62 results about "Virtual tape library" patented technology

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.

A virtual tape library may be configured to delete or free data blocks corresponding to expired backup images. A virtual tape volume may comprise multiple backup images, each corresponding to data stored by a backup application. The backup application may expire individual backup images of a virtual tape volume without expiring the entire virtual tape volume. In contrast to traditional virtual tape libraries, the virtual tape library described herein may delete, free and / or reuse the data blocks corresponding to expired backup images even before the entire virtual tape volume is expired.

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.

A virtual tape storage system includes an original virtual tape library for storing data and includes snapshot virtual tape library (SVTL). The SVTL includes a snapshot of the data stored in the original virtual tape library. A host is operable to receive the snapshot data from the SVTL to perform a disaster recovery test of the original virtual tape library. The SVTL is generated from the original virtual tape library using a copy-on-write snapshot process. In an embodiment, the original virtual tape library stores the stored data on a number of virtual tape volumes (VTVs), and the SVTL includes a snapshot of those VTDs and VTVs which are required for a disaster recovery test of the original virtual tape library. In this case, the host uses the SVTL to perform the disaster recovery test of the original virtual tape library.

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.

Sequential media reclamation is usually performed after portions of a sequential access volume's data are no longer needed and the unused portion of the volume exceeds a threshold. Improved sequential media reclamation is provided by using a sequential access disk volume (for example, a volume of a virtual tape library (VTL)) embodied as a sparse file. Reclamation of objects stored in the volume is accomplished by nulling out regions of the sparse file that contain the objects that are no longer needed. A replication method is also provided in which information about the objects stored in the sparse file (such as offset and length) is used during replication to enable the correct portions of a target volume (embodied as a sparse file) to be nulled out to match a source volume (also embodied as a sparse file).

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.

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.

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.

The present invention discloses a virtual tape library (VTL) backup system, and a method of hard disk drive (HDD) power control in VTL devices. In the VTL backup system, a disk control module (DCM) is added to the VTL device and an agent module is added to the backup server. When a backup or disaster recovery (DR) operation is triggered, the agent module in the backup server can inform the disk control module (DCM) in the VTL device to trigger the VTL device to power on all the HDDs before the operation starts, and to power off all the HDDs after the operation ends. Power saving in the VTL device is achieved through power control over the HDDs.

The invention discloses an embedded integrated virtual tape library-based data archiving protection system and an embedded integrated virtual tape library-based data archiving protection method. The system comprises logic functional modules such as a strategy scheduling module, a migration control module, a data transmission module, a tape mapping module, a command forwarding module and the like. The system can export data of a virtual tape in a virtual tape library to a physical tape, and the physical tape can be stored off line. When the data in the virtual tape library is destroyed, the data on the physical tape can be firstly imported to the virtual tape. A host computer recovers the data by reading the data of the virtual tape, and can directly recover the data from a physical tape library by using the virtual tape library as bridging. Meanwhile, the system and the method can reduce the time of exporting the same virtual tape repeatedly, and support the export of the incremental data, namely only export the data of an updated backup on the virtual tape.

The invention provides VTL (Virtual Tape Library) equipment and a data recovery method. The VTL equipment comprises a VTL interface module for receiving data backup commands and backup data from a backup server and sending to an I / O (Input / output) management module, an NAS (Network-attached Storage) for receiving data recovery commands from user equipment and sending to a file driver module, a VTL configuration module for allowing storage media to be a virtual tape and responding to the data backup commands and generating virtual tape configuration information corresponding to backup data, the file driver module for obtaining virtual tape configuration information corresponding to the backup information to be recovered from a VTL configuration module, and the I / O management module for reading the backup data into a disk according to the virtual tape configuration information when the data backup is performed, wherein the recovery data are read from the disk according to the virtual tape configuration information, and return to the user equipment through the NAS interface module.

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 present invention is a system and method which allows for a VTL system that supports thin provisioning to implicitly unmap unused storage. Such unmap operations may occur even though the VTL system does not receive any explicit unmap requests from its initiators. For example, if a system administrator knows that once a virtual tape drive of the VTL system has been partially overwritten, all previously written data sets on that virtual tape drive will never again be accessed, the system administrator may configure the VTL system so that it unmaps the entire remainder of the virtual tape drive on the first data overwrite.

A system and method for thin provisioning in a virtual tape library. In one embodiment, a method includes the operations of receiving, from a user entity, a first request to create a pool of virtual tapes for the user entity, wherein data for the pool of virtual tapes is stored on physical storage; creating the pool of virtual tapes for the user entity according to the first request such that a provisioned capacity of data storage for the pool of virtual tapes exceeds an actual capacity of data storage available to the pool of virtual tapes on the physical storage; and presenting the pool of virtual tapes to a second system as physical tape storage having the provisioned capacity available for data storage and not the actual capacity.

An embodiment of the invention relates to a method and a device for writing in and reading out data and a virtual tape library device. The method for writing in data comprises the following steps of: when writing data in a disc, writing tape configuration information corresponding to the data in the disc, wherein the tape configuration information is generated in the process of the virtual tape on the disc; and recording a disc identifier of the disc. In the embodiment of the invention, the disc in the VTL can preserve the backup data under an off-line state by writing the data and tape configuration information for backup in the disc and by recording the disc ID. The embodiment of the invention requires no physical tape library as the filing medium, thereby ensuring simple networking and reducing the backup cost.

The embodiment of the invention provides a data processing method and a data processing device. The method comprises the following steps of: judging whether the access frequency of data on a first virtual magnetic tape is lower than an access frequency threshold value corresponding to the first virtual magnetic tape or not; and if the access frequency of the data on the first virtual magnetic tape is lower than the access frequency threshold value corresponding to the first virtual magnetic tape, transferring the data on the first virtual magnetic tape onto a second virtual magnetic tape or a physical magnetic tape, and updating a mapping relationship between the magnetic tapes and logic unit numbers (LUNs), wherein the first virtual magnetic tape is arranged in a virtual magnetic tape library, the second virtual magnetic tape is arranged in the virtual magnetic tape library, an attribute value of the second virtual magnetic tape is lower than that of the first virtual magnetic tape, and an attribute value of the physical magnetic tape is lower than that of the first virtual magnetic tape. The data is processed by utilizing the mapping relationship between the magnetic tapes and the LUNs without setting a third-party software system, so that the data processing efficiency is improved, hardware equipment is reduced, and the cost is lowered.

The present invention aims to protect data by using WORM (Write Once Read Many) features. On receiving an instruction to write data to a virtual tape, from a host computer 2 via an FC interface 11, a VTL controller 10 reads out WORM information and access information each corresponding to the virtual tape for which the instruction was made, from a tape management table 231 and a WORM management table 232, respectively. If the WORM setting is not made for the WORM information that was read out, or if the access information indicates writing data is allowed, then an instruction is given to a disc device 30 to write data to a magnetic disc that corresponds to the virtual tape for which the write instruction was made.

Sequential media reclamation is usually performed after portions of a sequential access volume's data are no longer needed and the unused portion of the volume exceeds a threshold. Improved sequential media reclamation is provided by using a sequential access disk volume (for example, a volume of a virtual tape library (VTL)) embodied as a sparse file. Reclamation of objects stored in the volume is accomplished by nulling out regions of the sparse file that contain the objects that are no longer needed. A replication method is also provided in which information about the objects stored in the sparse file (such as offset and length) is used during replication to enable the correct portions of a target volume (embodied as a sparse file) to be nulled out to match a source volume (also embodied as a sparse file).

The invention discloses an embedded type virtual tape library parallel memory system, which mainly comprises a hardware part and a software part, wherein the hardware part comprises an intelligent expanding engine group, a core exchange system and a memory unit. Core virtual tape library management software is run on the platform, and various functions in the parallel virtual tape library system are realized. The embedded type virtual tape library parallel memory system adopts a parallel controller engine structure, and a plurality of engines parallel work and simulate the working state of one tape library. The hardware structures of the engines of the controller are the same and are all based on the adoption of a specially designed main board, and a specially designed control chip and virtual tape library software are integrated on the main board. The number of the parallel engines can be expanded to 32, each engine can be configured with 2 optical fiber host channels and 6 back end optical fiber memory channels, and the optical fiber channels self-adapt to the transmission rates of 2Gb / sec and 4Gb / sec. The multi-engine parallel system design can maximize the I / O performance and memory capacity of the virtual tape library (VTL).

The invention discloses a data backup method and device. The data backup method comprises the following steps: visualizing one part of hard disk in a server into a virtual tape library, wherein the left hard disks are real physical hard disks; classifying data which needs to be backuped, wherein the data comprises the data which needs to be backuped for a long time and the data which needs to be backuped for a short time; backuping the data which needs to be backuped to the virtual tape library; and transferring the data which needs to be backuped for a long time into the real physical hard disks from the virtual tape library to be stored. The technical scheme firstly backups the data which needs to be backuped to the virtual tape library, so that the technical scheme is high in speed and efficiency, the data which needs to be backuped is classified, the data which needs to be backuped for a long time is transferred to the real physical hard disks, and transferring work can be carried out when the server is idle. Compared with the prior art, the data backup method and device is more scientific and can hierarchically store the data in a targeted way.

The invention discloses a method and a system for duplicating remote data based on embedded integrated virtual tape libraries, which realize remote data duplication between the embedded integrated virtual tape libraries through a software module of an embedded integrated virtual tape library system. The software module comprises two sub-modules consisting of a server program and a client program, wherein the server program can abstract the embedded integrated virtual tape libraries to form a data source which only supplies data, and the client program requests a server for the data appointed by a user and writes the requested data in a local disk. The embedded integrated virtual tape library comprises the client program and the server program at the same time, and can be the client or the server.

A system and method for exporting a virtual tape from a virtual tape library. The system preferably presents a user with a user interface styled for manipulating a physical tape library. The virtual tape library performs the data storage and retrieval functions. The system includes the user interface having a plurality of user selectable fields styled to interface with the physical tape library. A data storage medium has at least one virtual library and / or virtual tape defined thereon. The data storage medium is capable of storing a plurality of data in the at least one virtual library and / or virtual tape. A physical data storage device is detachably able to be put in communication with the at least one virtual library and / or virtual tape to receive at least a portion of the plurality of data therefrom.

The invention provides storage equipment, comprising an RAID (Redundant Array Of Inexpensive Disk), a RAID driver, a physical disk, a fiber channel (FC) / internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) target end and a VTL (Virtual Tape Library) management module, wherein the RAID disk is divided into two parts, the first part is applied to an RAID function, and the second part is applied to a VTL function; the FC / iSCSI target end is used for receiving a read-write access command from an RAID client and forwarding the read-write access command to the first part of the RAID disk; after the read-write access is completed, the FC / iSCSI target end reports a completion condition to the RAID client; the FC / iSCSI target end is also used for receiving a command from a VTL client and forwarding the command from the VTL client to the VTL management module; and the VTL management module is used for converting the command forwarded by the iSCSI / FC target end into a presentation format of a magnetic tape unit and sending the command of the presentation format of the magnetic tape unit to the second part of the RAID disk.

A method and system for client backup data management and storage using virtual tape libraries (VTLs). A VTL controller executing a software method receives metadata that distinguishes among a plurality of different versions of backup data. The VTL controller determines a latest version of the backup data. The VTL controller determines a migration set of zero or more versions of the backup data. The latest version and any version included in the migration set are included in the plurality of different versions. The VTL controller determines that a storage of the latest version in a first storage medium (e.g., magnetic disk) of the VTL is complete. The VTL controller migrates the migration set to a second storage medium (e.g., magnetic tape) of the VTL if the migration set includes at least one version of the backup data.

A data storage system that retrieves and stores data to a mobile random access memory device that can virtually function as any number of variable storage media is accomplished by a switching means linked to the mobile random access memory device. The storage system generally possesses at least one mobile random storage device, at least one docking station that cooperates with the mobile random storage device to store data for a host computer, and a switching means linked to the docking station. The switching means can switch an identification associated with the docking station to a virtual tape library system, wherein a switching function of the switching means may or may not be initiated by the host computer.

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.

The embodiment of the invention relates to a configuration information file processing method, a configuration information file processing system, a server, and virtual tape library equipment. The method comprises the following steps of: receiving a virtual tape library equipment configuration information file which is stored by an external server and corresponds to virtual tape library equipment information when the configuration information file is damaged; and performing configuration according to the virtual tape library equipment configuration information file, wherein the configuration information file is formed after the virtual tape library equipment performs the former configuration and comprises virtual tape library equipment information, virtual driver information, virtual tape information, storage resource information and backup server information. The protection mechanism provided by the embodiment of the invention, the reliability is high.

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.