Method for verifying availability of data space in virtual tape system
US6289425A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 1, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 11, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 1, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/08
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for verifying availability of reusable data space on a selected virtual scratch tape in a virtual tape system utilizes volume label information routinely maintained in an external tape inventory management arrangement to generate labels separate from the actual volume labels stored on a corresponding tape. The volume labels are generated in a format compatible for input to an external tape management system after the selected virtual scratch tape has been mounted on a virtual tape drive. The "on-the-fly" generation of the separate volume labels based on preexisting label information allows the present invention to significantly reduce processing time and needless data transfers typically required to verify whether a scratch tape can in fact be reused, thereby increasing overall efficiency in data storage management and storage space utilization.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.