Verification of a Tape Data Storage Cartridge

• US 20100046108A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Masuda, Koichi, Iwasaki, Norie, Kishi, Gregory Tad, Anna, Gary, Lee, Duke Andy
• Granted Patent: US 7,864,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/53
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/689 Control of the cassette changing arrangement
• 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 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/046 Indicating means, e.g. quantity of tape
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/09 Digital recording

Abstract

The provision of verification for data storage cartridges having data storage tape media employs determining the volume identity of a data storage cartridge; and providing an internal label at each block of data to be written to the data storage tape media of the data storage cartridge, the internal label at least comprising the volume identity. Verification of a label comprises reading an external label of the cartridge, the external label at least comprising a volume identity of the cartridge; determining whether the tape media comprises valid data arranged in blocks; positioning the tape media at one of the data blocks and attempting to read an internal label from the data block; and if so, determining whether the volume identity of the external label matches the volume identity of the internal label, and, if so, determining that the matching volume identity is the volume identity of the cartridge.

Claims

1. A method for providing verification information to be written to a data storage cartridge having data storage tape media, comprising the steps of:

determining the volume identity of said data storage cartridge; and

providing an internal label at each block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge, said internal label at least comprising said volume identity.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of:

causing said data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge; and

as the result of completion of writing said data, causing said data storage tape media to be retained at its current position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said data storage cartridge comprises an external label identifying a volume identity;

wherein said determining step comprises determining whether said volume identity of said external label matches said volume identity of an internal label, and, if so, making said determination that said matching volume identity is said volume identity of said data storage cartridge.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said data storage cartridge comprises a cartridge memory identifying a volume identity, and comprises an external label identifying a volume identity;

wherein said method additionally comprises the steps of;

determining whether said data storage cartridge is a scratch cartridge;

if so, said identity determining step comprises determining whether said volume identity of said external label matches said volume identity of said cartridge memory, and, if so, making said determination that said matching volume identity is said volume identity of said data storage cartridge;

causing said volume identity to be written at the beginning of tape of said data storage tape media; and

causing said provided internal label to be written at each block of data to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge, said internal label at least comprising said volume identity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing step comprises providing said internal label at the block header of each said block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing step comprises providing said internal label at the block trailer of each said block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge.

7. A method for verifying a label of a data storage cartridge having data storage tape media, comprising the steps of:

reading an external label of said data storage cartridge, said external label at least comprising a volume identity of said data storage cartridge;

determining whether said data storage tape media comprises valid data arranged in blocks;

positioning said data storage tape media at one of said data blocks;

attempting to read an internal label from said one of said data blocks; and

if so, determining whether said volume identity of said external label matches said volume identity of said internal label, and, if so, making a determination that said matching volume identity is said volume identity of said data storage cartridge.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said data block positioning step comprises positioning said data storage tape media to the last block written to said data storage tape media.

9. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising the step of determining the current position of said data storage tape media;

and wherein said data block positioning step comprises positioning said data storage tape media to the block written to said data storage tape media nearest to said current position.

10. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising the steps of:

positioning said data storage tape media to the last block written to said data storage tape media; and

causing an internal label to be written at each block of data written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge subsequent to said last block, said internal label at least comprising said volume identity.

11. A data storage cartridge comprising:

a shell;

an external label mounted to said shell, said external label at least comprising an identification of the volume identity of said data storage cartridge; and

data storage tape media comprising a plurality of data blocks written to said data storage tape media, having internal labels at least comprising an identification of said volume identity of said data storage cartridge.

12. The data storage cartridge of claim 11, wherein said internal labels are provided at the block header of said data blocks written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge.

13. The data storage cartridge of claim 11, wherein said internal labels are provided at the block trailer of said data blocks written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge.

14. A tape subsystem comprising:

a tape library comprising;

a plurality of data storage shelves configured to store data storage cartridges;

at least one data storage drive configured to read and write with respect to data storage cartridges; and

at least one accessor configured to access and load data storage cartridges with respect to said data storage shelves and said at least one data storage drive, and having a vision system configured to read an external label of a data storage cartridge, said external label at least comprising a volume identity of said data storage cartridge; and

tape server and library manager configured to operate said vision system to read said volume identity of said external label of a data storage cartridge, which data storage cartridge is loaded with respect to said at least one data storage drive;

to determine the volume identity of said data storage cartridge employing said volume identity of said external label; and

configured to provide an internal label at each block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge by said at least one data storage drive, said internal label at least comprising said volume identity.

15. The tape subsystem of claim 14, wherein said tape server and library manager are additionally configured to, as the result of completion of writing said data by said at least one data storage drive, causing said at least one data storage drive to retain said data storage tape media to be retained at its current position.

16. The tape subsystem of claim 15, wherein said tape server and library manager are configured to, in determining the volume identity of said data storage cartridge, to determine whether said volume identity of said external label matches said volume identity of an internal label, and, if so, to make said determination that said matching volume identity is said volume identity of said data storage cartridge.

17. The tape subsystem of claim 14, wherein said data storage cartridge comprises a cartridge memory identifying a volume identity;

and

wherein said tape server and library manager are additionally configured to;

determine whether said data storage cartridge is a scratch cartridge;

if so, in determining the volume identity of said data storage cartridge, to determine whether said volume identity of said external label matches said volume identity of said cartridge memory, and, if so, make said determination that said matching volume identity is said volume identity of said data storage cartridge;

cause said at least one data storage drive to write said volume identity at a beginning of tape of said data storage tape media; and

cause said at least one data storage drive to write said provided internal label at each block of data to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge, said internal label at least comprising said volume identity.

18. The tape subsystem of claim 14, wherein said tape server and library manager are configured to provide said internal label at the block header of each said block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge.

19. The tape subsystem of claim 14, wherein said tape server and library manager are configured to provide said internal label at the block trailer of each said block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge.

20. An article of manufacture comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program a machine-readable instructions executable by at least one computer to perform method steps using a tape library for providing verification information to be written to a data storage cartridge having data storage tape media, said method steps comprising:

determining the volume identity of said data storage cartridge; and

providing an internal label at each block of data to be written to said data storage tape media of said data storage cartridge, said internal label at least comprising said volume identity.