Patent ID: 6029230
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A method for destaging and prestaging media in a storage library having a plurality of removable data media, a plurality of storage slots for holding the media, at least one storage drive for reading data from and writing data to the media, a destage slot, the destage slot being a storage slot physically closest to the drive, a prestage slot, and a picker for moving the media among the slots and the drive, the method comprising the steps of:moving a first medium from the drive to the destage slot, the first medium being the medium that was last accessed by the drive;moving a second medium from the prestage slot to the drive, the second medium being the medium that will be accessed next by the drive after the first medium; andduring operation of the drive on the second medium, returning the first medium from the destage slot to the slot originally holding the first medium, the returning step includes moving a third medium from a respective storage slot to the prestage slot, the third medium being the medium that will be accessed next by the drive, after the second medium.