding unit 124 (S338), the medium identifier 240, the new directory identifier 250, and the directory The information 252, the generated file identifier 260, and the file information 262 are associated and registered in the management table 230 (S 340).

  When the file information 262 of the file on the storage medium 114 is associated with the management table 230 (YES in S336), the backup determination unit 166 overwrites the file in the file holding unit 124 with the same file information (S342). The file identifier 260 associated with the file information 262 in the file table 236 is updated to the file identifier 260 generated by the file identifier generation unit 164 (S344).

  When processing of all files under the directory hierarchy is completed (YES in S346), it is determined whether processing of all directories in the storage medium 114 is completed (S348). If processing is completed (YES in S348), The backup method ends.

  If the backup source file has been deleted from the storage medium 114 at this time, the directory identifier 250 does not match in the directory identifier determination step S322, but the deleted file is not the target of the file identifier determination step S334, so the file is retained. The directory 124 is not affected at all, and only the directory identifier 250 is updated in the file identifier generation step S332.

  As described above, in the backup device 120 and the backup method described above, (1) meta information that is a seed of each identifier is consistently acquired from the transmission side, and backup processing is managed only on the reception side. Therefore, even if there is no rule that is unified between the transmission side and the reception side, and even if the internal times are not matched, only the backup device 120 is mainly used to efficiently perform differential backup without selecting the transmission side device. It is possible to execute the target with certainty and certainty.

  (2) In addition, the backup device 120 determines whether or not backup is necessary in an upper hierarchy such as a hierarchical storage medium 114 or a directory, and avoids a complicated comparison process such as date information or character string information, and a predetermined number of digits. The necessity of backup is determined using the hash value of. Therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce the processing time spent for backup.

  (3) Furthermore, even if a directory or file is updated in the backup device 120, the management table 230 is not updated. Therefore, it is possible to avoid unnecessary backup due to the update on the reception side while maintaining the backup for the update on the transmission side. In this way, differential backup can be performed efficiently and reliably, and user convenience can be improved through shortening of backup time.

(Second Embodiment)
In the backup apparatus 120 according to the first embodiment, after the user having the information processing apparatus 110 completes the backup from the information processing apparatus 110 to the backup apparatus 120, the file of the information processing apparatus 110 that has been backed up is not deleted. Thus, an example has been described in which differential backup is performed efficiently and reliably even if a file that has been backed up to the backup device 120 is mixed with a file that has not yet been backed up. On the other hand, after the backup from the information processing apparatus 110 to the backup apparatus 120 is completed, in order to secure a storage area for storing a new file, the user partially deletes an existing file from the storage medium 114 of the information processing apparatus 110. Or you may delete everything.

  For example, when the information processing apparatus 110 is a digital camera, the directory name and file name of the existing file are referred to for the directory name and file name in which the newly generated file is stored, and the directory name “/ dcim / 100abcde ", file name" Abcd0001.jpg ", etc., may be automatically generated using incremented numbers. In such an information processing apparatus 110, after the user deletes a file (for example, file name “Abcd0001.jpg”) stored in the information processing apparatus 110 as described above, a new file is created in the information processing apparatus 110. When the file is generated, the file name “Abcd0001.jpg” is attached to the file again, and the deleted file and the new file have the same file name although the contents are different.

  At this time, files having the same file name but different contents (deleted files) no longer exist in the information processing apparatus 110, but exist in the backup apparatus 120. Therefore, when the user tries to back up the newly generated file “Abcd0001.jpg”, the backup device 120 may overwrite the previously backed up file “Abcd0001.jpg”. Therefore, in the backup device 120 shown below, even if the new file has the same file name as the file that has already been backed up, the new file is not overwritten and deleted without overwriting the file that has been backed up. Perform backup smoothly.

  Here, the backup determination unit 166 of the backup device 120 performs processing different from that of the first embodiment.

  As described above, the medium identifier 240 of the storage medium 114 connected to the backup device 120 exists in the storage medium table 232 of the management table 230 and corresponds to the directory provided in the storage medium 114. Is associated with the medium identifier 240 in the directory table 234 of the management table 230 and the file identifier 260 corresponding to the file under the directory hierarchy is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230, The reason is that, like the directory identifier 250, the file belonging to the directory is not held in the file holding unit 124, or the file already exists in the file holding unit 124, but the file in the connected storage medium 114 is not stored. Some file identifier 260 2 points if it were updated and the like in association with the update of the file meta information for the file occurs some updates.

  In the first embodiment, it is determined by using the file name which is the file information 262 which one of the above two events is caused. When the file name is not associated with the directory in the file table 236 of the management table 230, the backup determining unit 166 duplicates the file in the file duplicating unit and newly stores it in the file holding unit 124, and associates the file name with the file name. In the case where the file is stored, the file is copied to the file copying unit and the existing file in the file holding unit 124 is overwritten. The overwriting process is intended to reflect the update of the file in the storage medium 114 corresponding to the file that has already been backed up.

  However, as described above, when there are files having the same file name but different contents due to the file generation after deleting the file in the information processing apparatus 110, it is possible to distinguish the file from the same but updated contents. Can not. That is, both files are the same as the files that have already been backed up because the file names are the same but the file identifiers 260 are different. The user has no way of knowing that a file with the same file name has been generated unless the file name is the same but the file name is different and the file name is not managed by himself / herself. Therefore, as described above, when a file name is associated with a directory in the file table 236, if the file is uniformly overwritten on the file holding unit 124, the file that should have been backed up is rewritten unintentionally. End up.

  Therefore, the backup determination unit 166 avoids overwriting when the above-described situation in which both files cannot be distinguished can occur, and newly stores the file in the file holding unit 124 regardless of the reason. . Thus, the backup time can be further shortened.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the management table 230. When the file identifier 260 corresponding to the file is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230, the backup determination unit 166 causes the file duplication unit to duplicate the file and rename the file (converted file name 266). ), The converted file name 266 is stored in the file holding unit 124, and as shown in FIG. 11, a medium identifier 240, a generated directory identifier 250, directory information 252, a generated file identifier 260, and a file The information 262 and the conversion file name 266 are associated and registered in the file table 236 of the management table 230.

  Here, the conversion file name 266 is a character string (for example, “14ccc55a6ff24762.jpg”) in which the extension of the file name before conversion is added to the file identifier 260 already generated for the file, as shown in FIG. It is formed. With this configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation where a file is overwritten based on the fact that the file name is the same, and it is possible to uniquely identify each file. Here, the file name before conversion can be used as an index when searching for the file.

  In this example, the conversion file name 266 is generated based on the file identifier 260. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a unique file name that does not match the existing file held in the file holding unit 124 can also be used. . For example, the current time may be acquired from an internal clock (not shown) provided in the central control unit 122 of the backup device 120 and used as a file name (for example, “2009-09-11-17: 18: 19: 99.jpg”). A continuous number generator (not shown) included in the central controller 122 of the backup device 120 generates a continuous number (for example, “0000-0000-0000-0001”) each time backup duplication is performed, and an extension is added to the number. May be used to generate a conversion file name (for example, “0000-0000-0000-0001.jpg”) 266. Further, the converted file name 266 does not necessarily have an extension, and the file identifier (for example, “14ccc55a6ff24762”) 260 may be simply used as the file name.

  In this embodiment, by adding a file in which the storage medium 114 has been updated to the file holding unit 124, files having the same file name but different contents resulting from file generation after the file is deleted in the information processing apparatus 110. Even if the files are the same but updated, the differential backup can be executed efficiently and reliably.

(Backup method)
The backup method when the processing of the backup determination unit 166 is changed in this way will be specifically described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of the backup method according to the second embodiment. The processes that are substantially the same as the video processing method of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. However, in the registration step (S318, S330) by the backup determination unit 166, the converted file name 266 is also associated with the file identifier 260 and registered in the management table 230.

  When the file identifier 260 is associated with the file table 236 of the management table (YES in S334), since it can be determined that the file is not a newly added file, the file is not copied to the file holding unit 124.

  On the other hand, when the file identifier 260 is not associated with the file table 236 of the management table 230 (NO in S334), the file is copied to the file holding unit 124, and the file name of the file is already generated for the file. The converted file name 266, which is a character string obtained by adding the extension of the file name before conversion to the existing file identifier 260, is stored in the file holding unit 124 with the converted file name 266 (S350), the medium identifier 240, The new directory identifier 250, the directory information 252, the generated file identifier 260, the file information 262, and the converted file name 266 are associated and registered in the file table 236 of the management table 230 (S352).

  In this way, when a file belonging to the directory is not yet held in the file holding unit 124, a new file is added to the file holding unit 124. Even if a file that already exists in the file holding unit 124 has been updated, a new file can be created even if the file name is the same as the file that already exists in the file holding unit 124 but has a different content. Is added to the file holding unit 124. Therefore, it is possible to refer to all files backed up in the past regardless of whether or not the contents of the files are equal without deleting files having different contents by overwriting or the like.

  When processing of all files under the directory hierarchy is completed (YES in S346), it is determined whether processing of all directories in the storage medium 114 is completed (S348). If processing is completed (YES in S348), The backup method ends.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  Note that each step in the backup method of the present specification does not necessarily have to be processed in time series in the order described in the flowchart, and may include parallel or subroutine processing.

  The present invention can be used in a backup apparatus and a backup method that are connected to an external storage medium and back up only a differential file between a file stored in the connected external storage medium and a file copied to itself.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... Information processing apparatus 114 ... Storage medium 120 ... Backup apparatus 124 ... File holding part 160 ... Medium identifier generation part 162 ... Directory identifier generation part 164 ... File identifier generation part 166 ... Backup judgment part 214 ... Vendor ID
216 ... Product ID
218 ... serial number 230 ... management table 240 ... medium identifier 242 ... medium information 250 ... directory identifier 252 ... directory information 260 ... file identifier 262 ... file information

Claims (13)

A backup device that connects to an external storage medium and backs up files stored in the connected external storage medium,
A directory identifier generation unit that generates a directory identifier based on directory meta-information that can recognize whether or not a directory has been updated;
A file identifier generation unit that generates a file identifier based on file meta information that can recognize whether a file has been updated, or
Corresponding to one or more files, medium information for identifying an external storage medium that is a backup source of the one or more files, and a directory to which the one or more files belonged in the external storage medium that is the backup source A file holding unit that holds a management table that associates the directory identifier and the file identifier corresponding to the one or more files;
A backup determination unit that determines whether backup of each file stored in the arbitrary external storage medium is necessary based on the management table when an arbitrary external storage medium is connected;
A file duplicating unit that duplicates one or more of the files determined to be backed up by the backup judging unit from the external storage medium to the file holding unit;
A backup device comprising:   The backup determination unit causes the directory identifier generation unit to generate the directory identifier corresponding to the directory to which the one or more files determined to be backed up belong, and to correspond to the one or more files. The backup device according to claim 1, wherein the file identifier is generated by the file identifier generation unit, and the generated directory identifier and the file identifier are registered in the management table. The backup determination unit
Determining whether media information of the connected external storage medium exists in the management table;
When the medium information does not exist in the management table, all files stored in the external storage medium are copied to the file copying unit and stored in the file holding unit, and the directory to which the copied file belongs The directory identifier generation unit generates the directory identifier corresponding to the file, the file identifier generation unit generates the file identifier corresponding to the copied file, and the medium information, the generated directory identifier and the file identifier, The backup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backup device is registered in the management table in association with each other. The backup determination unit
Determining whether media information of the connected external storage medium exists in the management table;
When the medium information exists in the management table, the directory identifier generation unit generates a directory identifier corresponding to a directory provided in the external storage medium, and the generated directory identifier is the medium in the management table. Determine whether it is associated with the information,
The backup device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the generated directory identifier is associated with the medium information of the management table, a file under the directory hierarchy is not duplicated. . The management table is also associated with directory information that can identify the directory that is the seed of the directory identifier,
The backup determination unit
If the generated directory identifier is not associated with the media information of the management table, determine whether the directory information of the directory is associated with the media information of the management table;
When the directory information is not associated with the medium information in the management table, all files under the directory hierarchy are copied to the file replication unit, stored in the file holding unit, and corresponding to the copied file The file identifier is generated by the file identifier generation unit, and the medium information, the generated directory identifier, the directory information, and the generated file identifier are associated with each other and registered in the management table. 4. The backup device according to 4. The backup determination unit
When the directory information is associated with the medium information of the management table, the file identifier generation unit generates a file identifier corresponding to the file under the directory hierarchy, and the file identifier is stored in the directory of the management table. Determine whether they are associated,
6. The backup device according to claim 5, wherein when the generated file identifier is associated with the directory of the management table, the file is not duplicated. The management table is also associated with file information that can identify the file that is the seed of the file identifier,
The backup determination unit
If the generated file identifier is not associated with the directory of the management table, determine whether file information of the file is associated with the directory of the management table;
If the file information is not associated with the directory of the management table, the file is copied to the file replication unit and stored in the file holding unit, the medium information, the generated directory identifier, and the directory information The backup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the generated file identifier and the file information are associated with each other and registered in the management table.   When the file information is associated with the directory of the management table, the backup determination unit copies the file to the file replication unit and overwrites the file holding unit, and the directory identifier and file identifier of the management table The backup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the backup directory identifier is updated to the generated directory identifier and the generated file identifier. The management table is also associated with a converted file name obtained by converting the file name of the file that became the seed of the file identifier,
When the generated file identifier is not associated with the directory of the management table, the backup determination unit causes the file replication unit to replicate the file, converts the file name of the file into a converted file name, The conversion file name is stored in the file holding unit, and the medium information, the generated directory identifier, the directory information, the generated file identifier, and the conversion file name are associated with each other and registered in the management table. The backup device according to claim 6. A medium identifier generating unit that generates a medium identifier using the medium information that can identify the external storage medium as a seed;
The management table is associated with the medium identifier instead of or in addition to the medium information,
The backup apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the backup determination unit determines whether it is necessary to back up each file by using the medium identifier instead of the medium information.   The backup determination unit does not update a directory identifier of the management table corresponding to the directory depending on deletion, addition, or change of the directory of the file holding unit or a file belonging to the directory. The backup device according to any one of 10.   The said backup judgment part does not update the file identifier of the said management table corresponding to the file by the deletion of a file of the said file holding part, addition, and a change, The any one of Claim 1 to 11 characterized by the above-mentioned. The backup device described in 1. A backup method for connecting to an external storage medium and backing up files stored in the connected external storage medium,
Corresponding to one or more files, medium information for identifying an external storage medium that is a backup source of the one or more files, and a directory to which the one or more files belonged in the external storage medium that is the backup source A management table that associates a directory identifier to be associated with a file identifier corresponding to the one or more files,
Based on the management table, it is determined whether or not backup of each file stored in the arbitrary external storage medium is required when an arbitrary external storage medium is connected,
A backup method, wherein one or a plurality of the files determined to be backed up are copied from the external storage medium to a file holding unit.