System for providing access protection on media storage devices by selecting from a set of generated control parameters in accordance with application attributes

• US 6,219,726 B1
• Filed: 07/27/1994
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ripberger, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DU, THUAN N
• Application Number:
  US08/281,868
• Time in Patent Office: 2,456 Days
• Field of Search: 395/856, 395/857, 395/726, 395/477, 395/478
• US Class Current: 710/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00

Abstract

A method and system for limiting access to a media storage device such as a tape drive unit. In accordance with the inventive method, a set of control parameters is generated for the device for a given application program. A tape control unit uses the parameters to process commands from the application program and thereby control access to the tape. In an illustrative application, an extent is defined on the tape and controls are defined which govern the type of access permitted within the extent. The system rejects any commands which attempt to access medium outside of the defined extent. Write and formatting commands within the extent are limited and partition changes, loads and unloads are prohibited.

Claims

1. A system for limiting access to a tape device comprising:

first means for generating a set of control parameters for said device corresponding to an application program, said control parameters providing a set of access capabilities which are selectable in accordance with attributes of the application, said first means being a control program which processes application attributes and data set attributes to generate said control parameters, wherein a first of said control parameters defines an extent on a tape within said tape device and a second of said control parameters indicates the type of access permitted by said application program to said extent on said tape;

second means for receiving a command to access said device from said application program; and

third means for using said parameters to process said command to control access to said device by said application program, said third means including means for using the control parameters to manage access to data stored on a sequential access volume.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the sequential access volume maintains multiple datasets, has residual data, has specific file formatting, and is removable from the device.

3. A system for limiting access to a tape device comprising:

a control program for processing application attributes, dataset attributes to generate a set of control parameters for said device corresponding to an application program, a first of said control parameters defining an extent on a tape within said tape device and a second of said control parameters indicating the type of access permitted by said application program to said extent on said tape;

second means for receiving a command to access said device from said application program; and

a tape device control unit for using said parameters to process said command to control access to said device by said application program.

4. A method for limiting access to a tape device including the steps of:

generating a set of control parameters for said tape device corresponding to an application program based on application attributes and dataset attributes, said control parameters providing a set of access capabilities which are selectable in accordance with attributes of the application, wherein a first of said control parameters defines an extent on a tape within said tape device and a second of said control parameters indicates the type of access permitted by said application program to said extent on said tape;

receiving a command to access said tape device from said application program; and

processing said parameters to control access to said tape device by said application program.