Systems and methods for managing location of media in a storage system

• US 7,844,573 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Amarendran, Arun Prasad, Kottomtharayil, Rajiv, Ilkal, Zahid
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus; Jean M
• Application Number:
  US12/572,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method for operating a storage library. The system comprises a management server, a media agent connected to the management server, a library connected to the media agent and a database connected to the management server. The management server controls the media agent to monitor for the addition or removal of a piece of media in the library. When the media agent determines that the piece of media has been added to the library or removed from the library, the media agent causes the library to read a media label stored as data on the piece of media, the media label including an identifier identifying the piece of media. When a backup or restore is performed, the system checks the media label to ensure that the correct media is being used. Inventory procedures are disclosed. Media labels are stored in a database along with an indication of the corresponding slot where the media is stored, a time when the label was put on the medium, and a confidence parameter indicating how confident the system is that the particular medium is stored in the respective slot.

Claims

1. A method of performing an inventory of media stored in a storage device system, the method comprising:

determining that at least one storage media device library associated with media in a storage system is a sighted storage media device library, wherein a machine-readable label comprising printed indicia is located on the media, and wherein the printed indicia comprises an identifier that identifies the media;

determining that at least one storage media device library associated with media in the storage system is a blind storage media device library, wherein an on-media label is located in the electronic data stored in the media in the blind storage media device library, and wherein the on-media label comprises an identifier that identifies the media;

storing information in a database about which storage media device libraries are blind storage media device libraries and which are sighted storage media device libraries;

detecting an addition of a new piece of media to a first storage media device library;

if the first storage media device library is a sighted storage media device library, scanning the printed indicia on the machine-readable label to obtain the identifier that identifies the new piece of media;

if the storage media device library is a blind storage media device library, reading from electronic data stored in the new piece of media the on-media label to obtain the identifier that identifies the new piece of media; and

updating the storage management database to indicate the media present in the storage media device libraries.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the printed indicia on the machine-readable label comprises bar coded material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the on-media label is non-bar coded material.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising moving the media to a slot associated with one of the storage media device libraries.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising updating a database entry with an indication of a slot associated with one of the storage media device libraries.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising accessing the database to identify a slot associated with the media.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a confidence parameter indicating a confidence level that the media identified as being associated with a slot is correctly identified.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing an index of data stored on the media.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a time that the on-media label was written.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising writing an on-media label in the data stored on media used in a sighted storage media device library.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving the piece of media in a drive when the piece of media is removed from the slot.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising returning the piece of media from the drive to a second slot of the plurality of slots.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising storing a slot table.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the piece of media comprises a tape.

18. The method of claim of 10 further comprising writing an on-media label to the data stored in the media when the media is loaded into one of the plurality of slots.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising storing a time that the on-media label was written.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising writing an on-media label in the data stored on media used in a sighted storage media device library.

11. A method of managing media in a storage device, the method comprising:

determining among a plurality of storage media device libraries at least one that is blind and at least one that is sighted, wherein each of the storage media device libraries are associated with a plurality of slots, each slot configured to hold a piece of media;

storing information in a database about which of the storage media device libraries are blind and which of the storage media device libraries are sighted;

scanning a machine-readable label located on a piece of media when the piece of media is added to or removed from a slot associated with one of the storage media device libraries that is sighted, the machine-readable label comprising an identifier identifying the piece of media;

reading an on-media label from electronic data stored in a piece of media when a piece of media is added to or removed from a slot associated with one of the storage media device libraries that is blind, the on-media label comprising an identifier identifying the piece of media; and

updating a storage management database with an indication of the slot associated with the piece of media.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising mounting the piece of media in the drive.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising updating the database entry with an indication of the second slot.