Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-03
2004-06-29
Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757694
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to network devices in a storage system implementing unique names for enabling communication with the devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel system and method for uniquely identifying and assigning names to devices connected in networks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common host communication interface for open systems storage products is Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) which can be used to connect large amounts of storage to a server or cluster of servers. A Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) disk and tape drive interface particularly enables implementation of new applications that need high-speed data storage over long distances. These emerging applications include professional movie editing, collaborative engineering efforts, video-on-demand, medical imaging, and high-volume transaction processing. Hard disk and tape drives supporting the FC-AL interface are now available from most of the world's computer system manufacturers.
The Fibre Channel protocol identifies devices using a convention referred to as World Wide Names (WWN). This is similar in concept to network interfaces, such as provided for Ethernet and Token Ring systems which are assigned unique Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. Each Fibre Channel device has a unique World Wide Name such that no two devices in the world should have the same WWN.
Storage automation products, such as the IBM 3584 Ultra Scalable Tape Library, provided by International Business Machines, the assignee of the present invention, may provide one or more Fibre Channel communications interfaces and the data storage drives included in the library may also provide Fibre Channel communications interfaces.
Service of the library becomes a problem when the library component that provides the Fibre Channel connection is replaced, or when one of the Fibre Channel drives in the library are replaced. This is because those Fibre Channel components each have a unique World Wide Name and the replacement parts (or drives) will have a completely different World Wide Name. Host systems typically configure their Fibre Channel devices at power-on and they will require a reboot or re-initialization of host software to recognize any devices that have been replaced.
That is, the problem is currently solved by a reboot or re-initialization of any affected host systems. This is a real problem for customers that expect a minimum of downtime.
Thus, it is a perceived problem that when a Fibre Channel component is replaced in the library there is experienced a customer down-time.
It would thus be highly desirable to provide a system and methodology for eliminating customer down-time whenever a Fibre Channel component is replaced in the library.
It would be additionally desirable to provide a system and method for assigning a unique identifier, e.g., World Wide name, to Fibre Channel components provided in storage automation products. More generally, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for assigning a unique identifier to any interface component of a network or storage sub-system device.
A further problem of these storage automation products is the problem of updating libraries in the field. Initially, the IBM 3584 automated data storage library was only available with a SCSI host attachment.
An exemplary automated data storage library
10
such as the IBM 3584 Ultra Scalable Tape Library, is illustrated in
FIG. 1
, which depicts one or more data storage drives
12
, for reading and/or writing data on removable storage media
14
, such as magnetic tape cartridges or optical disk cartridges, and the like. A plurality of the data storage media
14
are stored in banks of storage shelves
16
. Preferably, an accessor
18
mounts a picker
20
and moves horizontally on rails
34
and
35
and vertically to move the picker to access data storage media
14
and transport the media amongst the data storage drives
12
, the storage shelves
16
and an input/output (I/O) station
23
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, a library controller
24
is provided which may comprise at least one microprocessor
25
a non-volatile memory device
26
, such as a disk drive and/or flash memory and I/O circuits or adapters
27
such as serial ports or register I/O. The controller is coupled with and controls the operation of, the assessor
18
, and picker
20
, and may interface with the data storage devices
12
. The controller may be coupled to one or more of the input/output stations
23
, which allow the transfer of data storage media
14
into and out of the library. The controller
24
may additionally be coupled to an operator panel
30
and, additionally to a host system
28
, typically via an interface
29
such as SCSI or Fibre Channel ports. The controller
24
receives access commands from the host system
28
for the selection and transport of data storage media amongst the data storage drives
12
, the storage shelves
16
and the I/O station
23
. The host system
28
may be coupled to the drives
12
, and information to be recorded on, or to be read from, selected data storage media
14
may be transmitted between the drives and the host system
28
. Alternatively, the library controller may be coupled to the data storage drives
12
, and transfers the data between the drives and the host system.
More particularly, the library controller
24
stores programs for operating the library in accordance with vital information. That is, typically, every library is at a different level with regard to engineering change levels, physical configuration, and logical configuration, and has different calibration values, e.g., for aligning the accessor. This information is also referred to as Vital Product Data (VPD) and may be stored in the non-volatile storage
26
for access by the computer processor
25
. As further shown in
FIGS. 1 and 5
, a machine readable serial number
47
is provided, shown mounted on the frame of the library, for example, by means of a mounting plate
48
on a bracket
49
fixed to the frame such that the machine readable serial number is at a predetermined location of the frame. The machine readable serial number may comprise a bar code label or other sensible indicator. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 4
, a positionable reader
40
, such as a bar code reader, is provided for reading the machine readable serial number identifier
47
. In the operation of the library, the positionable reader
40
may also be employed for reading bar code labels
45
which identify each of the data storage media
14
. The reader is preferably mounted on the accessor
18
, either directly or on the picker
20
, to be moved to the machine readable serial number identifier
47
or bar code label
45
for reading the respective machine readable identifier. Alternatively, the serial number identifiers may be stored in electronic form, e.g., in non-volatile memory
26
(FIG.
3
), or, as an electronic serial number such as may be provided in an electronic component or device. In this case, there is no requirement for a positionable reader
40
.
Currently, it is desirable to integrate a Fibre Channel host attachment to customers that already own the 3584 Ultra Scalable Tape Library. Since the library interface World Wide Names belong to the library, they are saved as VPD.
Upgrading an existing customer would normally involve a manual process because the library VPD would have to be updated to include a valid World Wide Name for the specific library being updated. This cannot be done with a common code update because each library would require a unique World Wide Name.
It would thus be highly desirable to provide a system and methodology for allocating a group of World Wide Names and then using a unique serial number to identify and use a subset of the allocation group.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for assigning a unique identifier to any interface component of a network or
Goodman Brian Gerard
Jesionowski Leonard George
Al-Hashemi Sana
Barkley, Esq. Jean M.
Metjahic Safet
Scully Scott Murphy & Presser
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