Patent ID: 6360304
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method of storing data in a distributed processing system having multiple processors, one processor being a client node and one or more other processors each being a server node, each server node having at least one storage tape associated therewith, said method comprising:writing blocks of data from a client process of the client node to a first storage tape of a first server node of the distributed processing system, said writing continuing until all blocks of data to be stored by said client process are written to said first storage tape or a physical end of storage is reached for the first storage tape, wherein said physical end of storage is reached without size of said first storage tape having been predetermined; if said physical end of storage is reached for said first storage tape, switching writing blocks of data from said client node to a second storage tape of a second server node of the distributed processing system, wherein said switching writing is transparent to said client process of said client node; and wherein said writing blocks of data from said client process of the client node to said first storage tape and to said second storage tape each comprises a write-behind operation which may fail, wherein when occurring said failure is transparent to the client process due to said transparent switching writing from the first storage tape to the second storage tape, and wherein said first server node and second server node periodically notify the client node whether previously received blocks of data have been correctly written to the first storage tape or the second storage tape, respectively.