Patent ID: 6338006
Filing Date: 2002-01-08
Classification: G06F,G11B

Abstract:
A method for managing eject operations in a data storage library having multiple slots to receive data storage cartridges, the slots having physical addresses and including one or more physical I/O slots and multiple physical storage slots, where the library includes a controller coupled to a location-centric host that manages cartridge location according to functional storage addresses and functional I/O addresses, and the library includes a library database associating functional addresses with physical addresses, the method comprising the operations of:the controller receiving an eject command from the host, the eject command requesting ejection of a cartridge from a source functional storage address exclusively associated with the cartridge to a target functional I/O address, the cartridge residing in a source physical storage slot associated with the source functional storage address by the library database; in response to the eject command, the controller performing operations comprising: irrespective of any physical movement of the cartridge, reporting successful completion of the requested eject command to the host; updating the library database to associate the source physical storage slot with the target functional I/O address and disassociate the source physical storage slot from the source functional storage address; and when a physical I/O slot becomes available, physically moving the cartridge into the available physical I/O slot and disassociating the target functional I/O address from the source physical storage slot.