Tape library emulation with automatic configuration and data retention
AssigneeOverland Storage, Inc.
InventorsVictoria Gonzalez, Sergio Encarnacao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disk based emulation of tape libraries is provided with features that allow easier management and administration of a backup system and also allow increased flexibility to both archive data on tape at a remote location and also have fast restore access to archived data files. Features include automatic emulation of physical libraries, and the retention and write protection of virtual tapes that correspond to exported physical tapes.
Claims13
A method of emulating a tape library data storage system using one or more hard disk drives, the method comprising:
- coupling an appliance containing the one or more hard disk drives to one or more physical tape libraries in a data storage system;
- with the appliance, querying the one or more physical tape libraries to acquire a configuration of the one or more physical tape libraries in the data storage system;
- allocating data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to virtual devices of one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the one or more virtual tape libraries comprise virtual devices emulating physical devices in the acquired configuration of the one or more physical tape libraries in the tape storage system;
- and
- allocating data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to at least one additional virtual device associated with the one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the additional virtual device has no corresponding physical device in the data storage system.
A method of emulating data storage on a magnetic tape media using one or more hard disk drives, the method comprising:
- allocating data storage space of the one or more hard disk drives to one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the one or more virtual tape libraries comprise one or more virtual devices emulating one or more physical devices of the one or more physical tape libraries in a tape storage system;
- storing data in the storage space allocated to the one or more virtual tape libraries according to a first user defined periodic schedule;
- replicating the data stored on the one or more virtual tape libraries onto the one or more physical tape libraries according to a second user defined periodic schedule;
- detecting a request to export one of one or more physical tapes from one of the one or more physical tape libraries;
- and
- in response to said detecting, replicating data from a virtual tape corresponding to the physical tape requested to be exported to the physical tape requested to be exported before the physical tape is exported, so as to synchronize the physical tape with the virtual tape.
A method of handling data storage on a hard disk storage system implemented to emulate one or more attached tape libraries, said method comprising:
- requesting export of at least one physical tape from a physical tape library;
- in response to said requesting, replicating data from the virtual tape corresponding to the physical tape to be exported to the physical tape requested to be exported before the physical tape is exported, so as to synchronize the physical tape with the virtual tape;
- and
- write-protecting the data on the hard disk storage system that is associated with the virtual tape corresponding to the physical tape to be exported.
A method of emulating a tape library data storage system using one or more hard disk drives, the method comprising:
- coupling an appliance containing the one or more hard disk drives to one or more physical tape libraries in a data storage system;
- allocating, on the appliance, data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to virtual devices of one or more virtual tape libraries, wherein the one or more virtual tape libraries comprise virtual devices identical to physical devices of one or more physical tape libraries in the tape storage system;
- and
- allocating, on the appliance, data storage space on the one or more hard disk drives to at least one additional virtual tape library that has no corresponding physical tape library in the data storage system.
A storage system comprising:
- at least one disk based storage appliance;
- and
- at least one physical tape library, wherein the disk based storage appliance is configured to respond to commands generated by backup software as at least one emulated tape library, and
- wherein said disk based storage appliance stores data files in an emulated tape library accessible to said backup software that are also stored on tapes that have been previously removed from said physical tape library,
- wherein tape archive and disk based read access to a set of data files are simultaneously provided.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.