Storage Control Unit for Partition Recovery via Location Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in recovering partition information from a master boot record (MBR) when the reading start location is not at a predetermined location within the storage capacity, leading to potential failure in recovering corrupted or tampered partition information.
Innovation Solution
The information processing apparatus includes a non-volatile storage device with managed and unmanaged partitions, storing partition information and backup information along with location data, and a control unit that adjusts reading locations based on stored location information to recover corrupted partition information by switching between primary and backup GPT areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the reading start location of partition information is not at a predetermined location, then the storage flexibility is improved, but the reliability of recovering partition information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by storing management information including location information (such as LBA values) indicating the reading start locations of GPT areas before any corruption occurs. This allows the system to recover partition information even when the reading start location is not at a predetermined location, as the location information was prepared in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by maintaining backup GPT areas (first GPT area and second GPT area) with redundant partition information. When partition information becomes unreadable, the system can copy or restore the information from the backup GPT area using the stored location information, ensuring reliable recovery regardless of the reading start location.
2Reliability
If backup partition information is stored, then the reliability of recovering partition information is improved, but the storage space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the GPT information into multiple separate areas (first GPT area and second GPT area) stored at different locations in the storage device. Each area contains complete partition information, allowing the system to recover from either area. This segmentation enables reliable recovery while efficiently utilizing storage space through distributed redundancy rather than duplicating entire backup systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by storing management information that includes location information (such as LBA - Logical Block Address) indicating where to find the GPT areas. By changing from storing only fixed-location GPT data to storing flexible location metadata, the system achieves reliable recovery without requiring excessive storage space, as the metadata is minimal compared to the actual GPT data.
Data Source
AI summary
In a case where read information is a reading start location of second information, a controller causes a storage device to store location information regarding the read information as second location information, and in a case where the read information is not the reading start location of the second information, the controller causes a reading unit to read information based on location information different from the location information.