Average response time improvement from a file system for a tape library

1. A method, in a data processing system, for improving the average response time of a tape library, the method comprising:

prior to receiving a next access request for data from one of a set of tape mediums, determining whether a number of tape drives that are unoccupied is less than a predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N); and

responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N), unmounting and unloading a least recently used idle tape medium from an associated tape drive.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N) is determined by satisfying the following equation:

( M−D )( TU+TD )> N ×( TL+TM )

where M is the number of tape mediums in the tape library, D is a number of tape drives in the tape library, TL is an average loading time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TU is an average unloading time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TM is an average mounting time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TD is an average unmounting time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, and N is the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold, wherein the average loading time (TL), the average unloading time (TU), the average mounting time (TM), and the average unmounting time (TD) are all in a time measurement of seconds.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N) and no tape medium being idle, waiting for a tape medium to become idle; and

responsive to the tape medium becoming idle, unmouriting and unloading a least recently used idle tape medium from its associated tape drive.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to receiving the next access request for data from a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, determining whether a tape medium identified with the next access request is already mounted in one of the set of tape drives; and

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request already being mounted in one of the set of tape drives, performing the next access request.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request failing to already be mounted in one of the set of tape drives, determining whether there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives;

responsive to determining that there is no unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives, waiting for a tape medium to become idle;

responsive to a tape drive becoming idle, unmounting and unloading a current tape medium mounted in the tape drive; and

loading and mounting the tape medium in the set of tape mediums identified with the next access request.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request failing to already be mounted in one of the set of tape drives, determining whether there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives; and

responsive to determining that there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives, loading and mounting the tape medium in the set of tape mediums identified with the next access request.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tape library is a Linear Tape File System Library Edition (LTFS LE) files system operated tape library.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

prior to receiving a next access request for data from one of a set of tape mediums, determine whether a number of tape drives that are unoccupied is less than a predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N); and

responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N), unmount and unload a least recently used idle tape medium from an associated tape drive.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N) is determined by satisfying the following equation:

( M−D )( TU+TD )> N ×( TL+TM )

where M is the number of tape mediums in the tape library, D is a number of tape drives in the tape library, TL is an average loading time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TU is an average unloading time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TM is an average mounting time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TD is an average unmounting time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, and N is the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold, wherein the average loading time (TL), the average unloading time (TU), the average mounting time (TM), and the unmounting time (TD) are all in a time measurement of seconds.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N) and no tape medium being idle, wait for a tape medium to become idle; and

responsive to the tape medium becoming idle, unmount and unload a least recently used idle tape medium from its associated tape drive.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to receiving the next access request for data from a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, determine whether a tape medium identified with the next access request is already mounted in one of the set of tape drives; and

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request already being mounted in one of the set of tape drives, perform the next access request.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request failing to already be mounted in one of the set of tape drives, determine whether there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives;

responsive to determining that there is no unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives, wait for a tape medium to become idle;

responsive to a tape drive becoming idle, unmount and unload a current tape medium mounted in the tape drive; and

load and mount the tape medium in the set of tape mediums identified with the next access request.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request failing to already be mounted in one of the set of tape drives, determine whether there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives; and

responsive to determining that there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives, load and mount the tape medium in the set of tape mediums identified with the next access request.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the tape library is a Linear Tape File System Library Edition (LTFS LE) files system operated tape library.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

prior to receiving a next access request for data from one of a set of tape mediums, determine whether a number of tape drives that are unoccupied is less than a predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N); and

responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N), unmount and unload a least recently used idle tape medium from an associated tape drive.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N) is determined by satisfying the following equation:

( M−D )( TU+TD )> N ×( TL+TM )

where M is the number of tape mediums in the tape library, D is a number of tape drives in the tape library, TL is an average loading time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TU is an average unloading time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TM is an average mounting time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, TD is an average unmounting time of a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, and N is the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold, wherein the average loading time (TL), the average unloading time (TU), the average mounting time (TM), and the average unmounting time (TD) are all in a time measurement of seconds.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to the number of tape drives that are unoccupied being less than the predetermined minimum open tape drive threshold (N) and no tape medium being idle, wait for a tape medium to become idle; and

responsive to the tape medium becoming idle, unmount and unload a least recently used idle tape medium from its associated tape drive.

18. The apparatus claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to receiving the next access request for data from a tape medium in the set of tape mediums, determine whether a tape medium identified with the next access request is already mounted in one of the set of tape drives; and

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request already being mounted in one of the set of tape drives, perform the next access request.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request failing to already be mounted in one of the set of tape drives, determine whether there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives;

responsive to determining that there is no unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives, wait for a tape medium to become idle;

responsive to a tape drive becoming idle, unmount and unload a current tape medium mounted in the tape drive; and

load and mount the tape medium in the set of tape mediums identified with the next access request.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to the tape medium identified with the next access request failing to already be mounted in one of the set of tape drives, determine whether there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives; and

responsive to determining that there is an unoccupied tape drive in the set of tape drives, load and mount the tape medium in the set of tape mediums identified with the next access request.