JPH01311491A - Method for registering recording medium in computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the registration of a magnetic recording medium on which no volume serial number is recorded without performing initialization by recognizing the volume serial number displayed on a case, recording it on the recording medium housed in the case, and registering it on a memory device. CONSTITUTION:When a cartridge magnetic tape 20 is inserted to the throw-in opening 5 of a storage box 4 in a cartridge tape library device, an accessor 6 is moved by prescribed distance by an accessor controller 3 controlled by a host computer 1, and a label 21 which represents the volume serial number of the cartridge 20 is read by a bar code reader 7, and it is stored in a storage incorporated in the computer 1 transiently. Next, the cassette 20 is mounted on a magnetic tape device 9 by a magnetic tape controller 8, and the content of a storage part is recorded on a magnetic tape housed in the cassette 20 when no volume serial number is recorded on the tape, and also, it is registered on the memory device 2, and thereby, it is possible to register the magnetic tape on which no volume serial number is recorded without performing the initialization separately in advance.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method for registering exchangeable recording media used in a computer system, and particularly to a method for registering a recording medium suitable for inputting the recording medium into a storage. Regarding the method.

[Conventional technology]

Examples of portable recording media used in computer systems include magnetic tapes, and each magnetic tape is assigned a serial number called a volume serial number to distinguish it from other magnetic tapes. The volume serial number is recorded on the leading edge of the magnetic tape. When reading or writing data on a magnetic tape, normally the volume serial number is read first, and data processing is started after confirming that it is a specified magnetic tape.

When recording a volume serial number on a magnetic tape for the first time, an operator had to start up the host computer's tape initialization utility and manually key in the volume serial number. This also applies to an automatic magnetic tape handling system that stores magnetic tapes in a storage and automatically mounts/demounts the stored magnetic tapes on a magnetic tape device using an automatic transport mechanism.

Incidentally, related to the above-mentioned prior art, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 5
Publication No. 7-15253, Publication No. 57-152028,
Examples include inventions disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 57-152060, Japanese Patent No. 57-158008, and the like.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, when registering a magnetic tape in an automatic magnetic tape handling system, the automatic magnetic tape handling system needs to recognize the volume serial number of the magnetic tape. It was registered by reading the .

Therefore, in the prior art, a magnetic tape on which a volume serial number is not recorded cannot be registered, and the operator must initialize the magnetic tape in advance to record the volume serial number.

An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium registration method that enables a replaceable magnetic recording medium on which a volume serial number is not recorded to be registered in a recording medium automatic handling system without initialization by an operator. It is in.

[Means to solve the problem]

The recording medium registration method of the present invention includes: a medium storage for storing a recording medium housed in a case; an information recording means for recording and reproducing information on the recording medium; It is applied to a computer system equipped with a medium conveying means for conveying a recording medium and a computer for controlling these, and a volume serial number indicating the recording medium is displayed on the case, and a volume serial number indicating the recording medium is displayed on the case. Recognize the volume serial number, record the recognized volume serial number on a recording medium using the information recording means, and further store the correspondence between the storage address in the media storage and the recognized volume serial number. It is characterized by

[Effect]

On the case of the recording medium, an external label or the like on which the volume serial number is written using a bar code or OCR characters is pasted at a predetermined position. When a recording medium is inserted through the input slot, the content of the external label is automatically read using a barcode reader or optical character reader, and then the recording medium is transferred from the input slot to the information recording means using the recording medium transport means. Transport and install. The information recording means reads the volume serial number recorded on the recording medium. If the volume serial number is not recorded on the recording medium, the information recording means records the contents of the external label read recently on the recording medium, and then the medium conveyance means reads the volume serial number recorded on the recording medium. The recording medium is transported from the information recording means to the medium storage.

Registration of the storage medium is completed by storing in the storage means the correspondence between the volume serial number recorded on the storage medium and the location of the stored medium storage.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a cartridge tape library apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the external appearance of the cartridge tape used. In FIG. 2, an external label 2 on which the volume serial number of the cartridge tape is written in a barcode at a predetermined position on the cartridge tape 20.
1 is pasted.

This cartridge tape is inserted into a tape input port 5 attached to the tape storage 4 shown in FIG. 1 in order to register it in the cartridge tape library device shown in FIG. When the accessor control device 3 recognizes through the signal 5s13 that the cartridge tape 20 has been inserted, the accessor control device 3 notifies the host computer 1,
A cartridge insertion notification is issued via signal &'i 11.

When the host computer 1 receives the cartridge insertion notification, it issues a command to the accessor control device 3 to read the barcode 21 of the cartridge tape 20 inserted into the input slot 5. The accessor control device 3 controls the accessor 6 via the signal line 12 and connects the accessor 6 to the input port 5.
Positioned in The accessor 6 is a three-dimensionally movable robot, and such a robot and its control can be realized by techniques known to those skilled in the art. The accessor control device 3 instructs the barcode reading device 7 mounted on the accessor 6 positioned in the input slot 5 to read the contents of the barcode label 21, and reports the explanation contents to the host computer 1.

The host computer 1 temporarily stores the contents of the reported barcode label 21 in its own memory, and also stores the contents of the cartridge tape 2 inserted into the accessor control device 3.
0 on the magnetic tape device 9.

The accessor control device 3 controls the accessor 6 to transport the cartridge tape 20 in the input slot 5, loads it into the magnetic tape device 9, and reports the completion to the host computer 1.

When the host computer 1 confirms the completion report and recognizes that the magnetic tape device 9 is now capable of recording and reproducing operations via the line 14, the magnetic tape control device 8, and the signal line 15, the magnetic tape control device 8 via magnetic tape device 9
The volume serial number recorded on the magnetic tape of the cartridge tape 20 mounted earlier is read.

If the volume serial number was recorded.

It is possible to check the contents of the barcode label 21 read earlier and determine whether they match or do not match. If it is determined that there is no match as a result of the comparison check, the cartridge tape 20 may be initialized with the contents of the barcode label 21 read earlier.

If the volume serial number is not recorded on the cartridge tape 20, the contents of the barcode label 21 read earlier are recorded on the magnetic tape.

Thereafter, the host computer 1 determines the location on the storage 4 where the cartridge tape 20 is to be stored, and also requests the accessor control device 3 to demount the cartridge tape 20 from the magnetic tape device 9 and place it on the storage 4 determined earlier. Issue a command to store at the location. The accessor control device 3 controls the accessor 6 to execute the command, and reports the completion to the host computer 1. After receiving the completion report, the host computer 1 records the volume serial number recorded on the magnetic tape earlier and the storage 4 in which the cartridge tape 20 is stored.
The upper position is stored in the storage device 2.

As described above, the cartridge tape 20 is registered in the library device. When a user's job requests access to a cartridge tape with a predetermined volume serial number, the host computer 1 uses the correspondence table between the volume serial number stored in the storage device 2 and the stored position on the storage 4 to access the cartridge tape. The position of the cartridge tape is known and the accessor control device 3 is caused to move the cartridge tape.

Although the above embodiment has been described using a cartridge magnetic tape as a replaceable portable recording medium, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be used as a replaceable recording medium such as an optical disk. It is applicable.

Further, in the above embodiment, a bar code is attached to the cartridge magnetic tape, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a magnetic stripe or a character (
It may also be configured such that the information is read by OCR) or the like.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, since a recording medium can be registered in a library device without being initialized in advance, it is possible to save labor in recording medium registration work.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a cartridge tape library device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a cartridge tape used in the embodiment shown in FIG. ■...System storage computer, 2...Storage device, 3...Accessor control device, 4...Storage, 5...Input port,
6...Accessor, 7...Barcode reader, 8
...magnetic tape control device, 9...magnetic tape device,
2o... Cartridge tape, 21... Barcode label. Agent Patent Attorney Masami Akimoto

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A medium storage for storing recording media housed in a case, an information recording means for recording and reproducing information on the recording medium, and a medium transport means for transporting the recording medium between the information recording means and the medium storage. and a computer that controls them, displays a volume serial number indicative of the recording medium on the case, recognizes the volume serial number displayed on the case, and detects the recognized volume serial number. A method for registering a recording medium, comprising: recording the information on the recording medium using the information recording means, and further storing a correspondence between a storage address in a medium storage and the recognized volume serial number.