Moving cartridge between library strings

{
  "publication_number": "US9997191B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Moving cartridge between library strings",
  "abstract": "A library manager to determine a relay-point library string when a particular cartridge (specific cartridge) is moved to an empty drive (target drive) for mounting. A method for determining a relay-point library string includes: receiving a command to mount a cartridge in a library string located on one side of the relay-point library string; searching for the target drive among library strings, and finding the target drive in a library string on the other side of an interposed relay-point library string relative to the library string in which the specific cartridge is located; selecting a relay-point library string based on predetermined conditions to move the specific cartridge using shuttle connections to the found target drive; and searching to determine whether or there is a newly available drive in a relay-point library string other than the selected relay-point library string before the selected cartridge reaches the selected relay-point library string.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method for determining a relay-point library string when a library manager moves a particular cartridge (specific cartridge) to an empty drive (target drive) for mounting, the method comprising: (a) receiving a command from an application to mount a specific cartridge in a library string located on one side of the relay-point library string; (b) searching for the target drive for mounting the specific cartridge among the plurality of library strings LS, and finding the target drive in a library string on an other side of an interposed relay-point library string relative to the library string in which the specific cartridge is located; (c) selecting a relay-point library string of a plurality of relay-point library strings LS on the basis of predetermined conditions to move the specific cartridge using at least two shuttle connections SC to the target drive; and (d) searching to determine whether or not there is a newly available drive in the relay-point library string other than the selected relay-point library string before the selected cartridge reaches the selected relay-point library string (selected relay-point LS); and (e) moving the specific cartridge to the newly available drive instead of to the target drive when the newly available drive becomes available before the selected cartridge reaches the selected relay-point library string.",
    "2. The method of claim 1, wherein searching for the newly available drive (d) further comprises moving the specific cartridge to the library string with the initial target drive when a drive does not become newly available.",
    "3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the relay-point library string (c) selects one of the plurality of relay-point library strings LS on the basis of predetermined conditions taking into account the possibility that a drive may become newly available from the selected relay-point library string in a library string other than the library string of the target drive when the library strings have the same number of tape drives.",
    "4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the relay-point library string (c) selects one of the plurality of relay-point library strings LS on the basis of average transport times from the selected relay-point library string to library strings LS other than the library string with the target drive.",
    "5. The method of claim 4, wherein selecting the relay-point library string (c) selects one of the plurality of relay-point library strings LS on the basis of an anticipated time required defined as the product of the average transport time from the selected relay-point library string to library strings LS other than the library string with the target drive, and the probability of a drive becoming available in a plurality of library strings LS other than the library string of the target drive before the specific cartridge arrives at the relay point candidate.",
    "6. The method of claim 4, wherein selecting the relay-point library string (c) selects, as a relay point, the library string having a shortest average transport time or anticipated time required from the selected relay-point library string and a library string other than the library string of the target drive."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a method for moving cartridges between library strings. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for selecting a relay-point library string to execute cartridge mounting requests more efficiently when a plurality of library strings (LS) are connected by using shuttle connections.\n\nA shuttle complex has been proposed for libraries in which a plurality of library strings that connect a plurality of libraries with storage media such as tapes are arranged in rows. This shuttle complex is a storage library in which library strings are connected by shuttle connections (SC) (IBM System Storage TS3500, etc.). In this shuttle complex, cars are able to move within a shuttle connection and are used to move (or transport) cartridges including storage media such as tapes between library strings and to mount the tapes in a tape drive (drive) or store them in a slot within the library frame specified as the destination point.\n\nDue to phased scale-up that uses groups of libraries with a large-scale shuttle configuration, shuttle connections directly connected to all library strings cannot be guaranteed. There are shuttle complexes in which a cartridge cannot be transported in response to a mounting request except via two or more shuttle connections and a library string serving as a relay point (relay-point library string). When there are shuttle connections that do not directly connect two library strings, the selection of a relay-point library string can affect the performance of writing and reading data on a cartridge.",
  "cpc": [
    "G11B 15/6885",
    "B65G 1/137",
    "B65G 1/1373",
    "G11B 15/689",
    "G11B 17/228"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 1/137",
    "G11B 15/68",
    "G11B 17/22"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "International Business Machines Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Naoki Imai",
    "Takamasa Hirata",
    "Masanori Kamiya",
    "Norie Iwasaki"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-04-28",
  "publication_date": "2018-06-12",
  "grant_date": "2018-06-12",
  "priority_date": "2012-07-30",
  "application_number": "US-201615141035-A",
  "family_id": "49995044",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
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    "US20140031973A1"
  ]
}