Target management method for data backup to a shared transfer station, multiple media element device
First Claim
1. A method of transferring digital data between a primary data storage system and one or more of a plurality of physically discrete, data storage media elements, where each of the data storage media elements is operatively and interchangeably engageable, one at a time, with a corresponding one of one or more shared media element drives of an automated element handling system, the element handling system being operatively coupled to the primary data storage system for effectuating data transfer therewith and the element handling system having one or more media element changers for automatically loading, and subsequently unloading, desired, physically available ones of the media elements into operative engagement with the corresponding one or more shared media element drives so that data transfer can take place between the loaded one or more shared media element drives and the primary data storage system, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) identifying from among said plurality of data storage media element, a set of available media elements that are each either already loaded in the one or more shared media element drives or are each available for automatic loading into the one or more media element drives by said one or more media element changers;
(b) displaying the identified set of available media elements to a user;
(c) enabling the user to select one or more of the identified media elements from the displayed set;
(d) defining all or a subset of the available media elements as a first selected set in accordance with the selection made by the user from the displayed set of available media elements;
(e) recording the definition of the first selected set;
(f) in response to the recorded definition of the selected set, controlling the one or more media element changers to load, where necessary, one or more of the media elements of the corresponding selected set into operative engagement with the one or more shared media element drives; and
(g) in coordination with the loading by the one or more media element changers, transferring data between the primary data storage system and the one or more media elements of the selected set that are loaded into the one or more shared media element drives.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method is disclosed for specifying subsets and orders of processing of a set of target media elements utilized with a shared data transfer element in the backup of computer data to a data storage target device. Names assigned to selected target media configurations are used to designate logical groupings for storage and recall. In a described embodiment, a selected target configuration, chosen by name, is used to control the robotics of a tape cartridge backup system in coordination with the transfer of data to a tape drive read/write head, to automatically load tapes from user-designated slots of a tape magazine, in user-specified order, into the drive.
138 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of transferring digital data between a primary data storage system and one or more of a plurality of physically discrete, data storage media elements, where each of the data storage media elements is operatively and interchangeably engageable, one at a time, with a corresponding one of one or more shared media element drives of an automated element handling system, the element handling system being operatively coupled to the primary data storage system for effectuating data transfer therewith and the element handling system having one or more media element changers for automatically loading, and subsequently unloading, desired, physically available ones of the media elements into operative engagement with the corresponding one or more shared media element drives so that data transfer can take place between the loaded one or more shared media element drives and the primary data storage system, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) identifying from among said plurality of data storage media element, a set of available media elements that are each either already loaded in the one or more shared media element drives or are each available for automatic loading into the one or more media element drives by said one or more media element changers; (b) displaying the identified set of available media elements to a user; (c) enabling the user to select one or more of the identified media elements from the displayed set; (d) defining all or a subset of the available media elements as a first selected set in accordance with the selection made by the user from the displayed set of available media elements; (e) recording the definition of the first selected set; (f) in response to the recorded definition of the selected set, controlling the one or more media element changers to load, where necessary, one or more of the media elements of the corresponding selected set into operative engagement with the one or more shared media element drives; and (g) in coordination with the loading by the one or more media element changers, transferring data between the primary data storage system and the one or more media elements of the selected set that are loaded into the one or more shared media element drives. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15)
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12. A method for transferring digital data between a primary data storage system and one or more of a plurality of physically discrete, data storage media elements, where each of the data storage media elements is operatively and interchangeably engageable, one at a time, with a corresponding one of one or more shared media element drives of an automated element handling system, the element handling system being operatively coupled to the primary system for effectuating data transfer therewith and the element handling system having one or more media element changers for automatically loading, and subsequently unloadings desired, physically available ones of the media elements into operative engagement with the corresponding one or more shared media element drives so that data transfer can take place between the loaded one or more shared media element drives and the primary data storage system, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) identifying from among said plurality of data media elements, a first set of available media elements that are each either already loaded in the one or more shared media element drives or are each available for automatic loading into the one or more media element drives said one or more media element changers, said identified first set of media elements being further limited to those that are logically available in accordance with predefined logical availability criteria, to a corresponding first user, or to a corresponding first user group or to a corresponding first processing task; (b) displaying the identified set of available media elements to an authorized user; (c) enabling the authorized user to select at least two of the identified media elements from the displayed set; (d) defining all or a subset of the at least two available media elements as a first selected set accordance with the selection made by the authorized user from the displayed set of available media elements; (e) recording the definition of the first selected set; (f) enabling the authorized user to indicate a corresponding sequence for the at least two identified media elements selected from the displayed set; (g) defining and recording a first order of processing media elements corresponding to the for the first selected set of the at least two available media elements corresponding to the sequence indicated by the authorized user;
said recorded first order of processing designating a corresponding first sequence of access to be followed for the first selected set of media elements during a corresponding data transfer;(h) recalling the recorded definition of the selected set and the corresponding recorded order of processing; (i) in response to the recalled definition of the selected set and the recalled, corresponding order of processing, controlling the one or more media element changers to load, where necessary, one or more of the media elements of the corresponding selected set into operative engagement with the one or more shared media element drives such that data transfer can take place between the loaded one or more shared media element drives and the primary data storage system in accordance with the recalled recorded definition of the selected set and the corresponding recorded order of processing; and (k) in coordination with the loading by the one or more media element changers, and in accordance with the recalled recorded definition of the selected set and the corresponding recorded order of processing, transferring data between the primary data storage system and the one or more media elements of the selected set that are loaded into the one or more shared media element drives.
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13. A method for backing-up computer data by transferring the data from a primary storage system to a plurality of data storage cartridges available within an automatic cartridge access system having a robotic mechanism for automatically loading and unloading the available cartridges between predesignated slots of a cartridge magazine and a shared cartridge drive, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) identifying the available cartridges and a corresponding set of slots of the cartridge magazine; (b) displaying a list representing the identified, available cartridges to a user; (c) enabling the user to select one or more of identified cartridges from the displayed list and to indicate a desired first sequence of access for the selected cartridge; (d) defining all or a subset of the available cartridges as a first selected set in accordance with the selection made by the user from the displayed list of available cartridges; (e) defining a first order of processing for the first selected set of available cartridges corresponding to the sequence of access indicated by the user; (f) recording the definition of the first selected set and the corresponding first order of processing; (g) recalling the recorded definition of the selected set and the corresponding order of processing; (h) in response to, and in accordance with, the recalled definition of the selected set and the corresponding order of processing, loading a first one of the selected set of storage cartridges into the shared cartridge drive; (i) backing up a predefined block of data from the primary storage system to the first loaded cartridge until a predefined maximum storage capacity of the first loaded cartridge is reached or an end of the block of data is reached; (j) if the predefined block of data is not fully backed up by the above backup step (i) and there are additional cartridges in the recalled definition of the selected set, loading a next cartridge of the selected set of storage cartridges into the shared cartridge drive in response to, and in accordance with, the recalled definition of the selected set and the corresponding order of processing; and (k) if the predefined block of data is not full backed up by the above backup steps (i) and (j), repeating above backup step (j) until backup is completed or until there are no more cartridges in the recalled selected set, whichever occurs first. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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16. A data transfer system comprising:
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(a) primary data storage means for storing digital data; (b) automated element handling means, operatively coupled to the primary data storage means for effectuating data transfer therewith, the element handling means having one or more shared media element drives into each of which is loadable, one at a time, a plurality of physically discrete, interchangeable, data storage media elements, and the element handling means further having one or more media element changers, operatively engageable with corresponding ones of the one or more shared media element drives and with available ones of the data storage media elements, for loading respective ones of the available storage media elements into operative engagement with the one or more shared media element drives, and for unloading loaded ones of the storage media elements from the corresponding one or more shared media element drives; (c) media element selection means, operatively coupled to the one or more automated element handling means, for controlling the load and unload operations of the corresponding one or more media element changers, said media element selection means including snapshot means for maintaining a current status indication of the number of media element drives available for effectuating data transfer, and of the number of storage media elements available for data transfer, including all storage media elements currently loaded in the media element drives; and (d) configuration selection means, operatively coupled to the media element selection means, for; (d.1) displaying to a user, a representation of a set of pre-identified media elements that are each at least physically available by virtue of being either already loaded into the one or more shared media element drives or being available for automatic loading into the one or more media element drives by said one or more media element changers, said pre-identification of the physically available media elements being derived from the current status indication maintained by the media element selection means, (d.2) enabling the user to select one or more of the pre-identified media elements from the displayed set, (d.3) defining all or a subset of the pre-identified media elements as a first user-selected set in accordance with the selection made by the user from the displayed set of pre-identified media elements, and (d.4) in response to the definition of the user-selected set, outputting control signals to the one or more automated element handling means, to control the one or more media element changers so as to load, where necessary, one or more of the media elements of the corresponding user-selected set into operative engagement with the one or more shared media element drives such that automated data transfer can take place between the loaded one or more of the media elements of the corresponding user-selected set and the primary data storage means. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification