Patent ID: 9679600
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: G11B

Claim:
1. A method performed by a computing device having a processor and memory, comprising: receiving an input/output (I/O) request at a cold storage system having a buffer rack and one or more archival storage racks, wherein the buffer rack is closer to an I/O drive of the cold storage system than the archival storage racks; operating a fetcher robot to pre-fetch a first data storage medium from the archival storage racks to the buffer rack, wherein the fetcher robot is adapted to move between the buffer rack and the archival storage racks; determining, by the processor, whether the I/O request involves a data size larger than a maximum data capacity of a single data storage medium in the buffer rack; in an event the I/O request involves a data size larger than the maximum data capacity of a single data storage medium, operating a buffer robot to move a second data storage medium from a holding slot in the buffer rack to the I/O drive, wherein the buffer robot is adapted to move between one or more slots in the buffer rack and the I/O drive; and executing, according to the I/O request, an I/O operation on the second data storage medium at the I/O drive as part of fulfilling the I/O request.