System and method for peripheral device virtual functionality overlay
OwnerPeter Thomas Camble, Stephen Gold +1inventors
InventorsPeter Thomas Camble, Stephen Gold, Stan S. Feather
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Abstract
A method for providing a peripheral device virtual functionality overlay for a data library comprises intercepting commands to a library data transfer element within a bridge disposed between a command initiator and the library, passing through commands that can be carried out by the data transfer element to the data transfer element, and executing, with the bridge, commands addressed to the data transfer element that cannot be carried out by the data transfer element.
Claims26
A method for providing a peripheral device virtual functionality overlay for a data library, said method comprising:
- intercepting commands to a library data transfer element within a bridge disposed between a command initiator and said library;
- passing through commands that can be carried out by said data transfer element to said data transfer element;
- and
- executing, with said bridge, commands addressed to said data transfer element that cannot be carried out by said data transfer element.
A peripheral device virtual functionality overlay system for a partitioned data library, said overlay system comprising:
- a lookup table that indicates unique host device identifiers authorized to access each of said data transfer elements of said library;
- and
- a bridge disposed between a storage area network and said partitioned data library, wherein said bridge comprises firmware that uses said lookup table to determine whether a host initiating commands directed to a data transfer element of said library is authorized to issue commands to said data transfer element, wherein said bridge firmware passes through to said data transfer element authorized commands that can be carried out by said data transfer element and wherein said bridge firmware intercepts and executes commands directed to said data transfer element that cannot be carried out by said data transfer element.
A partitioned storage area network with an attached data library, said network comprising:
- a data storage array divided into partitions;
- said library comprising:
- a plurality of library partitions corresponding to said array partitions;
- a plurality of data transfer elements each of said data transfer elements assigned to one of said library partitions;
- a plurality of data storage element slots, each of said slots assigned to one of said library partitions;
- and
- a library controller that defines a virtual controller for each of said library partitions, said virtual controllers directing movement of data storage media to and from slots assigned to a same of said partitions and to and from data transfer elements assigned to a same of said partitions, said slots and said data transfer elements assigned to a same of said partitions;
- and
- at least one bridge disposed between said array and said library, wherein said bridge passes through authorized commands that can be carried out by one of said data transfer elements to said one data transfer element and wherein said bridge intercepts commands directed to said one data transfer element that cannot be carried out by said one data transfer element and executes said commands that cannot be carried out by said one data transfer element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.