Data storage drives in an automated data storage library

• Main Authors: JESIONOWSKI LEONARD GEORGE, DAY KENNETH FAIRCLOUGH, DAHMAN KIRBY GRANT, BASHAM ROBERT BEVERLEY
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 19.08.2009
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; PHYSICS

Data storage drives of an automated data storage library are allocated to received requests. A drive resource provider (35), upon receiving a request for a drive when all of the drives of the pool are allocated, holds any mount of a portable data storage cartridge relative to the request, releasing the hold when a drive is allocated. Spare drives are provided, outside of the pool. A spare drive may be allocated in response to the request, and a message is posted indicating use of the spare data storage drive. The posted message may comprise a notification that action may be taken to permanently transfer a spare data storage drive to the pool. Furthermore drive image providers of a virtualization system for an automated data storage library provide an image of a fixed plurality of virtual data storage drives with fixed identifications to a host application. A drive resource provider (35), at any one time, assigns any number "m" of a pool of "n" drives to the drive image providers, and "n" - "m" of the pool are