Recording medium controller and method thereof

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a recording medium controller includes a recording medium, an input module, a reading module, and a writing module. The recording medium includes a write area and an escape area. The write area includes track groups. Each of the track groups is a unit for writing data and includes tracks. The input module receives a write command for data. The reading module reads data stored in the escape area and data from a first track group of the track groups. The writing module writes data received for the write command to the escape area, and writes merged data obtained by merging the data read from the escape area and the data read from the first track group to each track of a second track group of the track groups by using a shingle recording technique in which adjacent tracks are partly overlapped with each other.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A recording medium controllerconfigured to use a recording technique of collectively rewriting all tracks included in a track group, which comprises a plurality of tracks and is a unit for writing data, by causing adjacent tracks to be partially overlapped with each other, comprising:
 a recording medium comprising thereon a write area having the a plurality of the shingled track groups and an escape area for temporarily storing data therein; 
 an input module configured to receivea processor configured to, after an update command for data recorded in the write area; 
 a reading module configured to; read data from a first shingled track group in the write area, which includes the first shingled track group including the data to be updated by according to the update command, of the first shingled track groups comprising a plurality of shingled tracks; and 
 a writing module configured to write the data to be updated by according to the update command to the escape area after receiving the update command, and to rewrite merged data obtained by merging merge the data read from the escape area and the data read from the first shingled track group, and write the merged data to each track comprised in a second shingled track group of the track groups by using the recording technique at a physical location in the write area different from the first shingled track group. 
 
     
     
       2. The recording medium controller of  claim 1 , wherein, if the update command is received, the writing module the processor is configured to rewrite write the merged data to the each track comprised in the second shingled track group during an idle timeexcluding a time during which a process in response to a read command or a write command is performed. 
     
     
       3. The recording medium controller of  claim 2 , wherein the input module is configured to receive an update command is for a data with a size storable in a track sectorof a track of the tracks, and
 the writing module is configured to write the data with the size to be updated by the update command to the escape area. 
 
     
     
       4. The recording medium controller of claims claim  2 , wherein
 the second track group is a spare area allocated as a spare, any logical address not being assigned to the spare area until the writing module rewrites the merged data; and 
 the writing module processor is configured to assign, after rewriting writing the merged data to the each track of the second shingled track group, a logical address to the second shingled track group, to delete a logical address of the first shingled track group, and to set allocate the first shingled track group as a new spare areaallocated as a spare. 
 
     
     
       5. The recording medium controller of  claim 1 , wherein
 the input module is configured to receive an update command is for a data with a size storable in a track sectorof a track of the tracks, and 
 the writing module is configured to write the data with the size to be updated by the update command to the escape area. 
 
     
     
       6. The recording medium controller of claims claim  5 , wherein
 the second track group is a spare area allocated as a spare, any logical address not being assigned to the spare area until the writing module rewrites the merged data; and 
 the writing module processor is configured to assign, after rewriting writing the merged data to the each track of the second shingled track group, a logical address to the second shingled track group, to delete a logical address of the first shingled track group, and to set allocate the first shingled track group as a new spare areaallocated as a spare. 
 
     
     
       7. The recording medium controller of  claim 1 , wherein
 the second track group is a spare area allocated as a spare, any logical address not being assigned to the spare area until the writing module rewrites the merged data; and 
 the writing module processor is configured to assign, after rewriting writing the merged data to the each track of the second shingled track group, a logical address to the second shingled track group, to delete a logical address of the first shingled track group, and to set allocate the first shingled track group as a new spare areaallocated as a spare. 
 
     
     
       8. A recording medium controlling method executed by a recording medium controller configured to use a recording technique of collectively rewriting all tracks included in a track group, which comprises a plurality of tracks and is a unit for writing data, by causing adjacent tracks to be partially overlapped with each other, wherein,
 the recording medium controller comprises a recording medium comprising a write area having the plurality of the track groups and an escape area temporarily storing data therein, and the method comprisesshingled tracks, the method comprising: 
 receiving an update command for data recorded in the a first track group in a write area on a recording medium; 
 reading data from a the first track group, which includes the data to be updated by the update command, of the track groups; and 
 writing the data to be updated by the update command to the an escape area on the recording medium after receiving the update command, and rewriting merged data obtained by merging merge the data read from the escape area and the data read from the first track groupgroup, and write the merged data to each track comprised in a second track group of the track groups by using the recording techniquedifferent in physical location from the first track group in the write area on the recording medium. 
 
     
     
       9. The recording medium controlling method of  claim 8 , wherein, if the update command is received, the writing is configured to rewrite the merged data is written to the each track comprised in the second track group during an idle timeexcluding a time during which a process in response to a read command or a write command is performed. 
     
     
       10. A recording apparatus, comprising:
 a recording medium including:
 a first area having first and second track groups that are in different physical locations on the recording medium from each other, each of the first and second track groups including first and second write tracks that each partially overlap the other, and 
 a second area for storing data; and 
   a controller configured to:
 read first data from the first track group in response to a write command that references a first portion of the first data in the first track group; 
 write second data associated with the write command in the second area; and 
 write merged data in the second track group, the merged data including the first data from the first track group with the second data from the second area replacing the first portion. 
   
     
     
       11. A recording medium controller, comprising:
 a recording medium comprising thereon a write area having a plurality of track groups in different physical locations and an escape area for temporarily storing data therein;   a processor configured to, in response to a first command to update data in the write area:   read data from a first track group in the plurality of track groups, the first track group including data to be updated by the first command; and   write the data to be updated by the first command to the escape area after receiving the first command;   merge data from the escape area and data from the first track group; and   write the merged data to a second track group in the plurality of track groups by using a shingled recording technique, the second track group being at a physical location in the write area different from the first track group.   
     
     
       12. The recording medium controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to write the merged data to the second track group during an idle time. 
     
     
       13. The recording medium controller of claim 12, wherein the first command is for a data size that is storable in a track sector. 
     
     
       14. The recording medium controller of claim 12, wherein
 the processor is configured to assign, after writing the merged data to the second track group, a logical address to the second track group, to delete a logical address of the first track group, and to allocate the first track group as a spare area.   
     
     
       15. The recording medium controller of claim 11, wherein
 the first command is for a data size that is storable in a track sector.   
     
     
       16. The recording medium controller of claim 15, wherein
 the processor is configured to assign, after writing the merged data to the second track group, a logical address to the second track group, to delete a logical address of the first track group, and to allocate the first track group as a spare area.   
     
     
       17. The recording medium controller of claim 11, wherein
 the processor is configured to assign, after writing the merged data to the second track group, a logical address to the second track group, to delete a logical address of the first track group, and to allocate the first track group as a spare area.   
     
     
       18. A recording medium controlling method executed by a recording medium controller configured to use a recording technique of collectively rewriting all tracks included in a track group, which comprises a plurality of shingled tracks, the method comprising:
 reading first data from a first track group in a plurality of track groups, the first data including a portion of the data to be updated; and   writing second data to the escape area after receiving a first command indicating that the portion of the data to be updated in the first data is to be updated with the second data, and writing merged data that combines the second data from the escape area and the first data from the first track group to a second track group in the plurality of track groups by using a shingled recording technique, the second track group being at a physical location separate from the first track group.   
     
     
       19. The recording medium controlling method of claim 18, wherein the merged data is written to the second track group during an idle time. 
     
     
       20. A recording apparatus, comprising:
 a recording disk medium including:
 a first data area having a first track group at a first location and a second track group at a second location physically distinct from the first location, each of the first and second track groups including a first write track and a second write track partially overlapping with the first write track, and 
 a second data area; and 
   a processor configured to:
 receive a write command for writing second data; 
 receive the second data associated with the write command; 
 write the second data into the second data area; 
 read first data from the first write track in the first track group; 
 write the first data on one of the first write track or the second write track in the second track group; and 
 write the second data on the other of the first write track or the second write track in the second track group. 
   
     
     
       21. The recording apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to assign a logical address of the first track group to the second track group after writing the first data and the second data in the second track group. 
     
     
       22. The recording apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to delete the logical address of the first track group. 
     
     
       23. The recording apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:
 a buffer memory to store the received second data before writing the second data into the second data area and to store the read first data.   
     
     
       24. The recording apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first data area further has a third track group including a first write track and a second write track partially overlapping with the first write track. 
     
     
       25. The recording apparatus of claim 20, wherein a capacity of the second data area is more than one gigabyte. 
     
     
       26. The recording apparatus of claim 20, wherein the second data area is on the outer edge of the recording disk medium. 
     
     
       27. The recording apparatus of claim 20, wherein tracks of the second data area are not overlapped and track width of the tracks of the second data area is wider than that of the tracks of the first data area. 
     
     
       28. The recording apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:
 an interface controller to receive the write command and the second data from the host.   
     
     
       29. The recording apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to write the first data and the second data into the second track group during a time period during an idle time. 
     
     
       30. A recording apparatus, comprising:
 a recording disk medium including:
 a first data area having a plurality of track groups, each including a first write track and a second write track partially overlapping with the first write track, and 
 a second data area in an outer edge region of the recording disk medium and having a plurality of non-overlapping write tracks; and 
   a processor configured to:
 receive a first write command and a first address corresponding to a first physical location in the first data area; 
 receive first data associated with the first write command; 
 receive a second write command and a second address corresponding to a second physical location in the first data area different from the first physical location; 
 receive second data associated with the second write command; 
 write the first data into the second data area; 
 write the second data into the second data area; 
 read third data from the first data area; and 
 write a part of the read third data and the first data into the first data area at a third physical location after the writing of the first data and the second data into the second data area. 
   
     
     
       31. A method of writing data to hard disk media which includes thereon a write area in which data is written to an area which partly overlaps with another area in which other data has been written and an escape area to temporarily store data, the method comprising:
 writing first data in a first area in the write area;   writing second data in a second area in the write area, the second area partly overlapping with the first area;   receiving a first write command including first address information for writing third data to update a part of the first data stored in the first area;   receiving the third data associated with the first write command;   writing the third data to a third area that is in the escape area;   receiving a second write command including second address information;   receiving fourth data associated with the second write command;   writing the fourth data to a fourth area that is in the escape area;   after the execution of the writing of the fourth data to the fourth area, reading at least a part of the first data stored in the first area;   after the execution of the writing of the fourth data to the fourth area, reading the second data stored in the second area; and   writing fifth data comprising the third data and the part of the first data to a fifth area in the write area which is at different physical location in the write area from the first area.   
     
     
       32. The method according to the claim 31, wherein the escape area is located adjacent to an outer edge of a platter of the hard disk media. 
     
     
       33. The method according to the claim 31, wherein a capacity of the escape area exceeds one gigabyte. 
     
     
       34. The method according to the claim 33, wherein a single platter of the hard disk media has a capacity ranging from 500 gigabytes to one terabytes. 
     
     
       35. The method according to the claim 31, wherein in the escape area, data is written to an area which overlaps with another area to which other data has been written. 
     
     
       36. The method according to the claim 31, wherein in the escape area, data is written without shingling. 
     
     
       37. The method according to the claim 31, further comprising:
 receiving a third write command including third address information;   receiving sixth data associated with the third write command;   writing the sixth data directly to a sixth area in the write area without writing the sixth data to the escape area.   
     
     
       38. The method according to the claim 37, wherein reading of the at least the part of the first data stored in the first area is carried out after the execution of the writing of the sixth data in the sixth area. 
     
     
       39. The method according to the claim 31, further comprising, after execution of the writing of the fourth data to the fourth area, reading the third data stored in the third area, and merging the fifth data using a buffer memory.