Autonomic reclamation processing for tapes

1. A system for autonomic reclamation processing for tapes in a computing environment, comprising:

a formatted tape;

at least one tape drive in communication with the formatted tape, and

at least one processor device in communication with the formatted tape and the at least one tape drive, wherein the processor device is adapted for:

loading a formatted tape into at least one tape drive for buffering active data during reclamation processing and consolidating all of the active data in a capacity optimized manner on the same formatted tape, wherein the formatted tape comprises metadata denoting active and inactive data blocks for files,

checking a format of the formatted tape according to format specifications,

correcting the format of the formatted tape, if the format is not correct,

receiving an instruction to perform reclamation processing on the formatted tape, if the format of the formatted tape is correct,

reading the metadata of the formatted tape and using the metadata to determine the files which represent the active data and block addresses where the files are stored on the formatted tape and storing the active data and the block addresses in a table,

sorting the table that includes active files and the block addresses by the block address in ascending order, and determining a starting block address,

reading all active files ordered in the table starting at the starting block address into the reclamation memory,

writing the files from the reclamation memory to the formatted tape from the starting block address and updating the table with new block addresses of the files, the formatted tape being the same formatted tape on which reclamation processing and the reading of the metadata were performed, and

updating the metadata with the updated table.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reclamation memory is in communication with the processor device, the reclamation memory is one of externally accessible by the at least one tape drive and included in one of the at least one tape drive and the tape cartridge, and a size of the reclamation memory is greater than a capacity of a single data band.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instruction is initiated by one of the tape drive, the tape library, and an application.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor device is further adapted for, in conjunction with the sorting, consolidating all of the block addresses of a single file resulting in the table in which all the block addresses for the active files are sorted by the files.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor device is further adapted for determining the starting block address denoted by a first block address of a first inactive file from the beginning of the formatted tape.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor device is further adapted for reading all of the active files from the formatted tape starting at the starting block address into the reclamation memory.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor device is further adapted for writing active data files from the reclamation memory on the tape starting from one of the starting block address and the block address where a last write finished.

8. A computer program product for autonomic reclamation processing for tapes by a processor device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for loading a formatted tape into at least one tape drive for buffering active data during reclamation processing and consolidating all of the active data in a capacity optimized manner on the same formatted tape, wherein the formatted tape comprises metadata denoting active and inactive data blocks for files;

a second executable portion checking a format of the formatted tape according to format specifications,

a third executable portion correcting the format of the formatted tape, if the format is not correct,

a fourth executable portion for receiving an instruction to perform reclamation processing on the formatted tape if the format of the formatted tape is correct;

a fifth executable portion for reading the metadata of the formatted tape;

a sixth executable portion for using the metadata to determine the files which represent the active data and block addresses where the files are stored on the formatted tape and storing the active data and the block addresses in a table;

a seventh executable portion for sorting the table that includes active files and the block addresses by the block address in ascending order and determining a starting block address;

an eighth executable portion for reading all active files ordered in the table starting at the starting block address into the reclamation memory;

a ninth executable portion for writing the files from the reclamation memory to the formatted tape from the starting block address and updating the table with new block addresses of the files, the formatted tape being the same formatted tape on which reclamation processing and the reading of the metadata were performed; and

a tenth executable portion for updating the metadata with the updated table.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the reclamation memory is one of externally accessible by the at least one tape drive and included in one of the at least one tape drive and the tape cartridge, and a size of the reclamation memory is greater than a capacity of a single data band.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the instruction is initiated by one of the tape drive, the tape library, and an application.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 , further including, in conjunction with the sorting, consolidating all of the block addresses of a single file resulting in the table in which all the block addresses for the active files are sorted by the files.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 , further including an eleventh executable portion for determining the starting block address denoted by a first block address of a first inactive file from the beginning of the formatted tape.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 , further including an eleventh executable portion for reading all of the active files from the formatted tape starting at the starting block address into the reclamation memory.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 , further including an eleventh executable portion for writing active data files from the reclamation memory on the tape starting from one of the starting block address and the block address where a last write finished.