Access control management

• US 20080212222A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Billimoria, Shiraz, Feather, Stan, Maddocks, Steven, Ballard, Curtis C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,024,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/6835 the cassettes being transferred to a fixed recorder or player using a moving carriage
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/225 wherein the disks are transferred from a fixed magazine to a fixed playing unit using a moving carriage

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cartridge library, comprises a management component comprising a first processor module and a memory medium communicatively connected to the first processor module, an interface controller comprising a second processor module and a memory medium communicatively connected to the second processor module, wherein the interface controller comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the second processor module to, record, in a memory medium coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter, wherein the access control parameter identifies at least one of a user, a server, a command, or a time, receive, in an interface controller coupled to the cartridge library, a request for at least one resource of the cartridge library, and implement an access control routine in the interface controller to use the access control parameter to determine whether to limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

Claims

1. A method of managing operations that may be performed in a cartridge library, comprising:

recording, in a memory medium coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter, wherein the access control parameter identifies at least one of a user, a server, a command, or a time;

receiving, in an interface controller coupled to the cartridge library, a request for at least one resource of the cartridge library; and

implementing, an access control routine in the interface controller to limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, in a management component coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter comprises receiving via a user interface in the management component instructions which assign access rights to a user of the storage system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the access control routine limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one input/output operation on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein recording, in a memory medium coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter comprises:

verifying, in the management component, the at least one access control parameter;

transmitting the at least one access control parameter to at least one interface controller; and

storing the at least one access control parameter in a data file maintained by the at least one interface controller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using the access control parameter in determining whether to limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period comprises:

obtaining an identifier from the request for at least one resource, wherein the identifier identifies a user of the storage library;

locating a record associated with the identifier in an access control file; and

forwarding the command to the target device for processing when the request is consistent with access parameters in the access control file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein using the access control parameter in determining whether to limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period comprises:

obtaining an identifier from the request for at least one resource, wherein the identifier identifies a user of the storage library;

locating a record associated with the identifier in an access control file; and

invoking an error routine when the request is inconsistent with access parameters in the access control file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein invoking an error routine when the request is inconsistent with access parameters in the access control file comprises:

transmitting an error message to the user, wherein the error message indicates that a requested resource is unavailable to the user at this time; and

recording the error message in a log.

19. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to manage access requests in a cartridge library by performing operations, comprising:

verifying, in the management component, the at least one access control parameter;

transmitting the at least one access control parameter to at least one interface controller; and

storing the at least one access control parameter in a data file maintained by the at least one interface controller.

8. A cartridge library, comprising:

a management component comprising a first processor module and a memory medium communicatively connected to the first processor module;

an interface controller comprising a second processor module and a memory medium communicatively connected to the second processor module,

wherein the interface controller comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the second processor module to;

record, in a memory medium coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter, wherein the access control parameter identifies at least one of a user, a server, a command, or a time;

receive, in an interface controller coupled to the cartridge library, a request for at least one resource of the cartridge library; and

implement an access control routine in the interface controller to use the access control parameter to determine whether to limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

9. The cartridge library of claim 8, wherein the management component comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the first processor module to receive instructions which assign access rights to a user of the storage system.

10. The cartridge library of claim 9, wherein the access rights limit the user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one input/output operation on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

11. The cartridge library of claim 8, wherein the management component comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the first processor module to:

verify, in the management component, the at least one access control parameter;

transmit the at least one access control parameter to at least one interface controller; and

store the at least one access control parameter in a data file maintained by the at least one interface controller.

12. The cartridge library of claim 8, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed configure a processor in the management component to:

verify, in the management component, the at least one access control parameter; and

store the at least one access control parameter in a data file in a removable non-volatile storage medium coupled to the management component.

13. The cartridge library of claim 8, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed configure a processor in the interface controller to:

obtain an identifier from the request for at least one resource, wherein the identifier identifies a user of the storage library;

locate a record associated with the identifier in an access control file; and

forward the command to the target device for processing when the request is consistent with access parameters in the access control file.

14. The cartridge library of claim 8, wherein the interface controller comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the interface controller to:

obtain an identifier from the request for at least one resource, wherein the identifier identifies a user of the storage library;

locate a record associated with the identifier in an access control file; and

invoke an error routine when the request is inconsistent with access parameters in the access control file.

15. The cartridge library of claim 14, wherein the interface controller comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the interface controller to:

transmit an error message to the user, wherein the error message indicates that a requested resource is unavailable to the user at this time; and

record the error message in a log.

16. A computer program product comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to manage access requests in a cartridge library by performing operations, comprising:

recording, in a memory medium coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter, wherein the access control parameter identifies at least one of a user, a server, a command, or a time;

receiving, in an interface controller coupled to the cartridge library, a request for at least one resource of the cartridge library; and

implementing, an access control routine in the interface controller to limit a user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor in the interface controller, cause the interface controller to manage access requests in a cartridge library by performing operations, comprising receiving via a user interface instructions from a management component which assign access rights to a user of the storage system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the access rights limit the user'"'"'s ability to perform at least one command on at least one resource of the cartridge library during at least one time period.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to manage access requests in a cartridge library by performing operations, comprising:

verifying, in the management component, the at least one access control parameter; and

storing the at least one access control parameter in a data file in a removable non-volatile storage medium coupled to the management component.