JPH02244319A - Control system for library device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily refer and update control information by providing a nonvolatile internal memory stored with the control information and a means which processes a read request and a write request from a main system device to the internal memory. CONSTITUTION:The nonvolatile internal memory is provided in the library device 13 and the read request and write request to the internal memory 16 are processed by the internal memory access part 15 of a controller 14. When 1st service is started after the library device 13 is installed, the library control part 11 generates the control information regarding device control and a storage medium from the state of the library device 13 and sets the information in a control information area 17 provided in a specific address in the internal memory 16. When a subsequent request to the library device 13 is processed, the contents of the control storage area 17 are referenced and updated through an internal memory access part 15 with a channel command which operates the internal memory access part 15. Consequently, the control information regarding the library device is easily referred and updated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Summary] The present invention relates to a library device control method for controlling a library device, which is a peripheral device having an automatic medium loading mechanism in a computer system, based on management information regarding the device and storage media.

The library device has a non-volatile built-in memory that stores the management information, and a built-in memory for this built-in memory. The main system device, which is equipped with a means for processing read requests and write requests from the main system device and accesses the library device, references and updates management information in the built-in memory of the library device, and controls access to the library device. It is configured to include a control section.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a library device which is a peripheral device having an automatic medium loading mechanism in a computer system.

A library device control method that performs control based on management information regarding the device and storage media.

The present invention relates to a library device control method that makes it possible to handle management information more efficiently.

Peripheral devices are used that have a mechanism for automatically loading storage media such as magnetic tape cartridges and optical disks into their input/output devices. this kind of equipment.

In the library device, hereinafter referred to as a library device, it is possible to refer to and update management information such as the status of the media handling device, the drive device, and the status of the media storage, and check whether access is possible or control the loading of media. It becomes necessary.

The collection of this management information greatly affects the overall access performance to the library device.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional method.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, a library device 55 is shared between systems by a two-body system device 10A and another main body system device 10B. In response to an input/output request from the application processing unit 50 to the library device 55, the data management unit 52 in the operating system performs processing for accessing the library device 55 via the library control unit 53 or the input/output control unit 12. conduct.

For this access, it is necessary to check in advance whether the device can be used or not and whether the medium requested for access is stored, based on management information regarding the device and the storage medium. Therefore, a management information storage file 57 is provided in the shared direct access storage device (hereinafter referred to as shared DASD) 56, and various management information tables are created in the file to manage the usage status of the device and the storage status of the media. There is.

The shared DASD 56 also stores general files 58 that are shared by the two-system devices 10A and 10B.
When accessing the files in the storage device, the shared DASD control unit 54 controls the reservation/release of the device.

The management information storage file generation unit 51 is the library device 5
When the service starts for the first time when installing 5, the shared DAS
This process creates a management information storage file 57 in the DS 6 and initializes the management information.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional system as shown in Fig. 5, the magnetic disk VzW
etc., create a management information storage file 57 that sets information for managing the storage medium, etc., and respond to an access request.
The contents of the management information storage file 57 are referenced and updated. Therefore, the following problem occurred.

fal A direct access storage device or the like is required to provide the management information storage file. Furthermore, in order to generate the management information storage file, a program such as the management information storage file generation section 51 shown in FIG. 5 is essential.

M) The response changes depending on the frequency of access to the device in which the management information storage file is provided. In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, if the library device 55 is shared by two systems and the management information storage file 57 also needs to be provided in the shared DASD 56 between the systems, the shared DASD
By accessing the general file 58 at 56,
It is often the case that the shared DASD 56 is temporarily occupied by one system, resulting in poor response performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a means for facilitating reference and updating of management information regarding a library device, and improving processing efficiency accordingly.

[Means to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, IOA and IOB are main system devices each consisting of a CPU, memory, etc., and 11 is a library control unit that controls a library device. Part, 13
14 is a controller that controls the library device 13 according to commands; 15 is a built-in memory access section; 16 is a non-volatile memory accessed by the built-in memory access section 15; a built-in memory, 17 a management information storage area, 18 a media handling device for transporting storage media;
19 is a media storage (CBLL) for storing storage media, 2
0 represents a drive device that performs input/output to the storage medium.

In the present invention, a nonvolatile built-in memory 16 is provided within the library device 13. Writing of data to the built-in memory 16 and reading of data from the built-in memory 16 can be freely performed by the one-piece system device using channel commands issued by the one-piece system device 10A, 10B. That is, the library device 13 side is not concerned with the contents of the data set in the built-in memory 16.

Read requests and write requests to the built-in memory 16 are handled by the built-in memory access unit 15 in the controller 14.
Processed by Built-in memory access section 15 controls access to built-in memory 16 using a microprogram.

The library control unit 11 controls the library device 13 at the time of starting the first service after the library device 13 is installed.
From this state, management information regarding device management and storage media is generated and set in the management information storage area 17 provided at a predetermined address within the built-in memory 16. When processing subsequent access requests to the library device 13, a channel command is used to operate the built-in memory access unit 15.

Management information storage area 1 via built-in memory access unit 15
Refer to and update the contents of 7. by this.

Controls mounting and dismounting of media.

[Effect]

In the present invention, the built-in memory 16 is provided in the library device 13.
is provided, and the information settings therein are performed by the library device 1.
This can be done using the channel command for 3. Therefore.

The library control unit 11 stores management information of the library device 13, which was conventionally set in a shared DASD or the like.

It can be set in the built-in memory 16 of the library device 13.

By setting the management information in the built-in memory 16, a device such as a shared DASD becomes unnecessary, and a certain standard of response is guaranteed for access to the management information.

〔Example〕

Fig. 2 is an example of a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of processing at the time of starting a service according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of processing for an access request according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The system shown in FIG. 2 includes an optical disk library device 30 having a mechanism for automatically loading optical disk storage media.
This is a loosely coupled multiprocessor system that can be accessed from two systems: a main system device 10A and a main system device 10B. Note that the present invention can be applied in exactly the same manner to peripheral devices having an automatic medium loading mechanism such as a magnetic tape cartridge.

The main body system devices 10A and 10B each have a main storage device ME.
M, a central processing unit CPU, and a channel control unit CHC. The optical disk library device 30 includes a channel device CH from each main body device 10A, 10B.
There are two paths that can be accessed through.

ODC is an optical disk controller, ACC is an accessor controller that controls transport of the optical disk, AC is an accessor that transports the optical disk, O3C is an optical storage controller that controls input/output to the optical disk, O
DD is an optical disk drive (drive device), and the built-in memory 16 is.

It can be accessed from two optical disk controllers ODC.

1 for reading/writing to this built-in memory 16.
In this example, memory access commands, memory
Read commands, memory write commands, etc. are provided.

The memory access command is used to prepare the optical disk controller ODC to write data to or read data from the internal memory 16.

The parameters transferred from the one-body system device 10A and IOB by this command are the memory address of the built-in memory 16 and information on the number of bytes transferred for read/write.

The memory read command is a command for reading the contents of the built-in memory 16, and the memory write command is a command for writing to the built-in memory 16. These are 1 normal.

It is used in a chained manner in the channel program with the reserve command requesting exclusive use of the optical disk library device 30 and the aforementioned memory access command.

Upon receiving these channel commands, the optical disk controller ODC executes read/write operations on the built-in memory 16. The control is performed by a microprogram in the optical disk controller ODC, and detailed explanations of the processing procedures and the like can be easily realized based on well-known techniques, and will therefore be omitted.

The library control unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 executes the process shown in FIG. 3, for example, at the time of starting the first service after hardware installation. Hereinafter, the processing shown in FIG.
This will be explained according to (6).

flll /'The management information storage area 17 of the built-in memory IJ16 is initialized by the warp write command.

(2) Obtain the device status of the library device 13 using a sense command, which is a status reading command. This status information includes the following:

■ Status of media handling device ■　Drive device status.

■ Status of media input/output port (in-left).

(3) Set the management information based on the state obtained in process (2) in the built-in memory 16.

(4) Read the status of the medium storage (CELL) 19 for each cell using a sense command.

■ If there is no medium, the management information for that cell is set to "empty".

■ If there is a medium, the medium stored in the CBLL is transferred to the drive device 2 by the medium handling device 18.
Move to 0. and the volume label for that medium (
VOL).

Get media type information. In the built-in memory 16, the management information of that cell is set as "in use".

Set media information such as volume label.

(5) Process (4) is repeated for the number of CBLLs.

(6) When the above initial setting process is completed, the service is set to start state.

After starting the service, when there is an access request to the library device 13, the library control unit 11
Execute the process shown in the figure.

The following will explain the processes fl) to (7) shown in FIG. 4.

+11 Reads the contents of the built-in memory 16 and checks whether the drive device 20 requested for access is usable.

(2) If the drive device 20 is usable, management information indicating that the drive device 20 is "in use" is stored in the built-in memory 16.

(3) Read the contents of the built-in memory 16 and check whether the medium requested for access is stored.

(4) If the medium is present and not in use, mount the medium on the drive device 20.

(5) After the mounting is completed, access from the user (program) is permitted from now on.

(6) When the user's access ends, the medium on the drive device 20 in use is dismounted.

(7) Set the status of the drive device 20 in use to "unused" in the management information in the built-in memory 16.

The management information stored in the built-in memory 16 is not particularly limited, but includes at least information such as drive device usage information and storage medium identification information (volume label, etc.).

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is no need to prepare an external storage device for storing management information of a library device, and installation of both hardware and software becomes easy.

Since management information is held for each library device, the response to access to it is not influenced by other factors, and performance is guaranteed. This is particularly effective when the library device is used as a peripheral device shared between systems.

In the figure, 10A, 1 Library control unit, 1 Library device, 14 Memory access section.

Physical information storage area, 18 9 is a media storage, 2 OB is the main system device, 11 crawls 2 is an input/output control unit, 13 is a is a controller, 15 is a built-in 16 is built-in memory, 17 is tube is a media handling device, 1 0 represents the drive device.

Patent applicant Fujitsu Limited (one other person) agent
Patent attorney Yoshiyoshi Ogasawara (2 others)

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example of a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of processing at the time of starting a service according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of processing for an access request according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional method. Diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention: Figure 1: Stem construction Figure 2: Example of construction

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a library device control method for controlling a library device (13), which is a peripheral device having an automatic medium loading mechanism in a computer system, based on management information regarding the device and storage media, the library device comprises: a non-volatile built-in memory (16) that stores the management information;
means (15) for processing read requests and write requests from the main body system device to the built-in memory, and the main body system device accessing the library device references and updates the management information in the built-in memory of the library device. 1. A library device control method, comprising: a library control unit (11) that controls access to the library device.