This invention solves many of the technological challenges to exchange information between IBM EBCDIC mainframe computers (mainframe computers, mainframe) and commodity computers (ASCII based PCs, computer servers, and the “Cloud”) in a cost effective, timely and reliable manner.

A method includes receiving, at a processor, a timestamp as a start-point for extracting information from the storage tape. The method further includes determining, by the processor, a reel identification and a device type of a storage tape. The method further includes extracting the information, by the processor, from the storage tape starting at the start-point. The method further includes determining, by the processor, whether an end-point of the information has been reached. The method further includes reproducing, by the processor, the information to a computer-readable medium. The method further includes formatting, by the processor, the information to conform with format requirements of an activity log analyzing tool.

A method of operationally prioritizing the hierarchy of storage areas of an automated library having a plurality of storage cells, according to one embodiment, includes designating a first set of storage cells as higher availability cells; and designating a second set of storage cells as lower availability cells. Each of the storage cells is configured to receive and store cartridges via one or more accessors. Each of the one or more accessors is assigned a servicing location corresponding to the lower availability cells. The method also includes correlating a first cartridge with at least one of the higher availability cells and a second cartridge with at least one of the lower availability cells. The correlating includes: assessing previous usage of a cartridge, and determining whether the cartridge should be assigned to one of the higher availability cells or one of the lower availability cells based on the assessing.

A computer-implemented method for indexing metadata which corresponds to data stored in a storage system, according to one embodiment, includes: identifying a subset of metadata stored in a first data store to archive in response to determining that an amount of metadata stored in the first data store has reached a threshold, identifying an index for storing information about the subset of the metadata, executing a sort operation on the subset of the metadata, generating index information corresponding to the subset of the metadata, writing the subset of the metadata to an archive medium, and recording the index information in the identified index. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.

A tool for adjusting available physical tape storage capacities. The tool determines an initial capacity size for one or more tapes, wherein the initial capacity size is a maximum physical storage capacity provided by the one or more tapes. The tool assigns the one or more tapes to a logical cluster based, at least in part, on the initial capacity size for the one or more tapes. The tool determines an initial storage capacity for the one or more tapes, wherein the initial storage capacity is a starting logical storage capacity that is less than the maximum physical storage capacity provided by the one or more tapes. The tool determines an incremental growth threshold for the one or more tapes. Responsive to a determination that the incremental growth threshold is exceeded, the tool increments a logical storage capacity of the one or more tapes by an incremental growth assignment.

An opening and closing device comprises a disc tray, a mounting shaft and a jukebox manipulator. The disc tray is mounted on the mounting shaft. A positioning structure is provided between the disc tray and the mounting shaft. The mounting shaft is mounted on an outer circumference of a jukebox rotating cage. The jukebox manipulator is mounted on a manipulator driving unit. A side of the manipulator driving unit is provided with an optical drive, the jukebox manipulator is provided with a driving plate structure and the disc tray is provided with a driving lever. When the jukebox rotating cage rotates, the disc tray can revolve around the rotating shaft of jukebox rotating cage and can rotate around the mounting shaft. With the assistance of in-place bumping post which is provided by a side of the jukebox rotating cage, the positioning structure can locate the rotation of disc tray at a fixed static angle.

A computer-implemented method for providing access to plural virtual sequential access volumes by using random access media, includes: accepting an operation for writing first data to a specific virtual sequential access volume of the plural virtual sequential access volumes; and storing a first file including the first data in the random access media, the first file being separate from a second file including second data stored in the random access media in response to an operation for writing the second data to the specific virtual sequential access volume.

The present invention provides a method of partitioning a tape medium dynamically by using a new method of writing data. It enables users to change size of the partitions later and to use all capacity of a tape efficiently. When a tape is divided into partitions, data is written in such a manner that the wraps are written in the partitions of the data band alternately in the forward direction and in the backward direction on the data band from the different sides of the data band toward the inside of the data band (W1,W2,W3 . . . ) and the location (C) at which the wrap (Wm) of the one partition collides with the wrap (Wn) of the other partition is defined as the demarcation (PB) of these partitions (P0,P1).

A data storage structure, comprising: a plurality of storage units, each comprising: a storage media; and a library executive configured to manage the storage media. The structure further comprises a buffer connected to a controller, the controller comprising: a host interface configured to receive the instruction from the host machine; an object aggregator configured to combine the plurality of data objects into a data segment; a persistent write buffer configured to store the data segment; a persistent map configured to identify a location of each of the plurality of objects in the data segment; an erasure coder configured to encode the data segment into an erasure code; a destager configured to transfer the data segment from the persistent write buffer to the storage media in a given storage unit; and a library controller configured to communicate with the library executive in the given storage unit.

A storage device includes a first storage and a processor. The processor is configured to emulate an access to a physical tape with an access to a second storage. The processor is configured to store, in the first storage, first position information in which a first position in a first physical tape is associated with a storage position in the second storage. The processor is configured to receive an instruction to move data stored at the first position in the first physical tape to a second physical tape. The processor is configured to store, in the first storage, second position information in which a second position in the second physical tape is associated with the storage position.