Patent ID: 7505980

Claim:
A controller for aggregating multiple physically separate media libraries, said controller comprising: a computer processor; a computer memory electronically connected to the computer processor, the computer memory storing a set of computer instructions executable by the computer processor to: maintain a virtualized aggregate media library representing a plurality of physical media libraries including a first physical media library and a second physical media library, wherein a physical media library comprises computer-readable media and one or more drives for performing operations on said computer-readable media; communicate with at least the first physical media library and the second physical media library, wherein said first physical media library and said second physical media library are physically separate; associate a first virtual media library with a first host, wherein the first virtual media library represents a first portion of the first physical media library to which the first host has access wherein the first portion of the first physical media library comprises at least two non-contiguous slots; associate a second virtual media library with a second host, wherein the second virtual library represents a second portion of the first physical media library to which the second host has access wherein the first virtual media library and the second virtual media library are non-overlapping; store the associations between the first host and the second host and the first virtual media library and the second virtual media library, wherein the associations control access to the first portion of the first physical library represented by said first virtual media library and to the second portion of the first physical library represented by the second virtual media library, wherein the first host is allowed access to the first virtual media library and is not allowed access to the second virtual media library and wherein the second host is allowed access to the second virtual media library and is not allowed access to the first virtual media library; and present said first virtual media library to at least one of said first and second hosts.