JPS63259866A - Large capacity data memory system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form an unmanned system between a memory and a recording medium storehouse by segmenting an identifier out of a host computer and mounting/demounting a recording medium based on a mounting/demounting instruction and with reference to a recording means. CONSTITUTION:The display signals 2 sent from a host computer 1 contain messages 4 and 5 for simultaneous designation of mounting/demounting actions of a recording medium. A microprocessor of a controller 6 segments a medium identifier which can identify well-definedly the recording medium following a mounting message and stores it in a control memory 10. Then the identifier is compared with the medium control information already stored. When the coincidence is obtained from said comparison, it is confirmed by a status that a target recording medium is stored in an automatic storehouse 20. Then a mounting request added with the information on the position of the recording medium stored in the storehouse 20, a memory to be mounted, etc., is given to an automatic storehouse control part 22. The part 22 moves the recording medium that received an indication from the controller 6 to a designated memory 12 via an access mechanism 27.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a large-capacity data storage system including an automatic library using exchangeable recording media, and is particularly useful for saving labor, unmanning workers, and preventing malfunctions. [Prior art] Regarding a suitable large-capacity data storage system, a conventional device, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-152059, has a display in each storage device to improve operability. there were. However, although the conventional devices have improved operability for the operator, no means have been considered for eliminating operator intervention between the storage device and the warehouse where the media are stored.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

FIG. 2 shows a conventional data storage system, where 1 is a high-level converter, 2 is a display command sent from the high-level converter 1, 6 is a control signal indicating the display method, etc., and 4 is a control signal indicating the display method. and 5 a message sent to the operator; 6 a control device controlling the storage device 12;
7 is a channel interface control s, a is a data buffer, 9 is a microprocessor that controls the control device,
10 is a control memory, 11 is a device interface control section, 12 is a storage device, 16 is a display for an operator, 14 is a message output function control section, 15 is a register,
16 is a storage device control unit; 17 is a replaceable recording medium; 1
8 is a medium moving mechanism, and 19 is a medium input port. Hereinafter, the same numbers indicate the same parts or constituent elements in each figure.

In the conventional data storage system, data sent from the host computer 1 is transferred to each storage device 12 by the microprocessor 7 of the control device B. In the storage device 12 , the storage device control unit 16 writes data to a recording medium 17 . On the other hand, when data is to be transferred to the upper level computer 1, the data is transferred to the upper level based on a command from the 5 microprocessor 9. With the private storage device 12, the operator must perform operations such as replacing the recording medium, but we have improved the operability at that time.
In synchronization with the above series of data flows, the host computer 1
, the storage device 12 receives the display command 2 and displays the message 4 or 5 on the display 16. Specifically, when a message indicating a mount request is issued on the display 16, the operator The loaded recording medium is set in the medium input port 19vc. When a message is issued indicating a demount request, the operator:
When the recording medium is taken out from the medium input port 19, an example of the message representing this mount/demount '4 is shown in FIG.
Shown in a) and (b). A mount/demount message usually consists of a part indicating an operation and a medium identifier part that can uniquely identify the recording medium.

The above conventional technology improves operator operability, but does it take into account the reduction of operator work and the construction of an unmanned system? However, there was a problem in that an operator intervened between the storage device and the storage of the media.

6. The large-capacity storage system described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 550-116008-t attempted to fully automate the loading/unloading of tapes and construct an unmanned system. From the outside of the system, it looked like multiple magnetic disk drives were being used.

However, with the conventional device mentioned above, is there a system control program to use it? ] 1-O8 has to be newly added (Because we are building an unmanned system, there is a problem that the upper system becomes complicated.) The purpose of the present invention is to add storage devices and media storage warehouses. The object of the present invention is to construct a library system by eliminating the intervention of operator work between systems by using display commands of conventional devices without making any changes to the host system.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the mass data storage system of the present invention uses the following technical means.

(a) Display command from the host computer;
4.

For a vehicle that represents a medium mount/demount '1, a part representing a medium mount/demount instruction and a part representing a medium identifier are cut out from the visible identification symbol.

(4) If the instruction from the host computer extracted by the technique (Q) above is the one represented in mount request 7, it has already been determined by the identifier that can uniquely identify the recording medium extracted by the technique (α) above. To learn the location information in a media storage warehouse of a medium having the same identifier as the extracted identifier. The access mechanism is controlled based on the position information, and the medium having the same identifier as the cut-out identifier is carried to the medium input port, inputted, and processing is started.

(Q) (/)) stores the storage device identifier, media identifier, and location information in the storage warehouse for the media that was requested to be mounted using the (/)) technology.
.

(d) If the instruction from the higher-level computer, extracted using the technique in (α), represents a demount request, the technique in (c,) is used to control the access mechanism so that the demount request is issued. Remove the recording medium from the storage device and return it to its original location in the media storage warehouse.

(c) The techniques (cL) to (d) above can be realized without making any changes to the host system.

[Effect]

Among the display commands from the host computer, for those indicating mounting/demounting of a medium, a portion indicating the instruction to mount/demounting the medium and a portion indicating the identifier of the medium are extracted from the visible identification symbol. As a result, in conventional data storage systems, instructions for replacing recording media (mounting/demounting) were given only by visible identification symbols displayed on the display. There will be an interface between them.

Furthermore, since the warehouse location information and media identifier information of the recording media stored in the media storage warehouse are stored and managed by all warehouses, the access mechanism can be controlled using the above interface and operator intervention can be avoided. Build an automated library system without.

The above-mentioned mass storage system starts from the host computer.
Any storage subsystem that can receive display commands similar to those of conventional devices can be constructed, and there is no need to include a display. Furthermore, there is no need to modify the upper system such as O5, and an automatic library system can be easily constructed.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a conventional data storage system, FIG. 6 is an example of a message display,
FIG. 4 shows the medium storage information, and FIG. 5 shows the control flow of the control device.

, 7.

The overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Figure 1, 1
20 is an automatic warehouse, 21 is an automatic warehouse control device, 22 is an automatic warehouse control unit, and 26 is a storage medium storage. 24 is an input cover panel used by an operator when operating the automated warehouse 201; 25 is a storage panel inside the automated warehouse 20; 26 is a rail on which the access mechanism 27 moves, 27 is a storage medium stored and managed in the storage medium 25.
Take it out, move it on the rail 26, and insert it into the medium input port 19 [
It is an access mechanism that requests mounting or demounting.

As shown in FIG. 2, the microprocessor 9 and control memory 10 can have the same structure compared to those of the conventional example. This is because it can be realized. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the control memo IJ10 of the conventional example causes a capacity shortage at the beginning of the present invention.

If so, the automatic warehouse control memory 26, which can be handled by expanding the control memory 10, is composed of a nonvolatile memory and has recording medium management information as shown in FIG. This media management information exists only in the automated warehouse control memory 26, which is a non-volatile memory, when the machine is stopped, and is therefore loaded into the control memory 10 during IMP2. In addition, the operator can enter the media management information using the automated warehouse 20 yen input panel 2.
4Enter everything in its entirety.

Data sent from the host computer 1 is transferred to each storage device 12 by the microprocessor 9 of the control device 6. In the storage device 12, the storage device control unit 16 writes data to the recording medium 17. - When data is transferred to the host computer 1, the data is transferred to the host based on instructions from the microprocessor 9.

In synchronization with these series of data flows, a display command 2 is sent from the host computer 1 to the control device B.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in accordance with the control flow shown in FIG. Although two messages are included, it is possible to simultaneously specify mounting, demounting, mounting, etc., but in order to simplify the explanation below, we will consider correspondence to one message.

When the control device 6 receives two display commands, it stores the message part and further stores the storage device address to which the message is to be transferred. These controls are performed by the microprocessor 9 and stored in the control memory IOK.

Next, the microprocessor 9 transfers the message to the storage device that should output the message, and
Extracts the message stored in 0.

A portion of the message indicating an operation (see FIG. 6) is scanned, and it is determined whether the portion 4 represents a mount/demount request. In the case of messages other than these, the microprocessor 9 simply performs normal processing. If the message represents a mount/demount request, and further represents a mount request, the microprocessor 9 performs the following operations after the mount message. A medium identifier that can uniquely identify the recording medium is cut out and stored in control memory 0. This identifier is compared with the already stored medium management information (see Figure 4). As shown, it is loaded into the control memory 10, and indicates the storage location of the recording medium in the automated warehouse, the medium identifier, the status indicating the current status of the recording medium (mounted on NOI while being moved, etc.), and the address of the storage device when mounted. Consists of storage device addresses.

If the medium identifiers match, the microprocessor 9 confirms from the status that the target recording medium is in the automatic warehouse 20, and learns the location of the recording medium in the automatic warehouse 20. In the microprocessor 9, the automatic warehouse control 52
2vc-5 A mount request is issued with information such as the location of the medium in the moving warehouse 20 and the storage device to be mounted. At this time, the status of the medium management information and the storage device address are updated, but the automatic warehouse control memory 23 in the automatic warehouse 20, which is a non-volatile memory, is also necessarily updated along with the medium management information in the control memo IJ10. By updating both memories, it is said that the media management information has been updated. Therefore, high reliability can be obtained when the power is turned off.

- If the automatic warehouse control unit 22 receives the mount request, it uses the entire access mechanism 27 to move the recording medium instructed by the control device 6 to the specified storage device 12 and mounts it.

If the message indicates a demount request, the medium management information shown in FIG. 4 was updated at the time of mounting, but when demounting, the medium identifier is cut out and compared with the medium management information for confirmation, just as at the time of mounting.

After confirmation, related information such as the storage location of the recording medium and the storage device to be demounted is read from the control memory 10, and a demount request with the information added is issued to the automatic warehouse control unit 22.
o At this time, the medium management information in the control memory 10 and the moving warehouse control memory 26 is updated as in the case of mounting 1 , 12 .

The automated warehouse control unit 22 that issued the demount request uses the access mechanism 27 to demount the recording medium from the storage device 12 and store it in the automated warehouse 22.

In this example, the storage device 12Vc and the display 13 are provided, but the control device 6 does not need to have a display as long as it has a means for receiving the display command 2. In this example, the microprocessor 9 performs overall control, but control information is sent from the storage device 12 to the automated warehouse 26. You can also consider sending it.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, an unmanned system can be constructed because operator intervention is not required between the storage device and the warehouse where the media are stored.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in order to utilize display commands sent from the host computer, there is no need to modify the O5, etc., and it appears to the host computer that it is using a conventional storage device. The substance has the effect of realizing an automated warehouse system,

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a large capacity data storage system showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a data storage system of an embodiment according to the prior art, and FIG. 5 is a message table. FIG. 4 shows the medium management information and FIG. 5 shows the control flow of the control device. 1... Upper computer. 2...Display command. 6... Control signal indicating display method, etc. 4...Message A, 5...Message B. 6...Control device. 7... Channel interface control unit. 8... Buffer for data. 9...Microprocessor. 10...Control memory. 11...Device interface control s. 12 storage device, 16...display. 14...Message output function control section. 15...Register, 16...Storage device control unit. 17... Recording medium, 18... Medium moving mechanism. 19...Media input port, 20...Automatic warehouse. 21...Automatic warehouse control device. 22...Automatic warehouse control unit, 26...Automatic warehouse control memory. 24... Input cover panel, 25... Recording medium. 26...Rail, 27...Access mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A storage device into which a recording medium having an identifier is selectively mounted and records/reproduces data; a display unit which receives an identifier of the recording medium and a mount/demount command from a higher level and displays the same; , a large-capacity data storage system comprising a control device for controlling the storage device and a display unit, a warehouse capable of storing a plurality of the recording media, and an identifier and storage location of the recording media stored in the warehouse. a memorizable recording means; an access mechanism that transports any recording medium between the warehouse and the storage device according to instructions from a control device;
A large-capacity data recognition system comprising: a control device that refers to the recording means and instructs the access mechanism to mount/demount a recording medium in accordance with a demount command.