Grouping shared resources into one or more pools and automatically re-assigning shared resources from where they are not currently needed to where they are needed

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said grouping means further comprises a peripheral management means which initially configures said pools of shared devices, edits said pools of shared devices, lists the contents of said pools of shared devices, and adds or removes said shared devices.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, select one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein one or more of said devices re-assigned manually by a computer operator to a first system but not removed from said pools remains on said first system until the need for a new device on a second system causes said shared device manager to select said devices of said first system when said devices become available.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said notification means further comprises a messaging means for sending a message alerting a tape hold condition to a system console of a data processing system.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said notification means further comprises a messaging means for sending a device request to a system console of said data processing system from a batch procedure.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said allocation means further comprises a message matching means which interprets said device request displayed on said system console, and issues a request for a set of available peripheral devices to said device manager means.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said configuration means further comprises an automated un-assignment of said peripheral devices on corresponding host data processing systems, and an assignment of said peripheral devices on said requesting data processing systems.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said peripheral devices in said pools remain available to the last of said data processing systems that used said peripheral device.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said shared device manager means further comprises an archival means for recording said automated management of said peripheral devices in a history file for later reference.

An apparatus for the automated management of peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. shared device manager means for coordinating the management of shared peripheral devices;
• b. grouping means within said shared device manager means for organizing the peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared device manager means that an additional resource of said peripheral devices is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared device manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more peripheral devices from said pools, and allocates the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared device manager means automatically assigns the selected peripheral devices to the requesting data processing system;
• and
• f. wherein said shared device manager means can be activated or disabled for a selected data processing system via a keyin sequence entered by a computer operator at a computer console on said selected data processing system.

An apparatus for the automated management of tape drives of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more tape drives comprising:

• a. shared tape drive manager means for coordinating the management of shared tape drives;
• b. grouping means within said shared tape drive manager means for organizing the tape drives assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared tape drives;
• c. notification means by which a requesting data processing system issues a request to said shared tape drive manager means that an additional resource of said tape drives is required;
• d. allocation means by which said shared tape drive manager means receives said request from said notification means, selects one or more tape drives from said pools, and allocates the selected tape drives to the requesting data processing system;
• e. configuration means by which said shared tape drive manager means automatically assigns the selected tape drives to the requesting data processing system;
• f. display means for displaying a dynamically updated status of the current allocations of said tape drives to said data processing systems;
• and
• g. archival means for archiving the automatic tape drive management activities in a history file for future reference.

A method for managing peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. grouping one or more of said peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices, wherein said pools of shared devices are created and maintained by a peripheral device configuration means which, in addition to defining an initial configuration of said pools of shared devices, may also be used to edit existing pool files, list the contents of said pools, and add or remove said peripheral devices from said pools;
• b. monitoring said data processing complex for requests for additional peripheral device resources;
• c. matching said requests for said additional peripheral device resources against available resources in said pools of shared devices;
• and
• d. assigning said available resources in said pools of shared devices to service said requests.

A method for managing the peripheral devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more peripheral devices comprising:

• a. grouping one or more of said peripheral devices assigned to a host system into one or more pools of shared devices;
• b. managing said pools though a peripheral device configuration means;
• c. monitoring said data processing complex for requests for additional peripheral device resources;
• d. matching said requests for said additional peripheral devices resources against available resources in said pools of shared devices;
• e. assigning said available resources in said pools of shared devices to service said request;
• f. displaying a dynamically updated status of the current allocations of said peripheral devices to said data processing systems;
• and
• g. archiving the automatic peripheral device management activities in a history file for further reference.

A method of managing the tape drive devices of a data processing complex, the data processing complex having one or more data processing systems and one or more tape drives comprising:

• a. grouping one or more tape drives assigned to said data processing systems into one or more pools of shared tape drives;
• b. managing said pools through a shared tape drive manager (STDM) utility;
• c. monitoring said data processing complex for requests for additional tape drives;
• d. matching said requests for said additional tape drive resources against available resources in said pools of tape drives;
• e. assigning said available resources in said pools of tape drives to service said request;
• f. displaying a dynamically updated status of the current allocations of said tape drives to said data processing systems;
• and
• g. archiving the tape drive management activities in a history file for further reference.