JPH04176009A - Dirt detection method for magnetic heads for reading and writing data in auxiliary storage devices - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for detecting dirt on a head of an auxiliary storage device of a computer system.

Among auxiliary storage devices, it is a device that inputs and outputs data by directly contacting the storage surface, and requires cleaning of the data input and output section.

[Conventional technology]

As a conventional invention, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-1 discloses a system for displaying the wear and tear of information processing equipment and the replacement period of regularly replaced parts.
Publication No. 03253 has been published. In this invention, cumulative information such as the power-on time of the target information processing apparatus and the number of printed sheets is used to give notice and warning of the next replacement time.

Therefore, data errors due to dirt on the data read/write head of the auxiliary storage device cannot be predicted or warned because they are not subject to consumable or regularly replaced parts.

Another invention is a system for centrally managing information on failures that occur in electronic equipment on a host computer, and a method for issuing a warning when the number of failures that occur in electronic equipment exceeds a preset limit.
-217338 publication has been published.

This invention attempts to improve the efficiency and quality of equipment maintenance by foretelling the occurrence of a failure and issuing an alarm based on a preset limit.

Therefore, a file system failure that stores important user information is absolutely impossible to occur due to its importance, and there is a need to increase the level of prevention to a higher level than in the prior art. Particularly in recent years, with the spread of word processors, these devices with built-in flexible devices are used under a wide variety of user environments, and their heads tend to become more and more dirty.

Even in such an environment, it is absolutely necessary to prevent users from destroying important information.

For the above reasons, it was necessary to develop a different method to solve the problem of data errors and file information destruction due to dirt on the head.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventional technology does not have a function to detect data errors caused by dirt on the head of an auxiliary storage device using hardware or software methods, and there are technical difficulties in determining how to detect dirt on the head. There was a problem.

Currently, manufacturers instruct users to clean the heads of auxiliary storage devices periodically depending on how long the auxiliary storage device is used. In this case, the usage time is expressed by the elapsed time during which the auxiliary storage device was powered on, and is therefore different from the contact time with the magnetic surface, which directly affects head contamination. For this reason, even when it is time to clean the head as instructed by the manufacturer, it has been difficult to properly clean the head due to the various ways in which the head is used depending on the user.

The purpose of the present invention is to prevent data errors caused by dirt on the head by properly understanding dirt on the head due to various uses and instructing the user to clean the head at an appropriate time. shall be.

By using the present invention, since the user is instructed on the appropriate time for head cleaning, it can be said that it is effective not only to prevent wasteful head cleaning but also to prevent head wear.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above object, the present invention separately shows software and hardware means below.

The means of achieving this through software consists of a software operating environment that includes an auxiliary storage device that requires head cleaning, a system device that controls it and includes a built-in CPU, and the necessary information to notify the device and operator when head cleaning is performed. It is equipped with an input/output device, such as a keyboard and a display.

The software that operates under this environment has a table with the ID of each auxiliary storage device connected to the system unit, the cumulative head access time, and the required head cleaning time. It is created using a program that uses logic to convert the number of data into head access time each time an output operation is performed. Using these, the auxiliary storage device in the program accumulates the head access time for each data input/output operation, compares this time with the time required for head cleaning, and if it determines that head cleaning is necessary, performs the necessary maintenance on the input/output device. ○Has a reporting function by issuing a command. The hardware means to achieve this includes a data transfer circuit that controls data transfer between the auxiliary storage device and the main storage device, a circuit that converts the number of data transfers into head usage time, and an accumulation of head usage time for each auxiliary storage device. A circuit with a memory for storing data and a setting circuit that can arbitrarily set the appropriate time for head cleaning for each auxiliary storage device are provided. Furthermore, these circuits are equipped with a head contamination level inspection circuit for the auxiliary storage device, which is configured with a circuit that can compare the head usage time with the set value for the appropriate head cleaning time and report when the head cleaning time is appropriate. establish.

[Effect]

When data input/output operations occur with respect to the auxiliary storage device, the number of data transfers at this time is converted into the access time of the head section to the storage surface. As the access time of the head section is accumulated, it eventually reaches a time when the head section becomes dirty and requires head cleaning. The dirty state of the head can be determined by checking the cumulative time. The time required for head cleaning varies depending on the hardware and media used. By setting this time and comparing it with the cumulative time, an appropriate head cleaning time can be found.

Processing for converting data transfer time into head access time, processing for accumulating head access time processing, processing for setting required head cleaning time, processing for comparing cumulative head access time and required head cleaning time, and determining that head cleaning is necessary. All of this can be achieved with both software and hardware. However, in the case of hardware, if the state in which the head is performing read/write operations can be recognized as a separate signal as a method for determining the head access time, it can be used as an alternative method to convert the number of data transfers to the head access time. be.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained by dividing them into software and hardware using FIGS. 1 to 5.

When the present invention is implemented using software, the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 1 is assumed. 104 is a flexible desk device that inputs and outputs data by directly contacting the storage medium surface.

Software for detecting the dirty state of the head section 104 is stored in 103 and runs on the software 103 . 101 is
This is a display that displays a head cleaning request message from 103. The user of the present invention responds to the displayed message 101 using the keyboard 102 .

FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart from detecting dirt on the head section of the flexible disk device to executing head cleaning. Figures 3 and 4 are used in the processing flowchart in Figure 2, and are a table for checking the dirt status of the head section of the auxiliary storage device based on the time it takes to access the storage medium surface, and a table for checking the dirty state of the head section of the auxiliary storage device, respectively. , when performing data transfer, D M A (D 1re
ctMemoryAccess) to convert the amount of data transferred into the time during which the head section is accessing the storage medium surface. 301 indicates the name of the auxiliary storage device connected to the system unit main body, and 302
An ID is provided to distinguish each one.

303 is a flag that is set when the cumulative head access time reaches the head cleaning required time 305 and head cleaning is executed. Further, 305 is the required head cleaning time obtained from the head section access time obtained at 402 in FIG. The conversion formula 402 is composed of 403, 404, and 405, and 403 is a conversion constant that changes depending on the auxiliary storage device 401. 405 is D for the flexible disk device.
It shows the number of MA transfer bytes, and 404 is 403 and 40.
This is a correction coefficient for adjusting the head access time obtained from 5 and differs for each auxiliary storage device. At 304, a value is set that is the sum of the head access times obtained using 402.

201 in Figure 2 indicates that the flexible disk device is DMA.
This is the number of bytes set when performing data transfer by
Based on this data and the auxiliary storage device ID obtained at 202°, the head access time of 203 is determined using the conversion formula shown in FIG. At 204, the head access time is added to the cumulative head access time at 304 for each auxiliary storage device. In 205, the total head access time of 404 and 30
By comparing the required head cleaning time of No. 5, it is determined whether the cumulative head access time is longer than the required head access time. If the determination result is that the cumulative head access time is long, a message is output to notify the user that head cleaning is necessary in step 206. Conversely, if the cumulative head access time is short, the process is terminated. In 206.

The user is asked to select whether or not to perform head cleaning, and in step 207 it is determined whether or not to perform head cleaning.If head cleaning is to be performed in step 6307, head cleaning is performed in step 208. When the head cleaning is completed, a flag 403 is set, the flag is determined in 209, the total head access time is cleared, and the process ends. As a result, the user is always informed of the appropriate head cleaning timing. FIG. 5 shows a logical block diagram in the case of implementation in hardware. Reference numeral 501 denotes an auxiliary storage device such as a magnetic tape device or a flexible disk device that inputs and outputs data by directly contacting the storage medium surface. Each auxiliary storage device requires head cleaning at certain times to prevent data errors due to dirt on the head section. In 502.

This period can be set. In 503,
The state in which the head section of the auxiliary storage device is operating for data input/output is obtained as input information.

The interval at which the head becomes dirty due to input/output operations must be accumulated every time an input/output operation occurs, and is stored in step 503 after the accumulation. Next, the integrated value is converted into data that can be treated as time information in 503, and is constantly compared with the head cleaning required period in 502 in 504 to check whether the head part of each auxiliary storage device is dirty.

When the integrated value of a certain auxiliary storage device is equal to or greater than the head cleaning required time, a signal is outputted to the display panel 505 as warning information. 505
When performing head cleaning, it is necessary to reset the integrated value in 503, which is performed using an IO command.

The above-described detection circuit can operate by being added to existing hardware as is, and the head cleaning timing of each auxiliary storage device must be set by the manufacturer, as with software.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it produces the effects described below.

First, since dirt on the data read/write head of the auxiliary storage device can be cleaned at an appropriate time, unnecessary head cleaning can be prevented.

Second, it prevents head cleaning from being missed due to periodic head cleaning.

Thirdly, wear of the bed portion due to excessive head cleaning can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram when the present invention is realized by software, Fig. 2 is a processing flowchart from detecting dirt on a flexible disk device to executing head cleaning, and Fig. 3 is a head of an auxiliary storage device. Figure 4 shows a table for checking the dirt status of the head section based on the time it takes to access the storage medium surface. Figure 4 shows the amount of data transferred when data is transferred to a flexible disk device by the time it takes the head section to access the storage medium surface. A diagram showing a table to be converted to . FIG. 5 is a logical block diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is implemented in hardware. 301... Auxiliary storage device name, 302... ID number for each auxiliary storage device, 303...
・Head cleaning execution flag, 304... Head access time, 305... Head cleaning required time, 501...
- Auxiliary storage device, 502... Head cleaning required time setting section, 50
3... Integrator and storage unit, 504... Comparison/judgment circuit, 505... Accumulated value reset signal. Fig. 1/θ/--- 〒“Isuashii/l)?--・Key position medium °-do 謬 20 Kei 3 Eye line 4 Mouth 414-3. Cotton' f-a lt (α, t) ,C)4
ρ5---7) MA Meiho - Hate figure ξ (8) Closed 5
figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In data transfer between an auxiliary storage device having a magnetic head of a computer system and a main storage device, a circuit that converts the number of data transfers into usage time of a write/read magnetic head, and each auxiliary storage device. A circuit with a memory that can add up and store the usage time of the magnetic head for each storage device, and a circuit that can arbitrarily set the appropriate time for cleaning the magnetic head for each auxiliary storage device from the outside are provided, and the memory is stored in the circuit with memory. A soiled magnetic head for reading and writing data in an auxiliary storage device, characterized by having a circuit and a device that can compare the magnetic head usage time and the appropriate time for cleaning the magnetic head and report this to the user if it is the appropriate time. Detection method. 2. In the computer system according to claim 1, the upper management program calculates the usage time of the magnetic head from the number of data transfers, means for storing the total usage time of the magnetic head for each auxiliary storage device, and means for storing the total usage time of the magnetic head for each auxiliary storage device. By providing means for arbitrarily setting and storing the appropriate time for head cleaning for each storage device, and by providing a process for comparing the total usage time of the magnetic head and the appropriate time for cleaning, the host management program can notify the host program that the appropriate time for cleaning has been reached. A method for detecting contamination of a magnetic head for reading/writing data, which is characterized by being able to report the presence of an auxiliary storage device.