JPS62125431A - Media exchange management method for data library equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inhibit the delivery of the mounting/demounting instruction that is inapplicable to an optical disk library device during the exchange of optical disk cartridges, by deciding automatically that those cartridges are under displacement. CONSTITUTION:A host computer 1 delivers the control to an OLU control program 5 in order to mount a desired optical disk cartridge 9 out of a cartridge storing part 8 to a disk drive mechanism 10 or to demount the cartridge 9 to set it back to the part 8 in case the job using an optical disk library device 7 is executed. The program 5 searches an OLU control table 6 which controls the state of the device 7 prior to the instruction for mounting/demounting actions and checks a display flag for the exchange of cartridges. If this flag is set, it is displayed, for example, that the mounting/demounting actions are impossible with cartridges since an operator is exchanging the cartridges.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a medium exchange management system in a data library device such as an optical disk library device.

[Background of the invention]

In recent years, optical disk library devices have appeared that have a function of storing a large number of optical disk cartridges and automatically loading the stored cartridges into an optical disk drive mechanism in response to a command from a host computer. In such a data library device, when inserting or removing a cartridge for replacement, the operator must open the door of the device, insert/remove the cartridge, and then close the door. During this cartridge exchange, the cartridge automatic loading function of the optical disk library device is inhibited. Therefore, in this state,
If the host computer issues a mount/demount command, an error will occur, and the system needs to manage the status of medium exchange in progress and medium exchange completion.

Conventionally, as a device for storing a plurality of storage media, for example, there is a mass storage system (MSS) described in "Computer Architecture" by Hiroshi Yamada published by Sangyo Tosho, pages 83-84.
tem) is known, but this device allows the volume of the device to be used even while the storage medium is being exchanged, and there is no technology disclosed for managing the state in which the medium is being exchanged.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to automatically determine that an optical disk cartridge is being replaced in an optical disk library device, thereby preventing mount/demount commands that cannot be executed to the optical disk library device while the cartridge is being replaced. The purpose is to prevent publication.

[Summary of the invention]

Replacement of optical disk cartridges in the optical disk library device is possible by commands from a program in the host computer. On the other hand, cartridge replacement is completed by closing the door of the cartridge storage section of the optical disk library device.

According to the present invention, when a host computer issues a medium exchange permission command to an optical disk library device, a flag indicating that a medium exchange is in progress is set in, for example, the main storage device. After confirming that the optical disk library device has become ready for medium exchange by issuing the medium exchange permission command, the operator opens the door of the cartridge storage section and exchanges the cartridge. When the cartridge replacement is completed and the door is closed, an interrupt is issued from the optical disk library device to the host computer 1. In response to this interrupt, the host computer resets the cartridge replacement indication flag.

This allows the host computer to refer to the flag before instructing the optical disk library device to mount or demount a cartridge, thereby preventing errors caused by issuing unexecutable mount/demount commands.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. 1st
In the figure, a host computer 1 has a central processing unit 2, an input/output channel 3, and a main storage device 4. On the main storage device 4, an OLU (optical disk library unit) management program 5 and an OLU management table 6 are prepared. An optical disc library unit (OLU) 7 is connected to the host computer 1 via an input/output channel 3. The optical disk library device 7 includes a cartridge storage section 8 and an optical disk drive mechanism 10, and the cartridge storage section 8 stores a large number of optical disk cartridges 9.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts of the LU management program when an operator replaces an optical disk cartridge. notifies the host computer 1 of the cartridge exchange request via the optical disk library device 7. In response to this cartridge exchange request, the OLU management program 5 is activated in the host computer 1. The OLU management program 5 selects the corresponding optical disk library device 7 in the main storage device 4.
Check the LU management table 6 (step 101),
If the cartridge is replaceable.

A flag (cartridge replacement display flag) 61 indicating whether or not a cartridge is being replaced in the LU management table 6 is set (step 102), and a cartridge replacement permission command is issued (step 103). By executing this cartridge exchange permission command, a predetermined lamp of the optical disk library device 7 lights up, and the operator confirms that the optical disk library device 7 is in a state where the medium can be exchanged. On the other hand, if the cartridge cannot be replaced, the operator is notified of this via the optical disk library device 7 (step 104).

When the optical disk library device 17 becomes ready for medium exchange, the operator opens the door of the cartridge storage section 8 and replaces the optical disk cartridge 9. Then, when the cartridge replacement is completed, the operator closes the door of the cartridge storage section 8. The optical disk library device 7 detects that the door of the cartridge storage section 8 is closed, and issues an interrupt to the host computer.

Upon receiving this interrupt, the host computer 1 starts the LU management program 5, searches the LU management table 6 that manages the status of the optical disk library device 7 to which the interrupt is reported (step 201), and replaces the cartridge. The display flag 61 is reset (step 202).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the LU management program when the host computer instructs the optical disk library device to mount/demount an optical disk cartridge.

When a job using the optical disk library device 7 is executed, the host computer 1 loads (mounts) the target optical disk cartridge 9 in the cartridge storage section 8 into the optical disk drive mechanism 10, and
In order to return (demount) the optical disk cartridge 9 to the cartridge storage section 8 from 0, control is passed to the LU management program 5. The OLU management program mounts/
Prior to instructing the demount 1, search the LU management table 6 that manages the status of the optical disk library device 7 (step 301), check the cartridge replacement display flag 61 (step 3602), and check the cartridge replacement display flag 61 (step 3602). If not set, a mount/demount command is issued to the optical disk library device 7 (step 305).

On the other hand, if the cartridge replacement display flag 61 is set, a message is displayed on the operator console via the optical disk library device 7 (step 303). This message is, for example, something like ``The operator is replacing the cartridge and cannot mount/demount the cartridge.'' Thereafter, it is checked whether the cartridge exchange display flag 61 is set at predetermined time intervals (step 304), and if it is set, a mount/demoun 1 command is issued to the optical disk library device 7. Further, if the cartridge exchange display flag 61 is not set even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the process is terminated.

The optical disk library device has been explained above, but
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, in a data library device such as an optical disk library device, it is possible to prevent a job from being abnormally terminated due to a mount/demount command being issued while a storage medium is being replaced.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2 and 3 are flow diagrams of the LU management program when an operator replaces an optical disk cartridge, and Figure 4 is a flow diagram of the LU management program when an operator replaces an optical disk cartridge. The figure is a flow diagram of an OLU management program when a host computer instructs an optical disk library device to mount/demount an optical disk cartridge. 1... host computer, 2... central processing unit, 3.
...I/O channel, 4...Main storage, 5...
OLU management program, 6...OLU management table, 61...Cartridge replacement display flag,
7. Optical disk library device. 8... Cartridge storage section, 9... Optical disk cartridge, 10... Optical disk drive mechanism. Bastogcho'A fFl
yL Te° dog fly 7” Rari X construction Fig. 2 Fig. 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an information processing system that includes a host computer and a data library device that accommodates a plurality of storage media and reads and writes data by mounting or demounting a predetermined storage medium on a drive mechanism according to instructions from the host computer, preparing a flag in the host computer indicating whether or not a storage medium is being exchanged in the data library device;
The host computer sets the flag when permitting storage medium exchange in the data library device, and resets the flag upon receiving a report of completion of storage medium exchange from the data library device. Media exchange management method for data library equipment.