System, method and computer program product for partially synchronous and partially asynchronous mounts/unmounts in a media library

• US 8,762,330 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CF DB EZ LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: KIP CR P1 LP (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Inventors: Kick, Damien
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US13/614,857
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for determining completion of asynchronous commands in a library system and providing an indication of the completion to a synchronous component of the media library system so that commands which are dependent upon the completion can be efficiently issued and executed. In one embodiment, a tape is mounted in a drive of the library and a command is issued to initiate an asynchronous filesystem mount operation. Diagnostic information generated by the operating system for this operation is communicated to the media library management application via a pipe. When the filesystem mount process is completed, a corresponding diagnostic message is communicated to the media library management application through the pipe. Until this message is received by the media library management application, commands that are dependent upon the completion of the filesystem mount process are inhibited, and afterward these dependent commands are allowed to be issued.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a media library management system, the method comprising:

in a system having a computer processor and a memory coupled to the computer processor, the processor being coupled to a media library;

the computer processor executing a media library management application;

issuing a filesystem mount command to an operating system of the computer processor, thereby initiating an asynchronous filesystem mount operation that completes in an unknown amount of time and without providing notification of completion;

communicating diagnostic information generated by the operating system for the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application;

the media library management application inhibiting commands that are dependent upon completion of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation until the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete;

the media library management application determining from the received diagnostic information that the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete; and

the media library management application issuing one or more of the commands that are dependent upon completion of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation in response to determining that the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the diagnostic information generated by the operating system for the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application comprises creating a pipe that provides a channel to communicate the diagnostic information to the media library management application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising creating an I/O thread and running an I/O process in the I/O thread, wherein the I/O process reads a standard error output of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation and communicates the standard error output of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application via the pipe.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to issuing the filesystem mount command to initiate the asynchronous filesystem mount operation, controlling a media changer of a media library which is coupled to the computer processor, thereby causing the media changer to mount a tape cartridge in a tape drive of the media library.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising monitoring execution of a filesystem process initiated via the asynchronous filesystem mount operation, and inhibiting unmounting of the tape cartridge from the tape drive of the media library while the filesystem process is executing.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein monitoring execution of the filesystem process comprises creating a wait thread and running a wait process in the wait thread, wherein the wait process monitors the filesystem process and provides a notification to the media library management application when the filesystem process terminates.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, after the media library management application receives the notification from the wait process, controlling the media changer of the media library to cause the media changer to ummount the tape cartridge from the tape drive of the media library.

8. An archive node appliance configured to be coupled between one or more host devices and a media library, the archive node appliance comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory coupled to the computer processor;

a first communications interface configured to be coupled to one or more host devices; and

a second communications interface configured to be coupled to a media library;

wherein the computer processor is configured to;

execute a media library management application,

issue a filesystem mount command to an operating system of the computer processor, thereby initiating an asynchronous filesystem mount operation that completes in an unknown amount of time and without ovidin notification of completion,

communicate diagnostic information generated by the operating system for the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application,

inhibit commands that are dependent upon completion of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation until the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete,

determine from the diagnostic information that the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete, and

issue one or more of the commands that are dependent upon completion of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation in response to determining that the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete.

9. The archive node appliance of claim 8, further comprising one or more host computers coupled to the first communications interface.

10. The archive node appliance of claim 8, further comprising the media library coupled to the second communications interface.

11. The archive node appliance of claim 10, wherein the computer processor is configured to control a media changer of the media library and thereby mount a tape cartridge in a tape drive of the media library.

12. The archive node appliance of claim 11, wherein the computer processor is configured to monitor execution of a filesystem process initiated via the asynchronous filesystem mount operation, and inhibit unmounting of the tape cartridge from the tape drive of the media library while the filesystem process is executing.

13. The archive node appliance of claim 12, wherein the computer processor is configured to monitor execution of the filesystem process by creating a wait thread and running a wait process in the wait thread, wherein the wait process monitors the filesystem process and provides a notification to the media library management application when the filesystem process terminates.

14. The archive node appliance of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to control the media changer of the media library to cause the media changer to unmount the tape cartridge from the tape drive of the media library after the media library management application receives the notification from the wait process.

15. The archive node appliance of claim 8, wherein the computer processor is configured to communicate the diagnostic information generated by the operating system for the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application by creating a pipe that provides a channel to communicate the diagnostic information to the media library management application.

16. The archive node appliance of claim 15, wherein the computer processor is configured to create an I/O thread and run an I/O process in the I/O thread, wherein the I/O process reads a standard error output of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation and communicates the standard error output of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application via the pipe.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a set of instructions stored thereon, the instructions executable by a computer processor of an archive node appliance to:

execute a media library management application;

issue a filesystem mount command to an operating system of the computer processor, thereby initiating an asynchronous filesystem mount operation that completes in an unknown amount of time and without providing notification of completion;

communicate diagnostic information generated by the operating system for the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application;

inhibit commands that are dependent upon completion of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation until the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete;

determining from the diagnostic information that the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete; and

issue one or more of the commands that are dependent upon completion of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation in response to determining that the asynchronous filesystem mount operation is complete.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor of the archive node appliance to control a media changer of the media library and thereby mount a tape cartridge in a tape drive of the media library.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor of the archive node appliance to monitor execution of a filesystem process initiated via the asynchronous filesystem mount operation, and inhibit unmounting of the tape cartridge from the tape drive of the media library while the filesystem process is executing, wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor of the archive node appliance to monitor execution of the filesystem process by creating a wait thread and running a wait process in the wait thread, wherein the wait process monitors the filesystem process and provides a notification to the media library management application when the filesystem process terminates, and wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor of the archive node appliance to control the media changer of the media library to cause the media changer to unmount the tape cartridge from the tape drive of the media library after the media library management application receives the notification from the wait process.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor of the archive node appliance to communicate the diagnostic information generated by the operating system for the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application by creating a pipe that provides a channel to communicate the diagnostic information to the media library management application.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further executable by the computer processor of the archive node appliance to create an I/O thread and run an I/O process in the I/O thread, wherein the I/O process reads a standard error output of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation and communicates the standard error output of the asynchronous filesystem mount operation to the media library management application via the pipe.