Timing index writes to a tape medium

• US 10,726,870 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2019
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Tohru, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Matsui, Sosuke, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Yamamoto, Noriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindi, Nabil Z
• Application Number:
  US16/260,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20190385641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 360 53, 360 55, 360 721, 360 7304, 360 7312, 360 7712, 360 7802, 360 48
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10222 clock-related aspects, e.g. phase or frequency adjustment or bit synchronisation dedicated sync patterns in the modulation code G11B20/1403
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1201 on tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00813 magnetic tapes

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for timing index write to a tape medium of a tape system. Index write timing data that specifies index write timing based on file metadata attributes is stored. Metadata attributes of a first file are analyzed to determine whether a first index should be written at a first time based on the index write timing data. In response to determining that an index should be written, the first index is written to the tape medium at the first time.

Claims

1. A method for timing index writes to a tape medium of a tape system, the method comprising:

writing indices to the tape medium by referencing index write timing data that specifies index write timing based on file metadata attributes;

analyzing metadata attributes of a file to determine that the file is of a first file format, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are not to be written upon file closure for any file having the first file format;

determining whether to write an index at a first time, wherein the first time corresponds to a time of file closure of the file; and

not writing the index based on the file being of the first file format and the first time being the time of file closure of the file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are required to be written upon file closure for any file having a first file attribute.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are not to be written while any file having a first file attribute is open.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing metadata of a second file to determine that the second file has a first file attribute, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are permitted to be written while any file having the first file attribute is open;

determining whether to write a first index at a second time, wherein the second time corresponds to a time of a periodic index write; and

writing the first index at the second time based on the second file having the first file attribute and the second time being the time of the periodic index write.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the index write timing data is stored in a configuration file in non-volatile memory located on the tape system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a first index is written adjacent to a first file in a data partition of the tape medium, wherein the first index is additionally written to an index partition of the tape medium.

7. A system comprising:

a tape system having a tape medium; and

a processor configured to perform a method for timing index writes to the tape medium of the tape system, the method comprising;

writing indices to the tape medium by referencing index write timing data that specifies index write timing based on file metadata attributes, wherein the index write timing data is stored in a configuration file in non-volatile memory located on a computer system including the processor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are to be written upon file closure for any file having a first file attribute.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the method performed by the processor further comprises:

analyzing metadata of a file to determine that the file is of a first file format, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are not to be written upon file closure for any file having the first file format;

determining whether to write an index at a first time, wherein the first time corresponds to a time of file closure of the file; and

not writing the index based on the file being of the first file format and the first time being the time of file closure of the file.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are not to be written while any file having a first file attribute is open.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the method performed by the processor further comprises:

analyzing metadata of a file to determine that the file has a first file attribute, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are permitted to be written while any file having the first file attribute is open;

determining whether to write a first index at a first time, wherein the first time corresponds to a time of a periodic index write; and

writing the first index at the first time based on the file having the first file attribute and the first time being the time of the periodic index write.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein a first index is written adjacent to a first file in a data partition of the tape medium, wherein the first index is additionally written to an index partition of the tape medium.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method for timing index writes to a tape medium of a tape system, the method comprising:

writing indices to the tape medium by referencing index write timing data that specifies index write timing based on file metadata attributes;

analyzing metadata of a file to determine that the file has a first file attribute, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are permitted to be written while any file having the first file attribute is open;

determining whether to write a first index at a first time, wherein the first time corresponds to a time of a periodic index write; and

writing the first index at the first time based on the file having the first file attribute and the first time being the time of the periodic index write.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are required to be written upon file closure for any file having a second file attribute.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method performed by the processor further comprises:

analyzing metadata of a second file to determine that the second file is of a first file format, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are not to be written upon file closure for any file having the first file format;

determining whether to write an index at a second time, wherein the second time corresponds to a time of file closure of the second file; and

not writing the index based on the second file being of the first file format and the second time being the time of file closure of the file.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the index write timing data specifies that indices are not to be written while any file having a second file attribute is open.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the index write timing data is stored in a configuration file in cartridge memory located on the tape system.