Tape drive apparatus and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of storing data on a tape medium in at least one data recording session employing a tape drive apparatus operable to record the data in accordance with a format specifying an unused area of the tape medium, the method comprising:
- determining whether the tape medium has previously been formatted by writing and reading test data to a test location in the unused area of the tape medium,formatting the tape medium according to the format,determining whether the unused area of the tape medium comprises a previously recorded tape medium identifier according to the format, the determining adapted to determine that the tape medium has not previously been formatted when the tape medium does not comprise mandatory content in the specified unused area and an error rate does not exceed a predefined threshold, andreading the previously recorded tape medium identifier from the unused area for re-use as the tape medium identifier when it is determined that the unused area of the tape medium comprises the previously recorded tape medium identifier, and recording the previously recorded tape medium identifier as the tape medium identifier, andrecording a new tape medium identifier in the unused area of the tape medium, when it is determined that the unused area of the tape medium does not comprise the previously recorded tape medium identifier or when the tape medium has not previously been formatted, wherein the tape medium identifier uniquely identifies the tape medium from other tape media.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a method of storing data on a tape medium in at least one data recording session employing a tape drive apparatus operable to record the data in accordance with a format specifying an unused area of the tape medium. The method comprises formatting the tape medium according to the format, and recording a tape medium identifier in the specified unused area of the tape medium.
38 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A method of storing data on a tape medium in at least one data recording session employing a tape drive apparatus operable to record the data in accordance with a format specifying an unused area of the tape medium, the method comprising:
-
determining whether the tape medium has previously been formatted by writing and reading test data to a test location in the unused area of the tape medium, formatting the tape medium according to the format, determining whether the unused area of the tape medium comprises a previously recorded tape medium identifier according to the format, the determining adapted to determine that the tape medium has not previously been formatted when the tape medium does not comprise mandatory content in the specified unused area and an error rate does not exceed a predefined threshold, and reading the previously recorded tape medium identifier from the unused area for re-use as the tape medium identifier when it is determined that the unused area of the tape medium comprises the previously recorded tape medium identifier, and recording the previously recorded tape medium identifier as the tape medium identifier, and recording a new tape medium identifier in the unused area of the tape medium, when it is determined that the unused area of the tape medium does not comprise the previously recorded tape medium identifier or when the tape medium has not previously been formatted, wherein the tape medium identifier uniquely identifies the tape medium from other tape media. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A tape drive apparatus comprising:
-
a data transfer unit for transferring data between a tape medium and the tape drive apparatus in at least one data recording session; a formatting module operable to control the data transfer unit to format the tape medium according to a format specifying an unused area of the tape medium, the specified unused area configured to store mandatory content; a determiner for determining whether the unused area of the tape medium comprises a previously recorded tape medium identifier according to the format, wherein the tape medium identifier uniquely identifies the tape medium from other tape media, the determiner adapted to determine that the tape medium has not previously been formatted when the tape medium does not comprise mandatory content in the specified unused area and an error rate does not exceed a predefined threshold; and a recording module operable to control the data transfer unit to record a new tape medium identifier in the specified unused area of the tape medium when the determiner has determined that the unused area of the tape medium does not comprise the previously recorded tape medium identifier or when the tape medium has not previously been formatted, a first reading module operable to control the data transfer unit to read the previously recorded tape medium identifier from the unused area when the determiner has determined that the unused area of the tape medium comprises the previously recorded tape medium identifier, and wherein the recording module is operable to re-use the previously recorded tape medium identifier for the controlling of the data transfer unit to record the previously recorded tape medium identifier as the tape medium identifier when the determiner has determined that the unused area of the tape medium comprises the previously recorded tape medium identifier. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A backward compatible storage apparatus for storing data on a sequential storage medium, the apparatus comprising:
-
means for transferring data between the sequential storage medium and the backward compatible storage apparatus in at least one data recording session; means for formatting the sequential storage medium according to a legacy format specifying an unused area of the sequential storage medium, the specified unused area configured to store mandatory content; means for determining whether the unused area of the tape medium comprises a previously recorded tape medium identifier, wherein the tape medium identifier uniquely identifies the tape medium from other tape media, the means for determining adapted to determine that the tape medium has not previously been formatted when the tape medium does not comprise mandatory content in the specified unused area and an error rate does not exceed a predefined threshold; means for reading the previously recorded tape medium identifier from the unused area for re-use as the tape medium identifier when the means for determining has determined that the unused area of the tape medium comprises the previously recorded tape medium identifier; means for recording a new tape medium identifier of the sequential storage medium in the specified unused area of the sequential storage medium when the means for determining has determined that the unused area of the tape medium does not comprise the previously recorded tape medium identifier or when the tape medium has not previously been formatted; wherein the means for recording records the same previously recorded medium identifier as the tape medium identifier, when the means for determining has determined that the unused area of the tape medium comprises the previously recorded tape medium identifier; and means for recording an extended log of tape usage information in the unused area of the tape medium, the extended log comprising an updated count of recording sessions, wherein the extended log is recorded only when the unused area comprises the tape medium identifier. - View Dependent Claims (16)
-
Specification