Method and system utilizing data fragments for efficiently importing/exporting removable storage volumes

摘要

A method and system utilizing data fragments for efficiently importing/exporting a removable storage volume having a number of data files from a first virtual storage system to a second virtual storage system. The method includes writing data fragments to the end of the removable storage volume in the first virtual storage system. The data fragments contain information, such as data file headers, that uniquely identifies the data files residing in the removable storage volume. Next, the removable storage volume is transferred to the second virtual storage system. Upon receipt of the volume, the second virtual storage system updates a tape volume cache in the second virtual storage system utilizing the information contained in the data fragments without having to read each of the data files. In one embodiment, the data fragments include at least one data file, a file header preceding the data file and a data fragment trailer.