Virtual integrated cartridge loader for virtual tape storage system
First Claim
1. In a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, a method for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges comprising the steps of:
- maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier;
maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges;
selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database;
entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map;
receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and
satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising;
choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and
removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Virtual data storage cartridges are created on a data storage subsystem to/from which volume writes and reads are directed. When a number of data volumes have been written, the controller may migrate them to the tape drive, a much faster process than writing directly to tape and enabling multiple logical volumes to be written to a single physical tape. With the present invention, virtual scratch cartridges are virtually premounted in a virtual drive loader while the virtual drive is accessing another virtual cartridge. When the host calls for a new scratch cartridge, it can be mounted in the virtual drive almost immediately, having already been virtually pre-loaded.
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Citations
56 Claims
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1. In a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, a method for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges comprising the steps of:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15)
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7. In a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a cache, said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, a method for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges comprising the steps of:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the cache with one of the virtual cartridges; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. In a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said virtual cartridges having multiple different data formats, a method for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges comprising the steps of:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; for each data format, selecting a virtual cartridge identifier of the corresponding data format from the available database and entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request for a virtual cartridge of a specified data format; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing from the pre-load map one of the cartridge identifiers having the specified data format; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 16)
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17. In a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said library also including multiple virtual drives, a method for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges comprising the steps of:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; for each virtual drive, performing steps comprising; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map associated with that drive; receiving from a host a scratch mount request and selection of one of the virtual drives to satisfy the mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map associated with the selected virtual drive; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map associated with the selected virtual drive. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. An article of manufacture comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform method steps for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges in a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said method steps comprising:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An article of manufacture comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform method steps for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges in a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a cache, said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said method steps comprising:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the cache with one of the virtual cartridges; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. An article of manufacture comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform method steps for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges in a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said virtual cartridges having multiple different data formats, said method steps comprising:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; for each data format, selecting a virtual cartridge identifier of the corresponding data format from the available database and entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request for a virtual cartridge of a specified data format; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing from the pre-load map one of the cartridge identifiers having the specified data format; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An article of manufacture comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform method steps for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges in a data storage system that provides an interface between a host and a data storage device ("DSD"), said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said library also including multiple virtual drives, said method steps comprising:
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maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; for each virtual drive, performing steps comprising; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map associated with that drive; receiving from a host a scratch mount request and selection of one of the virtual drives to satisfy the mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map associated with the selected virtual drive; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map associated with the selected virtual drive. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A virtual cartridge data storage system, comprising:
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a data storage device ("DSD"); an interface interposed between the DSD and a host, said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said interface being programmed to virtually pre-load virtual cartridges by performing steps comprising; maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A virtual cartridge data storage system, comprising:
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a cache memory; an interface interconnected between the cache and a host, said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said interface being programmed to virtually pre-load virtual cartridges by performing steps comprising; maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the cache with one of the virtual cartridges; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47)
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48. A virtual cartridge data storage system, comprising:
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a data storage device ("DSD"); an interface providing an interface between the DSD and a host, said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said virtual cartridges having multiple different data formats, said interface being programmed to virtually pre-load virtual cartridges by performing steps comprising; maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; for each data format, selecting a virtual cartridge identifier of the corresponding data format from the available database and entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map; receiving from a host a scratch mount request for a virtual cartridge of a specified data format; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing from the pre-load map one of the cartridge identifiers having the specified data format; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A virtual cartridge data storage system, comprising:
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a data storage device ("DSD"); an interface coupled between a host and the DSD, said interface emulating a virtual cartridge data storage library in communicating with the host, said virtual cartridge data storage library including a plurality of virtual cartridges, said library also including multiple virtual drives, a method for virtually pre-loading virtual cartridges comprising the steps of; maintaining an available cartridge database containing a list of virtual cartridges, each virtual cartridge identified in the available cartridge database by a virtual cartridge identifier; maintaining an active cartridge map cross-referencing each item of data stored on the DSD with one of the virtual cartridges; for each virtual drive, performing steps comprising; selecting a virtual cartridge identifier from the available database; entering the selected virtual cartridge identifier in a pre-load map associated with that drive; receiving from a host a scratch mount request and selection of one of the virtual drives to satisfy the mount request; and satisfying the scratch mount request by performing steps comprising; choosing one of the cartridge identifiers from the pre-load map associated with the selected virtual drive; and removing the chosen virtual cartridge identifier from the pre-load map associated with the selected virtual drive. - View Dependent Claims (56)
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Specification