Method and system for monitoring of library components

• US 9,501,348 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2016
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KIP CR P1 LP (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: Foster, Michael R., Rohner, Allen J., Tou, Patrick S.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWIFT, CHARLES M
• Application Number:
  US15/010,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20160148646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 11/079 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 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3096 wherein the means or processing minimize the use of computing system or of computing system component resources, e.g. non-intrusive monitoring which minimizes the probe effect: sniffing, intercepting, indirectly deriving the monitored data from other directly available data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/6835 the cassettes being transferred to a fixed recorder or player using a moving carriage
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/689 Control of the cassette changing arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/6895 Automatic tape changing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/228 Control systems for magazines G11B17/225 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/18 Error detection or correction; Testing , e.g. of drop-outs

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for monitoring components in a library by tracking the movement of library components. By tracking the movement of library components, 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 monitoring device, comprising,

an interface, wherein the monitoring device is communicatively coupled to a media library through the interface, the media library comprising a plurality of library components including a plurality of media;

and

a controller, including a processor, for monitoring library components of the media library by;

sending a plurality of commands to the media library over a period of time;

tracking movement of media in the media library based on states returned in response to the plurality of commands, wherein a returned state comprises a current location of media in the media library;

correlating errors of library components with the media based on the movement of the media; and

identifying a library component of the media library as an error source based on the correlation.

2. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the media are set of tapes and the library components further comprise a robot, a slot or a drive.

3. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the media library is a virtual media library.

4. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein tracking movement of media comprises comparing a first library state returned in response to a first command to a second library state returned in response to a second command.

5. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the commands include one or more Read Element Status Commands or one or more inquiry commands.

6. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of commands is sent at a time interval, wherein the time interval is less than a backup time or a tape movement time for the media library.

7. The monitoring appliance of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is an out-of-band monitoring appliance.

8. A method of monitoring library components, comprising,

sending a plurality of commands to a media library over a period of time, the media library comprising a plurality of library components including a plurality of media;

tracking movement of media in the media library based on states returned in response to the plurality of commands, wherein a returned state comprises a current location of media in the media library;

correlating errors of library components with the media based on the movement of the media; and

identifying a library component of the media library as an error source based on the correlation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the media are set of tapes and the library components further comprise a robot, a slot or a drive.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the media library is a virtual media library.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein tracking movement of media comprises comparing a first library state returned in response to a first command to a second library state returned in response to a second command.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the commands include one or more Read Element Status Commands or one or more inquiry commands.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of commands is sent at a time interval, wherein the time interval is less than a backup time or a tape movement time for the media library.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the monitoring device is an out-of-band monitoring appliance.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising instructions for:

sending a plurality of commands to a media library over a period of time, the media library comprising a plurality of library components including a plurality of media;

tracking movement of media in the media library based on states returned in response to the plurality of commands, wherein a returned state comprises a current location of media in the media library;

correlating errors of library components with the media based on the movement of the media; and

identifying a library component of the media library as an error source based on the correlation.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the media are set of tapes and the library components further comprise a robot, a slot or a drive.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the media library is a virtual media library.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein tracking movement of media comprises comparing a first library state returned in response to a first command to a second library state returned in response to a second command.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the commands include one or more Read Element Status Commands or one or more inquiry commands.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of commands is sent at a time interval, wherein the time interval is less than a backup time or a tape movement time for the media library.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the monitoring device is an out-of-band monitoring appliance.