Tape library emulation with automatic configuration and data retention

• US 20060200623A1
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Overland Storage Incorporated (Silicon Valley Technology Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Overland Storage Incorporated (Silicon Valley Technology Partners LLC)
• Inventors: Encarnacao, Sergio, Gonzalez, Victoria
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/111
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Disk based emulation of tape libraries is provided with features that allow easier management and administration of a backup system and also allow increased flexibility to both archive data on tape at a remote location and also have fast restore access to archived data files. Features include automatic emulation of physical libraries, and the retention and write protection of virtual tapes that correspond to exported physical tapes.

Claims

1. A method of emulating a tape library data storage system using one or more hard disk drives, the method comprising:

querying one or more physical tape libraries in a data storage system to acquire a configuration of the one or more physical tape libraries in the data storage system;

allocating data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to virtual devices of one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the one or more virtual tape libraries comprise virtual devices emulating physical devices in the acquired configuration of the one or more physical tape libraries in the tape storage system; and

allocating data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to at least one additional virtual device associated with the one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the extra virtual device has no corresponding physical device in the data storage system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional virtual device comprises a virtual tape drive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional virtual device comprises a tape cartridge storage slot.

4. A method of emulating data storage on a magnetic tape media using one or more hard disk drives, the method comprising:

allocating data storage space of the one or more hard disk drives to one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the one or more virtual tape libraries comprise one or more virtual devices emulating states of one or more physical devices of the one or more physical tape libraries in a tape storage system;

storing data in the storage space allocated to the one or more virtual tape libraries according to a first user defined periodic schedule; and

replicating the data stored on the one or more virtual tape libraries onto the one or more physical tape libraries according to a second user defined periodic schedule.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting a request to export one of one or more physical tapes from one of the one or more physical tape libraries; and

replicating data from a virtual tape corresponding to the physical tape requested to be exported to the physical tape requested to be exported before the physical tape is exported, so as to synchronize the physical tape with the virtual tape.

6. A method of handling data storage on a hard disk storage system implemented to emulate one or more attached tape libraries, said method comprising:

requesting export of at least one physical tape from a physical tape library; and

write-protecting the data on the hard disk storage system that is associated with the virtual tape corresponding to the physical tape to be exported.

7. The method of claim 6, additionally comprising exporting the physical tape.

8. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising reading said write protected data from said virtual tape after said physical tape is exported.

9. The method of claim 6, additionally comprising setting a time limit for expiration of said write-protection.

10. A method of emulating a tape library data storage system using one or more hard disk drives, the method comprising:

allocating data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to virtual devices of one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the one or more virtual tape libraries comprise virtual devices emulating physical devices of one or more physical tape libraries in the tape storage system; and

allocating data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to at least one additional virtual tape library that has no corresponding physical tape library in the data storage system.

11. The method of claim 11, additionally comprising moving virtual tapes from a virtual library that corresponds to a physical library to said additional virtual tape library.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said moving is performed in response to a command to export a physical tape from a physical tape library.

14. The storage system of claim 12, wherein said data files are write protected in said disk based appliance.

13. A storage system comprising at least one disk based storage appliance and at least one tape library, wherein the disk based storage appliance is configured to respond to commands generated by backup software as at least one emulated tape library, and wherein said disk based storage appliance stores data files in an emulated tape library accessible to said backup software that are also stored on tapes that have been previously removed from said tape library, whereby tape archive and disk based read access to a set of data files is simultaneously provided.