Method and system for providing field scalability across a storage product family

1. A method of upgrading a storage library, the method comprising:

providing with a storage library a hardware component which has requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component either at low or high operating levels, wherein the amount of the requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component at the high operating level is greater than the amount of the requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component at the low operating level;

setting the hardware component to run at the low operating level until an upgrade module having permission instructions for the hardware component to run at the high operating level is associated with the storage library;

associating an upgrade module having the permission instructions for the hardware component to run at the high operating level with the storage library; and

enabling the hardware component to run at the high operating level in response to the upgrade module being associated with the storage library thereby upgrading the storage library.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

associating an upgrade module with the storage library includes attaching an upgrade module to the storage library.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating an enabling mechanism with the storage library, the enabling mechanism containing permission instructions for the hardware component of the storage library to run at the low operating level, wherein the enabling mechanism updates the permission instructions for the hardware component to run at the high operating level upon the upgrade module being associated with the storage library.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the hardware component includes a storage array for storing media of the storage library.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the hardware component includes a set of media players for performing operations on media of the storage library.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the hardware component includes a robotic mechanism for manipulating media of the storage library.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

associating an upgrade module with the storage library includes associating an EEPROM module with the storage library.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

associating an upgrade module with the storage library includes transferring permission instructions from the Internet to the storage library.

9. A system for upgrading a storage library, the system comprising:

a hardware component provided with a storage library, the hardware component having requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component either at low or high operating levels, wherein the amount of the requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component at the high operating level is greater than the amount of the requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component at the low operating level, wherein the hardware component is set to run at the low operating level until enabled to run at the high operating level;

an upgrade module having permission instructions for the hardware component of the storage library to run at the high operating level; and

an enabling mechanism for enabling the hardware component of the storage library to run at the high operating level in response to the upgrade module being associated with the storage library thereby upgrading the storage library.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein:

the enabling mechanism contains permission instructions for the hardware component of the storage library to run at the low operating level, wherein the enabling mechanism updates the permission instructions for the hardware component to run at the high operating level upon the upgrade module being associated with the storage library.

11. The storage library of claim 9 wherein:

the hardware component includes a storage array for storing media of the storage library.

12. The storage library of claim 9 wherein:

the hardware component includes a set of media players for performing operations on media of the storage library.

13. The storage library of claim 9 wherein:

the hardware component includes a robotic mechanism for manipulating media of the storage library.

14. The storage library of claim 9 wherein:

the upgrade module is an EEPROM module.

15. The storage library of claim 9 wherein:

the permission instructions are transferrable to the upgrade module via the Internet.

16. A method of upgrading from a storage library, the method comprising:

associating a base module with a storage library provided with a first storage frame having a first storage capacity, the base module having permission instructions for the storage library to operate at the first storage capacity;

accepting the permission instructions of the base module by the storage library such that the storage library operates at the first storage capacity upon the base module being associated with the storage library;

replacing the first storage frame with a second storage frame having a second storage capacity greater than the first storage capacity;

prompting for an upgrade module, having permission instructions for the storage library to operate at the second storage capacity instead of the first storage capacity, to be associated with the storage library in response to recognizing the permission instructions of the base module for the storage library to operate at the first storage capacity after the first storage frame has been replaced with the second storage frame;

associating the upgrade module with the storage library; and

accepting the permission instructions of the upgrade module by the storage library such that the storage library operates at the second storage capacity upon the upgrade module being associated with the storage library after the first storage frame has been replaced with the second storage frame.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

disabling the upgrade module after the permission instructions of the upgrade module have been accepted by the storage library;

writing the permission instructions of the upgrade module from the storage library into the base module.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein:

each storage frame is a storage array for storing media.

19. A method of upgrading a storage library, the method comprising:

providing with a storage library a hardware component which has requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component either at low or high operating levels, wherein the amount of the requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component at the high operating level is greater than the amount of the requisite hardware elements used for running the hardware component at the low operating level;

associating a base module with the storage library, the base module having permission instructions for the hardware component of the storage library to operate at the low operating level;

associating an upgrade module with the storage library, the upgrade module having permission instructions for the hardware component of the storage library to operate at the high operating level; and

enabling the hardware component of the storage library to operate at the high operating level in response to the upgrade module being associated with the storage library thereby upgrading the storage library.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

disabling the upgrade module after the hardware component of the storage library has been enabled to operate at the high operating level; and

writing the permission instructions of the upgrade module from the storage library into the base module.