Patent ID: 7672754
Filing Date: 2010-03-02
Classification: G06F,G11B

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for balancing data tape cartridge utilization in an automated tape library system comprising a plurality of library strings, the computer-implemented method comprising: obtaining a current number of data tape cartridge mounts per library string in the automated tape library system to form a total number of mounts per library string; identifying a target number of data tape cartridge mounts per library string as equal to the number of drives per library string multiplied by the number of total mounts in the automated tape library system and divided by the total number of drives in the automated tape library system to form the target number of data tape cartridge mounts per library string; identifying a delta number of data tape cartridges to move, as a difference between the total number of mounts per library string and the target number of data tape cartridge mounts per library string; identifying a number of data tape cartridge mounts per data tape cartridge per library string to form the number of tape data cartridge mounts per data tape cartridge; identifying a unique identifier of each move candidate, wherein a move candidate is a tape data cartridge in a tape library string having a delta number greater than zero; determining whether a unique identifier of a tape library string associated with the unique identifier of the each move candidate is different from a unique identifier of a tape library string to which a move candidate will be moved; responsive to a determination that the each move candidate is not in the same library string, identifying a set of unique identifiers of data tape cartridges associated with the number of data tape cartridge mounts per data tape cartridge, to form a set of highest mount unique identifiers; selecting a set of data tape cartridges to move, wherein each data tape cartridge in the set of data tape cartridges to move is selected from the set of highest mount unique identifiers having a lowest number of moves, to form the selected set of data tape cartridges; creating a move request for the selected set of data tape cartridges to form a created move request; sending the created move request to the automated tape library system for execution; moving each data tape cartridge in the set of data tape cartridges to another tape library string according to the move request; and incrementing a move counter for each data tape cartridge moved.