JPH05181609A - Personal computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a personal computer system by which plural magnetic disk devices can be shared with plural personal computers. CONSTITUTION:A magnetic disk control mechanism 6 controls plural magnetic disk devices 8-12 as a single virtual magnetic disk device which uses all storage areas of these devices 8-12 as a storage area. A magnetic disk sharing device 3 contains the mechanism 6 and a pertition control table 7 which controls the access right of each of personal, computers 1, 2.... Thus each personal computer has an access to the virtual magnetic disk device based on each access right.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a personal computer system including a plurality of personal computers and a plurality of magnetic disk devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetic disk control device in a personal computer system can support only one physical magnetic disk device for one logical magnetic disk device, and higher-level software (operating system).
The same applies to magnetic disk management.

Further, the magnetic disk device cannot be shared by a plurality of personal computers.

[0004]

The above-mentioned conventional magnetic disk control device has a specification that only one physical magnetic disk device can correspond to one logical magnetic disk device, and therefore one magnetic disk device is required. However, there is a drawback in that it cannot handle data exceeding the capacity, and there is a drawback in that the magnetic disk device cannot be shared by a plurality of personal computers.

An object of the present invention is to exceed the capacity of one magnetic disk device by accessing the entire storage area of a plurality of magnetic disk devices as if it were a storage area of one magnetic disk device from an individual personal computer. A microcomputer system having a magnetic disk controller capable of handling a large amount of data and managing the access right of each personal computer while allowing a plurality of microcomputers to share a plurality of magnetic disk devices. Is to provide.

[0006]

In the personal computer system of the present invention, the plurality of magnetic disk devices are regarded as one virtual magnetic disk device having the entire storage area of the plurality of magnetic disk devices as its storage area. A plurality of personal computers having a magnetic disk sharing apparatus including a control unit of a magnetic disk unit for controlling and a security managing unit for managing available rights of each of a plurality of personal computers in a storage area of the virtual magnetic disk unit. Each computer accesses the virtual magnetic disk device according to the available right.

[0007]

It is possible for an individual personal computer to access the entire storage areas of a plurality of magnetic disk devices as if they were the storage areas of one magnetic disk device, and the one virtual magnetic disk device. The available right of each of the plurality of personal computers to the storage area of the computer is specified and managed for each individual microcomputer.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a personal computer system including a magnetic disk sharing apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, personal computer bodies 1, 2, ... Are interface boards 4, 5, ...
Is connected to the magnetic disk sharing device 3 via.
Further, the magnetic disk sharing device 3 includes a magnetic disk device 8
~ 12 are connected. The magnetic disk sharing device 3 is
It is composed of a magnetic disk control mechanism 6 and a partition control table 7.

Access requests from the personal computers 1, 2, ... To the magnetic disk devices 8-12 are notified to the magnetic disk control mechanism 6 through the magnetic disk interface boards 4, 5 ,. In the mechanism 6, it is converted into an access request for a virtual magnetic disk device that straddles the magnetic disk devices 8-12. Through the above processing, the magnetic disk devices 8 to 12 can be treated as one virtualized magnetic disk device having the entire storage area of the magnetic disk devices 8 to 12 as its own recording area from the main body of the personal computer. Become.

The security management divides the storage area of the virtual magnetic disk device described above, sets the usable right for each individual personal computer in each divided portion (called partition), and prevents unauthorized access. To prevent partition control
This is done by creating table 7. The access rights to the partition are R (read), W (write), and C.
There are (create), D (erase), and X (execute).

FIG. 2 shows an example of the partition control table. The personal computer 1 can read, write, create, and execute the partition 1, can read and write the partition 2, and can read the partition 3. The personal computer 2 can read, write, create, and execute the partition 1, and can read the partition 3. The personal computer 3 can read, write, create, and execute the partition 1, and can read the partition 2. The security management means makes it possible to prevent unauthorized access from the personal computer that is not permitted.

[0014]

As described above, in the personal computer system having the magnetic disk sharing apparatus of the present invention, the total storage area of a plurality of magnetic disk devices is as if
By accessing each personal computer as a storage area of each magnetic disk device and managing the access right of each personal computer, it is possible to handle data of a size exceeding the storage capacity of one magnetic disk device. In addition, a plurality of magnetic disk devices can be shared by a plurality of microcomputers, and data can be collectively managed without being stored in each personal computer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a personal computer system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a partition control table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Personal Computer Main Body 1 2 Personal Computer Main Body 2 3 Magnetic Disk Sharing Device 4-5 Interface Board 6 Magnetic Disk Control Mechanism 7 Partition Control Table 8-12 Magnetic Disk Device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A personal computer system including a plurality of personal computers and a plurality of magnetic disk devices, wherein the plurality of magnetic disk devices are one virtual storage device having the entire storage area of the plurality of magnetic disk devices as its storage area. A magnetic disk sharing apparatus including control means for controlling a magnetic disk device that is regarded as a magnetic disk device and security management means for managing available rights of each of the plurality of personal computers in a storage area of the virtual magnetic disk device. A personal computer system, wherein each of the plurality of personal computers accesses the virtual magnetic disk device according to the available right.