JP2000259358A - Magnetic tape controller and magnetic tape library device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely execute a high speed positioning processing on a medium in a magnetic tape controller different in high speed positioning performance. SOLUTION: In a magnetic tape controller 10 having a function for dividing a medium M at every scale section and positioning it in an arbitrary position, IBGn length in front of a physical block showing a head is set to length L which is permitted based on the performance of the magnetic tape controller and which is previously decided at the write of a physical block becoming a positioning object such as a physical block 1 showing the head of the section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a magnetic tape controller, and more particularly to a magnetic tape controller having a high-speed positioning function and a magnetic tape library device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Magnetic tapes are widely used for databases or for backing up magnetic disks. In the conventional magnetic tape, data is written in data block units, and it is necessary to read a serial number written in this data block in order to access a required data block. Therefore, it was necessary to read the data block at the same speed as the write speed and identify whether or not it was the desired data block.
It took a long time to detect the access destination.

[0003] Therefore, the winding diameter of the magnetic tape is graduated, the size of the winding diameter is accurately detected by a sensor, and even if the winding diameter is the same, a position divided into eight equal parts in the circumferential direction is set as an access destination. High-speed positioning based on two positions, a position based on the winding diameter and a dividing position in the circumferential direction, is performed.

In this high-speed positioning, it is possible to drive the magnetic tape at a speed several times higher than the writing speed to perform positioning control based on the winding diameter, and then to perform positioning in the circumferential direction. Positioning control can be performed at a very high speed as compared with the read access method.

By the way, in the reading and additional writing processing of the magnetic tape medium, the position of the processing at the start position may be displaced by each magnetic tape control device.

As shown in FIG. 8A, partitions P ₁ and P ₂ constituting a user data area are provided on a magnetic tape M.
... and the identification code of the user data written in each partition P ₁ , P ₂ and each partition P ₁ , P
_In the case of the position _{2 on} the magnetic tape, that is, in the case of high-speed positioning, a medium management information section in which data corresponding to a scale corresponding to the winding diameter of the magnetic tape and a dividing position in the circumferential direction (hereinafter referred to as high-speed positioning data) is entered. MC is stored.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a physical block in which user data is written is formed in each of the partitions P ₁ , P _2, ..., And an inter-block gap IBG indicating the gap is formed between the physical blocks. Exists.

Now, a magnetic tape for controlling the drive of the magnetic tape will be described.
The physical block N shown in FIG.
In order to access, the position of the previous IBG shown in (C)
O ₀When an instruction to position the head is entered
There are differences in the characteristics of each magnetic tape controller.
Therefore, in the magnetic tape control device A, the position O₁The head is located
In the magnetic tape controller B, the position O_TwoPositioned on
In the magnetic tape controller C, the position O_ThreePositioned in
When the magnetic tape controllers A and B
Can be accessed, but the magnetic tape control
Cannot access the physical block N at location C
No.

[0009]

Assuming such a situation, the conventional magnetic tape control device issues an instruction to position a predetermined amount of logic ahead of the target indicated position based on the positioning error, The physical block was read from that position to access the target physical block.
At this time, the positioning operation by the low-speed operation is performed from the logical front position to the target physical block position. That is, since a low-speed operation equal to the writing speed is required to read the physical block, the processing speed is slow, unlike the high-speed positioning operation, which causes a processing delay in the magnetic tape control device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape control device having a high-speed positioning function, which can perform high-speed positioning even when there is a difference in the positioning performance of each magnetic tape control device. is there.

[0011]

The principle of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present invention, as shown in FIG.
When the partitions P _n , P _{n + 1} ... Are written on the magnetic tape M, the size of the gap IBGn in front of the first physical block of the partition is determined by the magnetic tape controller (hereinafter, referred to as (B)). In the description, the magnetic tape control device is a magnetic tape control device having a high-speed positioning function.

In order to access the partition _Pn shown in FIG. 1, the high-speed position data S of the first gap IBGn of the partition _Pn is obtained from a medium management information section (not shown).
_Ask for ₁ and access this. If the magnetic tape control unit b is positioned in front of the position p ₁ from the high speed position data S ₁ as a target, is positioned in the high speed position data S position p ₂ earlier than the _one magnetic tape controller C is a target Since each of them is within the allowable range L, the first physical block 1 can be accessed accurately. In this manner, the magnetic tape control devices a and c are inferior to the magnetic tape control device a having a performance that can accurately be positioned at the target position p ₀ , and have a performance that cannot be accurately positioned at the target position p _0. However, it is possible to correctly perform high-speed positioning.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitutions. (1) In a magnetic tape control device having a function of dividing a medium on a scale section and positioning the medium at an arbitrary position,
When writing the physical block indicating the head of the partition, the IBG length in front of the physical block indicating the head is set to a length different from the predetermined other IBG length allowed based on the performance of the magnetic tape control device. Is set.

(2) In a magnetic tape control device having a function of dividing the medium into scale sections and positioning the medium at an arbitrary position, the magnetic tape control device is connected to storage means for storing a value for correcting an IBG length. Input means or a change means which can change the value of the IBG length in accordance with an instruction from the host interface, so that the allowable distance for the positioning error can be changed.

(3) A magnetic tape control device having a function of dividing a medium on a scale section and positioning it at an arbitrary position, and a function of detecting a physical position on the medium actually positioned when the positioning operation is completed. When the medium is inserted, a positioning operation is performed to obtain positioning performance information of the magnetic tape control device, which is a difference from a target physical position on the medium.

(4) In a magnetic tape library apparatus provided with a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, a positioning operation is performed when a medium is inserted, and positioning performance information of each magnetic tape controller is collected, and the positioning performance information is collected. A centralized management and a transmission function for transmitting these positioning performance information to the display means connected to the service adapter and the magnetic tape library device are provided, and the high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device in the subsystem is the allowable distance at the time of shipment. Or not.

(5) In a magnetic tape library device provided with a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, a high-speed positioning operation is performed when a medium is inserted, and positioning performance information of each magnetic tape controller is collected. The information with the worst performance is selected and transmitted to the connected magnetic tape controller. In addition to the information on the performance of this magnetic tape controller, only the magnetic information in the magnetic tape library It is characterized in that the positioning performance can be maintained even when a magnetic tape is inserted into the tape control device.

As a result, the following functions and effects can be obtained. (1) When writing a physical block indicating the beginning of a partition, the IBG length in front of the physical block is set to a predetermined length that is allowed based on the performance of the magnetic tape control device. Even if the high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device is uneven, high-speed positioning control can be reliably performed, and fine adjustment at the time of shipment is not required, which can contribute to reduction of the load at the time of manufacturing. .

(2) A means for correcting the IBG length is provided.
Since the BG length can be individually changed according to an instruction from an input device or a host connected to the magnetic tape control device, by actually changing the IBG length to the original high-speed positioning performance information of the magnetic tape control device, Since the IBG length in front of the physical block indicating the head of the section can be shorter than a predetermined length, the data area written on the magnetic tape can be enlarged, and the magnetic tape can be used effectively. .

(3) Since the difference between the target physical position on the medium and the actual physical position on the medium can be obtained by executing the high-speed positioning operation when the medium is inserted, for example, the magnetic tape controller can be used for a long time. As a result, when the high-speed positioning performance deteriorates, accurate high-speed positioning performance information can be obtained.

(4) In a magnetic tape library device having a plurality of magnetic tape control devices, high-speed positioning performance information obtained by a high-speed positioning operation performed when each magnetic tape control device is inserted into a medium is centrally managed, and is managed. Since the information is displayed on the display device, even if one of the magnetic tape control devices constituting the subsystem of the magnetic tape library device has degraded the high-speed positioning performance beyond the allowable range at the time of shipment, it can be easily identified. This can be dealt with, and accurate high-speed positioning control can be performed even in a device that manages a large amount of media such as a magnetic tape library device.

(5) Information of the worst performance is selected from the high-speed positioning performance information collected by the high-speed positioning operation performed when a medium is inserted from a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, and transmitted to the magnetic tape controller. Since it is added to the IBG length, high-speed positioning performance can be maintained even if a medium is inserted into any magnetic tape control device of the magnetic tape library device.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (1) First Embodiment of the Present Invention An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, when a partition (partition) is written on the magnetic tape M, the size of the gap IBGn in front of the first physical block 1 is determined.
The allowable range L of the high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device 10 is determined.

In order to access the partition Pn shown in FIG. 1, the high-speed position data S of the first gap IBGn of the partition Pn is obtained from a medium management information section not shown.
_1. Ask for fast access.

Now, as shown in FIG. 1C, in the magnetic tape control device a, the target position p ₀ indicated by the high-speed position data S _1.
Performance can be fast positioning, which is positioned in the magnetic tape control device b in front of the position p ₁ from the target position p _0, the magnetic tape control unit c is positioned at the position p ₂ earlier than the target position p ₀ in , An allowable range L including them is determined, and the length of the IBGn is set to the allowable range L.

Actually, as shown in FIG. 1 (D), the magnetic tape control device 10 is provided with a processor 11 and a memory 12, so that the memory 12 has a physical block 1, a physical block 2,. .. Write the first gap IBGn length L in addition to the inter-block IBG length between blocks. These inter-block IBG lengths and initial gap IBGn lengths L
Is input by an input device 20 such as a keyboard.

When writing data on the magnetic tape M, the magnetic tape control device 10 controls the first gap I
When writing BGn, its length is changed to L read from the memory 12, and the other inter-block IBG is
Determine the normal size read from # 2. In this way, by increasing only some of the gaps without increasing the length of all the gaps, accurate high-speed positioning processing can be performed in a magnetic tape control device having a difference in high-speed positioning performance. it can.

In the above description, an example was described in which the target to be increased to the allowable range L was the first gap of the partition. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. The front IBG can be set within the allowable range L, and the same operation and effect can be obtained.

(2) Second Embodiment of the Present Invention A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the second embodiment, a correction value for the IBG length is stored in the memory 12 of the magnetic tape control device 10. When accessing the magnetic tape, the magnetic tape control device determines whether the magnetic tape is positioned at a high speed or at a low speed based on a difference between a currently stopped head position and a designated position. For example, FIG.
As shown in (C), (S5) when the positioning command is issued from the host, (S6) the magnetic tape controller determines which of the high-speed positioning and the low-speed positioning is based on the difference between the currently stopped head position and the pointing position. Judge whether it is good,
(S7) When it is determined that the high-speed positioning is better, the operation is performed according to C shown in (B). (S8) When it is determined that the high-speed positioning is not good, the low-speed positioning operation, that is, the normal read processing is performed. The positioning process is performed.

[0031] That is, (S1) positioned command is issued to the magnetic tape controller 10 from the host 30, (S2) The processor 11 confirms determines that should be fast positioning operation the instruction position s _1. (S
3) Next, the processor 11 reads the correction value Δs from the memory 12
₁ is read out, the designated position s ₁ is corrected to (s ₁ −Δs ₁ ), and (S4) an instruction is given to execute the high-speed positioning operation on the corrected value.

For example, the shipping standard is ± 5 scales, and the high-speed positioning error of the magnetic tape controller 10 shown in FIG.
When it is assumed that the scale is a scale, the host 30 indicates the designated position 1
When a positioning command to be accessed for the 00 scale is issued, the processor 11 reads a correction value ± 3 based on the error value stored in the memory 12 and
A high-speed positioning operation is performed for −3 = 97.

However, in the example of FIG. 1, when the allowable range of the magnetic tape control device is ± 5 scales, even if the actual error of the magnetic tape control device 10 is ± 3 scales,
The designated position is 0-5 = 95 scales.

As described above, in the second embodiment, for each solid, that is, for each magnetic tape control device, the designated position is corrected according to the performance, and the IBG length is changed and controlled to be shorter as the performance is better. it can.

(3) Third Embodiment of the Present Invention After the third embodiment, a high-speed positioning operation is performed when a medium, that is, a magnetic tape is inserted, and a target physical position on the magnetic tape and an actual physical position on the magnetic tape are determined. Is obtained as the high-speed positioning performance error information of the magnetic tape control device.

A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. (S10) When a positioning command is issued from, for example, a host device when the magnetic tape is inserted, the magnetic tape control device reads high-speed positioning information for a physical block corresponding to the target position from the medium management information section of the magnetic tape.

(S11) The magnetic tape control device performs a high-speed positioning operation at that position. (S12) The magnetic tape control device reads a physical block from the position where the high-speed positioning operation is performed.

(S13) As a result, it is determined whether a correct physical block has been read. (S14) Then, when a correct physical block cannot be read, the constant is increased or decreased to the target position, the high-speed positioning position is adjusted, and the process returns to S11 to perform a retry.

(S15) When the correct physical block is read in this way, the difference between the high-speed positioning instruction value at that time and the high-speed positioning information read from the medium management information section of the magnetic tape is obtained as positioning performance error information.

As described above, when the high-speed positioning target position is designated and the high-speed positioning operation is completed, and the desired physical block cannot be read, the constant is increased or decreased to the target position and the desired physical block can be read. The retry operation is performed as follows.

When the desired physical block is read, the difference between the value of the high-speed target position used at that time and the value of the first high-speed target position is calculated, and the high-speed positioning error information of the magnetic tape controller is calculated. And

This high-speed positioning error information can be recorded in, for example, a memory in the magnetic tape control device and used for subsequent operation determination to cope with product deterioration.

Also, the error information can be inherited by another magnetic tape control device by recording the information in a predetermined section of the magnetic tape currently loaded.

Further, when writing the physical block indicating the head of the section, the high-speed positioning error information is added to the length of the IBG in front of the head physical block to make the IBG length in front of the block. Even when the performance of the control device is deteriorated due to a change in the diameter or the like, the high-speed positioning operation can be accurately performed.

(4) Fourth Embodiment of the Present Invention Information serving as a guideline for high-speed positioning error performance at a physical position in a magnetic tape controller, that is, when the error performance value exceeds this guideline information value, For example, the high-speed positioning operation is suppressed and the low-speed positioning operation is performed, the IBG length to be written in front of the physical block to be high-speed positioning is instructed beyond the range of the pointer, or repair is performed. Is selected and executed according to the logic stored in. At this time, the selection items may be selected according to the amount exceeding the guideline information value.

In other words, when the pointer information value in the magnetic tape control device is, for example, ± 7 scales, the high-speed positioning performance error information measured when the magnetic tape is inserted is ± 9.
In the case of the scale, which exceeds the standard at the time of shipment, in this case, for example, processing such as executing in a low-speed positioning operation can be changed in accordance with the logic stored in the magnetic tape control device. If this is the case, an error is induced in the high-speed positioning operation, for example, and the operation is rather delayed.

If the high-speed positioning performance error information measured when the magnetic tape is inserted exceeds the pointer information value, this is notified to the host device using a transmission means such as a host interface, and the low-speed operation is performed. , Or to send a repair to the host device. The host device notifies this selection result by a command.

When a magnetic tape control device with display means is used, the fact that the high-speed positioning performance error information measured when the magnetic tape is inserted exceeds the guideline value information is displayed on the display means to inform the operator. Is displayed,
Subsequent processing may be selected by the operator. Even when the performance of the magnetic tape controller is lower than the performance at the time of shipment, it takes time to retry and continue the job.Therefore, it is determined whether to cancel once and execute again with another magnetic tape controller. Will be

As described above, when the high-speed positioning performance error information measured at the time of inserting the magnetic tape exceeds the guideline value information, the magnetic tape control device performs a magnetic tape rewinding process or a similar high-speed positioning operation. If the result is within the guideline value information, this is judged to be a sudden event, if it exceeds the guideline value information, it is judged to be a permanent event of the magnetic tape controller, and if it is judged to be a permanent event, For example, the host device or the operator is made to select the subsequent processing.

The pointer value may be, for example, a value slightly larger than the allowable range or the same value.

(5) Fifth Embodiment of the Present Invention A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the fifth embodiment, the high-speed positioning performance information recorded in a specific section in advance when the magnetic tape is inserted and the high-speed positioning performance information after the high-speed positioning operation processing performed on the magnetic tape in this insertion are completed. In comparison, when the latter high-speed positioning performance information after the completion of the high-speed positioning operation processing is inferior, the higher-speed high-speed positioning performance information of the inferior high-speed positioning performance information is recorded in, for example, a magnetic tape control device. Or recording in a predetermined section of the magnetic tape currently loaded.

The fifth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. (S20) The magnetic tape control device reads the high-speed positioning performance information stored in the magnetic tape control device when the magnetic tape is inserted or the high-speed positioning performance information recorded in a specific section of the magnetic tape.

(S21) The magnetic tape control device executes a high-speed positioning operation on the inserted magnetic tape.

(S22) On the basis of the result of this execution, the magnetic tape control device determines whether the high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device has changed or determines whether the high-speed positioning performance information recorded on the magnetic tape has changed the high-speed positioning performance information. Judge whether the high-speed positioning performance is lower.

(S23) If the result of this determination is not below, the actual processing is performed as it is. (S24) However, if it is lower, the magnetic tape control device determines whether to perform the high-speed positioning process or the low-speed positioning process on the magnetic tape. The high-speed positioning performance information and the high-speed positioning performance information recorded in the specific section of the magnetic tape are updated to the high-speed positioning performance information obtained from the execution result in (S21).

(S25) Then, the actual processing based on the determination result is performed. For example, when rewriting from the beginning of the data area, the IBG length in front of the physical block to be positioned at high speed is determined based on the high-speed positioning performance information obtained from the execution result.

(6) Sixth Embodiment of the Present Invention In the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the high-speed positioning performance information stored in the magnetic tape control device and the high-speed positioning performance information stored in the magnetic tape are stored. When the physical block to be positioned at high speed is written, the IBG length ahead of the physical block to be positioned at high speed is determined by comparing the positioning performance information with the value of the poorer performance.

However, since the correspondence between the high-speed positioning portion and the physical block ID is enormous when performed for each physical block, the amount of information becomes enormous. May be the first physical block of the partition and the first physical block of a fixed number of physical blocks by sampling. Reflecting this performance information on the IBG length in this way is limited to the IBG in front of the physical block to be positioned at high speed, so that the amount of data recorded on the magnetic tape does not significantly decrease. .

A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. (S26) When a magnetic tape is inserted into the magnetic tape control device and started, the magnetic tape control device compares the high-speed positioning performance information stored therein with the high-speed positioning performance information stored in the magnetic tape. Then, pick up the bad one and maintain the high-speed positioning performance of this bad one.

(S27) When a write instruction is sent from the higher-level device to the magnetic tape controller, the physical block to which the write instruction is directed is to be stored in another partition as information for performing high-speed positioning processing. Is determined. For example, it is determined whether or not the data is to be stored, such as the first physical block of a partition or the first physical block of write data of the same type.

(S28) If the magnetic tape control device determines that the physical block to which the write instruction is to be made is to be stored, the IBG in front of the physical block is determined by the bad high-speed positioning performance information picked up. Change the length and write.

(S29) If the magnetic tape control device determines that the physical block of the write instruction destination is not a storage target, the magnetic tape control device replaces the IBG in front of the physical block with a normal IBG.
Lengthen.

(7) Seventh Embodiment of the Present Invention A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Seventh
The present embodiment relates to a magnetic tape library device, in which a magnetic tape library device 40, a magnetic tape are taken out from a storage shelf, and are loaded into a first magnetic tape control device 41 to an Nth magnetic tape control device 43. Medium transport device 44 for transporting a medium such as storing a magnetic tape cassette in a storage shelf from the magnetic tape control devices 41 to 43, and the high speed of the first magnetic tape control device 41 to the Nth magnetic tape control device 43. A performance information holding unit 45 for holding positioning performance information, a display device 46, a service adapter 47 for collecting and holding diagnostic information of the magnetic tape library device 40 to the display device 46, and providing diagnostic information when a failure occurs are provided. I do. And it is connected to the host device 48.

When the magnetic tape library device 40 operates, the medium transport device 44 takes out a predetermined magnetic tape from a storage shelf (not shown) and puts it into a free magnetic tape control device, for example, the first magnetic tape control device 41. I do.

The first magnetic tape control device 41 into which the magnetic tape has been inserted executes the high-speed positioning operation by this,
High-speed positioning performance information is obtained, which is the difference between the target physical device of the magnetic tape and the physical position actually positioned. This high-speed positioning performance information is sent to the magnetic tape library device 40, and is held in the performance information holding unit 45 by the processor 40-1.

As described above, the performance information holding unit 45
Each piece of high-speed positioning performance information when the first magnetic tape control device 41 to the Nth magnetic tape control device 43 is actually operated is centrally held and managed. The performance information holding unit 4
Numeral 5 is composed of a magnetic tape, a RAM, or the like, and these high-speed positioning performance information can be centrally held and managed by the host device 48.

The high-speed positioning performance information of the individual magnetic tape controllers centrally managed in this way is read by the service adapter or these are read by the processor 40-.
1 is output to the display device 46, it is possible to determine whether or not the actual high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device positioned as a subsystem has exceeded the allowable range at the time of shipment. Even in the case of managing a large amount of media such as a magnetic tape library device having a tape control device, it is possible to easily detect the performance deterioration of the magnetic tape control device, and to easily and accurately perform maintenance management. .

Further, the processor 40-1 selects the information having the worst performance, that is, the information having the largest error, from the high-speed positioning performance information actually operated and collected from the individual magnetic tape control devices. Alternatively, when the higher-level device performs centralized management, the higher-level device selects and transmits the information to the connected first magnetic tape control device 42 to the N-th magnetic tape control device 43 to be positioned at a high speed. By performing addition based on this when determining the IBG length when writing a physical block,
The high-speed positioning performance can be maintained regardless of the magnetic tape inserted into any of the magnetic tape controllers in the library.

(8) Eighth Embodiment of the Present Invention According to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, whether the magnetic tape control device is connected to a magnetic tape library device and operates, or is the magnetic tape control device Whether the device is operating alone is instructed by setting information in the magnetic tape control device, a higher-level interface, and other connected devices, and information on the connection form is stored in the magnetic tape control device. Then, when the IBG length in front of the partition is changed during the physical block writing process, for example, as in the first physical block of the partition, based on the connection configuration information stored in the magnetic tape control device. Judgment should be made based on the high-speed positioning performance information stored in the magnetic tape control unit or on the information obtained by requesting the high-speed positioning performance information held by the upper library device. When operating, the IBG length is determined based on the high-speed positioning performance information stored in the magnetic tape device, and when connected to a magnetic tape library device, the high-speed positioning performance information held by the upper library device The IBG length is corrected based on (for example, the information with the worst performance when the central management is performed).

An eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. (S31) When a magnetic tape is inserted into the magnetic tape control device and a write command is transmitted, the magnetic tape control device starts a write process.

(S32) The magnetic tape controller reads out the connection mode information stored therein, and determines whether the magnetic tape controller is connected to the magnetic tape library device.

(S33) When the magnetic tape control device determines that the connection mode is connected to the magnetic tape library device, the magnetic tape control device receives high-speed positioning performance information from the magnetic tape library device, which is a higher-level device, and performs high-speed positioning. This is used for correcting the IBG length in front of the physical block.

(S34) Then, the actual IBG length is set based on the obtained high-speed positioning performance information, and the actual write processing of the next physical block is performed.

(S35) When it is determined in S32 that the magnetic tape control device is not connected to the magnetic tape library device, the IBG length is determined based on the high-speed positioning performance information in the magnetic tape control device. Set. Then, the actual write processing of the next physical block is performed.

It should be noted that Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-141
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 119-119 discloses that a position shift can be detected and retried after high-speed positioning with respect to a magnetic tape. However, as in the present invention, a magnetic tape control device is required to determine a shift width. There is no description about means for preventing displacement, such as means.

According to each of the embodiments of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When writing a physical block indicating the beginning of a partition, the IBG length in front of the physical block is set to a predetermined length that is allowed based on the performance of the magnetic tape control device. Even if the high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device is uneven, high-speed positioning control can be reliably performed, and fine adjustment at the time of shipment is not required, which can contribute to reduction of the load at the time of manufacturing. .

(2) A means for correcting the IBG length is provided.
Since the BG length can be individually changed according to an instruction from an input device or a host connected to the magnetic tape control device, by actually changing the IBG length to the original high-speed positioning performance information of the magnetic tape control device, Since the IBG length in front of the physical block indicating the head of the section can be shorter than a predetermined length, the data area written on the magnetic tape can be enlarged, and the magnetic tape can be used effectively. .

(3) Since the difference between the target physical position on the medium and the actual physical position on the medium can be obtained by executing the high-speed positioning operation when the medium is inserted, for example, using the magnetic tape controller for a long time As a result, when the high-speed positioning performance deteriorates, accurate high-speed positioning performance information can be obtained.

(4) The high-speed positioning operation is performed when the medium is inserted, and the difference between the target physical position on the medium and the actually positioned physical position is obtained. , The subsequent operation determination can be used for, for example, diagnosis of a performance degradation state.

(5) The high-speed positioning performance information obtained by executing the high-speed positioning operation at the time of loading the medium is recorded in a predetermined section of the currently loaded medium, and the medium is recorded by another magnetic tape controller. By referring to this when using the medium, accurate high-speed positioning can be achieved even when this medium is used in a magnetic tape control device having a different allowable range.

(6) When writing a physical block indicating the head of a partition, an amount corresponding to the high-speed positioning performance information obtained by performing the high-speed positioning operation when the medium is inserted is added to the IBG length in front of the physical block. Since the IBG length is added to the IBG length in front of the physical block, the high-speed positioning operation can be accurately performed even if the performance of the magnetic tape control device is reduced.

(7) When the high-speed positioning performance information obtained by performing the high-speed positioning operation on each magnetic tape control device when a medium is inserted is larger than a predetermined pointer value stored in the magnetic tape control device. For example, since the selection logic for performing the operation at a low speed is stored in the magnetic tape control device, the operation can be performed accurately even when the performance of the magnetic tape control device is deteriorated.

(8) When the high-speed positioning performance information obtained by executing the high-speed positioning operation on each magnetic tape control device when a medium is inserted is larger than a predetermined pointer value stored in the magnetic tape control device. Notifies the host device of this, and performs subsequent processing according to the selection logic stored in the host device, so that a plurality of magnetic tape control devices can be commonly treated.

(9) A display mechanism for displaying information is provided in the magnetic tape control device, and when the high-speed positioning performance obtained by performing the high-speed positioning operation is larger than a predetermined pointer value, this is displayed. Since the display is displayed on the display mechanism to allow the operator to select a subsequent treatment, the operator can easily determine a response when the magnetic tape control device is deteriorated.

(10) If the high-speed positioning performance obtained by performing the high-speed positioning operation becomes larger than a predetermined guideline value, the medium is rewound or the high-speed positioning operation is performed. If the value does not exceed the guideline value, an event larger than the guideline value is determined to be a sudden event, and if the guideline value is exceeded, it is determined to be a permanent deterioration event, and processing adapted to the event is performed. It is possible to perform an accurate judgment process that distinguishes the objectives.

(11) If the high-speed positioning performance information obtained by the high-speed positioning operation performed at the time of loading the medium is inferior to the high-speed positioning performance information recorded in a specific section in advance, this performance is inferior. The high-speed positioning performance information is recorded in the magnetic tape control device or in a fixed section of the inserted medium, so that the operation can be performed using the inferior high-speed positioning performance information, and accurate high-speed positioning is performed. Actions can be taken.

(12) The performance information of the magnetic tape controller is compared with the performance information stored in the medium. If the performance information stored in the medium is bad, the performance of the magnetic tape control is reduced by the bad amount. In addition to the performance information possessed by the device, the IBG length in front of the physical block to be positioned at high speed is set, so that this IBG length can be adjusted to the one with poorer performance, and accurate high-speed positioning control is performed. be able to.

(13) In a magnetic tape library device having a plurality of magnetic tape control devices, high-speed positioning performance information obtained by the high-speed positioning operation performed when each magnetic tape control device is inserted into a medium is centrally managed, and this is managed. Since the information is displayed on the display device, even if one of the magnetic tape control devices constituting the subsystem of the magnetic tape library device has degraded the high-speed positioning performance beyond the allowable range at the time of shipment, it can be easily identified. This can be dealt with, and accurate high-speed positioning control can be performed even in a device that manages a large amount of media such as a magnetic tape library device.

(14) Among the high-speed positioning performance information collected by the high-speed positioning operation performed when a medium is inserted from a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, the information having the worst performance is selected and transmitted to the magnetic tape controller. Since it is added to the IBG length, high-speed positioning performance can be maintained even if a medium is inserted into any magnetic tape control device of the magnetic tape library device.

(15) During physical block write processing,
When setting the IBG length in front of the physical block to be positioned at a high speed, the magnetic tape control device determines the connection mode such as whether or not the magnetic tape library device is connected based on the connection mode information stored therein. In the case where the IBG length is connected to a magnetic tape library device, the IBG length is set based on the performance information obtained by requesting the high-speed positioning performance information possessed by the host device. The optimal IBG length can be set, and the high-speed positioning operation can be performed.

[0091]

According to the present invention, the following functions and effects can be obtained. (1) When writing a physical block indicating the beginning of a partition, the IBG length in front of the physical block is set to a predetermined length that is allowed based on the performance of the magnetic tape control device. Even if the high-speed positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device is uneven, high-speed positioning control can be reliably performed, and fine adjustment at the time of shipment is not required, which can contribute to reduction of the load at the time of manufacturing. .

(2) A means for correcting the IBG length is provided.
Since the BG length can be individually changed according to an instruction from an input device or a host connected to the magnetic tape control device, by actually changing the IBG length to the original high-speed positioning performance information of the magnetic tape control device, Since the IBG length in front of the physical block indicating the head of the section can be shorter than a predetermined length, the data area written on the magnetic tape can be enlarged, and the magnetic tape can be used effectively. .

(3) Since the difference between the target physical position on the medium and the actual physical position on the medium can be obtained by performing the high-speed positioning operation when the medium is inserted, for example, the magnetic tape controller can be used for a long time. As a result, when the high-speed positioning performance deteriorates, accurate high-speed positioning performance information can be obtained.

(4) In a magnetic tape library device having a plurality of magnetic tape control devices, high-speed positioning performance information obtained by the high-speed positioning operation performed when each magnetic tape control device is inserted into a medium is centrally managed, and is managed. Since the information is displayed on the display device, even if one of the magnetic tape control devices constituting the subsystem of the magnetic tape library device has degraded the high-speed positioning performance beyond the allowable range at the time of shipment, it can be easily identified. This can be dealt with, and accurate high-speed positioning control can be performed even in a device that manages a large amount of media such as a magnetic tape library device.

(5) From the high-speed positioning performance information collected by the high-speed positioning operation performed when a medium is loaded from a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, the information having the worst performance is selected and transmitted to the magnetic tape controller. Since it is added to the IBG length, high-speed positioning performance can be maintained even if a medium is inserted into any magnetic tape control device of the magnetic tape library device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 magnetic tape control device 11 processor 12 memory 20 input device 30 host 40 magnetic tape library device 41 first magnetic tape control device 42 second magnetic tape control device 43 Nth magnetic tape control device 44 medium transport device 45 performance information holding unit 46 display device 47 service adapter 48 host

Claims (5)

[Claims] In a magnetic tape control device having a function of dividing a medium on a scale section and positioning the medium at an arbitrary position, when writing a physical block indicating a head of a section, a physical block in front of the physical block indicating the head is written. A magnetic tape control device, wherein the IBG length is set to a predetermined length different from other IBG lengths that is allowed based on the performance of the magnetic tape control device. 2. A magnetic tape control device having a function of dividing a medium on a scale section and positioning it at an arbitrary position, wherein the storage device stores a value for correcting an IBG length, and is connected to the magnetic tape control device. A magnetic tape control device, comprising: changing means for changing a value of an IBG length in accordance with an input means or an instruction from a host interface, and capable of changing an allowable distance for a positioning error. 3. A magnetic tape control device having a function of dividing a medium on a scale section and positioning it at an arbitrary position, and a function of detecting a physical position on the medium actually positioned when the positioning operation is completed. A magnetic tape control device, wherein a positioning operation is performed when a medium is inserted, and positioning performance information of the magnetic tape control device, which is a difference from a target physical position on the medium, is obtained. 4. In a magnetic tape library device having a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, a positioning operation is performed at the time of loading a medium, positioning performance information of each magnetic tape controller is collected, and these positioning performance information are centralized. A transmission function for managing and transmitting these positioning performance information to the display means connected to the service adapter and the magnetic tape library device is provided, and the positioning performance of the magnetic tape control device in the subsystem exceeds the allowable distance at the time of shipment. A magnetic tape library device capable of judging whether or not it has occurred. 5. In a magnetic tape library apparatus having a plurality of magnetic tape controllers, a positioning operation is performed when a medium is inserted, and positioning performance information of each magnetic tape controller is collected. The information with the worst performance is selected, and the information is transmitted to the connected magnetic tape control device.
A magnetic tape library device capable of maintaining positioning performance even when a magnetic tape is inserted into any of the magnetic tape controllers in the magnetic tape library.