Computer system

• US 20010014955A1
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Published: 08/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Lg Data Storage Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Akira Yamamoto, Kyosuke Achiwa, Manabu Kitamura
• Inventors: Kitamura, Manabu, Achiwa, Kyosuke, Yamamoto, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 6,502,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22

Abstract

A standard physical medium 1320 as loaded into library unit 1080 even in the absence of any load request from a host computer 1020 is regarded as a spare physical medium 1330 for use when the standard physical medium 1320 is under malfunction, and such medium is put in a spare media storage space 1340 while eliminating issuance of any notice to the host computer 1020. Whereby, in a computer system with redundancy configuration, it becomes possible to prevent the host computer from making use of any spare physical media.

Claims

1. Library unit operable under control of a host computer, the apparatus comprising:

main carriable storage media storing therein one of data accessible by the host computer and redundancy data generatable therefrom;

a subsidiary carriable storage medium for use upon occurrence of malfunction of one of said main storage media;

means of eliminating issuance of a report to said host computer when said subsidiary carriable storage medium is loaded thereinto.

2. The apparatus of

claim 1

, further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU); and

a memory for storage of a physical media management table as rewritable in response to receipt of an instruction from said CPU.

3. Library unit operable under control of a host computer, comprising:

main carriable storage media for storage of one of data accessible by the host computer and redundancy data generatable from said data;

a subsidiary carriable storage medium for use upon occurrence of malfunction of one of said main storage media; and

means for forcing, while a notice is sent to said host computer when said subsidiary carriable storage medium is loaded thereinto, said host computer to ignore this report.

4. The apparatus of

claim 3

further comprising:

a CPU; and

a memory storing therein a physical media management table as rewritable in response to receipt of an instruction from said CPU.

5. Library unit operable under control of a host computer, comprising:

main carriable storage media for storage of one of data accessible by the host computer and redundancy data as generated from said data;

a subsidiary carriable storage medium for use upon occurrence of malfunction of one of said main storage media;

means for reporting to said host computer upon loading of the subsidiary storage medium; and

means for allowing said host computer to perform management while distinguishing said subsidiary storage medium from the main storage media.

6. The apparatus of

claim 5

further comprising:

a CPU; and

a memory storing therein a physical media management table as rewritable in response to an instruction from said CPU.

7. A computer system comprising:

a host computer;

library unit operative associated with said host computer;

said library unit including a CPU, a memory, a media carrying robot operable in response to an instruction from said CPU, a physical read/write (R/W) device responsive to instructions from said host computer for performing data recording and reproduction operations, a media loader device for loading an ordinary physical medium storing therein data as written by said physical R/W device along with redundancy data thereof and a spare physical medium for use upon occurrence of malfunction of the ordinary medium, and a rack structure having a first storage for storing therein more than one ordinary physical medium loaded and a second storage of more than one spare physical medium;

first means for causing the robot to move a spare physical medium as presently loaded into said media loader device to the rack for disposal therein; and

second means for distinguishing in category the loaded spare media from ordinary physical media.

8. The system of

claim 7

wherein said second means comprises:

means for forcing said library unit to prevent issuance of a notice to said host computer, the notice indicating loading of the spare medium.

9. The system of

claim 7

wherein said second means allows said library unit to send a notice to said host computer a notice of loading of the spare medium, and wherein said host computer comprises means for ignoring the notice.

10. The system of

claim 7

wherein said second means permits said library unit to notify said host computer of loading of the spare media, and comprises means for performing management to let said host computer avoid use of the spare medium as one of ordinary media.

11. The system of

claim 7

wherein said media loader device includes a media loader/eject port, a media load request indication lamp, and a spare media decrease indication lamp.

12. The system of

claim 7

wherein said media loader device includes a media load/eject port, a media load request indication lamp, and a spare media absence indication lamp.

13. The system of

claim 7

wherein said media loader device has a media load/eject port, a spare media decrease indication lamp, and a spare media loading switch.

14. The system of

claim 7

wherein said media loader device has a media load/eject port, a spare media absence indication lamp, and a spare media loading switch.

15. The system of

claim 7

wherein said rack has a position number added thereto for use in managing presence or absence of physical media.

16. The system of

claim 7

wherein said memory stores therein the position number of said rack and physical media management table for use in managing presence or absence of storage of physical media and having its content updatable in response to an instruction from said CPU.

17. The system of

claim 7

wherein whenever an ordinary physical medium is loaded from said media loader device for disposal within said rack, said library unit notifies said host computer of such event.

18. The system of

claim 7

wherein said host computer contains therein a host media management table for management of logical media to thereby manage said library unit by use of said host media management table.

19. The system of

claim 7

wherein said library unit has a logical-to-physical conversion table for defining correspondence between logical media and physical media based on the conversion table.

20. The system of

claim 7

wherein said library unit has a physical R/W device management table for use in managing the physical R/W device within said library unit.