Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method of device management. In one embodiment of the present invention, a management device can receive device management data from devices on a network in a variety of device management protocols and map the device management data to a protocol used by a device management client. Because the management device can provide device management data in a format usable by the device management client, regardless of which protocol was originally used to generate the device management data, the device management client can turn to the management device to gather all or a portion the device management data from heterogeneous devices on a network.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for handling commands requesting movement of a data storage medium (magnetic tape, optical disk, or other medium) from a source media library to a destination media library using a pass through port. Prior to issuing commands requesting movement of the data storage medium from a source location to the pass through port and from the pass through port to a destination location, embodiments of the present invention can check the status of various locations (e.g., the destination location or pass through port) to determine if the movement requested in the original command can be completed successfully. Another embodiment of the present invention can maintain reservation flags for pass through ports so that the status of particular pass through ports can be determined and an available pass through port selected.

Abstract: Embodiments of methods and systems comprise identifying failing media and/or drives for a media library. Error data can be collected from media libraries. For each tape exhibiting an error rate of interest, a determination can be made whether the tape would still have been of interest had it not been loaded in certain drives. This information can be analyzed to identify failing drives or tapes.

Abstract: A system and method of media library access that utilizes distributed mapping of media library partitions. A first controller can be connected to a data transport element of a media library and a second controller can be connected to a media changer of the media library. The first controller can maintain a media library partition representing a portion of the media library, receive a command from a host application based on the media library partition and forward the command to the second controller. The first controller can further translate logical addresses referenced in the command to physical addresses before forwarding the command to the second controller. The second controller can receive the command from the first controller and forward the command to the media changer. The second controller can also prioritize the command using a FIFO or other prioritization scheme.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a media library controller that can communicate with multiple physical libraries that are physically separate from each other. The media library controller can maintain a virtualized aggregate media library representing the physical media libraries with which it is in communication. From the physical media libraries, the media library controller can establish a virtual media library and associate a host with the virtual media library. The virtual media library can represent the portions of a physical media library to which the host is allowed access.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for handling persistent reservations. More particularly, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a routing device that routes commands from multiple initiators to a target device can assert reservations for the initiators using its own reservation key rather than a reservation key provided by an initiator. The routing device can further maintain a registry of keys for multiple initiators that access the target device through the routing device. For a persistent reservation command received using a persistent reservation key in the registry, the routing device can forward the command to the target device server using the routing device's key. Thus, reservations for the multiple initiators will be held using the routing device's key. For persistent reservation commands received from initiators registered with the routing device, the routing device can handle conflict resolution and other persistent reservation processing.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an interface device and method for command processing for commands requiring data flow in both directions on a Fiber Channel or other data transport protocol exchange. The commands can include proprietary commands, SCSI linked commands or other commands known in the art. According to one embodiment, an interface device can assign a command a data flow direction indicator. When a reply to the command is received, the interface device can determine if the reply is expected or unexpected based on the data flow direction specified by the data flow direction indicator. If the reply is unexpected, the interface device can determine whether to process the reply. According to one embodiment, the data flow direction indicator can be the exchange identification.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method of command tracking that eliminates, or at least substantially reduces, the shortcomings of prior art systems and methods for command tracking. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method in which a command is assigned a unique identification. State information for the command (e.g., has the command been completed, has all the data associated with the command been received and other state information) can be associated with the unique identification and recorded. According to one embodiment, the state information can be stored in various tables that correspond to particular data transport protocols and/or devices. Because the state information for the command is associated with the unique identification in the tables, state information for the same command can be identified, even if the command changes data transport protocols.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for backing up data through recordation and issuance of extended copy and media commands. One embodiment of the present invention can include a method for backing up data comprising, receiving one or more extended copy commands for a requested operation, receiving one or more media commands for the operation, recording the one or more media commands, recording the one or more extended copy commands and retrieving and issuing the recorded one or more extended copy commands and the recorded one or more media commands for the operation to perform the requested operation.

Abstract: A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fiber Channel devices. A plurality of Fiber Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fiber Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fiber Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.

Abstract: A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fibre Channel devices. A plurality of Fibre Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fibre Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fibre Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.

Abstract: A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fibre Channel devices. A plurality of Fibre Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fibre Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fibre Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.

Abstract: A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fibre Channel devices. A plurality of Fibre Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fibre Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fibre Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.

Abstract: A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fibre Channel devices. A plurality of Fibre Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fibre Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fibre Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.

Abstract: A data encryption engine and method for using to selectively encrypt communications. Data is received from a source device into the data encryption engine. The data encryption engine determines whether or not to encrypt the data based on a source device preference, a target device preference, a comparison of priority numbers for the source device and target device, the transport medium, the relationship between the source device and target device, a type/level of encryption or some combination. If the data is determined to need encryption, the data encryption device may encrypt the data or may flag the data for encryption by the target device. Otherwise the unencrypted data may be forwarded to the target device.

Abstract: A system and method for servicing inquiry commands, wherein inquiry data is stored in a memory and if an inquiry command for the target device is received while the target device is busy processing another command, the stored inquiry data is returned in response to the command. In one embodiment, a router contains a memory for storing static inquiry data corresponding to each of a plurality of sequential devices connected thereto. The first time a host sends an inquiry command to one of the sequential devices, the router routes the command to the target device and stores the data returned by the device. Subsequent inquiry commands are serviced by passing the command through to the target device if it is not busy, or returning inquiry data from the router's memory if the target device is busy processing another command.

Abstract: Embodiments of a routing device for coordinating the interoperability of devices with varying capabilities that send and/or receive commands in a storage network are disclosed. A host device in the storage network may inquire the capabilities of a storage device in a storage network. A routing device may receive a response from the storage device and pass the response through to the host unaltered or may alter the response to reflect the higher or lower capabilities of the routing device before sending the response to the host.

Abstract: A data processing unit including a data network, a file server integrated into the data network and having a separate data memory for the server and wherein at least one primary data file system, in which data files stored on the server data memory are filed. The data files of the primary data file system are divided into at least two primary activity groups with a different hierarchical ranking by means of a primary hierarchical memory management in accordance with a primary activity criterion, that the memory management copies at least the data files of the primary activity group with a lowest ranking into at least one secondary data file system on a data memory of a data storage unit positioned subsequent to the server data memory and that the memory management generates metadata from the copied data files of the primary activity group with a lowest ranking.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems and methods for archive verification of media in a library. A method of archive verification may comprise loading a specified media into a drive at intervals, sending one or more commands to the drive, wherein the drive attempts to read the specified media or data on the specified media in accordance with the one or more commands, collecting data associated with the specified media from the drive and determining the readability of the specified media or data on the specified media.

Abstract: Embodiments of methods and systems comprise collecting data associated with a library or library components and storing the collected data in repository. By collecting data associated with a library or library components and storing the collected data in a repository, the degradation of library components can be monitored and the reliability of library components determined, allowing unreliable components to be bypassed or replaced, enhancing the reliability of the library and preventing data loss.