Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080215806 | Access control management - In one embodiment, a cartridge library comprises a library controller comprising a first processor module and a memory medium communicatively connected to the processor module, and a cartridge drive controller comprising a second processor module and a memory medium communicatively connected to the processor module. The cartridge drive controller comprises logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, cause the first processor module to receive, from a management component coupled to the cartridge library, at least one access control parameter, wherein the access control parameter identifies at least one of a user, a server, a command, or a time, record, in a memory medium coupled to the cartridge library, the at least one access control parameter; receive a request for at least one resource of the cartridge library; and use the access control parameter in determining whether to grant access to the at least one resource of the cartridge library. | 09-04-2008 |
20080244171 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR UTILIZING TAPE MEDIA SEGMENTATION - An apparatus and system are presented for utilizing tape storage media segmentation to improve data access performance. A segmented tape storage medium within a tape cartridge having a first and second segment is utilized. A selection module allows a user to select a user-defined capacity of the tape storage medium that is less than the usable capacity of the tape storage medium. The user-defined capacity allows the user to prefer improved data access over tape storage capacity. Data, when written to the tape, is written only within the user-defined capacity. Data may be written exclusively on the first segment or written on both the first segment and second segment allowing data access to be improved. In addition, the user-defined capacity may correspond to the full capacity of the tape storage media. | 10-02-2008 |
20080250197 | Physical Tape Interchange Format - A virtual tape server for executing a method involving a partitioning of a virtual tape volume into a plurality of virtual tape blocks. The virtual tape volume includes a virtual tape volume header having recovery information, each virtual tape block includes a virtual tape block header identifying the virtual tape volume and a block sequence number, and one or more of the virtual tape blocks includes the virtual tape volume header. The method further involves a formatting of a physical tape volume including each virtual tape block. | 10-09-2008 |
20080263271 | System for Selectively Performing a Secure Data Erase to Ensure Timely Erasure - A system is provided to ensure a timely secure data erase by determining an erasure deadline for each physical volume of a plurality of physical volumes and calculating a remaining time for each physical volume. The remaining time is calculated for each physical volume by comparing a current date to the erasure deadline of each physical volume respectively. The physical volumes may then be sorted based on the remaining time and the physical volume with a shortest calculated remaining time will be selectively secure data erased. | 10-23-2008 |
20080263272 | DATA STORAGE MANAGEMENT METHOD - A method for selectively controlling reutilization of space in a virtual tape system (VTS) having a buffer and a multiple volume tape cartridge includes transferring data volume files to the VTS. The buffer transfers the data making up these files as virtual tape volumes (VTVs) to different locations of the cartridge for storage. A file is selectively designated for the VTS to delete from storage after a date included with the file has elapsed by deleting the VTVs corresponding to the file from the cartridge to reuse space of the cartridge. The method includes detecting if a file transferred as VTVs to the cartridge has been designated for deletion. The VTS is prohibited from deleting the file after the date has elapsed if the file was not designated for deletion and is allowed to delete the file after the date has elapsed if the file was not designated for deletion. | 10-23-2008 |
20080301363 | VIRTUAL TAPE LIBRARY DEVICE - A storage device system comprises interfaces connected to computers, a plurality of magnetic disks, and a control device that controls the plurality of magnetic disks. When a command from one of the computers instructing a tape library device to load a magnetic tape into a tape device is received by one of the interfaces, the control device selects a storage region that is managed as a virtual tape from among storage regions of the magnetic disks. When one of the interfaces receives an access request from the computer to the tape device, the control device controls to access the storage region selected. | 12-04-2008 |
20090006733 | Drive Resources in Storage Library Behind Virtual Library - Embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems for managing resources in a physical storage library behind a virtual storage library. In one embodiment, priorities are assigned to copy applications and rules determine which when applications are assigned to resources in the physical storage library. | 01-01-2009 |
20090006734 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR SELECTING A CLUSTER - An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for selecting a source cluster in a distributed storage configuration. A measurement module measures system factors for a plurality of clusters over a plurality of instances. The clusters are in communication over a network and each cluster comprises at least one tape volume cache. A smoothing module applies a smoothing function to the system factors, wherein recent instances have higher weights. A lifespan module calculates a mount-to-dismount lifespan for each cluster from the smoothed system factors. A selection module selects a source cluster for accessing an instance of a specified volume in response to the mount-to-dismount lifespans and a user policy. | 01-01-2009 |
20090055582 | SEGMENTATION OF LOGICAL VOLUMES - Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a storage manager application implemented in a first computational device maintains a virtual logical volume that represents a plurality of segments of a linear storage medium of a secondary storage, wherein the virtual logical volume and the plurality of segments are created by the storage manager application. A request for data is received at the first computational device, from a second computational device. The storage manager application moves selected segments of the plurality of segments from the linear storage medium of the secondary storage to a cache storage, in anticipation that the requested data is included in the selected segments that are moved from the linear storage medium of the secondary storage to the cache storage. | 02-26-2009 |
20090055583 | STORING REDUNDANT SEGMENTS AND PARITY INFORMATION FOR SEGMENTED LOGICAL VOLUMES - Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a storage manager application implemented in a first computational device maintains a virtual logical volume that has a plurality of segments created by the storage manager application. At least one additional copy of at least one of the plurality of segments is maintained in at least one linear storage medium of a secondary storage. A request for data is received, at the first computational device, from a second computational device. At least one of the plurality of segments and the at least one additional copy are used to respond to the received request for data. | 02-26-2009 |
20090063763 | CONTROLLING WRITING TO MAGNETIC TAPE - A method for controlling writing for a tape recorder that is connected to a host and sequentially records, as a transaction, a plurality of records that are transferred from the host and stored in a buffer is provided, including receiving a synchronous command for a first transaction from the host; in response to the synchronous command, sequentially writing the plurality of records stored in the buffer to a tape as the first transaction; receiving the size of a second transaction following the first transaction from the host; calculating time for a backhitch associated with an operation of the synchronous command for the first transaction on the basis of the size; and performing the backhitch on the basis of the time for the backhitch. | 03-05-2009 |
20090077309 | DATA TRANSFER - A virtual tape library including a module which is operable to issue input and output commands to a tape drive connected to the virtual tape library, wherein an input command is a command to write data to a tape connected to the tape drive and an output command is a command to read data from a tape connected to the tape drive. | 03-19-2009 |
20090077310 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING FAST ACCESS DATA STORAGE ON SEGMENTED TAPE MEDIA - An apparatus and system are disclosed for optimizing fast access data storage on segmented tape media. The apparatus, in one embodiment, is configured to selectively write data to a tape storage medium. The selection module may select data for storage as one of fast access and slower access. Fast access data may be stored on the first segment, or fast access portion, of a tape storage medium to provide optimal speed for data retrieval. Slower access data may be stored on the remaining available storage space of the tape storage medium. Additionally, read requests for fast access data may be accessed more quickly than read requests for slower access data. Thus, user data may be selected and written to a tape storage medium relative to a preferred access time. | 03-19-2009 |
20090077311 | Storage control method and system for performing backup and/or restoration - A second storage system (SS | 03-19-2009 |
20090089496 | Dual-interface data storage apparatus - The present invention discloses a dual interface data storage apparatus, including: a memory module, a first interface and a second interface connected with the memory module, a housing, and a movable carriage for carrying the memory module, the first interface, and the second interface. The housing accommodates the memory module, the first interface and the second interface, and has a first opening at one end and a second opening at the other end for either allowing the first interface or the second interface to pass through the first opening or the second opening. | 04-02-2009 |
20090119452 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A SHARABLE STORAGE DEVICE - Systems and methods for sharable tape devices are presented. More particularly, embodiments of a virtual tape server may automatically create a virtual tape device for an identified host such that hosts may interact with corresponding virtual tape devices. Thus, rather than having multiple hosts share a limited number of virtual tape devices, each host may interact with a virtual tape device corresponding only to that host (or a limited number of hosts), allowing substantially simultaneous interactions to take place between multiple hosts and multiple virtual tape devices and substantially alleviating the need of an application on a particular host to take into account other hosts or other applications when scheduling operations. | 05-07-2009 |
20090164714 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING A MASS DATA STORAGE DEVICE, SUCH AS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING A CARTRIDGE TAPE DRIVE - Method and apparatus for analyzing a mass data storage device, such as for troubleshooting a cartridge tape drive device. In one embodiment, the method comprises: physically associating non-volatile memory with a removable media storage device, storing information in the non-volatile memory regarding characteristics of the removable media storage device, and providing the non-volatile memory and the removable media storage device for service. Information stored in the non-volatile memory is available for use by a service technician. This information includes at least a first data structure associated with a state of the removable media storage device before servicing and at least a second data structure associated with historical information regarding operation of the removable media storage device. | 06-25-2009 |
20090177836 | Methods and apparatuses for managing data in a computer storage system - Data stored on disk drives in a storage system is automatically migrated to tape after a first predetermined time period according to a migration policy specified for the data. When the data stored to tape is to be accessed and has been deleted from the disk drives, the data is retrieved from the tape storage and stored back to the disk drives. The data is retained on the disk drives for a second predetermined time period according to a cache policy specified for the data, and then automatically deleted from the disk drives when the second predetermined time period has expired. In an alternative embodiment, when data stored to a particular disk drive has not been accessed for a predetermined time period, the particular disk drive is spun down to conserve energy. Spun down disk drives are spun up automatically when they contain results relevant to a search request. | 07-09-2009 |
20090216941 | Method for saving computer data - The invention relates to a method for saving computer data which consist in transferring the data to be saved from a client computer to a buffer storage formed by the hard disc of a backup server, organised in a plurality of volumes of predetermined size, and in then transferring the data from said buffer storage onto a final medium (for example magnetic cartridge). The invention is characterised in that it consists in recording on said permanent medium, after transferring the volumes from the buffer storage onto the final medium, a single sequence of data specific to each of said volumes (basic data), the method further comprising a step which consists in constituting a database wherein are recorded the basic data. | 08-27-2009 |
20090240877 | VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME - A virtual tape device in between a host and a library device is provided. The virtual tape device includes a physical tape volume and that stores data sent from the host on a logical tape volume includes, a receiver that receives a mount/unmount command and a job identifier relating to the command which are sent from the host, a storage device that stores the logical tape volume, a storage table that stores the job identifier and a logical tape volume to be accessed by a job indicated by the job identifier, and a controller that controls, based on the storage table, transfer of data relating to the job identifier between the logical tape volume and the physical tape volume. | 09-24-2009 |
20090248974 | OPTIMIZING OPERATIONAL REQUESTS OF LOGICAL VOLUMES - A method, system, apparatus and computer program product for determining an optimal file operational time in a data storage system for use with a tape media storing data in a serpentine pattern on tape media is provided. The operational time is optimized based on a “sequence on tape” algorithm, a “minimum reversal of direction on tape” algorithm, or a “minimum delay to next data” algorithm. A model is used to determine the predicted performance of each of the algorithms, and the algorithm that provides the minimum overall operational time is chosen and applied for carrying out an operational process on the tape media. | 10-01-2009 |
20090300279 | Signature Based Method for Sending Packets to Remote Systems - A method comprises generating a plurality of signatures, wherein each complex signature corresponds to and identifies a respective one of a plurality of virtual tape complexes, and wherein each virtual tape complex comprises one or more subsystems and a control store linked to the one or more subsystems. For each virtual tape complex, a copy of the corresponding signature is stored in the control store corresponding to the virtual tape complex. | 12-03-2009 |
20100005236 | AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNING A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PHYSICAL ADDRESS TO A DATA STORAGE DEVICE - A method of assigning a multi-dimensional physical address to a tape-based data storage device is provided. The method includes accessing a first signal from a first communication path electrically coupled to a first tape-based data storage device, wherein the first signal indicates a physical position of the first tape-based data storage device with respect to a first axis. The method further includes accessing a second signal from a second communication path electrically coupled to the first tape-based data storage device, wherein the second signal is associated with a physical position of the first tape-based data storage device with respect to a second axis. The method also includes determining a unique physical location of the first tape-based data storage device in the second axis based on the second signal and assigning a unique physical address to the first tape-based data storage device, wherein the unique physical address is based on the physical position of the first tape-based data storage device in the first axis and based on the physical position of the first tape-based data storage device in the second axis. | 01-07-2010 |
20100005237 | SCHEDULING READ OPERATIONS DURING DRIVE RECONSTRUCTION IN AN ARRAY OF REDUNDANT DISK DRIVES - Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that schedules read operations for disk drives in a set of disk drives. During operation, the system monitors a write rate for write operations to a given disk drive in the set of disk drives, wherein vibrations generated by the read operations directed to disk drives in the set of disk drives are transmitted to the given disk drive. Then, the read operations for disk drives in the set of disk drives are scheduled based on the write rate for the given disk drive, thereby limiting interference between the write operations and the vibrations generated by the read operations. | 01-07-2010 |
20100005238 | MULTI-SERIAL INTERFACE STACKED-DIE MEMORY ARCHITECTURE - Systems and methods disclosed herein substantially concurrently transfer a plurality of streams of commands, addresses, and/or data across a corresponding plurality of serialized communication link interfaces (SCLIs) between one or more originating devices or destination devices such as a processor and a switch. At the switch, one or more commands, addresses, or data corresponding to each stream can be transferred to a corresponding destination memory vault controller (MVC) associated with a corresponding memory vault. The destination MVC can perform write operations, read operations, and/or memory vault housekeeping operations independently from concurrent operations associated with other MVCs coupled to a corresponding plurality of memory vaults. | 01-07-2010 |
20100030956 | APPARATUS AND METHOD TO STORE ORIGINAL POINT-IN-TIME DATA - A method to store point-in-time data, comprising establishing a block size, providing source data storage comprising (S) blocks, and target data storage comprising (T) blocks. The method configures (B) source storage segments and (B) target storage segments, and receives updated point-in-time data for original point-in-time data written to an (i)th source storage segment. The method then determines if a (j)th target storage segment comprises available storage capacity to store the original point-in-time data. If a (j)th target storage segment comprises available storage capacity to store the original point-in-time data, the method writes the original point-in-time data to that (j)th target storage segment. | 02-04-2010 |
20100030957 | VIRTUAL TAPE SYSTEM - A virtual tape system includes an actual tape device having a magnetic tape which stores data. The virtual tape system includes a virtual tape storage device which stores data stored in the actual tape device as a virtual tape volume, first computers to be connected to a host computer which instructs a storing of data in the actual tape device, and a reading of data from the actual tape device, control an interface with the host computer, second computers which control the virtual tape volume of the virtual tape storage device, third computers which control a writing of the data into the actual tape device, and a local disk controller which stores the data in one of storage devices mounted one in each of the first computers, each of the second computers, and each of the third computers. | 02-04-2010 |
20100082896 | Storage system for controlling assignment of storage area to virtual volume storing specific pattern data - A storage system comprises a storage medium including a plurality of physical storage areas. The storage system controls a host computer to recognize a logical volume having a plurality of virtual storage areas, reads the data from the physical storage area assigned to the virtual storage area of the logical volume, determines whether or not the read data includes only the specific pattern data, and cancels the assignment of the physical storage area to the virtual storage area if the read data includes only the specific pattern data. | 04-01-2010 |
20100161895 | Securing data on data cartridges - Techniques are described for securing data on data cartridges, such as a Linear Tape-Open (LTO) data cartridge. The techniques include modifying a portion of a cartridge memory (CM) chip of the cartridge in a way that a cartridge drive will be unable to access the data cartridge and to prevent modification of the CM chip by the cartridge drive. In one embodiment, a system includes a data cartridge including a CM chip, a chip reader to read data from and write data to the CM chip, and a computing device to control the chip reader. The computing device causes the chip reader to read data from the cartridge memory chip of the data cartridge and to modify a portion of memory of the chip to prevent unauthorized reads and writes to the data cartridge, without rendering the modification irreversible. | 06-24-2010 |
20100169564 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ACCESSING DATA - A data access apparatus and method are provided. The data access apparatus includes a first memory, a second memory and a memory controller. The first memory and the second memory have the same memory capacity for respectively storing the neighbor data of an image. The memory controller is coupled to the first memory and the second memory for providing shared control signals and shared address signals, and further providing a plurality of first address signals and a plurality of second address signals to the first memory and the second memory respectively. The memory controller dynamically accesses the first memory and the second memory by different column address strobe (CAS) signal of the shared control signals, the first address signals and the second address signals. | 07-01-2010 |
20100180074 | VIRTUAL TAPE LIBRARY - An embodiment of the invention relates to a virtual tape library apparatus providing a plurality of emulated tape storage elements. The apparatus comprises local, non-tape based storage, a store storing a data structure which associates the emulated tape storage elements with the local or a remote storage, a first interface to provide access to the local storage, in response to tape library commands identifying emulated tape storage elements associated with the local storage, a second interface to provide access to the remote storage, in response to tape library commands identifying emulated tape storage elements associated with the remote storage, and a command processor, which receives tape library commands relating to emulated storage elements, and generates respective commands for the remote storage when received library commands relate to the remote storage. | 07-15-2010 |
20100185813 | Virtual tape device, virtual library system, and virtual tape control method - A virtual tape control method for controlling a virtual tape device includes performing a migration process for storing data stored in a logical volume to a physical volume of a library device belonging to the virtual tape device, and automatically extracting the data stored in the logical volume on which the migration process is completed at the performing, and exporting the data to a physical volume of a library device of a sub-center via a network. | 07-22-2010 |
20100199035 | File server and file management method - A file server achieving sufficient power-saving effect is provided. The file server is capable of operating an on-line storage medium (in a state in which reading/writing can be started immediately in response to a file read/write request) and an off-line storage medium (which has to be started up upon receiving a read/write request). Upon reception of a stream file write request, the file server's processing unit acquires bit rate information from the stream file, calculates the file's splitting position from the bit rate information and startup time of the off-line storage medium, and stores a first part (up to the splitting position) in the on-line storage medium while storing the remaining second part in the off-line storage medium. Upon reception of a stream file read request, the processing unit reads out the first part while starting up the off-line storage medium and reading out the second part. | 08-05-2010 |
20100205365 | HARD DRIVE ACCESSING METHOD AND HARD DRIVE ACCESSING SYSTEM SUPPORTING MAXIMUM TRANSMISSION RATE OF HARD DRIVE - A hard drive assessing method and a hard drive assessing system supporting a maximum transmission rate of a hard drive are provided, wherein the hard drive is accessed by a controller, and both the controller and the hard drive support a plurality of transmission rates. The maximum transmission rate of the hard drive is first obtained. When the controller reads data from the hard drive, the transmission rate of the controller is set to be not lower than the maximum transmission rate, and the transmission rate of the hard drive is maintained at the maximum transmission rate. When the controller writes data into the hard drive, the transmission rate of the controller is reduced to be lower than the maximum transmission rate, and the transmission rate of the hard drive is maintained at the maximum transmission rate. Thereby, the hard drive can be accessed at its maximum transmission rate. | 08-12-2010 |
20100205366 | AUTOMATIC MEDIA READYING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A OPTICAL MEDIUM WITH FILE SYSTEMS - In one aspect of the invention, a computer system comprises application logic executable to search an optical medium for at least one type of file system that may be resident on the optical medium. In response to identifying the presence of at least one type of file system resident on the optical medium, the system readies a media driver of an apparatus to make the at least one file system available for access. | 08-12-2010 |
20100250844 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO MEDIA LIBRARIES - Embodiments of the present invention provide a media library controller that can communicate with multiple physical libraries that are physically separate from each other. The media library controller can maintain a virtualized aggregate media library representing the physical media libraries with which it is in communication. From the physical media libraries, the media library controller can establish a virtual media library and associate a host with the virtual media library. The virtual media library can represent the portions of a physical media library to which the host is allowed access. | 09-30-2010 |
20100293328 | MANAGING FIRST LEVEL STORAGE IN A MULTI-HOST ENVIRONMENT - A virtual tape server (VTS) and a method for managing shared first level storage, such as a disk cache, among multiple virtual tape servers are provided. Such a system and method manage first level storage to accommodate two or more host processing systems by maintaining adequate free space in the cache for each host and by preventing one host, such as a mainframe, from taking over free space from another host, such as a Linux system. | 11-18-2010 |
20100299477 | MULTI-HOST CONCURRENT WRITING TO MAGNETIC TAPE - According to one embodiment, a method for storing data on a magnetic tape comprises receiving data from two different hosts and simultaneously writing the data from the hosts to the magnetic tape using multiple transducers. In another approach, a method for storing data on a magnetic tape comprises receiving requests to establish a concurrent reservation from multiple hosts and allocating a unique stripe in a wrap to each of the hosts that sent the requests, wherein the wrap is a collection of data tracks to be written simultaneously in one direction of tape movement by multiple transducers of a tape head, and the wrap is logically divided into the stripes. Also, the method includes receiving data from the hosts and simultaneously writing the data from the hosts to the magnetic tape using the multiple transducers. Other systems and methods concerning storing data on magnetic tapes are described as well. | 11-25-2010 |
20100306462 | VIRTUAL TAPE APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD OF VIRTUAL TAPE APPARATUS, AND CONTROL SECTION OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE - A virtual tape apparatus is interposed between a host and a tape device so as to store data transmitted from the host to a logical tape volume. The virtual tape apparatus includes: a data communication unit that receives data transmitted from the host; a RAID device having a logical tape volume for storing the data; a management table that manages attribute information of data stored in the physical tape volume; a position determination section that determines the write starting position of the data stored in the logical tape volume on the physical tape volume based on the management table; and a drive control unit that writes data in the logical tape volume to the physical tape volume based on a result of the determination. | 12-02-2010 |
20110004727 | TAPE STORAGE EMULATION FOR OPEN SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENTS - A method according to one embodiment is performed in an environment wherein a plurality of backup hosts are connected to a plurality of virtual tape library servers (VTL servers) which in turn are connected to each of a plurality of disk library units (DLUs), each VTL server being adapted to receive tape storage commands, and in response to receiving a tape storage command, the respective VTL server accepts the tape storage command and responding as if the VTL server were the respective target tape storage device, and wherein data simultaneously streaming from the plurality of backup hosts is received by multiple of the VTL servers, where the multiple VTL servers receiving the simultaneously streamed data write to the same DLU. | 01-06-2011 |
20110010495 | AUTONOMIC RECLAMATION PROCESSING ON SEQUENTIAL STORAGE MEDIA - Various embodiments for autonomic reclamation of data stored on at least one sequential storage media are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, active data stored on the at least one sequential storage media is identified. The active data is read out from a reclamation memory. The active data is stored in a sequential order by starting at a beginning block address of the at least one sequential storage media. | 01-13-2011 |
20110022792 | SOLID STATE MEMORY DRIVE AND METHOD - A solid state memory drive includes a first interface for receiving solid state memory cartridges; and a second interface for communicatively coupling the solid state memory drive unit with a host system through a drive bay configured to house a cassette tape drive. A host system then includes at least one drive bay configured to receive either the solid state memory drive or a tape cassette drive. A method includes removing a magnetic tape cassette drive from the drive bay; and inserting a solid state memory cartridge drive into the drive bay so as to communicatively interface the solid state memory cartridge drive and the host system. | 01-27-2011 |
20110066799 | Enhanced virtual storage replication - Systems and methods of enhanced virtual storage replication are disclosed. An exemplary method comprises moving a virtual tape from a local virtual library to a remote virtual library. The method also comprises ejecting the virtual tape moved to the remote virtual library. The method also comprises recycling the ejected virtual tape at the local virtual library based on a remote retention policy. | 03-17-2011 |
20110082972 | BACKING UP FILESYSTEMS TO A STORAGE DEVICE - One embodiment is a method that backups up filesystems to a storage device. Filesystems having a longer previous backup time are backed up before filesystems having a shorter previous backup time. | 04-07-2011 |
20110099328 | EFFICIENTLY RESTORING DATA FROM A SEQUENTIAL-ACCESS BACKUP ARCHIVE - A method for efficiently restoring data from a sequential-access backup archive includes receiving a candidate list identifying data sets that are potentially contained within a sequential-access backup archive. The method further receives a filter list identifying data sets that are desired to be restored from the backup archive. Using the candidate list and filter list, the method generates a search list identifying data sets that are to be ignored when searching the backup archive. The method then sequentially performs multiple searches of the backup archive such that the multiple searches collectively perform a single pass through the backup archive. When performing these searches, each search begins from the last accessed portion of the backup archive and stops upon encountering a data set not explicitly ignored by the search list. A corresponding system, apparatus, and computer program product are also disclosed herein. | 04-28-2011 |
20110107023 | Automatically Linking Partitions on a Tape Media Device - A system and method for automatically linking partitions on storage media for use within a storage management system is provided to minimize wasted space on the storage media, the time and expense traditionally spent reclaiming partitions containing invalid data, and the computer processing capability required to write data to and read data from the storage media. The storage management system includes a partitioned storage tape, a host application running on a server, and an archive device. The host application is operative to track location information for each host file or data object written to the storage tape. Using the location information, the host application is able to identify one or more “free” or writable partitions that are created on the storage tape as host files expire. Moreover, when writing host files to the storage tape, the archive device is operative to automatically link the writable partitions to form logical volumes such that when reading host files from the storage tape, the archive device can automatically navigate through the logical volumes. | 05-05-2011 |
20110107024 | EXTENDED LOGICAL WORM DATA INTEGRITY PROTECTION - A data storage system stores logical data object(s), each identified by a logical identifier. A control is configured to assign a unique WORM (Write Once Read Many) identifier to the logical data object, and stores the unique WORM identifier as associated with the logical identifier, in a database maintained by the control so as to be persistent. Data storage is configured to write the logical data object with a header with the unique WORM identifier. The control, in order to allow the logical data object to be accessed externally to the control, requires matching the unique WORM identifier in the header of a logical data object to the unique WORM identifier of the persistent database for the logical object. The unique WORM identifier is formed of a checksum hash value related to nonce fields comprising at least the logical identifier of the logical data object, an incrementing token, and a time stamp. | 05-05-2011 |
20110145494 | VIRTUAL TAPE SERVER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING TAPE MOUNTING OF THE SAME - A method of a virtual tape server (VTS) for processing a mount request from a host system, the method comprising the steps of receiving a logical-volume (LVOL) mount request from the host system using a virtual-tape drive (VTD) of the virtual tape server; determining whether the logical volume is present in a virtual storage region (cache) using a controller in the virtual tape server; determining using the controller, if it is determined that the logical volume is not present in the virtual storage region, whether the mount request is a write request; and notifying, if it is determined that the mount request is a write request, the host system of completion of the mounting without reading the requested logical volume from a physical tape library that is externally connected to the virtual tape server into the virtual storage region. | 06-16-2011 |
20110179222 | APPARATUS, METHOD AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DETERMINING THE DATA RECALL ORDER - To provide a technique for optimizing the processing order of recall requests in which the average latency time of a host apparatus is minimized. A storage manager accepts a request of the host apparatus for the recalling data from a tape library, and stores the request in a queue table. In response to storage of the request, the storage manager calculates the latency time for each request in all the conceivable execution orders for all the requests stored in the queue table. The storage manager determines the execution order which minimizes the total calculated latency time for all the requests including the active request, and rearranges the requests in the queue table. | 07-21-2011 |
20110185117 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING A CACHE IN A MULTI-NODE VIRTUAL TAPE CONTROLLER - According to one embodiment, a system includes a virtual tape library having a cache, a virtual tape controller (VTC) coupled to the virtual tape library, and an interface for coupling at least one host to the VTC. The cache is shared by all the hosts, and a common view of a cache state, a virtual library state, and a number of write requests pending is provided to all the hosts by the VTC. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving data from at least one host using a VTC, storing data received from all the hosts to a cache using the VTC, sending an alert to all the hosts when free space is low and entering into a warning state, sending another alert to all the hosts when free space is critically low and entering into a critical state while allowing previously mounted virtual drives to continue normally. | 07-28-2011 |
20110219184 | SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING HIGH AVAILABILITY METADATA ABOUT DATA - In one embodiment, a method includes receiving metadata corresponding to data on a removable storage device/medium, storing the metadata to a metadata repository that is not on the removable storage device/medium, associating an identifier with the stored metadata (the identifier corresponding to the removable storage medium/device), and storing the identifier to the metadata repository. According to another embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith. The computer readable program code comprises computer readable program code configured to: receive metadata corresponding to data on a removable storage device/medium, store the metadata to a metadata repository, associate an identifier corresponding to the removable storage device/medium with the stored metadata, and store the identifier to the metadata repository. Other methods, systems, and devices are presented as well. | 09-08-2011 |
20110219185 | OPTIMIZING EXECUTION OF I/O REQUESTS FOR A DISK DRIVE IN A COMPUTING SYSTEM - An I/O Optimizer receives an I/O request specifying a plurality of disk blocks of the disk drive for access. A plurality of I/O sub-requests is determined from the I/O request, each I/O sub-request specifying a set of one or more adjacent disk blocks of the plurality of disk blocks along the same cylinder. A plurality of execution sequences for performing the plurality of I/O sub-requests is determined. For each of the plurality of execution sequences, a total estimated execution time for performing the I/O sub-requests according to the execution sequence is calculated. One of the plurality of execution sequences for performing the I/O sub-requests is selected based, at least in part, on the total estimated execution times for the plurality of execution sequences. A disk drive controller is instructed to perform the I/O sub-requests according to the selected execution sequence. | 09-08-2011 |
20110225356 | Method for Determining Allocation of Tape Drive Resources for a Secure Data Erase Process - A method and computer program product are provided to ensure a timely secure data erase by determining whether allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance by evaluating a quantity of physical volumes to be secure data erased, a maximum queued threshold, an average time to an erasure deadline and a minimum expiration threshold. An additional tape drive is allocated for the secure data erase process when it is determined that allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance. | 09-15-2011 |
20110225357 | System for Determining Allocation of Tape Drive Resources for a Secure Data Erase Process - A system is provided to ensure a timely secure data erase by determining whether allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance by evaluating a quantity of physical volumes to be secure data erased, a maximum queued threshold, an average time to an erasure deadline and a minimum expiration threshold. An additional tape drive is allocated for the secure data erase process when it is determined that allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance. | 09-15-2011 |
20110238905 | PRIMARY STORAGE MEDIA WITH ASSOCIATED SECONDARY STORAGE MEDIA FOR EFFICIENT DATA MANAGEMENT - A system according to one embodiment includes a tape cartridge, the tape cartridge comprising: a housing; a magnetic recording tape in the housing; and a non-tape nonvolatile memory coupled to the housing, the nonvolatile memory being for storing therein an index comprising file system information for a plurality of files stored on the magnetic recording tape. A method for storing data on a tape cartridge according to one embodiment includes writing a plurality of files to a magnetic recording tape of a tape cartridge; and writing an index to a non-tape nonvolatile memory of the tape cartridge, the index including information about locations of data of the plurality of files on the magnetic recording tape. | 09-29-2011 |
20110238906 | FILE INDEX, METADATA STORAGE, AND FILE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT FOR MAGNETIC TAPE - In one embodiment, a method includes loading a tape cartridge into at least one tape drive installed in an automated tape library, where a tape of the tape cartridge has at least two partitions; writing plurality of data blocks on a first of the partitions; and writing an index on a second of the partitions, wherein the index includes information about at least one of files and the blocks on the first partition | 09-29-2011 |
20110276753 | LOCATING LOGICAL VOLUME RECORDS ON A PHYSICAL STACKED VOLUME - According to one embodiment, a method for accessing host data records stored on a VTS system includes receiving a mount request to access at least one host data record on a VTS system, determining a number of host compressed data records per physical block on a sequential access storage medium, determining a PBID that corresponds to the requested at least one host data record, accessing a physical block on the sequential access storage medium corresponding to the PBID, and outputting the physical block without outputting an entire logical volume that the physical block is stored to. In another embodiment, a VTS system includes random access storage, sequential access storage, support for at least one virtual volume, a storage manager having logic for determining a PBID that corresponds to a SLBID, and logic for performing the above described method. Other methods, systems, and computer program products are also described. | 11-10-2011 |
20110276754 | PARTIAL VOLUME ACCESS IN A PHYSICAL STACKED VOLUME - In one embodiment, a VTS system includes a tape volume cache, a storage drive for interacting with sequential access storage media; logic for receiving a mount request to access host data record(s) stored on a storage medium, the mount request including a virtual volume identifier of a logical volume and a logical block identifier of the first requested host data record therein; logic for issuing a locate command to position the sequential access storage medium to about a physical block in the logical volume having at least a portion of the requested host data record(s) therein based on the virtual volume identifier and the logical block identifier; logic for creating and supporting a partial virtual volume in the tape volume cache; and logic for copying at least the physical block to the partial virtual volume. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are also described, according to other embodiments. | 11-10-2011 |
20110276755 | METHOD FOR ANALYZING PERFORMANCE INFORMATION - A performance information display method using a computer, includes the steps, in the computer, of reading out information data of a storage device previously stored in a storage device and information data of a plurality of devices utilizing the storage device, displaying an identifier of the storage device and identifiers of a plurality of devices utilizing the storage device on a screen on the basis of the information data read out, accepting a command to select the displayed identifier of the storage device, and displaying performance information data of the devices utilizing the selected storage device in association on the basis of the accepted command and the information data read out. | 11-10-2011 |
20120011311 | STORAGE SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING ASSIGNMENT OF STORAGE AREA TO VIRTUAL VOLUME STORING SPECIFIC PATTERN DATA - A storage system comprises a storage medium including a plurality of physical storage areas. The storage system controls a host computer to recognize a logical volume having a plurality of virtual storage areas, reads the data from the physical storage area assigned to the virtual storage area of the logical volume, determines whether or not the read data includes only the specific pattern data, and cancels the assignment of the physical storage area to the virtual storage area if the read data includes only the specific pattern data. | 01-12-2012 |
20120036318 | EFFICIENT REWRITE TECHNIQUE FOR TAPE DRIVES - A method for efficiently rewriting data to tape is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, such a method includes writing a data set to tape, the data set comprising S sub data sets of fixed size, each sub data set comprising N code word interleaves (CWIs). The method further includes reading the data set while writing it to the tape to identify faulty CWIs. While reading the data set, the method buffers the faulty CWIs (such as by storing, identifying, and/or marking the faulty CWIs) for later retrieval. When the end of the data set is reached, the method writes corrected versions of the faulty CWIs to the end of the data set. A corresponding apparatus is also disclosed and claimed herein. | 02-09-2012 |
20120036319 | COMMONALITY FACTORING FOR REMOVABLE MEDIA - Systems and methods for commonality factoring for storing data on removable storage media are described. The systems and methods allow for highly compressed data, e.g., data compressed using archiving or backup methods including de-duplication, to be stored in an efficient manner on portable memory devices such as removable storage cartridges. The methods include breaking data, e.g., data files for backup, into unique chunks and calculating identifiers, e.g., hash identifiers, based on the unique chunks. Redundant chunks can be identified by calculating identifiers and comparing identifiers of other chunks to the identifiers of unique chunks previously calculated. When a redundant chunk is identified, a reference to the existing unique chunk is generated such that the chunk can be reconstituted in relation to other chunks in order to recreate the original data. The method further includes storing one or more of the unique chunks, the identifiers and/or the references on the removable storage medium. | 02-09-2012 |
20120047324 | SEQUENTIAL ACCESS STORAGE AND DATA DE-DUPLICATION - An example method includes determining a configuration of two or more partitions for a sequential access medium. At least one partition stores data de-duplication data structures while at least one other partition stores a repository of unique data blocks associated with the data structures. The method also includes controlling a data de-duplication computer to configure the sequential access medium according to the configuration. The method includes producing an output sequence for writing the data structures and a set of unique data blocks associated with the set of data structures to the sequential access medium as configured with the two or more partitions. One embodiment includes controlling a data de-duplication computer to write the data de-duplication data structures and the set of unique data blocks to the sequential access medium according to the output sequence. | 02-23-2012 |
20120059985 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ALLOCATING CONTROL OF STORAGE MEDIA IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT - A method for dynamically allocating control of a storage device, the method comprising receiving an access request from a first computer requesting access to a storage device; directing, based upon the access request, a first storage controller computer to assume an inactive state with respect to control of the storage device; and directing, based upon the access request, a second storage controller computer to assume an active state with respect to control of the storage device. | 03-08-2012 |
20120079184 | METHODS FOR MANAGING OWNERSHIP OF REDUNDANT DATA AND SYSTEMS THEREOF - A storage system according to one embodiment includes a first storage tier; a second storage tier; logic for storing instances of a file in the first storage tier and the second storage tier; logic for receiving a request to access the file or instance thereof from a user in a group of users; logic for providing the user requesting access to the file with remote access to an instance of the file on the first storage tier that is not being used by any other user in the group of users; logic for setting an ownership status of the instance of the file on the first storage tier to owned by the user requesting access to the file; and logic for setting an ownership status of an unused instance of the file on the second storage tier from owned by the user requesting access to the file to unowned or owned by a second user which previously owned the instance of the file on the first storage tier. Additional systems, methods, and computer program products are also presented. | 03-29-2012 |
20120079185 | TAPE STORAGE SYSTEM INCLUDING MULTIPLE TAPE STORAGE APPARATUSES - A tape storage system according to one embodiment includes two or more tape storage apparatuses each having a buffer divided in fixed-length segments, and being connectable to a host, where a first of the tape storage apparatuses is configured to receive multiple data clusters and a synchronization request from a host, and, when one of the segments of the buffer is accumulated and filled with the data, to write the accumulated data onto a tape. A second of the tape storage apparatuses is connected to the first tape storage apparatus, the second tape storage apparatus being configured to receive the multiple data clusters sent from the host via the first tape storage apparatus, and being configured to write a predetermined number of data clusters accumulated in the segments thereof onto a second tape at a timing corresponding to the synchronization request. | 03-29-2012 |
20120084499 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING A VIRTUAL TAPE LIBRARY DOMAIN - Systems and methods for managing a virtual tape library (VTL) domain capable of being coupled to a host are provided. One system includes a plurality of VTL nodes configured to store multiple scratch erased volumes. Each VTL node comprises a processor configured to perform at least a portion of the below method. One method includes receiving a request from the host to de-mount a volume in one of the plurality of VTL nodes, transferring the volume to a scratch category in response to receiving the request, erasing data in the volume and categorizing the volume as a scratch erased volume, and providing ownership of the scratch erased volume to a VTL node in the plurality of VTL nodes based on pre-determined criteria for the plurality of VTL nodes. Also provided are computer storage mediums including computer code for performing the above method. | 04-05-2012 |
20120084500 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CREATING A SINGLE LIBRARY IMAGE FROM MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT TAPE LIBRARIES - In one embodiment, a system includes a library manager for communicating with a plurality of logical libraries having data organized therein and stored on sequential access media therein, wherein the library manager controls movement operations of a plurality of shuttle cars along one or more shuttle pathways, wherein each of the shuttle cars are for transporting a sequential access medium between any of the plurality of logical libraries, wherein each of the logical libraries comprises at least one local station for sending and/or receiving shuttle cars to and/or from the plurality of logical libraries, wherein the one or more shuttle pathways connect the stations in a multi-drop arrangement, wherein each destination station is represented by a unique export-only address, and wherein all source stations are represented by a common import-only address. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are also described according to various embodiments. | 04-05-2012 |
20120102267 | IMPLEMENTING ENHANCED DATA STORAGE ON REMOVABLE MEDIA TO OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE AND RELIBILITY - A method, system, and computer program product are provided for implementing enhanced data storage in a removable media library to optimize performance and reliability. When two volumes are initially formatted, user specified affinity information is used to identify an affinity between a first volume and a second volume for storing data. A user specified affinity type value is defined by the user specified affinity information. The first volume to be formatted is selected from a first removable media library (RML) and formatted. The second volume to be formatted is selected based upon an identified user specified affinity type value. | 04-26-2012 |
20120110257 | VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SELECTING PHYSICAL TAPE - A virtual tape device being located between a host and a tape library and storing data as a virtual logical volume in a storage, has a calculator that calculates a time period in which a robot moves, from a cell to a drive device, the physical tape in accordance with an instruction when the instruction is issued to recall the target logical volume redundantly stored on the physical tapes stored in two or more cells included in different tape libraries or in the same tape library and to store the target logical volume, a calculator that calculates a time period for tape positioning, and a unit that calculates a time period on the basis of the time period in which the robot moves from the cell to the drive device and the time period for the tape positioning, and that selects a physical tape corresponding to the shortest time period. | 05-03-2012 |
20120144107 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONCURRENTLY ACCESSING A VIRTUAL TAPE LIBRARY BY MULTIPLE COMPUTING DEVICES - Virtual tape libraries (VTLs) and methods for concurrently accessing a VTL are provided. One VTL includes memory partitioned into multiple volumes, multiple virtual drives, and a processor. The processor is configured to enable multiple applications to concurrently access a virtual storage volume in a first or second access mode. One method includes receiving a first request for a first application to access a virtual storage volume to write data to or read data from the virtual storage volume and granting the first request. The method further includes receiving a second request for a second application to concurrently access the virtual storage volume to write data to or read data from the virtual storage volume, determining if the first and second requests are compatible, and accepting or denying the second request based on the determination. Also provided are physical computer storage mediums including computer code for performing the above method. | 06-07-2012 |
20120159063 | SELECTING AN INPUT/OUTPUT TAPE VOLUME CACHE - For selecting an input/output tape volume cache (TVC), a history module maintains access history instances for a plurality of clusters, each cluster comprising a TVC. A request module receives an access request for a logical volume wherein an instance of the logical volume is stored on each of the plurality of clusters and each instance of the logical volume is synchronized with each other instance of the logical volume. An adjustment module weights the access history instances in favor of recent access history instances. A calculation module calculates an affinity of the logical volume instance stored on each cluster of the plurality of clusters. A selection module selects a cluster TVC with a highest logical volume affinity as the TVC for the logical volume. | 06-21-2012 |
20120179867 | TAPE DATA MANAGEMENT - Systems and methods for managing data with respect to tape storage are provided. The system includes a data manager for receiving metadata related to content and for generating a proxy file system which mirrors the data structure of the content data. The system further includes a server coupled to a tape device, the server receiving the content data directly from a data source and providing the content data the tape device for storage on a formatted tape media. | 07-12-2012 |
20120179868 | AUTONOMIC RECLAMATION PROCESSING FOR TAPES - Various embodiments for autonomic reclamation processing for tapes are provided. Instructions are received to perform reclamation processing on the formatted tape. Formatted tape is loaded into a tape drive for buffering active data during reclamation processing and consolidating all of the active data in capacity optimized manner on the same formatted tape. The formatted tape comprises metadata denoting active and inactive data blocks for files. The meta data of the formatted tape is read into a reclamation memory. The table is sorted and a starting block address is sorted. All active files ordered in the table starting at the starting block address are read into the reclamation memory. The files are written from the reclamation memory to the formatted tape from the starting block address and updating the table with new block addresses of the files. The meta data is updated with the updated table. | 07-12-2012 |
20120198146 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STORING DATA WITH HOST CONFIGURATION OF STORAGE MEDIA - Systems and methods for storing and retrieving data on a magnetic tape accessed by a tape drive having an associated tape drive processor in communication with a host computer having an associated host processor include writing data to at least one partition within a logical volume having an associated number of sections designated by the host computer from a predetermined number of sections associated with the magnetic tape, wherein each partition extends across one section. | 08-02-2012 |
20120210057 | RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR DATA STORAGE SERVICES - Provided are a method, system, and an article of manufacture, wherein resources corresponding to at least one copy pool are acquired, and wherein the at least one copy pool has been defined for a first primary storage pool of a storage hierarchy. The acquired resources are retained, in response to determining that data cannot be written to the first primary storage pool. The data is written to the at least one copy pool, in response to writing the data to a second primary storage pool of the storage hierarchy. | 08-16-2012 |
20120221786 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR READING DATA FROM A TAPE - An apparatus and method for writing data to be played back onto a tape is provided. Included is an acquisition unit for acquiring data to be written onto the tape, a writing unit for writing the data to the tape, and a determination unit for determining a data amount of a leading part of the data to be stored in a place separate from a place where the data is stored so that a part following the leading part is made ready to be played back before playback of the leading part ends, to reduce the time taken to read the data from the tape. Also included is an extraction unit for extracting the data and a storage unit for storing the leading part of the data. | 08-30-2012 |
20120239876 | MAPPING LOCATIONS OF LOGICAL VOLUME RECORDS ON A PHYSICAL STACKED VOLUME - In one embodiment, a method for accessing host data records stored in a VTS system includes receiving a mount request to access at least one host data record, determining a SLBID corresponding to the requested host data records, determining a PBID that corresponds to the SLBID, accessing a physical block on a sequential access storage medium corresponding to the PBID, and outputting at least the physical block corresponding to the PBID without outputting an entire logical volume that the physical block is stored to. According to another embodiment, a VTS system includes random access storage, sequential access storage, support for at least one virtual volume, a storage manager having logic for determining a PBID that corresponds to a SLBID, and logic for copying a portion of a logical volume from the sequential access storage to the random access storage without copying the entire logical volume. Other embodiments are disclosed also. | 09-20-2012 |
20120239877 | LOCATING HOST DATA RECORDS ON A PHYSICAL STACKED VOLUME - According to one embodiment, a method for accessing host data records stored on a VTS system includes receiving a mount request to access at least one host data record on a VTS system, determining a number of host compressed data records per physical block on a sequential access storage medium, determining a PBID that corresponds to the requested at least one host data record, accessing a physical block on the sequential access storage medium corresponding to the PBID, and outputting the physical block without outputting an entire logical volume that the physical block is stored to. In another embodiment, a VTS system includes random access storage, sequential access storage, support for at least one virtual volume, a storage manager having logic for determining a PBID that corresponds to a SLBID, and logic for performing the above described method. Other methods are also described. | 09-20-2012 |
20120271993 | VIRTUAL TAPE SYSTEMS USING PHYSICAL TAPE CACHING - According to one embodiment, a system includes a virtual tape server coupled to at least one tape library, a library manager in communication with the at least one tape library and the virtual tape server, a memory adapted for acting as logical tape storage and a physical tape drive for processing physical tape media adapted for buffering deduplication operations, logic adapted for receiving a data stream from a host system, logic adapted for sending data from the data stream when the data stream is active to at least one of the memory and the tape drive based on whether at least one of a plurality of conditions is met, and logic adapted for sending previously stored data stream data from the tape drive to the memory when the data stream is inactive during a deduplication operation. Other systems and methods are also described according to more embodiments. | 10-25-2012 |
20120284456 | METHOD FOR APPENDING DATA TO TAPE MEDIUM, AND APPARATUS EMPLOYING THE SAME - An information recording apparatus and method. The method includes sequentially writing datasets to a recording medium so that each of the datasets can be identified from a certain number indicating an order that the dataset was written, and from the number of writing operations (WP) carried out for the dataset of the certain number to identify a newest dataset among datasets having the same certain number; appending a new dataset onto the old dataset; and controlling execution, in the case where an error occurs at the time of the appending, of the appending step on the old dataset, in a position shifted forward on the recording medium such that the new dataset overwrites a part of the old dataset. | 11-08-2012 |
20120290784 | TAPE DRIVE, TAPE DRIVE RECORDING SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR SELECTING IMPROVED TAPE SPEED IN RESPONSE TO INTERMITTENT READ REQUESTS - A tape drive, tape drive recording system, and method are provided for improving tape speed selection during data transfer. The tape drive includes a buffer, a tape for recording the data to be temporarily stored in the buffer, and a read head. The tape drive further includes a reading controller that initially sets a tape speed such that a drive transfer rate matches a host transfer rate as closely as possible and that drives the tape at the tape speed. To address backhitching caused by one or more host transfer halts, the reading controller subsequently adjusts the tape speed such that the drive transfer rate is lower than the host transfer rate by recalculating the host transfer rate in consideration of the host transfer and the host transfer halt and setting the tape speed such that the drive transfer rate matches the recalculated host transfer rate as closely as possible. | 11-15-2012 |
20130007359 | ACCESS COMMANDS INCLUDING EXPECTED MEDIA POSITIONS - Techniques to send and receive access commands are provided. The access commands may include an expected media position. The expected media position may be compared to an actual media position. | 01-03-2013 |
20130054887 | DYNAMIC RECORD MANAGEMENT FOR SYSTEMS UTILIZING VIRTUAL STORAGE ACCESS METHOD (VSAM) - When using virtually stored data sets, such as virtual storage access method (VSAM) data sets, while the data set is open (referred to as an open time) static data set characteristics and/or job parameters have been defined for the VSAM data set. In one approach, even after a data set is opened, a virtually stored control block structure for the data set may be modified, such as by providing a dynamic address space associated with the data set in order to interact with the data set in an environment which allows for a service block request to modify the control block structure, such that data set characteristics and/or job parameters for the data set may be modified during the open time of the data set. | 02-28-2013 |
20130067158 | Tape Storage Device and Writing Method Therefor - A mechanism is provided for tape writing of small transactions. A first file is written as a plurality of fixed-length data sets (DS), the DS number of the final DS in the plurality of DS is stored in memory as #N(DS#N) and the WP number as #M(WP#M), and the final first file and the second file in the DS following the final DS(DS#N, WP#M) containing the first file are packed and written in sequential DS units, and are stored as DS#N, DS#N+ | 03-14-2013 |
20130111124 | DIGITAL DEVICE CONFIGURATION AND METHOD | 05-02-2013 |
20130132663 | READING FILES STORED ON A STORAGE SYSTEM - A system and method for reading files stored on a storage system is disclosed. The method includes communicatively coupling one or more remote systems for reading files stored in storage with a first set of files according to a predetermined data format and in a cache memory with a second set of files, the second set of files being a subset of the first set of files. Next one or more remote systems are received at least one read request for reading a sequence of files. A determination is made, among the files of the sequence of files, whether one or more cached files are already stored in the cache memory and whether one or more remaining files are not already stored in the cache memory. Creating, within the one or more remaining files, an order according to which the remaining files should be read on the storage system. | 05-23-2013 |
20130185500 | AUTONOMIC RECLAMATION PROCESSING FOR TAPES - Various embodiments for autonomic reclamation processing for tapes are provided. Instructions are received to perform reclamation processing on the formatted tape. Formatted tape is loaded into a tape drive for buffering active data during reclamation processing and consolidating all of the active data in capacity optimized manner on the same formatted tape. The formatted tape comprises metadata denoting active and inactive data blocks for files. The meta data of the formatted tape is read into a reclamation memory. The table is sorted and a starting block address is sorted. All active files ordered in the table starting at the starting block address are read into the reclamation memory. The files are written from the reclamation memory to the formatted tape from the starting block address and updating the table with new block addresses of the files. The meta data is updated with the updated table. | 07-18-2013 |
20130205081 | VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE AND TAPE MOUNT CONTROL METHOD - A virtual tape device includes a storage unit, an instruction unit, and a reading unit. The storage unit stores a plurality of logical volumes. The instruction unit receives a request for mounting a specified logical volume from an information processing apparatus. The instruction unit issues a mount instruction to both a physical tape device communicated to the virtual tape device and a virtual device communicated to the virtual tape device when the specified logical volume is not stored in the storage unit. The mount instruction instructs to mount the specified logical volume. The reading unit reads data of the specified logical volume to the storage unit from a device which outputs a mount completion notification first among both of the devices which have received the mount instruction. | 08-08-2013 |
20130205082 | VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD OF VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE - A virtual tape device includes a storage unit, a cache determining unit, a selector, and a cache controller. The storage unit records logical volume information associated with an identifier of a logical volume, an updated time of the logical volume, information indicating whether the logical volume is allocated to a cache, an identifier of a physical volume storing data of the logical volume, and information indicating whether the physical volume are mounted in a physical tape drive. The cache determining unit determines, based on the logical volume information, whether the logical volume exists on the cache, when a request to store the logical volume on the cache is received and the cache does not have an available capacity. The selector selects the logical volume based on the determined result as an off-cache target logical volume. The selected logical volume is off-cached by the cache controller. | 08-08-2013 |
20130205083 | VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD OF VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE - A virtual tape device includes a memory to record logical volume information that includes an identifier of a logical volume, an identifier of a physical volume that stores data of the logical volume, and information that indicates whether the data of the logical volume is cached in a cache unit, in association with each other. A determining unit that, when a copy command to copy data of the logical volume stored in a first physical volume to a second physical volume is received, determines whether a logical volume cached in the cache unit exists among the logical volumes, and a storage control unit that, when it is determined that the logical volume cached in the cache unit exists among the logical volumes, stores the data of the logical volume cached in the cache unit to the second physical volume without reference to an order indicated in the copy command. | 08-08-2013 |
20130232299 | CHANGING OWNERSHIP OF CARTRIDGES - Exemplary method, system, and computer program product embodiments for changing ownership of cartridges, such as virtual cartridges between remotely located virtual tape libraries, are provided. In one embodiment, by way of example only, processes and protocols for the changing ownership of the cartridges are controlled from a primary location to a secondary location. The production site is moved for the cartridges. The ownership of the cartridges is waived. Access is allowed to the cartridges. Additional data is written and replicated using resources of the cartridges. | 09-05-2013 |
20130246700 | DEVICE TYPE OVERRIDE - A backup system override may be specified to allow a backup system to access a backup created on an old storage device. For example, an archival backup may be accessed long after the storage device that created the backup has been decommissioned. The file history information in the backup may specify a storage device no longer accessible by the backup system. An override in the backup system allows the backup system to access the backup with the file history information through a different storage device than the storage device that created the backup. The different storage device may have a different name and/or be of a different type than the original storage device that created the backup. The override may also allow access to command scripts and links in the backup. | 09-19-2013 |
20130246701 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR WRITING MULTIPLE FILES SIMULTANEOUSLY TO A TAPE MEDIA - In one embodiment, a method includes storing data received from at least two data sources in a buffer, writing the data from the at least two data sources to regions in a first wrap of a tape on a data-source basis in a first predetermined order, the regions in the first wrap being previously allocated to the at least two data sources, moving a head to a second wrap of the tape when an end of the first wrap of the tape is reached, and writing the data from the at least two data sources to regions in the second wrap in a second predetermined order, the second predetermined order being a reverse order relative to the first predetermined order, the regions in the second wrap being previously allocated to the at least two data sources. The first and second wraps have first and second predetermined lengths, respectively. | 09-19-2013 |
20130275666 | WRITE PROCEDURE USING ESTIMATED BEST SETTING IN FIRST RUN - In one general embodiment, a tape drive system includes: a read channel; a write channel; logic configured to receiving a request for a write operation to be performed in a tape drive; logic configured to determine an optimum a write procedure in response to receiving the request, the determining being based on expected writing times of each of a plurality of write procedures and an expected transaction size of a next write operation; and logic configured to invoke the determined optimum write procedure in response to determining the optimum write procedure. | 10-17-2013 |
20130275667 | WRITE PROCEDURE USING ESTIMATED BEST SETTING IN FIRST RUN - In one general embodiment, a method includes receiving a request for a write operation to be performed in a tape drive, determining an expected transaction size of a next write operation, comparing the expected transaction size of the next write operation to each of a first transaction size threshold and a second transaction size threshold in response to receiving the request, determining an optimum a write procedure based at least in part on the comparison, and invoking the optimum write procedure in response to determining the optimum write procedure, wherein the first transaction size threshold is greater than the second transaction size threshold, and wherein the optimum write procedure is selected from the group consisting of: a backhitch write procedure, a same wrap backhitchless flush (SWBF) write procedure, and a recursively accumulating backhitchless flush (RABF) write procedure. | 10-17-2013 |
20130282975 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BACKING UP STORAGE VOLUMES IN A STORAGE SYSTEM - Systems and methods for backing up storage volumes are provided. One system includes a primary side, a secondary side, and a network coupling the primary and secondary sides. The secondary side includes first and second VTS including a cache and storage tape. The first VTS is configured to store a first portion of a group of storage volumes in its cache and migrate the remaining portion to its storage tape. The second VTS is configured to store the remaining portion of the storage volumes in its cache and migrate the first portion to its storage tape. One method includes receiving multiple storage volumes from a primary side, storing the storage volumes in the cache of the first and second VTS, migrating a portion of the storage volumes from the cache to storage tape in the first VTS, and migrating a remaining portion of the storage volumes from the cache to storage tape in the second VTS. | 10-24-2013 |
20130326134 | RETRIEVING A USER DATA SET FROM MULTIPLE MEMORIES - An apparatus and associated methodology for a data storage system having a data storage space operably transferring user data via input/output (I/O) commands between the data storage system and another device. The data storage space includes a first memory device operably storing location information for a selected user data set corresponding to one of the I/O commands. The first memory also operably stores a first amount of the selected user data set. The data storage space also includes a second memory device different than the first memory device and operably storing a different second amount of the selected user data set. The data storage system has a controller that interleaves an entirety of the selected user data set from the first and second memory devices during execution of another of the I/O commands. | 12-05-2013 |
20130326135 | SEAMLESSLY STITCHING A USER DATA SET FROM MULTIPLE MEMORIES - An apparatus and associated methodology providing a data storage system including a memory having a first addressable storage space and a second differently addressable storage space. A controller selectively accesses stored instructions that when executed store a first amount of a user data set to the first addressable storage space and store a different second amount of the user data set to the second addressable storage space. The controller subsequently calculates an address increment between the stored first and second amounts, and then shifts one of the stored first and second amounts by the address increment. | 12-05-2013 |
20130326136 | POPULATING A SPARSELY ALLOCATED MEMORY IN A STORAGE ARRAY - Apparatus and associated methodology contemplating a data storage system having a memory that includes a first addressable storage space and a second differently addressable storage space. A controller selectively accesses stored instructions that when executed transfer some user data sets with the first addressable storage space in accordance with a dense allocation of the first addressable storage space, and transfer other user data sets with the second addressable storage space in accordance with a sparse allocation of the second addressable storage space that allocates a predefined reserved storage capacity between adjacent stored non-sequential user data sets. | 12-05-2013 |
20130339598 | Intelligent Active Vault Operation - Example apparatus, methods, and other embodiments concern a tape library controller (TLC) configured to examine import and export commands to provide more intelligent active vault support. One example method may include receiving a command in a TLC associated with a tape library that is configured with an active archive and an active vault. The example method may include determining that the command can be satisfied by one of, an operation involving the active vault, and an operation involving an external vault. The example method may then control the TLC to provide a request that seeks the vault destination to be used to satisfy the command. The example method may also include receiving an identifier of the vault destination in the TLC and controlling the tape library to move a tape to or from the active vault or the external vault based on the vault destination identifier. | 12-19-2013 |
20140025885 | MONITORING OF EXTENT OF WRITING OF UNOBSCURED DATA TO IMPROVE ERASE PERFORMANCE ON A MAGNETIC MEDIUM - A system according to one embodiment includes a processor; logic in the processor and/or a memory configured to determine a furthest physical position on a magnetic medium that unobscured data has been written to; and logic configured to store an indicator of the furthest physical position on at least one of the magnetic medium and a memory coupled thereto. A system according to another embodiment includes a processor; logic in the processor and/or a memory configured to receive an instruction to obscure data on a magnetic medium; logic configured to read an indicator of a furthest physical position on the magnetic medium that unobscured data has been written to; and logic configured to cause obscuring of the unobscured data on the magnetic medium, and terminating the obscuring upon reaching the physical position in the indicator. | 01-23-2014 |
20140052907 | DATA DEDUPLICATION IN A REMOVABLE STORAGE DEVICE - An apparatus and associated methodology contemplate a data storage system having a removable storage device operably transferring data between the data storage system and another device via execution of a plurality of input/output (I/O) commands. A commonality factoring (CF) module executing computer instructions stored in memory assigns a CF tag to a data pattern in the transferred data. A deduplication module executing computer instructions stored in memory determines if the data pattern corresponding to the CF tag is previously stored in the removable storage device. | 02-20-2014 |
20140082274 | IMPLEMENTING DRIVE LIST MODE FOR READS AND WRITES FOR HARD DISK DRIVES - A method, apparatus and a data storage device are provided for implementing drive list mode for read and write transfers on a recordable surface of a storage device. Drive List mode provides a queue in a linked list to chain together multiple independent transfers on a single track. The multiple drive independent transfers include at least one of sequential transfers, near-sequential transfers, and random transfers on the single track. A drive list mode transfer of multiple independent transfers on the single track is enabled in one disk revolution, and requiring a single hardware setup for the drive list mode transfer. | 03-20-2014 |
20140108720 | HIGH RESOLUTION TAPE DIRECTORY (HRTD) STORED AT END OF DATA IN AN INDEX PARTITION - In one embodiment, a tape drive system includes a file system adapted for enabling sequential access to data on a tape medium, a file access controller adapted for managing the data, the file access controller including logic adapted for writing a file on the tape medium, logic adapted for writing a pointer of the written file in an index of the tape medium, wherein the pointer is managed by the file access controller, logic adapted for creating a high resolution tape directory (HRTD) including detailed location information of data on the tape medium, and logic adapted for storing the HRTD as part of end of data (EOD) of the index when a tape cartridge housing the tape medium is unloaded. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described according to more embodiments. | 04-17-2014 |
20140136775 | CREATING A SINGLE LIBRARY IMAGE FROM MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT TAPE LIBRARIES - A system according to one embodiment includes a plurality of logical libraries configured to store sequential access media therein, a plurality of shuttle cars, and one or more shuttle pathways for the shuttle cars. The shuttle cars are for transporting a sequential access medium between the plurality of logical libraries. Each of the logical libraries comprises at least one local station for sending and/or receiving shuttle cars to and/or from the plurality of logical libraries. The one or more shuttle pathways connect the stations in a multi-drop arrangement. | 05-15-2014 |
20140164693 | METHOD OF WRITING A FILE TO A PLURALITY OF MEDIA AND A STORAGE SYSTEM THEREOF - According to one embodiment, a method for writing a file to a plurality of media includes loading a parent medium into a first drive to retrieve ID information about the parent medium from metadata, writing a first file part to the parent medium and, at about a same time, saving a file name, attribute information, and attribute information about the first file part to the parent medium as metadata, loading a child medium into a second drive in order to write subsequent file parts and retrieving ID information about the child medium from metadata, writing the subsequent file parts to the child medium and, at about a same time, saving the ID information and attribute information about the subsequent file parts to the parent medium, and additionally saving the ID information about the child medium and the attribute information about the subsequent file parts as metadata in the child medium. | 06-12-2014 |
20140181395 | VIRTUAL TAPE LIBRARY SYSTEM - A virtual tape library system is used to back up data from a client archive system expecting physical tape operations onto logical data containers and/or a metadata store of a storage service by emulating the physical tape operations. For example, a virtual tape library appliance is installed at a customer premise location to interface with a client archive system. The virtual tape library appliance provides virtual interfaces to appear as physical tape library subsystems, such as tape drives and media changing interfaces. However, these virtual interfaces are supported by logical data containers in a storage service and a metadata store. The virtual tape library system allows the client archive system to make requests to import new virtual tapes, export virtual tapes for archiving, store virtual tapes at a virtual location, load and eject virtual tapes into a virtual tape drive and operate on virtual tapes in a virtual tape drive. | 06-26-2014 |
20140181396 | VIRTUAL TAPE USING A LOGICAL DATA CONTAINER - A virtual tape is constructed using a logical data container to aid in emulating a virtual tape by providing tape functionality, reducing seek time and improving recovery time in case of a failure. For example, the logical data container may comprise a global header followed by one or more data block groups. The global header may provide metadata to track record locations, file mark locations, virtual tape data in memory, data validation information and a virtual tape head location. This metadata in the global tape header may help reduce seek time, improve recovery time using last known data in memory, erase a virtual tape and provide tape head position. Data block groups may include information that validates data, provides error correction, provides record and file marks and provides storage of client data. | 06-26-2014 |
20140189232 | VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE AND VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE CONTROL METHOD - A virtual tape device includes a determination unit and a copy creation unit. The determination unit determines, when deleting some logical volume data among a plurality of logical volume data stored on a first physical tape, whether to conduct copy processing to store a copy of the logical volume data onto a second physical tape on the basis of a storage location of the logical volume data. The copy creation unit stores, when it is determined to conduct the copy processing, a copy of the logical volume data on the second physical tape so as to cause spacing between a storage location of the logical volume data on the second physical tape and a head location on the second physical tape to become shorter than spacing between a storage location of the logical volume data on the first physical tape and a head location on the first physical tape. | 07-03-2014 |
20140215145 | TAPE DRIVE CACHE MEMORY - A system including a tape drive having cache memory to detect a smaller partition and a larger partition in a tape and load stored information in the smaller partition into the cache memory to access the cache memory instead of the smaller partition on the tape. | 07-31-2014 |
20140215146 | APPARATUS, METHOD AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DETERMINING THE DATA RECALL ORDER - To provide a technique for optimizing the processing order of recall requests in which the average latency time of a host apparatus is minimized. A storage manager accepts a request of the host apparatus for the recalling data from a tape library, and stores the request in a queue table. In response to storage of the request, the storage manager calculates the latency time for each request in all the conceivable execution orders for all the requests stored in the queue table. The storage manager determines the execution order which minimizes the total calculated latency time for all the requests including the active request, and rearranges the requests in the queue table. | 07-31-2014 |
20140244925 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR TAMPER PROTECTION IN A DATA STORAGE SYSTEM - Systems, methods and computer software utilized in the implementation of tamper protection, where unique information associated with data storage tapes and with particular revisions of these tapes is stored on the storage medium itself and on a memory of the tape cartridge, so that the data can be compared to determine whether unauthorized modifications have been made to the tapes. One embodiment is a system which includes an archive node appliance coupled between a set of hosts and a tape media library. The archive node appliance presents files stored on a tape of a media library as a directory. The archive node appliance maintains tamper prevention data on the tape and on an auxiliary memory on the cartridge of the tape, and determines from this data whether the tape has been altered by an authorized system. | 08-28-2014 |
20140281210 | DYNAMIC STORAGE DEVICE LIBRARIES - Tape device paths, library slots and drive information are automatically collected by agents at nodes in a library cluster. The information is reported to a central server database. The central server accesses the information and maps tape devices to path information so an administrator may easily have access to configuration information for the tape device cluster. When a tape device cluster is updated, for example through changes to a device, an added device, device failure or some other reason, the change is detected and the cluster configuration is automatically updated. | 09-18-2014 |
20140281211 | FAST MOUNT CACHE - A fast mount cache is provided by any offline storage media for fast volume mount access. The fast mount cache may be used as the first level in a hierarchical storage configuration after the high performance tier for data having high access rates shortly after creation but decreases sharply as the data ages. The fast mount cache stores migrated data from online hard disk drive storage and maintains the data on a volume basis as opposed to a file basis. As the fast mount cache capacity fills, or other events occur triggering a volume change, the fast mount cache erases the volume having the oldest data. While data is maintained on the fast mount cache for periods of time soon after it is migrated, the data may be accessed quickly. After the initial period of time has expired, the data only exists on tape storage or low tier data. | 09-18-2014 |
20140337571 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR A SELF-DESCRIBING TAPE THAT MAINTAINS METADATA OF A NON-TAPE FILE SYSTEM - Embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for a self-describing tape that allow files stored on a tape according to a tape file system to be presented in a similar manner (e.g., to an operating system, to a network file system interface) by different instances of a second type of file system (e.g., a non-tape file system). This can include, for example, allowing a file system of the second type to consistently present files over a network file system interface as being available at the same directory path location, according to the same permissions. | 11-13-2014 |
20140344516 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR OPTIMIZATION OF TAPE PERFORMANCE - A tape performance optimization method may include accumulating data in a memory, monitoring the accumulation of data, determining whether a certain amount of data has been accumulated in the memory, and causing the accumulated data to be migrated to a tape in a tape library. In one embodiment, the amount of data to be accumulated is set to be two wraps or a multiple thereof. Using embodiments, it can take zero or near zero time to rewind the tape when unloading occurs, eliminating wasted tape movement time and significantly increasing tape performance. In one embodiment, the accumulation of data may be terminated even if the desired amount of data has not been accumulated. In one embodiment, the termination might be triggered by a timeout condition. | 11-20-2014 |
20140372692 | ELIMINATING DUPLICATE DATA BY SHARING FILE SYSTEM EXTENTS - A hardware and/or software facility to enable emulated storage devices to share data stored on physical storage resources of a storage system. The facility may be implemented on a virtual tape library (VTL) system configured to back up data sets that have a high level of redundancy on multiple virtual tapes. The facility organizes all or a portion of the physical storage resources according to a common store data layout. By enabling emulated storage devices to share data stored on physical storage resources, the facility enables deduplication across the emulated storage devices irrespective of the emulated storage device to which the data is or was originally written, thereby eliminating duplicate data on the physical storage resources and improving the storage consumption of the emulated storage devices on the physical storage resources. | 12-18-2014 |
20140379980 | SELECTIVE DUPLICATION OF TAPE CARTRIDGE CONTENTS - A copy-source tape storage medium is prepared and includes a index partition for storing updated file metadata and associated metadata indexes and a data partition (DP) for storing valid data and associated valid data indexes and for storing invalid data that has changed or has been deleted or has been invalidated by the update and for storing associated invalid data indexes. Metadata indexes are retrieved and analyzed and a valid record number list indicating a range of record numbers of valid data is created. Records are read from the DP and data in records corresponding to record numbers not included on the valid record number list is replaced with meaningless data which is written to a copy-destination tape storage medium. Records corresponding to record numbers included on the valid record number list are copied to the copy-destination tape storage medium without alteration. | 12-25-2014 |
20150012696 | DATA MANAGEMENT DEVICE, DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND DATA MANAGEMENT METHOD - A data management device includes a processor. The processor is configured to transmit data of a logical volume to a library device different from the data management device so as to record the data of the logical volume on a portable recording medium managed by the library device. The processor is configured to prepare recognition information whenever data of a logical volume is recorded on the portable recording medium. The recognition information is used to recognize entire first logical volumes. Data of the first logical volumes is recorded on the portable recording medium. The processor is configured to transmit the recognition information to the library device so as to record the recognition information on the portable recording medium. | 01-08-2015 |
20150012697 | STORAGE CONTROL APPARATUS AND STORAGE CONTROL METHOD - A storage control apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to store, during a normal operation mode, first data as a first logical volume in a storage section of a first virtual storage device. The first data is transmitted and received between a first host device and a physical storage device. The physical storage device stores data in a physical volume. The first virtual storage device is connected to the physical storage device during the normal operation mode. The processor is configured to serve, during a data migration mode, as a pseudo host device connected to a second virtual storage device. The pseudo host device accesses the second virtual storage device to read out second data of a second logical volume stored in the second virtual storage device. The first virtual storage device is connected to the second virtual storage device during the data migration mode. | 01-08-2015 |
20150026401 | METHODS AND SYSTEM OF POOLING STORAGE DEVICES - A system and method are provided for pooling storage devices in a virtual library for performing a storage operation. A storage management device determines a storage characteristic of a plurality of storage devices with respect to performing a storage operation. Based on a storage characteristic relating to performing the storage operation, the storage management device associates at least two storage devices in a virtual library. The storage management device may continuously monitor the virtual library and detect a change in storage characteristics of the storage devices. When changes in storage characteristics are detected, the storage management device may change associations of the storage device in the virtual library. | 01-22-2015 |
20150046645 | Method, Storage System, and Program for Spanning Single File Across Plurality of Tape Media - Mechanisms for splitting and spanning a single file across a plurality of tape media in a tape drive file system are provided. The mechanisms format the tape media so as to store an index of the file and data on the file in the tape media in a predetermined format; splitting the single file into separate portions and managing at least one of IDs identifying the plurality of tape media that sequentially store the portions of the file in association with the file; and storing a generation number indicating the number of storing and updating each of the file portions as the index in each of the tape media. Upon receiving a request to read the stored split file, the system obtains an index on a tape medium storing a file portion whose generation number is the highest and reads a time stamp related to the size and update of the single file. | 02-12-2015 |
20150095566 | Reading Speed of Updated File by Tape Drive File System - The mechanism provides for updating a file written on a medium in a system including a tape drive connected to a host. The mechanism receives, from the host, a change data part that is changed in the file as an update target. The mechanism writes the change data part to a data end position on the medium including a non-change data part that is not changed in the file sequentially stored on the medium. The mechanism calculates seek time required for positioning of a head of the tape drive from a medium position of the non-change data to a medium position of the change data part. The mechanism copies the change data part to an external storage device when the seek time is more than or equal to a predetermined value. | 04-02-2015 |
20150100724 | Tape Storage Device and Writing Method Therefor - A mechanism is provided for tape writing of small transactions. A first file is written as a plurality of fixed-length data sets (DS), the DS number of the final DS in the plurality of DS is stored in memory as #IN(DS#N) and the WP number as #M(WP#M), and the final first file and the second file in the DS following the final DS(DS#N, WP#M) containing the first file are packed and written in sequential DS units, and are stored as DS#N, DS#N+1, etc. and WP#M+1 in sequential order in DS containing the second file. The remaining first, second, or third file is packed and DS#N with WP#M is overwritten as DS#N with WP#M+2, and the remaining #N in the DS numbers of the second file and the third file in the subsequent DS are written as DS#N+1, N+2, etc. with WP#M+2, and the DS#N, #N+2, etc. with WP#M+2 are stored. | 04-09-2015 |
20150113216 | REDUCING ELAPSED TIME TO ACCESS DATA FROM A STORAGE MEDIUM DURING A RECALL OPERATION - In one embodiment, a tape drive includes a drive buffer, a processor, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to cause the processor to: receive a list including: user data segments recorded on tape media, wherein the user data segments are arranged in the list according to a predetermined order, and information associated with each user data segment, wherein the information includes a description of a physical location of each of the user data segments on the tape media. The logic is further configured to cause the processor to locate each of the user data segments on the tape media according to the order in the list, read each of the user data segments from the tape media according to the order in the list, and write each of the user data segments to a buffer according to the order in the list. | 04-23-2015 |
20150331631 | System and Method for Calculating Data Compression Ratio without Writing Data to Media - An information handling system includes a host processor and a tape drive, which in turn includes a controller and a compression buffer. The controller is in communication with the host processor, and is configured to receive a diagnostic command from the host processor, to switch the tape drive from a normal mode to a diagnostic mode in response to the diagnostic command, and to send a compression ratio for data associated with a write command to the host processor. The compression buffer is in communication with the controller, the compression buffer configured to receive the write command, to compress data associated with the write command while in the diagnostic mode, to calculate the compression ratio for the data associated with the write command, and to delete the compressed data while the tape drive is in the diagnostic mode. | 11-19-2015 |
20150339061 | WRITING MULTIPLE FILES SIMULTANEOUSLY TO A TAPE MEDIA - In one embodiment, a method includes storing data received from at least two data sources in a buffer, writing the data from the at least two data sources to regions in a first wrap of a tape on a data-source basis in a first predetermined order, and writing the data from the at least two data sources to regions in the second wrap in a second predetermined order, the second predetermined order being a reverse order relative to the first predetermined order. | 11-26-2015 |
20150347034 | TAPE DRIVES GENERATING BEST ACCESS ORDER OF RANDOMLY STORED FILES ON A TAPE - A tape drive adapted for providing a best access order for files or data sets on a tape loaded into the tape drive. The tape drive includes a processor and memory storing a file location table for the tape. The file location table includes identifiers for a plurality of files on the tape and location information for the plurality of files on the tape. The tape drive includes an order determination module, executed by the processor, processing an order request. The order request, from a host or user, includes a list of the files on the tape from which to generate, based on the location information in the file location table, a reordered list defining an order for accessing the files on the tape. The reordered list or best access order has (or produces via tape drive access) an access time for the files that is minimal or reduced. | 12-03-2015 |
20150355859 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR HOST SYSTEM LTFS AUTO-ADAPTATION - System, apparatus and computer program product for automatically determining a type of tape drive that is present in a media library and accessing the tape drive using commands that are adapted to the identified type of the drive. In one embodiment, a system includes a set of hosts, a media library and an archive node appliance. The archive node appliance is coupled between the hosts and the media library to provide the hosts with access to a set of drives and media in the media library. The archive node appliance has a processor and a data store that contains instructions that are executable on the processor to perform, for one or more of the drives, the method of identifying the type of the drive, identifying a set of software applications adapted to control the drive, and executing the software application, where the drive is accessed through the software application. | 12-10-2015 |
20150363119 | METHOD OF WRITING FILE ONTO TAPE - An approach to reducing overhead to enable high-speed writing even when a large number of small-sized files are written onto a tape in a file system. The method of the present invention includes the steps of: writing multiple files consecutively onto a tape to become one combined file; writing, onto the tape, first index information including the start position and size of the combined file on the tape; and writing, onto the tape, second index information including the start position and size of each of the multiple files in the combined file on the tape. | 12-17-2015 |
20150370714 | LINEAR RECORDING EXECUTING OPTIMUM WRITING UPON RECEIPT OF SERIES OF COMMANDS INCLUDING MIXED READ AND WRITE COMMANDS - An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a head, a controller coupled to the head, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the controller. The logic is configured to receive a series of commands, the series of commands including mixed read, overwrite, and append write commands, cause reading of data from a specified position of a tape using the head and storing the data in a buffer in response to a read command; and cause writing of data stored in the buffer starting from an appended data end position of the tape in response to an append write command. | 12-24-2015 |
20160004439 | TAPE VOLUME ACCESS BLOCK HAVING DATA SET INFORMATION STORED THEREIN - In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to position a magnetic tape volume to a position corresponding to an end of a last data set stored to the magnetic tape volume, and read an existing tape volume access block (TVAB) from the magnetic tape volume in response to a determination that the existing TVAB is stored to the magnetic tape volume. The logic is also configured to write one or more data sets to the magnetic tape volume subsequent to reading the existing TVAB in response to the determination that the existing TVAB is stored to the magnetic tape volume, determine metadata corresponding to the one or more written data sets, and update the existing TVAB with the metadata corresponding to the one or more written data sets to produce an updated TVAB. | 01-07-2016 |
20160011792 | MEDIA CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD | 01-14-2016 |
20160011793 | APPARATUS, METHOD AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR DETERMINING THE DATA RECALL ORDER | 01-14-2016 |
20160011794 | PARTIAL VOLUME ACCESS IN A PHYSICAL STACKED VOLUME | 01-14-2016 |
20160041789 | STORAGE SYSTEM WITH LOAD BALANCING MECHANISM AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF | 02-11-2016 |
20160048341 | OPTIMIZED DATA PLACEMENT FOR INDIVIDUAL FILE ACCESSES ON DEDUPLICATION-ENABLED SEQUENTIAL STORAGE SYSTEMS - Data deduplication for data storage tapes includes intercepting tape control commands for a single data storage tape. The intercepted tape control commands are modified for adding processing logic and parameters for placement of deduplicated file data on the single data storage tape. Deduplication metadata is written to a metadata portion of the single data storage tape. The deduplicated file data is written to a data portion of the single data storage tape based on the placement to increase read throughput for a deduplicated set of individual files and to reduce an average number of per-file gaps on the single data storage tape without re-duplicating deduplicated data for meeting optimization of individual file accesses. | 02-18-2016 |
20160062694 | OBJECT STORE ARCHITECTURE FOR DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM - Embodiments described herein provide an object store that efficiently manages and services objects for use by clients of a distributed data processing system. Illustratively, the object store may be embodied as a quasi-shared storage system that interacts with nodes of the distributed data processing system to service the objects as blocks of data stored on a plurality of storage devices, such as disks, of the storage system. To that end, an architecture of the object store may include an on-disk layout, e.g., of the storage system, and an incore layout, e.g., of the nodes, that cooperate to illustratively convert the blocks to objects for access by the clients. | 03-03-2016 |
20160077757 | STORING META-INFORMATION ON TAPE RECORDING SYSTEMS - A capability to store meta-information related to file access histories on tape recording systems is provided. Base meta-information is stored on a tape. The base meta-information is meta-information that is associated with one or more files that are stored on the tape and is based, at least in part, on a tape access operation history. A first quantity of differentiated meta-information is stored on the tape at a predetermined time interval after storing the base meta-information, wherein the first quantity of differentiated meta-information is based, at least in part, on the tape access operation history and reflects a history of at least one file of the one or more files that are associated with the base meta-information. | 03-17-2016 |
20160077766 | Tape Storage Device and Writing Method Therefor - A mechanism is provided for tape writing of small transactions. A first file is written as a plurality of fixed-length data sets (DS), the DS number of the final DS in the plurality of DS is stored in memory as #N(DS#N) and the WP number as #M(WP#M), and the final first file and the second file in the DS following the final DS(DS#N, WP#M) containing the first file are packed and written in sequential DS units, and are stored as DS#N, DS#N+ | 03-17-2016 |
20160092131 | STORAGE SYSTEM, STORAGE SYSTEM CONTROL METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING VIRTUAL TAPE DEVICE CONTROL PROGRAM - A storage system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a virtual tape device that includes circuitry configured to operate as a management unit that reads a data set from a virtual tape storage unit that stores the data set, the data set including, in an associated manner, a piece of virtual tape data including a piece of user data stored in a virtual tape and management data including a piece of location data indicating a storage location at which the piece of virtual tape data is stored, a conversion unit that generates a virtual tape file including the data set, and a transfer unit that transmits the virtual tape file as transfer data to an external storage device; and the external storage device that stores the transfer data upon receipt of the transfer data. | 03-31-2016 |
20160098192 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM - An information processing device includes a processor. The processor is configured to transmit to a tape drive a write request in one of a first mode and a second mode for accompanying data. The write request in the first mode requests to store the accompanying data in a buffer memory included in the tape drive without writing the accompanying data to a magnetic tape. The write request in the second mode requests to write data stored in the buffer memory and the accompanying data to the magnetic tape. The processor is configured to transmit a write request for one of multiple pieces of data in the first mode if a remaining amount of the buffer memory is larger than a predetermined threshold value, and in the second mode if the remaining amount is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value. | 04-07-2016 |
20160098221 | System, Method and Computer Program Product for Synchronizing Data Written to Tape Including Writing an Index Into a Data Partition - Disclosed is a system, method and computer program product for synchronizing data written to tape with improved data recovery. When writing data to tape, an index is kept in memory and updated to reflect change(s) to a file system mounted on tape. After a predetermined amount of data is written to a tape, a device may perform a sync operation, causing the index to be written into a data partition of the tape. If the sync operation is successful, the index in the index partition of the tape can be updated using a copy of the index in the data partition of the tape next time the tape is mounted. If the sync operation is not successful, the device may write the data to a different location on the same or another tape, update the index, and force another sync operation. This process can be repeated. | 04-07-2016 |
20160103628 | Data Storage Mechanism Using Storage System Determined Write Locations - Mechanisms are provided, in a storage system controller of a storage system, for writing data to a storage medium. The storage system controller receives a write request to write a block of data to the storage medium. The write request does not specify a location on the storage medium to which to write the block of data. The storage system controller determines a current position of a write mechanism of the storage system relative to the storage medium and determines a location on the storage medium to write the block of data based on the current position of the write mechanism. The storage system controller sends a notification to a host system identifying the location of the block of data on the storage medium as determined by the storage system controller. The writing mechanism writes the block of data to the determined location on the storage medium. | 04-14-2016 |
20160117111 | READING ORDER SEARCH METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR RECORDING - The present invention provides a search method used to search for the reading order of a plurality of recording groups when the plurality of recording groups written on tape are continuously read by a tape drive which manages data on tape in recording units having a fixed data length for each recording. This search method includes the steps of: receiving information on a plurality of tape groups to be read; and sorting the plurality of recording groups to be read so the reading time is shortened. In the sorting step, the time required to sort the plurality of reading groups is reduced by combining two or more recording groups into a single object to be sorted in the sorting step when at least two or more contiguous recording groups have been assigned to the same region or are assigned across adjacent regions among the plurality of regions. | 04-28-2016 |
20160117267 | CONCURRENT VIRTUAL TAPE USAGE - A request to access a virtual tape volume is identified and a lock status is maintained for the virtual tape volume. The lock status includes a shared status and an exclusive lock status. In shared status, it is determined whether the request includes a request for write access to the virtual tape volume. Concurrent access to the virtual tape volume can be allowed by two or more applications during the shared status based at least in part on whether the applications request for write access to the virtual tape volume. | 04-28-2016 |
20160124639 | DYNAMIC STORAGE CHANNEL - Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for a dynamic storage channel. A read module may be configured to direct a read command to one or more memory die in a row of an array of memory die to service a read request using one or more input/output (I/O) lines of the one or more memory die. Memory die in the row may have one or more common control lines. A channel module may be configured to direct a reserved command to one or more other memory die in the row of the array of memory die, using one or more I/O lines of the one or more other memory die. | 05-05-2016 |
20160132255 | Average Response Time Improvement From a File System for a Tape Library - A mechanism is provided for improving the average response time of a tape library. Prior to receiving a next access request for data from one of a set of tape mediums, a determination is made as to whether a number of tape drives that are unoccupied is less than a predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N). Responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N), a least recently used idle tape medium is unmounted and unloaded from an associated tape drive. | 05-12-2016 |
20160139818 | WRITING DATA SPANNING PLURALITY OF TAPE CARTRIDGES - A method includes, in a tape apparatus system, receiving a request to write a file from a host, and, in response to the request, dividing sequentially received data of the file into two or more segments. Each of the two or more segments have a predetermined size. The method further includes sequentially writing a series of the two or more segments onto one or more tapes, and determining the predetermined size based on a capacity use efficiency of a plurality of other tapes and a time to copy when a spanning file, written by spanning on the one or more tapes, is copied to the plurality of other tapes. A corresponding computer program product and computer system are also disclosed. | 05-19-2016 |
20160139839 | ASYNCHRONOUS TAPE BACKUP AND RESTORE FROM TAPE BACKUP IN A DISK STORAGE ENVIRONMENT - A metadata object identifying a set of disk locations which have been written to during a consistency group is maintained. Backup data for the consistency group is written. Writing backup data for the consistency group includes identifying a disk location from the set of disk locations, generating a record containing the disk location, data stored at the disk location, and a consistency group value identifying the consistency group, and writing the record to tape storage. Records written to tape storage can be used to restore data to disk storage for a given consistency group. | 05-19-2016 |
20160147470 | METHODS OF RESTORING DATA, METHOD OF STORING DATA AND TAPE STORAGE SYSTEM - A method of restoring data from at least two tapes of a tape storage system, a first tape including two sets of data blocks in a first order and a second tape including the two sets of data blocks in a second order, the method including restoring the first set of data blocks from the first tape, and restoring the second set of data blocks simultaneously from the second tape. | 05-26-2016 |
20160154601 | DISK MANAGEMENT IN DISTRIBUTED STORAGE SYSTEM | 06-02-2016 |
20160154604 | WRITING FILES TO A STORAGE MEDIUM | 06-02-2016 |
20160162198 | SHARED LIBRARY IN A DATA STORAGE SYSTEM - The library server according to certain aspects can manage the use of tape drives according to the data requirements of different storage operation cells. The library server according to certain aspects can also facilitate automatic management of tape media in a tape library by allocating the tapes and slots to different cells. For instance, the library server can manage the positioning and placement of the tapes into appropriate slots within the tape library. | 06-09-2016 |
20160162216 | STORAGE CONTROL DEVICE AND COMPUTER SYSTEM - A storage control device includes a processor. The processor is configured to acquire a first size. The processor is configured to calculate, for each of a plurality of storage devices, a total size of first data stored in each of the plurality of storage devices. The first data satisfies a predetermined condition. The processor is configured to select the first data in an ascending order of the total size. A sum of the total size of the selected first data is the first size or less. The processor is configured to copy the selected first data from the plurality of storage devices to a first storage device different from the plurality of storage devices. | 06-09-2016 |
20160170681 | METHOD FOR WRITING FILE WHILE SPANNING FILE OVER A PLURALITY OF TAPE CARTRIDGES | 06-16-2016 |
20160196080 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ARCHIVE VERIFICATION ACCORDING TO POLICIES | 07-07-2016 |