International Business Machines Corporation

Wayne Charles Carlson

Jonathan Wayne Peake

Gregory Tad Kishi

Kevin Lee Gibble

James Arthur Fisher

Mark Allan Norman

Duke Andy Lee

Cheryl Marie Friauf

Harry M Yudenfriend

Erika Dawson

Gavin Stuart Johnson

Peter Grimm Sutton

Joel Kenneth Lyman

Kerri Renee Shotwell

Matthew Hank Sabins

Merrill Burns Greco

Trang Thuy Le

Michael J Meadows

A computer program product for eliminating access to data within a writable storage media cartridge includes a computer readable medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are executable by a processing circuit to cause the processing circuit to determine whether a first portion of data on the writable storage media cartridge is encrypted, and determine whether key shredding is enabled. In response to determining that key shredding is not enabled, the processing circuit causes performance of a long erase on at least the encrypted first portion of data, and causes shredding of an encryption key related to said encrypted first portion of data.

Efficient elimination of access to data on a writable storage media

A system provided for eliminating access to data within a writable storage media cartridge. The system comprises a writable storage media drive, such as a tape drive. The writable storage drive determines if at least a first portion of data on the writable storage media is encrypted. If it is determined that the first portion of data is encrypted then the writable storage drive shreds a second portion of data within the writable storage media cartridge related to said encrypted first portion of data. The first portion of data and the second portion are not the same portions of the writable storage media cartridge.

A method and computer program product are provided for eliminating access to data within a writable storage media cartridge. If it is determined if at least a first portion of data on the writable storage media is encrypted then a second portion of data within the writable storage media cartridge related to said encrypted first portion of data is shredded. The first portion of data and the second portion are not the same portions of the writable storage media cartridge.

Provided are a method, system and article of manufacture for return processing in storage pools. A plurality of physical volumes are allocated to a first storage pool. A determination is made whether the first storage pool has more than a threshold number of empty physical volumes. If the first storage pool has more than the threshold number of empty physical volumes, then at least one empty physical volume is returned to a second storage pool.

Method, system, and article of manufacture for returning empty physical volumes to a storage pool based on a threshold and an elapsed time period

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for receiving an initial request from a first device to a second device. A response to the initial request is received from the second device to the first device. Each response and request received from the first device to the second device is processed by accessing the response or request from a packet encoded using a first communication protocol; generating a packet including the accessed response or request into a packet encoded using a second communication protocol; and transmitting the generated packet to the second device. Each response and request received from the second device to the first device is processed by accessing the response or request from a packet encoded using the second communication protocol; generating a packet including the accessed response or request into a packet encoded using the first communication protocol; and transmitting the generated packet to the second device.

Communicating packets between devices involving the use of different communication protocols

Provided are methods for borrow processing in storage pools. A plurality of physical volumes are allocated to a first storage pool. A determination is made whether the first storage pool has less than a threshold number of empty physical volumes. If the first storage pool has less than the threshold number of empty physical volumes, then at least one empty physical volume is borrowed to the first storage pool from a second storage pool.

Method for borrowing and returning physical volumes

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture to process communications between a host and storage drive having a storage media. An Input/Output (I/O) request is received from the host directed to the storage media that requires requested information be sent to the storage drive to use to execute the I/O request against the storage media. A message is sent to the host to cause the host to modify I/O timeout operations in response to determining that the requested information is required.

Modifying host input/output (I/O) activity to allow a storage drive to which I/O activity is directed to access requested information

Method, system, and article of manufacture for returning physical volumes

A method to schedule and perform database maintenance, where the database includes information regarding one or more information storage media moveably disposed in a data storage and retrieval system, which includes selecting a first time period, commencing that first time period at a first time and ending that first time period at a third time, performing one or more database queries during that first time period, recording the number of database queries performed during each of the two or more first time intervals, determining the least utilized first time interval where that least utilized first time interval commenced at a second time, calculating a first time difference between the first time and the second time, and scheduling database maintenance at a fourth time. A data storage and retrieval system comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to implement Applicants' method to schedule and perform database maintenance. A computer program product usable with a programmable computer processor having computer readable program code embodied therein to implement Applicants' method to schedule and perform database maintenance.

Apparatus and method to schedule and perform database maintenance

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for borrow processing in storage pools. A plurality of physical volumes are allocated to a first storage pool. A determination is made whether the first storage pool has less than a threshold number of empty physical volumes. If the first storage pool has less than the threshold number of empty physical volumes, then at least one empty physical volume is borrowed to the first storage pool from a second storage pool.

Method, system, and article of manufacture for borrowing physical volumes

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for pooling of storage. Volume attributes are assigned to a plurality of physical volumes. Pool attributes are assigned to a plurality of storage pools, wherein the pool attributes include policies for borrowing and returning the plurality of physical volumes to and from the plurality of storage pools. One of the plurality of physical volumes is allocated to one of the plurality of storage pools based on the volume attributes of the one of the plurality of physical volumes and the pool attributes of the one of the plurality of storage pools.

Method, system, and article of manufacture for managing storage pools

Provided are a method, system, and program for managing storage units. Storage pool information indicates an assignment of a plurality of storage units to a plurality of storage pools, wherein each pool is assigned zero or more storage units, and wherein data associated with one storage pool is stored in at least one storage unit assigned to the storage pool. User selection is received to move at least one storage unit to a target storage pool. A determination is made of at least one storage unit assigned to a source storage pool to move to the target storage pool. The storage pool information is updated to indicate the determined at least one selected storage unit as assigned to the target storage pool.

Method, system, and program for managing storage units in storage pools

A method and system for efficiently importing/exporting a removable storage volume having a number of data files from a first virtual storage system to a second virtual storage system. The method includes writing a table of contents to the end of the removable storage volume in the first virtual storage system. The table of contents uniquely identifies the data files residing in the removable storage volume. Next, the removable storage volume is transferred to the second virtual storage system. Upon receipt of the removable storage volume, the second virtual storage system updates a database in the second virtual storage system utilizing the information contained in the table of contents without having to read each of the data files in the removable storage volume. In a related embodiment, for each of the data file in the removable storage volume, the table of contents includes a filename, starting record on the removable storage volume and number of records in the data file.

Method and system for efficiently importing/exporting removable storage volumes between virtual storage systems

A method and system utilizing data fragments for efficiently importing/exporting a removable storage volume having a number of data files from a first virtual storage system to a second virtual storage system. The method includes writing data fragments to the end of the removable storage volume in the first virtual storage system. In an advantageous embodiment, the data fragments are written to the end of the removable storage volume when the removable storage volume is closed. The data fragments contain information, such as data file headers, that uniquely identifies the data files residing in the removable storage volume. Next, the removable storage volume is transferred to the second virtual storage system. Upon receipt of the removable storage volume, the second virtual storage system updates a tape volume cache in the second virtual storage system utilizing the information contained in the data fragments without having to read each of the data files. In a related embodiment, the data fragments include at least one data file, a file header preceding the data file and a data fragment trailer.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Wayne Charles Carlson