EP0628906A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Data storage apparatus
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1994-06-14
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2014-06-14
Abstract
Abstract A peripheral data storage subsystem has means for responding to a MOUNT command received from a host processor to create and mount a host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume. Such logical data-storage volume has a serial number VOLSER indicated in the MOUNT command. The logical data volume is assigned a predetermined area of a physical data volume, such area being termed a partition. The illustrated embodiment shows a tape subsystem in which the partitions are accessed by a control using a reel tachometer that identifies segments of the tape. Each partition has a number of the tape segments. Controls and methods are described for initializing the subsystem for effecting the automatic volume creation, appending data into a logical volume, how logical volumes are made to be portable, moving logical volumes amongst diverse physical media, tape formats usable for such logical volumes, data base control of the logical volumes and volume creation processing. The physical volume in which one or more logical volumes reside is not host-processor addressable. Some physical volumes are ejectable from the data storage subsystem. The physical volumes storing the logical volumes are not ejectable. To eject a logical volume, it is copied from the storing physical volume to an ejectable physical volume.
Inventors
- 👤 Vincent Kanard Allen
- 👤 Robert Samuel Goncharsky
- 👤 Richard Anthony Ripberger
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 11:18
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0668; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0673; G06F3/0682
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
385 words
Apparatus for storing data peripherally to a host processor, including, in combination: attachment means for attaching the apparatus to one or more host processors for receiving commands from an attached host processor, exchanging data with the attached host processor and for supplying status information to the attached host processor; a plurality of host-processor-addressable media drives in the subsystem, each said media drive capable of mounting for reading from and writing to and a physical volume having a record medium; a plurality of said physical volumes in the subsystem, each of said physical volume for storing data therein in one or more host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes residing in respective ones of said physical volumes; volume moving means drives for inserting and removing said physical volumes into and out of said media drives; peripheral controller means having volume manager means connected to the attachment means for receiving mount commands from the attached host processor, said mount commands including an address of one of said media drives and a volume serial number of a host-processor-addressable data-storage volume to be mounted on said addressed media drive; said peripheral controller means having data flow means connected to the attachment means and to the media drives for processing digital signals between said attachment means and said media drives; volume map means connected to the volume manager means for storing identifications of said volume serial numbers and indications of which of said physical volumes said host-processor-addressable data-storage volume contain said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes, respectively; said volume manager means responding to each of said received mount commands for examining said volume map means for identify one of said physical volumes storing said mount command addressed host-processor-addressable data-storage volume, first means, in the volume manager means for responding to identification of one of said physical volumes storing said mount command addressed host-processor-addressable data-storage volume for effecting mounting of said one physical volume on said addressed media drive; and second means, in the volume manager means for responding to identification of none of said physical volumes storing said mount command addressed host-processor-addressable data-storage volume, for selecting a second physical volume, comprising volume initialization means for automatically establishing a new host-processor-addressable data-storage volume as said host-processor-addressed data-storage volume and for actuating said first means to mount said second physical volume in said addressed media drive.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
303 words
A apparatus as claimed in in claim 1, further including, in combination: said media drives removably mounting said physical volumes, each said media drive removably mounting one of said physical volumes at a time for said reading and writing; said volume map means having entry means for indicating that first and second host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes reside in a first one of said physical volumes; said volume manager means for actuating said volume moving means for mounting said first one of said physical volumes in a first one of said media drives for enabling a current access to said first host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume; said volume manager means, responding to a second received mount command for mounting said second host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes to identify that said mount command requires access to said first one of said physical volumes, said volume manager means having hold means responsive to a current access to said first one of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume to hold response to said second received mount command until said current access completes; said volume moving means mounting a second physical volume on a second media drive; completion means in the peripheral controller means for detecting and indicating completion of said current access; said volume manager means having conflict means connected to said completion means for responding to said hold means and to completion of said current access to access said first one of said mounted first physical volume to copy said first addressable data storage volume from said first physical volume to said mounted second physical volume and to update said volume map means for identifying said second addressable host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume being in said mounted second physical volume and for removing said hold such that both said first and second addressable logical data-storage volumes can be simultaneously accessed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
220 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including, in combination: said volume map means indicating that first and second host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes reside in a first one of said physical volumes; said volume manager means mounting said first one of said physical volumes in a first one of said media drives for enabling a current access to said first host-processor-addressable data storage volume; said volume manager means responding to said received mount command for said second host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes to identify that said mount command requires access to said first one of said physical volumes, said volume manager means having hold means responsive to said current access to of said first one of said addressable data storage volume to hold response to said mount command until said current access completes; completion means in said peripheral controller means for detecting completion of said current access; said attachment means having a plurality of paths over which data may be transmitted, said first media drive being connected to a first one of said paths; said volume manager means having conflict means connected to said completion means for responding to said hold and completion of said current access to connect said first media drive to a second one of said paths for enabling access to said second addressable data storage volume.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
228 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including, in combination: said volume map means identifying a first sub-plurality of said physical volumes as partitioned physical volumes, each of said first sub-plurality of said physical volumes having a respective VOLID volume serial number and a visually sensible copy of said respective VOLID volume serial number, all of said VOLID volume serial numbers of said first sub-plurality of said physical volumes being unique such that none of the VOLID serial numbers in said first sub-plurality of physical volumes are duplicated; a set of unique VOLSER volume serial numbers for identifying respective ones of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes, a first predetermined subset of said VOLSER volume serial numbers being different from any of said VOLID volume serial numbers; said volume map means further indicating that first predetermined ones of said VOLSER volume serial numbers in said first predetermined subset respectively identify ones of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes residing on predetermined ones of said first sub-plurality of physical volumes, a given plurality of said first sub-plurality of physical volumes storing a plurality of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes and a predetermined plurality of said VOLSER volume serial numbers not identifying any host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes; and first predetermined received ones of said mount command respectively indicating respective ones of said first predetermined set of said VOLSER volume serial numbers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
178 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further including, in combination: said volume map means further identifying a second sub-plurality of said physical volumes as physical only physical volumes, each of said physical only physical volumes having a visual-sensible indication of a respective VOLID volume serial number, all of said VOLID volume serial numbers being a unique number and different from said first predetermined first VOLSER volume serial numbers; said listing having a second predetermined subset of said VOLSER volume serial numbers being identical to said VOLID volume serial numbers for said second sub-plurality of physical volumes; each of said physical only physical volumes having a VOLSER volume serial number in said second set of VOLSER volume serial numbers recorded therein that is identical to the respective VOLID volume serial number; and given predetermined ones of said received mount commands indicating respective ones of said VOLID identical VOLSER volume serial numbers such that said physical volumes having a VOLID in said first sub-plurality of physical volumes are addressable by said apparatus but not addressable by said host processor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
353 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including, in combination: initialization means connected to said volume manager means for actuating the volume manager means to enter volume serial number data into said volume map means, said initialization means including: first data means for actuating said volume manager means to insert identifying data into said volume map means for identifying a first sub-plurality of said physical volumes as partitioned physical volumes, each of said first sub-plurality of said physical volumes having a respective VOLID volume serial number and a visually sensible copy of said respective VOLID volume serial number, all of said VOLID volume serial numbers of said first sub-plurality of said physical volumes being unique such that none of the VOLID serial numbers in said first sub-plurality of physical volumes are duplicated; second data means for actuating said volume manager means to insert identifying data into said volume map means for identifying a set of unique VOLSER volume serial numbers for identifying respective ones of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes, a first predetermined subset of said VOLSER volume serial numbers being different from any of said VOLID volume serial numbers; third data means for actuating said volume manager means to insert identifying data into said volume map means for further indicating that first predetermined ones of said VOLSER volume serial numbers in said first predetermined subset respectively identify ones of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes that are to reside on ones of said first sub-plurality of physical volumes wherein said first sub-plurality of physical volumes are for storing a plurality of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes; and fourth data means connected to a host processor that is connected to said attachment means for supplying VOLSER data to a host processor all of said VOLSER volume serial numbers as identifying host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes whether or not any respective ones of said VOLSER volume serial numbers actual identify a host-processor-addressable data-storage volume such that the volume manager means can respond to said received mount command to create a host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume using said VOLSER volume serial numbers in said volume map means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
148 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further including, in combination: fifth data means for actuating said volume manager means to insert into said volume map means identifying data for identifying a second sub-plurality of said physical volumes as physical only physical volumes in which each of said physical only physical volumes are to have a visual-sensible indication of a respective VOLID volume serial number, all of said VOLID volume serial numbers being a unique number; said listing having a second predetermined subset of said VOLSER volume serial numbers being identical to said VOLID volume serial numbers for said second sub-plurality of physical volumes; and each of said physical only logical data-storage volumes having one of said VOLSER serial numbers of said second predetermined subset recorded therein for machine sensing and that is equal to the VOLID volume serial number of said respective physical only data storage volume.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
96 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further including, in combination: said initialization means being in one of said host processor means, said initialization means for sending an initialization command to said attachment means that contains the data from said initialization means first through fourth data means for actuating the volume manager means to insert said identifying data into said volume map means; and said volume manager means having means connected to said attachment means for receiving said initialization command for responding to said initialization command for inserting said identifying data into said volume map means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
324 words
A apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including, in combination: each of said physical volumes for movably mounting a data storage medium; each of said media drives having medium displacement indicating means for indicating displacement of said data storage medium of a physical volume mounted therein from a medium reference position of the data storage medium in each said media drive for indicating displacement of the data storage medium from said reference position; said peripheral controller means having means for detecting and indicating a block ID of data recorded on said mounted medium and being connected to the medium displacement indicating means for reading and storing the block ID and the indicated position from said reference position and means for supplying said block ID, said indicated position a first one of the host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes having a first VOLSER to a one of said host processors as a first position reference value in said mounted medium; said peripheral controller means actuating said volume moving means and said media means to copy said first VOLSER identified host-processor-addressable data storage volume to a different displacement position on a different one of said first sub-plurality of said physical volumes, said volume manager means receiving from said peripheral controller means and an indication of said different physical location for said first VOLSER host-processor-addressable data storage volume; said volume moving means mounting said different one of the first sub-plurality of said physical volumes in one of said media drives; said attachment means receiving a locate command for commanding the peripheral controller means to position said medium having said first VOLSER host-processor-addressable data storage volume; said peripheral controller means actuating the volume manager means to change the physical position indicated in the locate command to said different position on said different physical volume; and said peripheral controller means actuating the one media drive to position the medium in the mounted physical data storage volume to said different position.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
651 words
A method of operating a peripheral data-storage system, programmed control means in the peripheral data-storage system for controlling its operation and attachment means connected to the control means for attaching the subsystem to a host processor, a plurality of addressable media devices for removably receiving physical volumes of media, means connected to the control means and to the media devices for mounting and demounting said physical volumes of media, said media devices being connected to the attachment means for exchanging data signals therewith, the method including the steps: establishing a plurality of volume serial numbers; establishing a listing in said control means containing indications of a first set having a plurality of first ones of said volume serial numbers that are to be used only for identifying host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes and establishing a second set of second ones of said volume serial numbers that are to be used only to identify stack ones of said physical volumes in which said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes can reside; initializing predetermined ones of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes including first allocating a predetermined partition of predetermined ones of said physical volumes for respective ones of said host-processor-addressable data-storage volumes and establishing addressability of said host-processor-addressable data-storage volumes by inserting respective ones of said volume serial numbers of said first set in said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes on respective ones of said physical volumes, including initializing fewer of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes that the number of said established first volume serial numbers; in said control means, listing said initialized host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes having said first volume serial numbers, respectively, and identifying, respectively, said initialized ones of said host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volumes and said physical volumes in which the respective logical data-storage volume reside; receiving a mount command from an attached host processor into said control means that includes an addressed of one of said media devices and an addressed volume serial number, in said control means checking said listing for determining whether or not an initialized one of said logical data-storage volumes is identified by said addressed volume serial number, if said checking shows that no initialized logical data-storage volume is identified by said addressed volume serial number, then selecting one of said physical volumes having one of said second volume serial numbers for identifying in said listing said selected one physical volume by said addressed volume serial number in addition to said one second volume serial number; mounting said selected one physical volume in said addressed media device; then, allocating a predetermined addressable partition of said mounted physical volume for receiving and storing a host-processor-addressable logical data-storage volume having said commanded volume serial number and then recording in said allocated partition of said selected physical volume said commanded volume serial number such that said allocated partition is addressable as an initialized logical data-storage volume by said commanded volume serial number; then, recording in said mounted physical volume an index to said initialized logical data-storage volume that includes an address of said allocated addressable partition whereby said one logical data-storage volume is initialized; then updating said listing for showing that said commanded volume serial number identifies said one logical data-storage volume and that said one logical data-storage volume resides in said selected physical volume; if said addressed volume serial number is identified in said listing, then selecting a second one of said physical volumes identified in said listing by said addressed volume serial number for mounting in said addressed media device; then mounting said first selected physical volume in said addressed media device as being said logical data-storage volume; and if said checking shows that the commanded serial number is not a volume serial number in said first plurality of serial numbers, rejecting the received mount command as not identifying any data-storage volume, including if said received mount command identifies a volume serial number in said second plurality of volume serial numbers.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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