Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Mechanized store
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-06
2004-04-20
Tremblay, Mark (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Mechanized store
C369S034010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06722564
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to storage tapes and, in particular, to automated tape libraries. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and program for determining correct cartridge orientation in an automated removable media library.
2. Description of Related Art
A tape library is a high-capacity data storage system for storing, retrieving, reading, and writing multiple magnetic tape cartridges. Also called a “tape automation system,” a tape library contains storage racks for holding the cartridges and a robotic mechanism for moving the cartridge to the drives. Suppliers of inexpensive automated tape libraries typically do not provide trained personnel to support the tape libraries. With the cartridge layout in some libraries, there is a potential for an end user to incorrectly orient cartridges when placing them in the library during installation and during cartridge import operations.
Having this problem occur in the field with untrained personnel will likely cause an increased volume of calls to telephone support centers, resulting in an added cost to the tape library suppliers and their partners. Furthermore, untrained personnel may not realize that errors occur because cartridges are oriented incorrectly. Thus, customers may unjustly develop unfavorable perceptions of tape library quality. These false perceptions may affect futures sales.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a mechanism for determining correct cartridge orientation in an automated tape library.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an enhanced media library that detects incorrectly oriented cartridges during initialization. During a cell audit phase of library initialization, label position information is collected about each readable cartridge label. Based on unique characteristics of cartridge and label combinations, cartridge orientation is determined. A list of incorrectly oriented cartridges is compiled using this technique. A list of unreadable or unlabeled cartridges is also compiled.
An additional initialization phase is used to attempt a robotic get/put operation on each unreadable or unlabeled cartridge and each cartridge that is incorrectly oriented based on the label. If the get/put operation fails, then the cartridge is added to the list of incorrectly oriented cartridges. When an incorrectly oriented cartridge is detected, the library fails initialization and indicates that incorrectly oriented cartridges are found.
The media library may also execute an audit during import operations when a cartridge access port is closed. When an incorrectly oriented cartridge is detected during the cartridge access port audit, the cartridge access port is marked as inaccessible to the host, preventing usage of the cartridge access port until all cartridges in the cartridge access port are correctly oriented.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5323327 (1994-06-01), Carmichael et al.
patent: 5450385 (1995-09-01), Ellis et al.
patent: 6246642 (2001-06-01), Gardner, Jr. et al.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, “Use of Laser Barcode Scanner to Detect Cartridges Upside Down in Library”, Mar. 1994, vol. 37, Issue 3, pp. 205-206.
Creager Robert S.
Lane Terry
Ries James
Carstens Yee & Cahoon LLP
Storage Technology Corporation
Tremblay Mark
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