197 results about "Tape library" patented technology

A system and method for increasing capacity utilization of non-volatile storage devices within a group of non-volatile storage devices used to store data from at least one attached system are disclosed. A group of data sets is written to a first storage device as part of a write operation such as migration. A plurality of storage devices partially filled with data are designated as substitutes. The write operation to the first storage device is suspended upon receiving a request to read a data set stored in the first storage device, such as occurs in a recall operation. A second storage device is then selected from the plurality of substitute storage devices. The write operation is continued by writing data sets from the group of data sets included in the write operation that were not written to the first storage device to the selected second storage device. The requested data is then read from the first storage device. After data has been read from the first storage device, the first storage device may be designated as a substitute storage device so that the partially filled first storage device may be selected for continuing write operations. Data sets from substitute storage devices may be transferred or merged into a lesser number of storage devices during recycle operations to prevent the number of substitute storage devices from increasing beyond a predetermined limit or goal. Recycling operations in which data sets from different storage devices are transferred or merged may be performed by building a first queue including a list of filled tapes ordered according to the least amount of valid data and a second queue including all unassociated partially filled storage devices ordered by the amount of available storage space, and merging. The non-volatile storage devices may include tapes or tape libraries.

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.

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

A hierarchical data storage system including a policy based migration engine to select a migration policy and migrate data from a first set of removable storage media, such as tape cartridges, to a second set of removable storage media in accordance with the migration policy. The hierarchical data storage system further includes a control unit including a processor, a host interface to couple the processor to a host, a library manager interface to couple the processor to an automated tape library, a storage device interface to couple said processor to a storage device, and a memory unit.

A method of importing a plurality of data from a physical data storage device into a virtual tape library system that is used with a data protection application. The virtual tape library system is usable with an existing data protection application designed for use with a physical tape library without modifying the existing data protection application. The method includes: triggering a signal representing a command to import the plurality of data from the physical data storage device; providing a controller that receives the signal; providing a data storage medium in communication with the controller, the data storage medium has at least one virtual library defined thereon; and copying at least a portion of the plurality of data from the physical data storage device to a virtual tape.

A sampling based technique for eliminating duplicate data (de-duplication) stored on storage resources, is provided. According to the invention, when a new data set, e.g., a backup data stream, is received by a server, e.g., a storage system or virtual tape library (VTL) system implementing the invention, one or more anchors are identified within the new data set. The anchors are identified using a novel anchor detection circuitry in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Upon receipt of the new data set by, for example, a network adapter of a VTL system, the data set is transferred using direct memory access (DMA) operations to a memory associated with an anchor detection hardware card that is operatively interconnected with the storage system. The anchor detection hardware card may be implemented as, for example, a FPGA is to quickly identify anchors within the data set. As the anchor detection process is performed using a hardware assist, the load on a main processor of the system is reduced, thereby enabling line speed de-duplication.

Disk based emulation of tape libraries is provided with features that allow easier management and administration of a backup system and also allow increased flexibility to both archive data on tape at a remote location and also have fast restore access to archived data files. Features include automatic emulation of physical libraries, and the retention and write protection of virtual tapes that correspond to exported physical tapes.

A method and system for connecting a host to a tape drive for accessing a tape cartridge in a data storage system having a tape library provided with cartridges and tape drives includes the host requesting a desired cartridge to access. In response to the request, a proxy agent queries the library to determine which of the tape drives are available to receive the desired cartridge. The proxy agent then selects a tape drive from the available tape drives to receive the desired cartridge. The desired cartridge is then mounted into the selected tape drive. An access controller then connects a virtual tape drive associated with the host to the selected tape drive to provide the host with access to the desired cartridge. The selected tape drive may be selected as a function of its location with respect to the storage location of the desired cartridge. While the host computer is accessing the desired cartridge, the access controller may simultaneously connect another virtual tape drive associated with a second host to another tape drive to provide the second host with access to a different cartridge.

A gripper mechanism for manipulating tape cartridges in a tape library system, the tape library system having a plurality of storage cells for removably storing a tape cartridge therein, each tape cartridge formed with engageable side slots located at side portions of the cartridge designed for retaining a respective cartridge in a respective storage cell and including a downward sloped lower front edge portion. The gripper mechanism includes a pair of gripping fingers actuated for respectively engaging a respective side slot located at a side portion of the cartridge for manipulating the cartridge, and including support members extending outward from the gripper mechanism at a lower portion thereof for engagement with the sloped lower front edge portion of the cartridge.

The utility model provides a system for online backup of a database, comprising a database server, a storage array, a backup server and a tape library, wherein the database server is used for operating a database, and using a logic volume of the storage array to store the data of the database; an instruction for carrying out snapshot generation on the logic volume called by the database server is sent to the storage array according to a command for carrying out backup operation on the database from the backup server; the backup server is used for connecting to the database server, pausing input and output of the database on the database server to a storage system, and sending a command for carrying out database backup operation on the database server; mapping information is added to a snapshot volume generated by the storage array, the snapshot volume is loaded according to the mapping information, and the data of the snapshot volume is moved to the tape library; and the storage array is used for carrying out snapshot operation on the logic volume called by the database server according to the instruction from the backup server so as to generate the snapshot volume.

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.

Facilitating integration of a virtual tape library system with a physical tape library system. A virtual library tape (VTL) system acts as an intermediary between a physical library tape (PTL) system and a backup host, such that the backup host is always aware of, and can manage the media present in the VTL and also in the PTL. Exporting of data from a virtual tape to a physical tape is performed by the VTL system for high performance. Also a one to one mapping exists between the virtual tape barcode label and the physical tape barcode label, thereby facilitating restores directly from physical tape.

Disclosed is a system incorporating a management computer, host computers, a backup server and at least one storage system. Backup data generated in the system are stored in various storage system such as disk array, tape library and VTL (virtual tape library) with various methods such as continuous data protection and snapshot, and management information of the backup data is maintained by the management computer. The management computer conducts transition of mode of the backup data by detecting that a condition to perform the transition is satisfied, determining a plan of transition according to predetermined scenario, performing (instructing) the transition based on the plan and updating the management information of the backup data. By keeping the management information up to date, the management computer can provide a unified means to restore necessary data from the backup data even if the transition (moving and/or change) of the backup data has been performed.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for a variable media tape based storage system for storing, retrieving, and communicating data. The system includes at least one media element having a compatible relationship with one of a plurality of drives for storing and receiving data. The at least one media element configured to operate with the at least one drive as a functional pair is considered a loaded drive. The storage system also includes switch and mapping system, which in one embodiment could be an interface bridge processor, operatively linked to each of the plurality of drives. Finally, the storage system adapted to alter at least one received and accepted tape library command from positioning a target storage tape article for use with a target tape drive to selecting one of the loaded drives via the interface bridge processor. The interface bridge processor can be adapted to receive data in a streaming protocol to be saved on the target storage tape article by the target storage drive and convert the streaming protocol to a different protocol to save the data on the physically selected loaded drive.

A method is disclosed that includes converting a first command to a second command. The first command is configured to control a first type of storage unit, while the second command is configured to control a second type of storage unit. The first type of storage unit is a secondary storage unit. The second type of storage unit is a primary storage unit.

A method for archiving data from a first disk-based storage device to a second disk-based storage device includes moving an emulated tape from a first element to a second element simulatively without actually moving data associated with the emulated tape. The data associated with the emulated tape is transmitted from the first disk-based storage device to the second disk-based storage device via a communication link. The data associated with the emulated tape is removed from the first disk-based storage device.

The invention relates to control method and system based on virtual tape library backup and a near-line storage node. In the control method, a host passage interface driving module judges whether the destination device of SCSI command is Data Mover module or not, if the destination device of SCSI command is the Data Mover module, the host passage interface driving module is ordered to receive the command, and the Data Mover module transmits the command to an SCSI command processing module; after receiving, analyzing and executing the command, the SCSI command processing module feeds the result back to the Data Mover module; after receiving the result, the Data Mover module imitates an entity Data Mover device to respond an SCSI command format and transmits the corresponding command response to the host passage interface driving module; and the host passage interface driving module sends the received command response out according to the address of the destination device. By applying the invention, the problem of compatibility among the Data Mover device, the tape library and the virtual tape library is solved, and that the data is ensured to be directly transmitted between two storage devices in an SAN structure.

The invention discloses a data bleaching method for financial data. The bleaching method comprises the following steps: (1) submitting a data demand by a testing center; (2) recovering data from a tape library of a production environment onto a disk, and synchronously loading a data file into a database for data extraction; (3) performing data bleaching according to the data demand of the testing center; (4) after the completion of data bleaching, exporting the database into a data file, encrypting the data file, and transmitting the encrypted data file to the testing center; and (5) loading the obtained data file by the testing center. Through adoption of the method, sensitive financial business data involving personal privacy or needing to be protected in a non-production environment can be removed, shielded and transformed, and desensitization processing is performed on sensitive data, so that the aim of protecting the sensitive data is fulfilled.