Method for host-independent cartridge entry in an automated library system
US5343403A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 14, 1991 |
| Grant date | Aug 30, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 14, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B15/6835
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method is disclosed for providing a host-independent cartridge entry mode in an automated tape cartridge library connected to more than one host computer. In host-independent cartridge entry mode, a message is broadcast by a library management unit to all of the host computers when an operator loads a cartridge or cartridges into the library cartridge access port. The host computers then vie for control of the cartridge access port, and a selection algorithm determines which host computer is allocated to control the cartridge access port. The selected host computer then catalogs the cartridges contained in the cartridge access port and issues a command to move the cartridges out of the cartridge access port. When the automated library is in host-independent mode, the operator need not issue a command each time additional cartridges are to be entered into the library, since the method of the present invention initiates automatic cartridge catalog and cartridge move operations whenever a cartridge access port door is closed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.