An Emerging Network Storage Management Standard: Media Error Monitoring and Reporting Information [MEMRI] - To Determine Optical Tape Data Integrity

Published

March 2, 1998

Author(s)

Fernando L. Podio, W Vollrath, J Williams, B Kobler, D Crouse

Abstract

Sophisticated network storage management applications are rapidly evolving to satisfy a market demand for highly reliable data storage systems with tremendous data storage capacities and performance requirements. To preserve a high degree of data integrity, these applications must rely on intelligent data storage devices that can provide reliable indicators of data degradation. Error correction activity generally occurs within storage devices without notification to the host. Early indicators of degradation and media error monitoring and reporting [MEMR] techniques implemented in data storage devices allow network storage management applications to notify system administrators of these events and to take appropriate corrective actions before catastrophic errors occur. Although MEMR techniques have been implemented in data storage devices for many years, until 1996 no MEMR standards existed. In 1996 the American National Standards Institute [ANSI] approved the only known [world-wide] industry standard specifying MEMR techniques to verify stored data on optical disks. This industry standard has been developed under the auspices of the Association for Information and Image Management [AIIM]. A recently formed AIIM Optical Tape Subcommittee initiated the development of another data integrity standard specifying a set of media error monitoring information [MEMRI] to verify stored data on optical tape media. This paper discusses the need for intelligent storage devices that can provide data integrity metadata, the content of the existing data integrity standard for optical disks and the content of the MEMRI standard being developed by the AIIM Optical Tape Subcommittee.

Citation

NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

data integrity, data storage systems, error correcting codes, intelligent data storage devices, network storage management, optical disk, reliability

Citation

Podio, F. , Vollrath, W. , Williams, J. , Kobler, B. and Crouse, D. (1998), An Emerging Network Storage Management Standard: Media Error Monitoring and Reporting Information [MEMRI] - To Determine Optical Tape Data Integrity, NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies (Accessed October 17, 2025)