Patent ID: 9330709
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: G06F,G11B

Claim Text:
1. A method for distributing requests from a library manager to one or more tape libraries of a library string, comprising: determining, by a library manager from a request for movement of a tape cartridge from a source tape library of a string of interconnected tape libraries to a destination tape library of the string, an identifier (ID) of the source tape library; ascertaining whether at least one active connection between the library manager and the source tape library is available, wherein at least one active connection is ascertained to be unavailable between the library manager and the source tape library; finding, in response to the at least one active connection between the library manager and the source tape library being unavailable, at least one active connection between the library manager and another tape library of the string; and distributing, from the library manager, the request to the library string based on the ascertaining, wherein the distributing comprises sending the request to the another tape library over the at least one active connection between the library manager and the another tape library, wherein the another tape library is the destination tape library in the event at least one active connection is available between the library manager and the destination tape library, wherein the another tape library is a tape library other than the source and destination tape libraries in the event at least one active connection is unavailable between the tape library and the destination tape library, and wherein the another tape library uses the source tape library ID to forward the request to the source tape library via an inter-library interconnect that interconnects each tape library of the string of interconnected tape libraries to each of the other tape libraries of the string of interconnected tape libraries.