55results about "Longitudinal format" patented technology

In one embodiment, a tape drive system includes a magnetic head having a servo sensor for sensing a defined servo track of a magnetic tape and configured to read servo pulses from servo bursts of the servo track while the magnetic tape is moving past the magnetic head with the servo bursts representing an encoded data symbol, an analog-to-digital converter configured to provide a sequence of samples of the readback servo signal, a digital correlator configured to compute a correlation signal between the sequence and a reference waveform, a timing reference module configured to provide a reference timing model having interpolation instants to the digital correlator, a correlation interpolator configured to interpolate the correlation signal at the interpolation instants and compute a longitudinal position (LPOS) detection metric, and an LPOS detector configured to decode the encoded data symbol of the servo bursts using the computed LPOS detection metric.

Data tracks are written across a width of a tape by positioning a first head section across the tape and writing a first subset of data tracks onto the tape with a first plurality of write elements on the first head section. A second head section is positioned across the tape separately from the first head. A second subset of data tracks is written onto the tape with a second plurality of write elements on the second head section so that the second subset is interleaved with the first subset. A third head section is positioned across the tape separately from the first head and the second head. The first subset and second subsets are read with a plurality of read elements on the third head section to verify that data was correctly written onto the tape.

Data tracks are written across a width of a tape by positioning a first head section across the tape and writing a first subset of data tracks onto the tape with a first plurality of write elements on the first head section. A second head section is positioned across the tape separately from the first head. A second subset of data tracks is written onto the tape with a second plurality of write elements on the second head section so that the second subset is interleaved with the first subset. A third head section is positioned across the tape separately from the first head and the second head. The first subset and second subsets are read with a plurality of read elements on the third head section to verify that data was correctly written onto the tape.

For writing data to multi-track tape, a received data set is received and segmented into unencoded subdata sets, each comprising an array having K2 rows and K1 columns. For each unencoded subdata set, N1-K1 C1-parity bytes are generated for each row and N2-K2 C2-parity bytes are generated for each column. The C1 and C2 parity bytes are appended to the ends of the row and column, respectively, to form encoded C1 and C2 codewords, respectively. All of the C1 codewords per data set are endowed with a specific codeword header to form a plurality of partial codeword objects (PCOs). Each PCO is mapped onto a logical data track according to information within the header. On each logical data track, adjacent PCOs are merged to form COs which are modulation encoded and mapped into synchronized COs. Then T synchronized COs are written simultaneously to the data tape where T is the number of concurrent active tracks on the data tape.

A sequential data storage medium, comprising a sequence of plurality of servo patterns that provide lateral position information and longitudinal position information, wherein each of the plurality of servo patterns comprises a first burst comprising a first plurality of pulses, a second burst comprising a second plurality of pulses, a third burst comprising a third plurality of pulses, and a fourth burst comprising a fourth plurality of pulses. The spacings between the first plurality of pulses, in combination with the spacings between the second plurality of pulses, encode a first bit without affecting the recovery of lateral position information. The spacings between the third plurality of pulses, in combination with the spacings between the fourth plurality of pulses, encode a second bit without affecting the recovery of lateral position information. The sequence of plurality of servo patterns comprises a sequence of the first bits and a sequence of the second bits to form an error-correction codeword providing error-correction capability.

Conventional C2 coding and interleaving for multi-track data tape in LTO-3 / 4 do not support recording data onto a number of concurrent tracks which is not a power of two. Higher-rate longer C2 codes, which do not degrade error rate performance, are provided. An adjustable format and interleaving scheme accommodates future tape drives in which the number of concurrent tracks is not necessarily a power of two. A data set is segmented into a plurality of unencoded subdata sets and parity bytes are generated for each row and column. The parameters of the C2 code include N2 as the least common multiple of the number of possible tracks to which codeword objects are to be written. COs are formed from N2 C1 codewords, mapped onto a logical data track according to information within headers of the CO and modulation encoded into synchronized COs which are written to the tape.

Provided is a tape recorder that has a tape including at least one partition and that controls access to the tape. The tape recorder includes: means for identifying a position of data on the tape; means for sequentially reading necessary data areas in the data; means for sequentially copying the necessary data areas to the beginning of an empty area on the tape; means for creating a continuous front empty area formed of unnecessary data areas and copy source areas of the necessary data areas on the tape; and means for moving a beginning of the partition (BOP) to a position immediately after the front empty area and for updating the position information on the beginning of the partition.

A longitudinal position (LPOS) word L(n) is encoded with error correction capability. The LPOS word includes a plurality of LPOS symbols L0(n) through Lk(n) calculated asL⁡(n)=∑i=05⁢Li⁡(n)⁢14iand representing a longitudinal position of a magnetic tape relative to a tape head in a tape storage system. A word type is determined in response to at least one of the plurality of LPOS symbols and, in response to the determined word type, at least one formatted symbol F(n) is generated from the plurality of LPOS symbols L(n). At least one parity symbol P(n) is generated from the formatted symbol F(n). The formatted and parity symbols are communicated to a servo channel of the tape storage system to be recorded onto a servo track of the magnetic tape. Adding redundancy to LPOS words provides the capability of correcting multiple bit errors without increasing the LPOS word length.

A method for detecting errors in a servo system of a magnetic storage drive includes writing a plurality of data tracks at a pitch, detecting a position of an edge of at least two of the data tracks under control of a servo system (e.g., an optical or magnetic servo system), and determining an error in the servo system based on the detected positions and known pitch of the data tracks. Differences in the track edge positions of the tracks from the positions at which they were written may indicate errors in the optical servo system (e.g., non-linearity errors, as well as other errors such as electrical, temperature, or the like). Determined errors may be stored with a look-up table of positional errors or used to normalize a position algorithm associated with the servo system.

The present disclosure relates generally to writing and reading data from a magnetic tape storage media and, more particularly, to a secure erasure system for the eradication of the data contained in the data tracks of a tape media such that substantially all of the data can be erased while leaving the servo bands substantially unaltered or within specification. A data tape cartridge erased with such a system can then be reused in a secure data storage environment with complete confidence that any data from a previous usage is not subject to discovery.

The invention includes a method for longitudinal position (LPOS) detection in a magnetic tape storage system for storing data upon linear tape open (LTO) magnetic storage tape, which data includes odd and even 36-bit LPOS words with error correcting ability. The method includes steps of encoding positional information onto the magnetic storage tape within the odd and even 36-bit LPOS words using each LPOS word's 8-bit sync mark field, Sy, and six of each LPOS word's 4-bit symbol fields, L0, L1, L2 L3, L4, and L5, wherein 6 of 24 total bits comprising the encoded 8-bit sync mark field: Sy, and six 4-bit symbol fields: L0, L1, L2 L3, L4, and L5 are utilized as parity bits, operating the magnetic tape storage system by passing the LTO magnetic storage tape encoded with the odd and even LPOS words with error correcting ability longitudinally across a servo reader / writer at a known speed, decoding the encoded positional information by reading either two words sequentially or two words simultaneously, the simultaneous reading requiring that the LPOS words include servo band numbers and detecting and correcting both ambiguous bits and single erroneous bit errors.