Patent ID: 8024519

Claim:
A method for forward recovery of a catalog for a data storage system comprising a plurality of data sets encoded in a plurality of volumes, comprising: examining system management facilities (“SMF”) records to identify datasets recited therein; adding to a recovery catalog one or more datasets identified in said SMF records; reviewing seriatim each of said plurality of volumes; identifying any additional datasets encoded in said plurality of volumes, wherein said additional datasets were not recited in said SMF records; adding said additional datasets to said recovery catalog, wherein said plurality of datasets comprise (N) data sets encoded in (P) volumes, wherein (N) and (P) are greater than or equal to 1, wherein said examining further comprises: retrieving said SMF records, wherein said SMF records comprises (M) entries, wherein (M) is greater than or equal to 1; choosing an (i)th SMF entry, wherein said (i)th SMF entry comprises the most recent SMF entry, wherein (i) is initially set to 1, and wherein (i) is less than or equal to (M); determining if an (i)th SMF entry comprises a data set change command; operative if said (i)th SMF entry does not comprise a data set change command, incrementing (i) by unity; operative if said (i)th SMF entry comprises a data set change command; identifying a (j)th data set recited in said (i)th SMF entry; ascertaining if said (j)th data set is recited in said recovery catalog; operative if said 0)th data set is recited in said recovery catalog, incrementing (i) by unity; and operative if said (j)th data set is not recited in said recovery catalog, adding to said recovery catalog a data set location record reciting a storage address for said (j)th data set and increment (i) by unity; establishing if (i) is greater than (M); operative if (i) is not greater than 0VI), repeating said selecting, said determining said identifying, and said ascertaining.