US 5,325,370 A · Method and apparatus for recording data on magnetic tape media

Abstract

The control software and hardware in the tape drive control unit creates and manages a header segment at the beginning of the magnetic tape. This header is interposed between a leader portion of the magnetic tape on the 3480-type cartridge and the remainder of the magnetic tape contained therein. This header segment contains two sections, a first of which is a data record directory that is used by the control unit to denote the location of each data record written on to the magnetic tape as well as administrative information associated with the data record. The second section of the header is an administrative information section that contains data relating to the magnetic tape itself. The stream of data records is divided into data segments, a plurality of which comprise a single helical scan track. The helical scan tracks are formed into scan groups and written on the magnetic tape. At least one longitudinal track is written on the magnetic tape coextensive with the helical scan groups to provide data to enable the tape drive to quickly locate data records recorded on the magnetic tape.

Claims24

Dependent claims

Apparatus in a drive element which reads and writes a stream of data records, received from a computer, on a magnetic tape media, comprising:

means for generating administrative data specific to each of said data records received from said computer and to said magnetic tape;
means for segmenting said received stream of data records into tracks of predetermined length, comprising:
means for storing a plurality of bytes of said received stream of data records,
means for generating a first error correction code specific to said stored plurality of bytes,
means for dividing said stored plurality of bytes and said first error correcting codes into a series of data segments, each data segment containing a predetermined number of bytes,
means for generating a second error correction code specific to each of said data segments,
means for concatenating a plurality of said data segments and their associated second error correction codes to form one of said tracks;
means for writing said administrative data and said tracks in helical stripe form on said magnetic tape;
and
means for writing data, exclusive of said administrative data and said stream of data records, in at least one longitudinal track on said magnetic tape coextensive with said tracks written in helical stripe form.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for recording data on magnetic tape media

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for recording data on magnetic tape media

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24