Media library monitoring system and method

• US 9,092,138 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KIP CR P1 LP
• Original Assignee: KIP CR P1 LP
• Inventors: Sims, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US14/099,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/048 Testing of disk drives, e.g. to detect defects or prevent sudden failure
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1816 Testing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1869 Preventing ageing phenomena from causing data loss, e.g. by monitoring the age of record carriers or by recognising wear, and by copying information elsewhere when a record carrier becomes unreliable
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4555 by using a spin-stand, i.e. a spinning disc or simulator

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems comprise collecting data associated with a library or library components and storing the collected data in repository. By collecting data associated with a library or library components and storing the collected data in a repository, the degradation of library components can be monitored and the reliability of library components determined, allowing unreliable components to be bypassed or replaced, enhancing the reliability of the library and preventing data loss.

Claims

1. A method of out-of-band monitoring of a media library, comprising:

performing an agentless collection process to collect data from the media library out-of-band from commands and responses between hosts and the media library, wherein the media library comprises one or more library components including one or more drives and a media changer and collecting data comprises querying the one or more library components of the media library at intervals and receiving returned data from the one or more library components, wherein querying the one or more library components comprises;

sending Log Sense (LS) commands to the one or more drives of the media library at intervals; and

sending Read Element Status (RES) commands to the media changer at intervals;

storing the collected data in a repository, wherein storing the collected data in the repository comprises storing data returned in response to the LS commands or the RES commands in the repository, wherein the collected data in the repository spans a plurality of intervals;

deriving data from the collected data, wherein deriving data comprises deriving a metric associated with the media library over the plurality of intervals based on data returned in response to the LS commands over the plurality of intervals;

accessing a set of data in the repository based on one or more specifications; and

providing the set of data based on one or more specifications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming one or more structures containing data returned in response to one or more LS or RES commands.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data comprises the derived data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data comprises the collected data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the set of data comprises providing the collected data to another system for further processing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

querying one or more library components further comprises sending one or more Inquiry commands to a drive or a media changer of the media library; and

storing the collected data in the repository comprises storing data returned in response to the Inquiry commands.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

querying one or more library components further comprises sending one or more additional commands to a drive or a media changer of the media library, wherein the additional commands comprise SCSI commands; and

storing the collected data in the repository comprises storing data returned in response to the one or more additional commands.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising organizing the collected data.

9. A system for out-of-band monitoring of a media library comprising multiple components, comprising:

a data engine coupled to a network and configured to perform an agentless collection process to collect data from the media library out-of-band from commands and responses between hosts and the media library, wherein the media library comprises one or more library components including one or more drives and a media changer and the collection process comprises querying the one or more library components of the media library at intervals and receiving returned data from the one or more library components, wherein querying one or more library components comprises;

sending Log Sense (LS) commands to the one or more drives of the media library at intervals; and

sending Read Element Status (RES) commands to the media changer at intervals;

a storage engine configured to;

store the collected data in a repository over a plurality of intervals, wherein storing the collected data in the repository comprises storing data returned in response to the LS commands or the RES commands in the repository; and

derive data from the collected data, wherein deriving data comprises deriving a metric associated with the media library over the plurality of intervals based on data returned in response to the LS commands over the plurality of intervals;

an interface engine coupled to the repository and configured to connect to a communications link to;

access a set of data in the repository based on one or more specifications; and

provide the set of data based on one or more specifications.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage engine is configured to form one or more structures containing data returned in response to one or more LS or RES commands.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of data comprises the derived data.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of data comprises the collected data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein providing the set of data comprises providing the collected data to another system for further processing.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein:

querying one or more library components further comprises sending one or more Inquiry commands to a drive or a media changer of the media library; and

storing the collected data in the repository comprises storing data returned in response to the Inquiry commands.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein:

querying one or more library components further comprises sending one or more additional commands to a drive or a media changer of the media library, wherein the additional commands comprise SCSI commands; and

storing the collected data in the repository comprises storing data returned in response to the one or more additional commands.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the interface engine is configured to display data to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI).

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage engine is further configured to perform organizing the collected data.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein a monitoring appliance comprises the data engine and the storage engine.