The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 13, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 25, 1996
Gregory S Rinard, Boulder, CO (US);
Spectra Logic Corporation, Boulder, CO (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for monitoring the read/write reliability of data storage devices contained within a data cartridge library system. The data cartridge library system includes multiple player/recorder devices. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the data cartridge library computer queries a player/recorder device after it has been involved in a read/write operation. In one embodiment, the information queried is the Write and/or Read ECC Error Rates. In another embodiment, the Write and/or Read ECC Error Rates are assessed to determine whether the subject player/recorder device is experiencing read/write problems and whether remedial action is warranted. In another embodiment, the subject player/recorder device is tested using a certified test cartridge and a known data pattern. In another aspect of the invention, preventative maintenance of the data cartridge library system includes one of the player/recorder devices writing a known data pattern to a certified test and the same device, as well as the remaining player/recorder devices, reading the known data pattern from the certified cartridge. Preferably, these steps are repeated for all player/recorders in the data cartridge library system and the respective Write and Read ECC Error Rates are displayed in a matrix format to facilitate diagnosing whether any of the player/recorders are experiencing misalignment or data interchange problems.