JP2010152993A - Library device and its storage medium management method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a library device capable of shortening a period of time required for a processing, in which a storage medium stored in a magazine is confirmed, to provide its storage medium management method, and to provide a program for managing the storage medium. <P>SOLUTION: A magazine 15 includes a counter for counting the number of times of loading and unloading of a storage medium for each slot. A counter read unit 17 reads a counted value of each counter of the magazine 15 as the number of times of insertion/discharge of corresponding each slot. A main control unit 12 compares independently the number of times of insertion/discharge of each slot read by the counter read unit 17 with the number of times of insertion/discharge of each slot read previously which is stored in a medium information storage unit 16, an unmatched slot is specified, and controls the operation of a medium confirming unit 19 so as to confirm the existence of a storage medium for this specified slot. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a library apparatus equipped with a magazine for storing a plurality of storage media, a storage medium management method thereof, and a storage medium management program.

  The library apparatus stores a plurality of storage media, loads a specified storage medium into a drive device in accordance with a command from the host computer, and reads / writes data from / to the storage medium, thereby manually interposing the plurality of storage media. This is a device that can be used without any use.

  Here, a normal library apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams showing a configuration example of a normal library apparatus capable of taking in and out a storage medium in a magazine unit. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a normal library device 8. As shown in FIG. 13, the normal library device 8 is connected to a host computer 9 that issues a transport command to the drive 83 of a storage medium stored in the magazine 85 and a data read / write command to the storage medium.

  The normal library device 8 is connected via a main control unit 82 that controls the conveyance of the storage medium, checks the identifier label attached to the storage medium, and reports to the host computer 9, and the host I / F (interface) unit 81. A drive 83 that writes data to a storage medium by a Write command received from the host computer 9 and reads data from the storage medium by a Read command; a plurality of storage media can be stored; A medium storage unit (magazine) 85 capable of taking a certain storage medium into the apparatus, and a medium for transporting the storage medium between slots of the magazine 85 or between the magazine 85 and the drive 83 in accordance with the control of the main control unit 82 Media storage state of each slot of conveyance unit 84 and magazine 85 and medium of stored storage medium It is constituted by a medium information storage unit 86 for storing the Besshi.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, the magazine 85 can be removed from the apparatus main body, and the storage medium 852 is taken into the library apparatus 8 by storing the storage medium 852 in the magazine 85 and inserting it into the apparatus. Can do.

  In such a normal library apparatus 8, in order to uniquely identify each storage medium 852, a medium identifier is attached to each storage medium 852 by a barcode or the like, and the operator designates the medium in advance by a backup job or the like. The information on the barcode label is used when the storage medium storing the data is taken out of the apparatus and stored.

  Further, in the normal library device 8, when information on a storage medium stored in the device is requested from the host computer 9, it is necessary to return the information immediately without performing a robot operation or the like.

  The backup software installed in the host computer 9 first obtains information on all storage media stored in the library device 8 and displays a media list so that the operator can select the storage media. On the other hand, in order to obtain information on all storage media to be notified to the host computer 9, the library apparatus 8 is provided with a medium confirmation unit 19 including a bar code reading sensor mechanism and a medium presence / absence confirmation mechanism in the medium transport unit 84. Then, the medium transport unit 14 is operated so that the medium presence / absence confirmation mechanism and the barcode reading sensor mechanism come to the vicinity of the storage medium, and after confirming whether or not the storage medium is stored by the medium presence / absence confirmation mechanism, the bar An inventory process is performed in which an identifier is read from a barcode or the like attached to a storage medium using a code reading sensor mechanism and stored in the medium information storage unit 86.

  Since this inventory process includes mechanical operations, it takes a few minutes to a dozen minutes to check the storage status of the media in all slots, and the medium confirmation process starts after a request from the host computer 9 is received. However, there was a problem that it would time out. Therefore, at the time of startup, the normal library device 8 executes the above-described inventory processing to check all the stored storage media, stores the media information for each slot, and then prepares for completion (READY). To report. As a result, when a request is received from the host computer 9, an immediate response is possible. Similar to the start-up, the same inventory processing is performed even after the storage medium is inserted / removed by replacing the storage medium input / output port or the magazine 85 during operation.

  However, also in this case, it takes several to tens of minutes to check the medium storage state for all slots after the apparatus is started and when the medium is inserted / removed. This processing cannot be executed, and it takes time until the data read / write processing can be executed in the library device 8.

  In view of this, Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose related technologies. In Patent Document 1, a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a storage medium is attached to a slot for storing the storage medium, and during a period when the storage medium may be manually inserted / removed, the sensor is polled and the storage medium is inserted / removed. A technique is disclosed in which the medium identification attached to the storage medium accommodated in each slot is read only when monitoring and detection of the insertion / extraction of the storage medium are detected.

  In Patent Document 2, each component constituting the device holds its own console type and console information of the console string, and each component transmits console information to the basic control unit. A technique for managing all information is disclosed.

  In Patent Document 3, a magazine storing a plurality of types of storage media holds a recording / reproduction method, the number of stored media, a storage position, and a magazine identifier for each medium, and is appropriate for the type of write data. An autochanger for selecting a recording medium from a magazine is disclosed.

JP 2001-92597 A JP 2001-101752 A JP-A-8-138355

  However, in the related art disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the sensor must be monitored by polling, the library apparatus must be always energized and communicable with the sensor, and uses a removable magazine. Has the disadvantage that it cannot be applied.

  In the related art disclosed in Patent Document 2, the component is changed in a state where the component is removed from the apparatus, for example, the component (part) is removed and replaced with an equivalent component (part). In some cases, it was impossible to detect the case. The related art disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a disadvantage that it cannot be detected whether or not a magazine has been replaced with another magazine.

  Therefore, the present invention improves the disadvantages of the related art and can reduce the time taken to complete the process of checking the storage status of the storage medium in the magazine storing a plurality of recording media, and its storage An object is to provide a medium management method and a storage medium management program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a library apparatus of the present invention includes a magazine having a plurality of slots for storing storage media, and a storage medium stored by checking the presence or absence of a storage medium in each slot of the magazine. A medium confirmation unit that reads the attached medium identifier, and a medium information storage unit that stores information indicating the presence / absence of the storage medium for each slot and the medium identifier of the stored storage medium in accordance with the information acquired by the medium confirmation unit The counter includes a counter unit that counts the number of insertions / removals of the storage medium for each slot, and the device body reads the number of insertions / removals of each slot from each counter unit. A counter information storage unit that stores the number of insertions / removals of each slot read by the counter read unit, and the counter reset A main control unit for identifying a slot that does not match by individually comparing the number of times of insertion / extraction of each slot read by the slot unit and the number of times of insertion / removal of each slot read previously stored in the counter information storage unit; The main control unit controls the operation of the medium confirmation unit so as to confirm the presence / absence of a storage medium for the specified slot, and stores the medium information storage unit in accordance with the confirmation result of the medium confirmation unit. A main control unit for updating the stored information is provided.

  Also, the storage medium management method of the present invention is a library device comprising a magazine having a plurality of slots for storing storage media and an apparatus body on which the magazine is mounted, and the counter read provided in the apparatus body. The unit reads the count value from a counter unit that counts the number of insertions / removals of the storage medium provided in each slot of the magazine, and stores the read / removal number of each slot and the counter information stored in the apparatus main body. The main control unit installed in the apparatus main body compares the number of insertions and withdrawals of each slot read last time stored in the unit and identifies a slot that does not match, and specifies the device main body according to a command from the main control unit The medium confirmation unit installed in the memory confirms the presence or absence of a storage medium in the specified slot and reads the medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium. Taken, and to store the medium information memory unit for the medium identifier has been previously installed in the apparatus main body of the presence and housed in and storage medium of the storage medium of the identified slot.

  Also, the storage medium management program of the present invention is provided with a magazine having a plurality of slots for storing storage media, and is attached to the storage medium stored by checking the presence or absence of a storage medium in each slot. A medium confirmation unit that reads the medium identifier, a medium information storage unit that stores information indicating the presence / absence of the storage medium for each slot and the medium identifier of the stored storage medium according to the information acquired by the medium confirmation unit; A counter lead unit that reads a count value of a counter unit that counts the number of insertions and withdrawals of the storage medium provided in each slot; and a counter information storage unit that stores the number of insertions and withdrawals of each slot read by the counter lead unit. In the library apparatus having the main body, the number of insertion / removal of each slot read by the counter read unit and the counter information A function for identifying a slot that does not match by comparing the number of insertions / removals of each slot read last time stored in the storage unit, and checking whether there is a storage medium in the identified slot is stored The function for controlling the operation of the medium confirmation unit to read the medium identifier attached to the storage medium, the presence / absence of the storage medium in the specified slot, and the medium identifier of the stored storage medium from the medium confirmation unit A function of inputting and storing in the medium information storage unit is executed by a computer.

  Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above, this compares the number of insertions / removals of each slot read from each counter unit equipped in the magazine with the number of insertions / removals of each slot read and stored last time. Since the storage medium is checked for the slot that has not been processed, the storage status of the storage medium can be checked only for the slot in which the recording medium is inserted or removed, and the process of checking the storage medium in the magazine The time required for completion can be effectively shortened.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment detachably mounts a medium storage unit (magazine) 15 for storing a plurality of storage media (magnetic tapes) and is connected to a host computer 2. The host I / F (interface) unit 11 that transmits / receives data, the main control unit 12 that controls the overall operation of the magnetic tape library device 1, and the data read / write from / to the storage medium taken out from the mounted magazine 15 A data read / write unit (tape drive) 13 and a medium transport unit 14 for loading / unloading storage media into / from the magazine 15 and the tape drive 13 and transporting the storage medium between the magazine 15 and the tape drive 13 are provided.

  Further, the magnetic tape library device 1 of the present embodiment stores a medium confirmation unit 19 for confirming the storage medium stored in the magazine 15 and stores each slot of the magazine 15 obtained as a result of confirmation by the medium confirmation unit 19. And a medium information storage unit 16 for storing an identifier of the storage medium being stored.

  Here, the magazine 15 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the magazine 15 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the inside of the magazine 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the magazine 15 of the present embodiment has a plurality of slots 155 for storing the storage medium 152, and for each slot 155, a medium pushing member 151, a spring 153, and a stopper 154. When the storage medium 152 is accommodated in the slot 155, the spring 153 extends to apply a force for the medium pushing member 151 to push the storage medium 152, and the stopper 154 supports the storage medium 152 to cancel the force to push the storage medium 152 into the slot. 155 is stored in the state.

  4A is a diagram for explaining the operation of taking out the storage medium 152 from the slot 155 of the magazine 15, and FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining the operation of housing the storage medium 152 in the slot 155.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the operation of taking out the storage medium 152 from the slot 155, the stopper 154 is slid outside the slot 155 to remove the support to the storage medium 152, and the storage medium 152 is contracted by the force of the spring 153 contracting. Push out. 4B, when a storage medium is inserted into the magazine 15, the storage medium 152 is pushed into the slot 155 after the stopper 154 is slid outside the slot 155, and the stopper 154 is inserted into the slot 155. The storage medium 152 is prevented from going out of the magazine 15 by sliding inward.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the magazine 15 of this embodiment further counts the number of times the mechanical counter 157 counts, and the mechanical counter 157 that counts the number of times the storage medium 152 is inserted into and removed from the slot 155. A counter unit 159 including a count display mechanism 158 for displaying is provided for each slot 155. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the installation position of the mechanical counter 157. 5B and 5C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the mechanical counter 157. FIG.

  The mechanical counter 157 is provided at a position as shown in FIG. When the storage medium 152 is inserted into the slot 155, the storage medium 152 is pushed into the slot 155 with the stopper 154 slid toward the outside of the slot 155. At that time, the mechanical counter 157 is caught by the storage medium 152. It is pushed and rotated (see FIG. 5B). When the storage medium 152 is completely stored in the slot 155, the claw of the mechanical counter 157 appears outside the partition between the magazine slots 155.

  On the other hand, when the storage medium 152 is taken out from the slot 155, if the stopper 154 is slid toward the outside of the slot 155, the medium pushing member 151 pushes out the storage medium 152 by the contracting force of the spring 153. Rotates with the movement of the storage medium 152 (see FIG. 5C). When the storage medium 152 is completely out of the slot 155, the claw of the mechanical counter 157 appears outside the partition between the magazine slots 155.

  The count unit 159 is configured such that when the mechanical counter 157 rotates and the claw appears from the partition wall, the count is added and the counted count is displayed on the count display mechanism 158.

  The library apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a counter read unit 17 that reads the count value of the counter unit 159 attached to the magazine 15. For example, when the counter unit 159 has a means for storing a count value and a communication unit, the counter read unit 17 electrically communicates with the counter unit 159 and receives the count value from the counter unit 159 as a response. It may be configured to receive, or may be configured to capture the display of the counter display mechanism 158, recognize the image, and read the count value. The count value of each counter 159 read by the counter read unit 17 is stored in the medium information storage unit 16.

  The medium confirmation unit 19 has a function of confirming the presence or absence of a storage medium for each slot of the magazine 15 and reading a medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium. The medium confirmation unit 19 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a medium identification reading mechanism for reading a medium identifier is provided on the medium transport unit 14, and the medium identification reading mechanism moves to each slot, and a storage medium is stored in the slot. When it is confirmed that an identifier is attached, an operation such as reading an identifier attached to the storage medium is performed. At this time, when two volumes of media are stored in one slot (see FIG. 2), the medium confirmation unit 19 of the present embodiment stores the previous storage medium in the medium transport unit 14 and stores it in the back. It is configured to read the identifier of the storage medium that is stored. Here, for example, when the identifier of the storage medium is recorded in a barcode, the medium identification reading mechanism may be a barcode reader, and the identifier of the storage medium is recorded in an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag. In this case, a tag reader may be used.

  The medium information storage unit 16 described above stores table data in which the presence / absence of a storage medium and the medium identifier of the stored storage medium are recorded for each slot in accordance with the information acquired by the medium confirmation unit 19.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of table data stored in the medium storage unit 16 in the present embodiment. The table data stored in the medium information storage unit 16 is table data in which a counter value, the presence / absence of a medium, or a medium identifier is recorded in association with the slot number of the magazine 15. Since the magazine 15 of this embodiment is configured to be able to store two storage media in one slot, the table data stored in the media information storage unit 16 includes the slot number as shown in FIG. On the other hand, “row 1”, “row 2” and two medium information are recorded. The table data shown in FIG. 6 records that the counter value of the slot with the number “1” is “3”, and that the storage medium with the identifier “VOL001” is stored in the slot with “1”. .

  The medium information storage unit 16 stores information even when the main power supply of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 is turned off. As described above, the medium storage unit 16 in the present embodiment stores the number of insertions / removals (counter values) of each slot, and thus functions as a counter information storage unit.

  The main control unit 12 has a function of causing the medium confirmation unit 19 to confirm each slot of the magazine 15 and storing the medium storage status for each slot in the medium information storage unit 16 when the apparatus is turned on or when the magazine 15 is mounted. And a function of returning information stored in the medium information storage unit 16 when a request for information on the storage medium stored in the apparatus is received from the host computer 2.

  When the main control unit 12 receives a data read / write command from the host computer 2 with respect to the specified storage medium, the main control unit 12 refers to the table data stored in the medium storage unit 16 and identifies the slot in which the specified storage medium is stored. A function of controlling the operation of the medium transport unit 14 is provided so that a designated storage medium is taken out from the slot and transported to the tape drive 13.

  Further, the main control unit 12 controls the operation of the medium confirmation unit 19 based on the count value of each counter read by the counter read unit 17 and is stored in the medium information storage unit 16 according to the information acquired by the medium confirmation unit 19. It has a function to update the table data. Specifically, the main control unit 12 individually compares the count value of each counter read by the counter read unit 17 with the count value of each counter read previously stored in the counter information storage unit 16. The slot corresponding to the counter that does not match is identified, and the operation of the medium confirmation unit 19 is controlled so as to confirm the presence / absence of a storage medium in the identified slot.

  With such a configuration, since the medium confirmation unit 19 confirms only the specified slot, it is possible to shorten the storage medium confirmation time when the magazine 51 is mounted or when the apparatus is activated.

  In addition, when the main control unit 12 causes the medium transport unit 14 to take in and out the storage medium from the magazine 15, the count value of the counter unit 159 provided in the slot in which the storage medium is taken in and out is sent via the counter lead unit 17. A function of reading and updating the counter information stored in the medium information storage unit 16 without operating the medium confirmation unit 19 is provided.

  Thus, in the medium conveyance performed under the control of the main control unit 12, the state in which the counter value in the table data in the medium information storage unit 16 and the count value of the counter unit 159 on the magazine 15 coincide with each other is maintained. Be drunk. Accordingly, it is possible to determine that the storage medium has been moved outside the control of the main control unit 12 when the two do not match, and it is possible to detect that the storage medium has been inserted or removed by a method other than the control of the main control unit 12. it can.

  Here, the main control unit 12 in the present embodiment may be configured such that the function content is programmed and executed by a computer.

  Next, the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. Here, the following operation description is an embodiment of the storage medium management method of the present invention.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. When the power source of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 is turned on or when the magazine 51 is mounted, an inventory process for confirming the storage status of the storage medium in the apparatus is performed. In the inventory process, first, the counter read unit 17 sequentially reads the count values of the counter unit 159 provided in the magazine 15 (step S101 in FIG. 7). The main control unit 12 inputs the counter value read by the counter reading unit 17, and the input counter value and the table data (FIG. 6) stored in the medium information storage unit 16 previously read in the same slot. The counter value is compared (step S102 in FIG. 7).

  If the counter value of the table data matches the counter value input from the counter read unit 17 (Yes in step S102 in FIG. 7), the process proceeds to the next slot without doing anything. If the counter value in the table data does not match the counter value input from the counter read unit 17 (No in step S102 in FIG. 7), the medium confirmation unit 19 performs the slot concerned according to the instruction from the main control unit 12. The presence / absence of the storage medium and the medium identifier are read, and the main control unit 12 updates the table data in accordance with the result of the confirmation process by the medium confirmation unit 19 (step S103 in FIG. 7). When the comparison of counter values is completed for all slots (Yes in step S104 in FIG. 7), the inventory process is terminated.

  As described above, in the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the storage medium in the magazine 15 is checked when the magazine 15 is mounted or the apparatus is activated, only the slot in which the storage medium is inserted / removed is set in the medium check unit 19. Therefore, as compared with the case where all the slots are always confirmed, the time until the confirmation of the storage medium is completed is shortened.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the medium transport processing operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 of this embodiment. When the main control unit 12 receives from the host computer 2 the host computer 2 via the host I / F unit 11 a medium transfer command specifying a storage medium and a transfer destination slot, the main control unit 12 controls the medium transfer unit 14 to control the transfer source. The medium is taken out from the slot (step S201 in FIG. 8). The main control unit 12 reads the count value of the counter unit 159 provided in the slot from which the storage medium is taken out via the counter read unit 17 (step S202 in FIG. 8), and the table stored in the medium information storage unit 16 Data is updated (step S203 in FIG. 8).

  Subsequently, the main control unit 12 moves the medium transport unit 14 to the transport destination slot, inserts the storage medium into the designated transport destination (step S204 in FIG. 8), and counter unit 159 of the slot into which the storage medium is inserted. Is read (step S205 in FIG. 8), and the table data stored in the medium information storage unit 16 is updated (step S206 in FIG. 8).

  By operating in this way, the counter value of the table data in the medium information storage unit 16 matches the count value of the counter unit 159 of the magazine 15 in the medium conveyance performed under the control of the main control unit 12. Since the state is maintained, it is possible to determine that the storage medium has been moved outside the control of the main control unit 12 when they do not match, and that the storage medium has been inserted or removed by a method other than the control of the main control unit 12 Can be detected.

  In this embodiment, the storage medium is a magnetic tape, but the type of the storage medium is not limited to this.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1b of the second embodiment. The magnetic tape library apparatus 1b of the second embodiment differs from the configuration of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 of the first embodiment described above in that a magazine identifier 156 for identifying a magazine is attached to the magazine 15b. (See FIG. 10). For example, the magazine identifier 156 may be recorded as a barcode, or may be recorded on an electronic tag such as an RFID.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the magnetic tape library apparatus 1b of the second embodiment is similar to the magnetic tape library apparatus 1 of the first embodiment in that a host I / F unit 11, a tape drive 13, A medium transport unit 14, a medium information storage unit 16, a counter read unit 17, and a medium confirmation unit 19 are provided. Further, a main control unit 12b, a magazine 15b holding a magazine identifier 156, and a magazine 15b And a magazine identifier read unit 18 for reading the attached magazine identifier 156. For example, when the magazine identifier 156 is recorded on the barcode, the magazine identifier read unit 18 has a configuration in which a barcode reader is attached to the medium transport unit 14, and the magazine identifier 156 is recorded on the RFID tag. Is a tag reader. The magazine identifier 156 read by the magazine identifier read unit 18 is stored in the medium information storage unit 16.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing table data stored in the medium information storage unit 16 of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, in the medium information storage unit 16 of the second embodiment, in addition to the counter value for each slot, the presence / absence of the storage medium, or the identifier of the storage medium, the magazine identifier 156 of the magazine 15b installed. Is remembered. In the table data shown in FIG. 11, the counter value of the slot “1” of the magazine with the magazine identifier “MAG001” is “3”, and the storage medium with the identifier “VOL001” is stored in the slot “1”. It has been recorded.

  In addition, the main control unit 12b in the second embodiment reads the previous function stored in the magazine identifier read by the magazine identifier read unit 18 and the medium information storage unit 16 with the same function as the main control unit 12 described above. A function is provided to control the operation of the medium confirmation unit 19 so as to confirm the presence / absence of storage media in all slots when the magazine identifiers are collated and do not match.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, it is determined that the magazine 15b has been replaced with another magazine by using the magazine identifier for performing individual identification of the magazine 15b. By checking the medium in the slot, it is possible to correctly detect the change of the storage medium even if the counter values coincide by chance in different magazines.

  Next, the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1b of the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus 1b of the second embodiment. First, the magazine identifier read unit 18 reads the magazine identifier 156 of the magazine 15b (step S301 in FIG. 12).

  The main control unit 12b determines whether or not the read magazine identifier matches the magazine identifier stored in the medium information storage unit 16 (step S302 in FIG. 12). If they match (step S302 in FIG. 12). As in the first embodiment, the count value of the counter unit 159 in each slot is compared with the counter value in the table data, and only the slots having different counter values are confirmed (step in FIG. 12). S304, steps S101 to S104 in FIG. 7)).

  If the magazine identifiers do not match (No in step S302 in FIG. 12), the main control unit 12b determines whether the medium check unit 19 checks all the slots regardless of whether the counter values match. The operation is controlled (step S303 in FIG. 12).

  The magnetic tape library device 1b according to the second embodiment operates in this way, so that when the magazine is replaced, all the storage media are replaced, but the count value of the counter unit of the replaced magazine is Even if the count value of the counter section read last time coincides with the accident, if the magazine identifier is changed, the medium confirmation of all slots is performed, so that the replacement of the storage medium can be detected correctly.

  The present invention can be applied to a library apparatus that takes in and out a storage medium in units of magazines.

1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a magnetic tape library device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. (A) It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement at the time of the storage medium extraction of the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. (B) It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement at the time of storage medium storage of the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. (A) It is a figure which shows the installation position of the counter with which the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1 was equipped. (B) It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the counter with which the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1 was equipped. (C) It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the counter with which the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1 was equipped. It is a figure which shows an example of the table data memorize | stored in the medium information storage part in embodiment disclosed in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus of the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1. 6 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus according to the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the magnetic tape library apparatus of 2nd Embodiment concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the magazine in embodiment disclosed in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the table data memorize | stored in the medium information storage part in embodiment disclosed in FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the magnetic tape library apparatus of the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 9; It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional library apparatus. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the library apparatus which mounts the magazine so that attachment or detachment is possible.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1b Magnetic tape library device 2 Host computer 11 Host I / F unit 12, 12b Main control unit 13 Data writing unit (tape drive)
14 Medium transport unit 15, 15b Medium storage unit (magazine)
16 Medium information storage unit 17 Counter read unit 18 Magazine identifier read unit 19 Medium confirmation unit 151 Medium push member 152 Storage medium (magnetic tape)
153 Spring 154 Stopper 155 Slot 156 Magazine identifier 157 Mechanical counter 158 Counter display mechanism 159 Counter section

Claims (11)

A magazine having a plurality of slots for storing a storage medium, a medium confirmation unit for checking the presence or absence of a storage medium in each slot and reading a medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium, and a medium confirmation unit In a library apparatus comprising a medium information storage unit that stores information indicating the presence or absence of a storage medium for each slot and a medium identifier of a stored storage medium according to the acquired information,
The magazine includes a counter unit that counts the number of insertions and withdrawals of the storage medium for each slot,
A counter lead unit that reads the number of insertions / removals of each slot from each counter unit, a counter information storage unit that stores the number of insertions / removals of each slot read by the counter lead unit, and each slot read by the counter lead unit A main control unit that identifies a slot that does not match by comparing the number of insertions / removals and the number of times of insertion / removal of each slot read last time stored in the counter information storage unit,
The main control unit controls the operation of the medium confirmation unit so as to confirm the presence / absence of a storage medium in the specified slot, and the information stored in the medium information storage unit according to the confirmation result of the medium confirmation unit A library device characterized by updating The library apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The library apparatus, wherein the magazine is detachable from the apparatus main body. The library apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
When the storage medium is taken in / out from the magazine by the medium transport unit pre-installed in the apparatus main body, the main control unit sends the count value of the counter unit provided in the inserted / removed slot via the counter lead unit. And a function of updating the acquired count value of the slot stored in the counter information storage unit to the acquired count value. The library apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The magazine holds a magazine identifier that identifies the magazine,
A magazine identifier read unit for reading a magazine identifier attached to the magazine, and a magazine identification storage unit for storing the read magazine identifier,
The main control unit collates the magazine identifier read by the magazine identifier read unit with the magazine identifier read last time stored in the magazine identification storage unit. A library apparatus characterized in that the presence or absence of a storage medium is confirmed. In a magazine having a plurality of slots for storing storage media,
A magazine comprising a counter unit for counting the number of insertions and withdrawals of the storage medium for each slot. In a library apparatus comprising a magazine having a plurality of slots for storing storage media and an apparatus main body on which the magazine is mounted,
The counter read unit of the apparatus main body reads the count value from the counter unit that counts the number of insertions and withdrawals of the storage medium provided in each slot of the magazine,
The main control unit of the apparatus main body compares the read number of times of insertion / extraction of each slot and the number of times of insertion / removal of each slot stored in the counter information storage unit of the apparatus main body, and identifies a slot,
In accordance with an instruction from the main control unit, the medium confirmation unit of the apparatus main body reads the medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium by confirming the presence / absence of the storage medium in the slot specified by the main control unit,
A storage medium management method comprising: storing the presence / absence of a storage medium in the specified slot and a medium identifier of a storage medium stored in a medium information storage unit provided in the apparatus main body. The storage medium management method according to claim 6, wherein
When the storage medium is taken in / out from the magazine by the medium transport unit pre-installed in the apparatus main body, the counter read unit reads the count value of the counter unit corresponding to the slot in which the medium has been put in / out, and the main control unit Updating the number of insertions / removals of each slot stored in the counter information storage unit to a value read by the counter read unit. The storage medium management method according to claim 7,
Before the counter read unit reads the count value of each counter unit,
The magazine identifier read unit provided in the apparatus main body reads the magazine identifier attached to the magazine,
The main control unit collates the read magazine identifier with the magazine identifier stored in the magazine identification storage unit equipped in the apparatus body,
If they do not match, the medium confirmation unit confirms the presence / absence of the storage medium in all slots in accordance with a command from the main control unit, reads the medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium,
A storage medium management method, wherein the presence / absence of a storage medium in each slot and a medium identifier of a storage medium stored therein are stored in the medium information storage unit. A magazine having a plurality of slots for storing a storage medium, a medium confirmation unit for checking the presence or absence of a storage medium in each slot and reading a medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium, and a medium confirmation unit According to the acquired information, a medium information storage unit that stores information indicating the presence / absence of a storage medium for each slot and a medium identifier of the stored storage medium, and counts the number of insertions / removals of the storage medium provided in each slot In a library apparatus comprising a counter read unit that reads a count value of a counter unit, and a counter information storage unit that stores the number of insertions / removals of each slot read by the counter read unit,
A function of identifying a slot that does not match by individually comparing the number of insertions / removals of each slot read by the counter lead unit and the number of insertions / removals of each slot stored in the counter information storage unit;
A function of controlling the operation of the medium confirmation unit so as to read the medium identifier attached to the storage medium stored by confirming the presence or absence of the storage medium in the specified slot;
A storage medium for causing a computer to execute the function of inputting the presence / absence of a storage medium in the specified slot and the medium identifier of the stored storage medium from the medium confirmation unit and storing it in the medium information storage unit Administrative program. In the storage medium management program according to claim 9,
When it is detected that a storage medium has been taken in / out from the magazine by the medium transport unit pre-installed in the apparatus main body, the number of insertions / removals of the inserted / removed slot is input from the counter lead unit, A storage medium management program which causes a computer to execute a function of updating information stored in a counter information storage unit. The storage medium management program according to claim 10,
A function of inputting a magazine identifier read from a magazine identifier read unit for reading a magazine identifier attached to the magazine;
A function of collating the input magazine identifier with a magazine identifier stored in a magazine identification storage unit pre-installed in the apparatus main body;
If the result of the collation is that they do not match, the medium confirmation unit confirms the presence or absence of storage media in all slots, and allows the medium identifier attached to the stored storage medium to be read;
A storage that causes a computer to execute the function of recording the presence / absence of a storage medium in each slot and the medium identifier of the storage medium stored in the medium information storage unit according to the information acquired by the medium confirmation unit Media management program.

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