Patent ID: 6178428
Filing Date: 2001-01-23
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for accessing in a file comprising a plurality of sections, at least one block of data from each of the plurality of sections, the method comprising:a maximum block number retriever having an input operatively coupled to receive a number of a block in the file, the maximum block number retriever for storing the number received at the maximum block number retriever input and for providing at an output the number received at the maximum block number retriever input;a section number of blocks reader having a first input operatively coupled to receive a plurality of numbers, each of the numbers representing a number of blocks stored in one of the sections of the file, a second input operatively coupled to receive an indicator of a section, the section number of blocks reader for storing the plurality of numbers received at the section number of blocks reader first input and for providing at an output the number of blocks in the section corresponding to the indicator received at the second input; anda block scanner having an input/output operatively coupled to access a plurality of blocks in the file, a first input coupled to the maximum block number retriever output and a second input coupled to the section number of blocks reader output, the block scanner for, for each of at least one section, responsive to the number received at the block scanner first input, processing a first number of the blocks accessed at the block scanner input/output corresponding to the number received at the block scanner third input in a first manner, and for processing a second number of the blocks accessed at the block scanner input/output in a second manner different from the first manner.