Patent ID: 7130983

Claim:
In a disk-based data storage system, a controller configured to control a reference count regeneration operation, the controller comprising: a control register configured to set up and initiate program instructions that are executed by at least one processor; an address register configured as a cache address pointer and corresponding to at least one of a sort output list pointer, a virtual track table (VTT) input list pointer, a reference list pointer, a track number table (TNT) pointer, and a reference count mis-compare list pointer; a status register configured to indicate status of a routine controlled by the controller, wherein the routine comprises at least one of a radix sort, a reference list count, a combine counts, and a merger of the reference list count into the TNT to generate an updated TNT; a boundary register corresponding to a disk cache memory that is configured to store at least one of a reference list, a reference list count length, and a mis-compare list; and an embedded memory configured to perform at least one buffer operation in connection with the routine controlled by the controller.