Correlating Power Signatures with Automated Equipment

A system for monitoring the activity of a tape drive system having one or more electro-mechanical components, said electro-mechanical components receiving electrical current from a power supply, the system comprising:

• a mechanism for sampling an actual current supplied to said electro-mechanical component from said power supply during said activity;
• a mechanism for reading a theoretical current for said activity;
• a mechanism for calculating a statistical value for said actual current and said theoretical current;
• a mechanism for comparing said statistical value to at least one threshold value;
• and
• a mechanism for outputting information to at least one of a user, another system, and another process based on said comparison of said statistical value to said at least one threshold value.

A method for monitoring activity of a tape-based storage system having a plurality of tape drives and a robotic picker, the method comprising:

• sampling an actual current supplied from a power supply to at least one of a picker and electro-mechanical components of a plurality of the tape drives during an activity;
• determining a theoretical current for said activity;
• calculating a statistical value for said actual current and said theoretical current;
• p1 comparing said statistical value to at least one threshold value;
• and
• outputting information to at least one of a user, another system, and another process based on said comparison of said statistical value to said at least one threshold value.