Patent ID: 6247096
Filing Date: 2001-06-12
Classification: G06F,G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of handling eject requests of logical volumes received by a data storage subsystem from a host system, said data storage subsystem having a virtual media server with a virtual media server database relating logical volumes, physical volumes and the status of the logical volumes, said status representing current operations relating to said logical volumes commanded by a host system, having a library manager with a library manager database relating physical volumes, logical volumes, storage cells and categories of said logical volumes, and having a data storage library for storing and retrieving physical media volumes from storage cells, wherein said physical media volumes may contain a plurality of stacked logical volumes, comprising the steps of:placing identified logical volumes in scratch categories;receiving from said host system an eject request of a logical volume from said data storage subsystem;responding to said eject request to determine whether said requested logical volume is in a scratch category;if, in said category determining step, said requested logical volume is determined to be in a scratch category, notifying said virtual media server that said requested logical volume is deletable; else, rejecting said reject request;said virtual media server, in response to said notification, determining from said virtual media server database whether said status of said requested logical volume allows deletion thereof; andif said virtual media server status determining step allows deletion of said requested logical volume, deleting said requested logical volume from both said virtual media server database and said library manager database; else rejecting said elect request.