Storage relocating method and hierarchy storage system utilizing a cache memory

Claim 1

A hierarchy storage system, comprising: a storage; an address translation table for translating an absolute address into a physical address for a predetermined split storage unit of said storage; a store-in cache memory including a data array composed of plural blocks for storing a part of a data content stored in said storage, and a change bit array for storing change bits, each of said change bits indicating that data stored in a block of said data array is different from data of a corresponding part of said storage, said predetermined split storage unit having a larger capacity than said block of said cache memory data array; first address holding means for holding physical address data of an object predetermined split storage block to be relocated; second address holding means for holding absolute address information of object predetermined split storage block to be relocated; third address holding means for holding boundary absolute address for an un-relocated block and said object predetermined split storage block to be relocated; boundary address updating means for updating one block of said boundary absolute address of said third address holding means for every block relocation; first determining means for determining whether said absolute address information stored in said second address holding means corresponds to said object predetermined split storage unit to be relocated; second determining means for determining a physical comparison between an new absolute address and said boundary absolute address; selecting means for selecting either of, according to a determined results of said first and second determining means, physical address information from said address translation table and said physical address data from said first address holding means to give a selected one to said storage; and writing means for writing the physical address data content of said first address holding means into a corresponding portion of said address translation table after all blocks in said object split storage unit have been relocated.