JPH03205648A - Control system for tape library system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the data transfer capability by providing interfaces between plural cartridge tape devices and an automatic carrying device and reporting states of plural cartridge tape devices to a higher-order device. CONSTITUTION:Interfaces 16 and 17 are provided between plural cartridge tape devices 5 to 8 to be controlled and a controller 10 which controls an accessor robot 12. When data is transferred by cartridge tape controllers 3 and 4, states of the other cartridge tape devices free from data transfer are recognized and are reported to a higher-order CPU 1 through the controller which controls the accessor robot 12. Thus, the higher-order CPU 1 recognizes states of plural cartridge tape devices 5 to 8 in the early stage to improve the data transfer capability of a tape library system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a tape library device capable of transferring a large amount of information, and particularly to a tape library device that enables efficient tape handling operation instructions under the control of its control device. This invention relates to a control method for a tape library control device.

[Conventional technology]

As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-17258R, ``Automatic Tape Library System Control Method,''
It is composed of a plurality of cartridge tape devices, an accessor robot that transports and loads or unloads cartridge tapes from a cartridge warehouse to the cartridge tape devices, and a control device that controls these devices, and transfers a large amount of information. As a control method for an automatic tape library device, the cartridge tape device under the control of the control device and the accessor robot that transports, loads, and unloads the cartridge are commonly controlled, thereby increasing the effective data processing speed of the cartridge device. In order to enable efficient tape handling instructions for accessor robots, the following method has been provided. In other words, in an automatic tape library system, means is provided to detect that data transfer processing of a cartridge tape device has continuously processed a specified value, and detects a command end signal of a cartridge tape device other than the cartridge tape device or an accessor robot. means is provided, and if the command end signal is detected when the data transfer process has completed a specified amount, continuous processing of the cartridge tape device during the data transfer process is temporarily stopped, and the command end signal is not detected. In this case, an error is reported when the next data processing is instructed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The above conventional technology has the following drawbacks because it commonly controls the cartridge tape device and the accessor robot that transports, loads and unloads the cartridge, and has only one interface with the host CPU. In other words, if one cartridge tape device is transferring data, the demount completion status and error status of another cartridge tape device cannot be reported to the host, so the demount operation instruction from the host CPU to the accessor robot cannot be sent. Due to this delay, there was a problem in that the replenishment of cartridges to the cartridge tape device was delayed, resulting in a decrease in the data transfer ability of the device.

An object of the present invention is to enable efficient tape handling operation instructions in a tape library device capable of transferring a large amount of information, especially under the control of its control device;
An object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a tape library control device that improves data transfer capability.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the higher-level purpose, separate interfaces are provided between the higher-level CPU and the controller that controls the cartridge tape controller and the accessor robot that transports, loads, and unloads the cartridge. , an interface is provided between each of the plurality of cart-D tape devices to be controlled and a control device that controls the accessor robot, and while data is being transferred by the cartridge tape control device,
The status of other cartridge tape devices to which data transfer is not being performed (mounting, demanting, error occurrence, ready, etc.) is recognized and reported to the host CPU via the control device that controls the accessor robot. As a result, the host CPU can quickly recognize the status of a plurality of cartridge tape devices and issue efficient tape handling instructions.

[Effect]

The host CPU communicates with the cartridge tape control device,
While data is being transferred, the control device that controls the accessor robot recognizes the status of the cartridge tape device that is not transferring data (for example, unloading is complete), and reports this to the host CPU via the control device. As a result, the upper CPU will respond to the unloaded tape.
A demount instruction can be given to the accessor robot at an early stage, making it possible to perform efficient handling operations and prevent a decline in data transfer capability.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a tape library system. Upper CPUI, cartridge tape control device (MTC1) 3, cartridge tape control device (MTC2) 4, cartridge tape device (M
TUI) 5, cartridge tape unit (MTU2) 6,
Cartridge tape unit (MTU3) 7, cartridge tape unit (MTU4) 8, automatic library control unit (ALC) 9, automatic accessor control unit (ADU) 10
, Library Control Memory (LCM) 11. Accessor robot (AC) 12, cartridge insertion mechanism (ENT) 13, cartridge ejection mechanism (EXiT) 1
4, cartridge tape warehouse (CELL) 15. In response to a command from the host CPU 1, the automatic library control device 9 is instructed via the library control interface line 18 to transport cartridge tapes at predetermined positions in the cartridge tape warehouse 15 to the cartridge tape devices 5 to 8 by the accessor robot 12. ,
After being loaded into the cartridge tape devices 5-8, the cartridge tape controllers 3-4 transfer data to and from the host CPU via data transfer interface lines 16-17. After the data transfer is completed, the unloaded cartridge tape is returned to the cartridge tape warehouse 15 by the accessor robot 12 according to a command from the host CPU. Further, the ejection of cartridge tapes from the tape library system 2 and the insertion of cartridge tapes into the tape library system 2 are carried out by the cartridge ejection mechanism 14 and the cartridge insertion mechanism 1.
3.

Next, an embodiment of the control method of the present invention will be described based on the operation flow diagram of FIG. Cartridge tape unit (MTU)
I) When transferring data via 5, the upper CPU
Instructs the automatic library control device 9 to transport the cartridge tape via the library control interface flI18. The automatic library control device 9 is
The cell address of the cartridge tape warehouse 15 and the V S N # (Volume Se
reading data from the library control memory 11 that manages correspondence tables with
Based on the information, a predetermined cartridge tape is found in the cartridge tape warehouse 15, and an instruction is given to the accessor robot 12 to move to a predetermined cartridge tape position via the automatic accessor control device 10. The accessor robot 12 grabs a predetermined cartridge tape, moves it to the cartridge tape device 5 for data transfer, and mounts the cartridge tape on the cartridge tape device 5. Next, the host CPUI instructs the cartridge tape control device 30r4 to transfer data from the cartridge tape device 5 via the data transfer interface i16orl7. While the data transfer of multiple blocks is being performed, the automatic library controller 9
recognizes the status of the cartridge tape devices 5 to 8 via the cartridge tape device interface line 21. (Consider loading, unloading, ready, error occurrence, etc. as the status of the cartridge tape device.) In order to know the status of the cartridge tape devices 5 to 8, there is a register in the cartridge tape device that can display the status. etc., and the register is transferred from the automatic library control device 9 to the cartridge tape device interface fi.
A possible method is to read the data through 21. If the cartridge tape device 6 is able to recognize the completion of unloading, the automatic library control device 9
The cartridge tape device 6 notifies U1 that the cartridge tape can be demounted. (
Normally, this is performed as an interrupt process for the upper CPUI. ) The host CPUI issues an instruction to demount the cartridge tape from the cartridge tape device 6. The automatic library control device 9 is the automatic accessor control device 1
0, the accessor robot 12 is instructed to transport the cartridge tape, and the cartridge tape is returned to the cartridge tape warehouse. By controlling in this manner, the operating rate of the accessor robot is increased, and the cartridge tape device 6 can immediately transfer the next data, so that the data transfer capability of the tape library system is improved.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in a tape library system, the present invention allows the control device to recognize the loading, unloading, and error states of the cartridge tape device and immediately report them to the host, thereby reducing the utilization rate of the accessor robot. It has the advantage of increasing efficiency and improving handling and data transfer capabilities.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a tape library system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operational flow of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1... Upper CPU, 2... Tape library system, 3... Cartridge tape control device (MTCI)
, 4... Cartridge tape control device (MTC: 2)
, 5... Cartridge tape device (MTUI), 6.
... Cartridge tape device (MTU2), 7... Power cartridge tape device (MTU3), 8... Cartridge tape device (MTU4), 9... Automatic library control device (ALC), 10... Automatic Accessor control unit (ADU), 11...Library control memory, 12...Accessor robot, 15...Cartridge tape warehouse. L=-. --Ki 1 Shuiichi-''

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cartridge tape control device that is connected to a plurality of cartridge tape devices and a host device, and operates the cartridge tape devices and transfers data according to the commands thereof; In a tape library system comprising an automatic transport device that transports and loads or unloads cartridge tapes from a cartridge warehouse, an interface for reading the status of the cartridge tape device is provided between the plurality of cartridge tape devices and the automatic transport device, and a plurality of interfaces are provided between the plurality of cartridge tape devices and the automatic transport device. Recognizes the status of the cartridge tape device,
A control method for a tape library system characterized by immediately reporting this information from an automatic transport device to a host device.