Apparatus, system, and method for automatically mapping a tape library system
First Claim
1. A method for automatically mapping a tape library system, the method comprising:
- establishing communication with a device within an unidentified frame in a tape library system, the unidentified frame having a Media Access Control (“
MAC”
) address associated therewith, the unidentified frame comprising a hardware frame holding one or more devices in one or more physical slots;
distinguishing the unidentified frame by sequentially determining characteristics of devices held in the unidentified frame until characteristics are determined that distinguish the unidentified frame from other frames in the tape library system, the characteristics comprising characteristics that facilitate frame identification including a type of devices held in the unidentified frame and a quantity of devices held in the unidentified frame; and
associating a persistent IP address with the MAC address in response to distinguishing the unidentified frame.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automatically and transparently mapping tape drives within tape libraries to IP addresses. In one embodiment, the tape library includes, a DHCP server, a LAN to serial switch, and a library manager configured with the necessary modules to map the tape library devices to the proper IP addresses. The entire process may be transparent to users. The result is that the tape library is configured with the proper IP addressing without costly, time-consuming, and error-prone manual intervention. The tape library can be configured more quickly with accurate IP addressing and is able to operate efficiently and properly.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for automatically mapping a tape library system, the method comprising:
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establishing communication with a device within an unidentified frame in a tape library system, the unidentified frame having a Media Access Control (“
MAC”
) address associated therewith, the unidentified frame comprising a hardware frame holding one or more devices in one or more physical slots;distinguishing the unidentified frame by sequentially determining characteristics of devices held in the unidentified frame until characteristics are determined that distinguish the unidentified frame from other frames in the tape library system, the characteristics comprising characteristics that facilitate frame identification including a type of devices held in the unidentified frame and a quantity of devices held in the unidentified frame; and associating a persistent IP address with the MAC address in response to distinguishing the unidentified frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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12. An apparatus for automatically mapping a tape library system, the apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of software modules, the plurality of software modules comprising; a communication module configured to establish communication with a device within an unidentified frame in a tape library system, the unidentified frame having a Media Access Control (“
MAC”
) address associated therewith, the unidentified frame comprising a hardware frame holding one or more devices in one or more physical slots,an identification module configured to distinguish the unidentified frame by sequentially determining characteristics of devices held in the unidentified frame until characteristics are determined that distinguish the unidentified frame from other frames in the tape library system, the characteristics comprising characteristics that facilitate frame identification including a type of devices held in the unidentified frame and a quantity of devices held in the unidentified frame, and an IP address assignment module configured to associate a persistent IP address with the MAC address in response to distinguishing the unidentified frame; and a processor configured to execute the plurality of software modules.
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21. A system for automatically mapping a tape library system, the system comprising:
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a library manager configured to establish communication with a device within an unidentified frame in a tape library system, the unidentified frame having a Media Access Control (“
MAC”
) address associated therewith, the unidentified frame comprising a hardware frame holding one or more devices in one or more physical slots;the library manager configured to distinguish the unidentified frame by sequentially determining characteristics of devices held in the unidentified frame until characteristics are determined that distinguish the unidentified frame from other frames in the tape library system, the characteristics comprising characteristics that facilitate frame identification including a type of devices held in the unidentified frame and a quantity of devices held in the unidentified frame; the library manager further configured to associate a persistent IP address with the MAC address in response to distinguishing the unidentified frame; a robotic device configured to mount a cartridge in a drive; and a DHCP server configured to assign IP addresses to a switching device. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification