Method and apparatus for reading a non-configured disc drive in an AS/400 system

• US 6,088,814 A
• Filed: 12/30/1997
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: McKenzie, David, Mayer, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott T.
• Application Number:
  US09/001,047
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204, 707/205, 711/114, 711/161, 711/162, 711/1, 711/4, 714/6, 714/7
• US Class Current: 714/6.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reformatting a main storage device associated with a computer system. The storage device is reformatted by making use of a secondary storage device on which is stored a copy of the data stored on the main storage device. A reformatting process is run on the secondary storage device while the main computer system continues normal operation. When the reformatting process is completed, the secondary storage device is updated with the updates that were made on the main storage system while the reformatting process was run on the secondary system. Thereafter, the reformatted and updated data is either transferred to the main storage device, or the main storage device is physically replaced with the secondary storage device. In another aspect, non-standard programming techniques are employed to provide access to non-configured disc drives coupled to an AS/400.

Claims

1. A method of reading a first set of objects stored on a first storage device, the first set of objects having been created by a first AS/400, the method comprising steps of:

(A) creating a mirrored set of objects on a second storage device coupled to a second AS/400, the mirrored set of objects being a mirror of the first set of objects stored on the first storage device, the second storage device being coupled to the second AS/400 as a non-configured storage device; and

(B) using the second AS/400 to read the mirrored set of objects from the second storage device while the second storage device is coupled to the second AS/400 as a non-configured storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second storage device includes at least one disc drive that is coupled to the second AS/400 as a non-configured disc drive, and wherein the step (A) includes a step of creating the mirrored set of objects on the at least one non-configured disc drive.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one non-configured disc drive stores at least one machine index identifying a location of the mirrored set of objects on the at least one non-configured disc drive, wherein the second AS/400 is further coupled to at least one disc drive that is a configured disc drive, and wherein the step (B) includes a step of copying the at least one machine index onto the at least one configured disc drive.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step (B) includes a step of using a machine index handling routine on the second AS/400 to access the at least one machine index from the at least one configured disc drive.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step (B) includes a step of using the second AS/400 to back-up the mirrored set of objects onto a back-up medium.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (B) includes a step of using the second AS/400 to back-up the mirrored set of objects onto a back-up medium.

7. A method of operating a system including an AS/400, at least one storage device coupled to the AS/400 as a non-configured storage device, and at least one storage device coupled to the AS/400 as a configured storage device, the at least one non-configured storage device storing a set of objects and at least one machine index identifying a location of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device, the method comprising the step of:

(A) copying the at least one machine index from the at least one non-configured storage device to the at least one configured storage device to create a copy of the at least one machine index.

8. The method of claim 7, further including steps of:

(B) accessing the copy of the at least one machine index on the at least one configured storage device to identify a location of one of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device; and

(C) reading the one of the set of objects from the at least one non-configured storage device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step (B) includes a step of using a machine index handling routine on the AS/400 to identify the location of the one of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one non-configured storage device includes at least one disc drive that is coupled to the AS/400 as a non-configured disc drive, wherein the at least one configured storage device includes at least one disc drive that is coupled to the AS/400 as a configured disc drive, and wherein the step (A) includes a step of copying the at least one machine index from the at least one non-configured disc drive to the at least one configured disc drive.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (C) includes a step of backing up the one of the set of objects from the at least one non-configured disc drive to a back-up medium.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step (C) includes a step of backing up the one of the set of objects from the at least one non-configured storage device to a back-up medium.

13. A computer system, comprising:

an AS/400;

at least one storage device, coupled to the AS/400 as a non-configured storage device, that stores a set of objects and at least one machine index identifying a location of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device; and

at least one storage device coupled to the AS/400 as a configured storage device;

wherein the AS/400 includes means for copying the at least one machine index from the at least one non-configured storage device to the at least one configured storage device to create a copy of the at least one machine index.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the AS/400 includes means for accessing the copy of the at least one machine index on the at least one configured storage device to identify a location of one of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the AS/400 includes means for backing-up the set of objects from the at least one non-configured storage device to a back-up medium.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the at least one non-configured storage device and the at least one configured storage device each is a disc drive.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the at least one non-configured storage device and the at least one configured storage device each is a disc drive.

18. A computer system, comprising:

a first AS/400; and

at least one storage device, coupled to the first AS/400 as a non-configured storage device, that stores at least one object that was created by a second AS/400 that is different from the first AS/400;

wherein the first AS/400 includes means for reading the at least one object from the at least one storage device while the at least one storage device is coupled to the first AS/400 as a non-configured storage device.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the first AS/400 further includes means for backing up the at least one object to a back-up medium.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the first AS/400 further includes means for backing up the at least one object to tape.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the at least one storage device includes at least one disc drive that is coupled to the first AS/400 as a non-configured disc drive.

22. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the at least one storage device includes at least one disc drive that is coupled to the first AS/400 as a non-configured disc drive.

23. A method of operating a system including an AS/400 and a storage device coupled to the AS/400 as a non-configured storage device, the storage device storing a set of objects, the method comprising the step of:

(A) using the AS/400 to back up the set of objects from the non-configured storage device onto a back-up medium.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step (A) includes a step of backing up the set of objects to tape.

25. A computer system, comprising:

an AS/400; and

a disc drive coupled to the AS/400 as a non-configured disc drive, the disc drive storing a set of objects;

wherein the AS/400 includes back-up means for backing up the set of objects from the non-configured disc drive onto a back-up medium.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the back-up means includes means for backing up the set of objects to tape.

27. A computer system, comprising:

an AS/400;

at least one storage device, coupled to the AS/400 as a non-configured storage device, that stores a set of objects and at least one machine index identifying a location of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device; and

at least one storage device, coupled to the AS/400 as a configured storage device, that stores a copy of the at least one machine index identifying a location of the set of objects on the at least one non-configured storage device.

28. A method of reformatting data stored on a source storage device in a system that includes the source storage device, a source AS/400 coupled to the source storage device, a target storage device coupled to the source storage device, and a target AS/400 coupled to the target storage device, the source storage device storing data in an initial format, the target storage device being coupled to the target AS/400 as a non-configured storage device and storing a copy of the data stored on the source storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) transferring the data in the initial format from the target storage device onto a temporary storage medium;

(B) reconfiguring the target AS/400 so that the target storage device is a configured storage device;

(C) reloading the data from the temporary storage medium onto the target storage device in a reformatted format; and

(D) transferring the reformatted data from the target storage device to the source storage device.

29. The method of claim 28, further including, after the step (D), a step (E) of reconfiguring the target AS/400 so that the target storage device is again a non-configured storage device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the source and target storage devices each is a disc drive.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the target storage device stores at least one machine index identifying a location of the data on the target storage device, wherein the target AS/400 is further coupled to at least one additional disc drive that is a configured disc drive, and wherein the method includes, prior to the step (A), a step of copying the at least one machine index onto the at least one additional disc drive.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step (A) includes a step of using a machine index handling routine on the target AS/400 to access the at least one machine index from the at least one additional disc drive.