Patent ID: 9189167
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of administering access to a tape data storage library that is shared amongst a plurality of data storage cells to manage copies of production primary data, the method comprising: using one or more computing devices comprising computer hardware: allocating, by a library arbiter module executing on one or more computer processors and for each respective data storage cell of a plurality of data storage cells, a subset of storage space in a tape data storage library for use by the respective data storage cell, the tape data storage library residing in a secondary storage subsystem and including a plurality of tape drives configured to load tape media in the tape data storage library, wherein access to the tape data storage library is shared by the data storage cells and each of the data storage cells comprises: one or more client computing devices residing in a primary storage subsystem and having at least one software application executing thereon generating production data; and one or more primary storage devices residing in the primary storage subsystem and associated with the one or more client computing devices; receiving, by the library arbiter module and from a first data storage cell of the plurality of data storage cells, a request to access the subset of storage space allocated to the first data storage cell for performing a storage operation, the storage operation to move data between the primary storage devices of the first data storage cell and the tape data storage library in the secondary storage subsystem, the request including a number of tape drives requested to perform the storage operation; automatically scheduling, by the library arbiter module, the request in relation to requests for access to the tape data storage library by others of the plurality of data storage cells; and based on the scheduling, in response to determining that at least some of the requested number of tape drives of the plurality of tape drives are available, assigning the at least some of the requested number of tapes drives to the first data storage cell for providing the first data storage cell with temporary access to its the allocated subset of storage space of the first data storage cell in the tape data storage library, the temporary access being for a pre-defined interval of time; and determining whether to extend a duration of the pre-defined interval, said determining comprising determining one or more of whether or not the storage operation associated with the request is complete and whether or not the data storage cell that made the request is still utilizing the tape data storage library.