Abstract: A system is provided to ensure a timely secure data erase by determining whether allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance by evaluating a quantity of physical volumes to be secure data erased, a maximum queued threshold, an average time to an erasure deadline and a minimum expiration threshold. An additional tape drive is allocated for the secure data erase process when it is determined that allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance.

Abstract: A method and computer program product are provided to ensure a timely secure data erase by determining whether allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance by evaluating a quantity of physical volumes to be secure data erased, a maximum queued threshold, an average time to an erasure deadline and a minimum expiration threshold. An additional tape drive is allocated for the secure data erase process when it is determined that allocating an additional tape drive would improve secure data erase performance.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system and article of manufacture for return processing in storage pools. A plurality of physical volumes are allocated to a first storage pool. A determination is made whether the first storage pool has more than a threshold number of empty physical volumes. If the first storage pool has more than the threshold number of empty physical volumes, then at least one empty physical volume is returned to a second storage pool.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a storage manager application implemented in a first computational device maintains a virtual logical volume that represents a plurality of segments of a linear storage medium of a secondary storage, wherein the virtual logical volume and the plurality of segments are created by the storage manager application. A request for data is received at the first computational device, from a second computational device. The storage manager application moves selected segments of the plurality of segments from the linear storage medium of the secondary storage to a cache storage, in anticipation that the requested data is included in the selected segments that are moved from the linear storage medium of the secondary storage to the cache storage.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for cancellation of premigration of a member in a chain. A set of premigration messages are received, wherein a separate premigration message is received for each logical volume in a chain of logical volumes. While processing the premigration messages in order of receipt of each of the premigration messages, a cancel message indicating that premigration of a logical volume in the chain is to be cancelled is received. In response to determining that the logical volume whose premigration is to be cancelled has not already been transferred to physical storage media, premigration of the logical volume is cancelled by removing a premigration message for that logical volume from the set of premigration messages and premigration of each other logical volume in the chain of logical volumes is continued in order of receipt.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for cancellation of premigration of a member in a chain. A set of premigration messages are received, wherein a separate premigration message is received for each logical volume in a chain of logical volumes. While processing the premigration messages in order of receipt of each of the premigration messages, a cancel message indicating that premigration of a logical volume in the chain is to be cancelled is received. In response to determining that the logical volume whose premigration is to be cancelled has not already been transferred to physical storage media, premigration of the logical volume is cancelled by removing a premigration message for that logical volume from the set of premigration messages and premigration of each other logical volume in the chain of logical volumes is continued in order of receipt.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a storage manager application implemented in a first computational device maintains a virtual logical volume that has a plurality of segments created by the storage manager application. At least one additional copy of at least one of the plurality of segments is maintained in at least one linear storage medium of a secondary storage. A request for data is received, at the first computational device, from a second computational device. At least one of the plurality of segments and the at least one additional copy are used to respond to the received request for data.

Abstract: The provision of verification for data storage cartridges having data storage tape media employs determining the volume identity of a data storage cartridge; and providing an internal label at each block of data to be written to the data storage tape media of the data storage cartridge, the internal label at least comprising the volume identity. Verification of a label comprises reading an external label of the cartridge, the external label at least comprising a volume identity of the cartridge; determining whether the tape media comprises valid data arranged in blocks; positioning the tape media at one of the data blocks and attempting to read an internal label from the data block; and if so, determining whether the volume identity of the external label matches the volume identity of the internal label, and, if so, determining that the matching volume identity is the volume identity of the cartridge.

Abstract: Methods and systems back up deduplicated data to data storage media, the deduplicated data comprising a plurality of data blocks referenced for deduplication. In one embodiment, the existence of multiple references to each of the data blocks is determined; and at least two copies of at least each data block having multiple references thereto is stored, each to a separate data storage media. In another embodiment, the references to each of the data blocks is determined; the total of multiple references is compared to a percentage threshold; and multiple copies are stored for all the data blocks where the percentage threshold is exceeded.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for recalling a logical volume from a mountable media for use in a virtual tape server. The apparatus includes a receiving module, a queuing module, and an optimizer module. The receiving module receives recall requests for logical volumes stored in a mountable media such as a tape cartridge. The queuing module places the requests in a queue to be processed in turn. The optimizer module reorders the queue based on one or more optimization rules in order to process the recall requests more efficiently.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system, a method, and article of manufacture to provide for obtaining data storage device specific information from a data storage device using standard read/write commands. This method uses a host application to write a unique sequence of records to a logical volume of the data storage device. The data storage device detects the unique sequence of records for the logical volume and writes device specific information to the logical volume allowing the host application the ability to read the data storage device specific information using a read command for the logical volume.

Abstract: The provision of verification for data storage cartridges having data storage tape media employs determining the volume identity of a data storage cartridge; and providing an internal label at each block of data to be written to the data storage tape media of the data storage cartridge, the internal label at least comprising the volume identity. Verification of a label comprises reading an external label of the cartridge, the external label at least comprising a volume identity of the cartridge; determining whether the tape media comprises valid data arranged in blocks; positioning the tape media at one of the data blocks and attempting to read an internal label from the data block; and if so, determining whether the volume identity of the external label matches the volume identity of the internal label, and, if so, determining that the matching volume identity is the volume identity of the cartridge.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for managing metadata for data blocks used in a deduplication system. File metadata is maintained for files having data blocks in a computer readable device. Data block metadata is maintained for each data block in the computer readable device. The data block metadata for one data block includes a data block reference and content identifier identifying content of the data block. The file metadata for each file includes the data block reference to each data block in the file. A determination is made of an unreferenced data block in the computer readable device that has become unreferenced. Indication is made that the data block metadata for the determined unreferenced data block as unreferenced metadata. The data block reference of the unreferenced metadata is maintained in the computer readable device in response to determining that a includes the data block indicated in the unreferenced metadata.

Abstract: With detection of a selected error event involving a data storage drive and data storage media, a subsystem attempts to move the media to another drive, and conduct a similar operation. The subsystem separately tracks successive error events of individual drives and individual media, wherein a complete successful operation breaks the chain of the successive error events; and upon the number of successive error events reaching a threshold, fails the data storage drive or the data storage media. Error events are categorized into: 1) error events before or during a mount of a media into a drive; and 2) error events after a successful mount of a media into a drive; and conducts the tracking, comparing and failing steps separately for each of the categories for the drives and the media.

Abstract: Upgrades are made to the available capacity of cache disk storage without adding drawer(s) or blade(s) when the upgrade is requested. A cache control is configured to respond to a requested capacity upgrade, establishing a capacity restriction applicable to a filesystem providing active perceived available capacity spanning the disk drive subunits, such as drawers, blades or disk drives. The active perceived available data storage capacity and unused capacity of the filesystem are spread across the disk drive subunits. The capacity restriction is related to the requested upgrade adjustment, and the capacity restriction controls rates of data transfer with respect to the filesystem. The capacity restriction may comprise a freespace threshold for throttling of a fill rate of resident data pending premigration from the cache disk storage filesystem, and a premigration threshold for increasing drain rate of premigration data from the cache disk storage filesystem.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for archiving log data. In one embodiment, an allocation module allocates a plurality of log logical volumes in a storage pool for storing copies of log instances. The log logical volumes may be hidden from a user. A log module records log data to at least one first log instance in a cache. A copy module transparently copies the at least one first log instance to a first log logical volume of a plurality of log logical volumes in a storage pool when a copy policy is satisfied. The log module further records the log data to at least one second log instance in the cache, overwriting the at least one first log instance. In one embodiment, a selection module selects a second log logical volume of the plurality of log logical volumes to receive the copied at least one second log instance if the first log logical volume satisfies a wrap policy.

Abstract: Provided are methods for borrow processing in storage pools. A plurality of physical volumes are allocated to a first storage pool. A determination is made whether the first storage pool has less than a threshold number of empty physical volumes. If the first storage pool has less than the threshold number of empty physical volumes, then at least one empty physical volume is borrowed to the first storage pool from a second storage pool.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system, a method, and article of manufacture to provide for obtaining data storage device specific information from a data storage device using standard read/write commands. This method uses a host application to write a unique sequence of records to a logical volume of the data storage device. The data storage device detects the unique sequence of records for the logical volume and writes device specific information to the logical volume allowing the host application the ability to read the data storage device specific information using a read command for the logical volume.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for cancellation of premigration of a member in a chain. A set of premigration messages are received, wherein a separate premigration message is received for each logical volume in a chain of logical volumes. While processing the premigration messages in order of receipt of each of the premigration messages, a cancel message indicating that premigration of a logical volume in the chain is to be cancelled is received. In response to determining that the logical volume whose premigration is to be cancelled has not already been transferred to physical storage media, premigration of the logical volume is cancelled by removing a premigration message for that logical volume from the set of premigration messages and premigration of each other logical volume in the chain of logical volumes is continued in order of receipt.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for cancellation of premigration of a member in a chain. A set of premigration messages are received, wherein a separate premigration message is received for each logical volume in a chain of logical volumes. While processing the premigration messages in order of receipt of each of the premigration messages, a cancel message indicating that premigration of a logical volume in the chain is to be cancelled is received. In response to determining that the logical volume whose premigration is to be cancelled has not already been transferred to physical storage media, premigration of the logical volume is cancelled by removing a premigration message for that logical volume from the set of premigration messages and premigration of each other logical volume in the chain of logical volumes is continued in order of receipt.