Control of record media using device only accessible control areas and directory of media control marks and error history

A method of recording data onto and reading data from a data storage medium wherein a drive supports and provides access to the storage medium and a host means sends and receives data to and from the drive for recording on as recorded data and reading said recorded data from the storage medium, said storage medium and a head being relatively movably mounted in the drive for accessing portions of the record storage medium for recording data onto and reading said recorded data from the storage medium, including the steps:

• establishing a first data storage area on the storage medium, making said first data storage area addressable by said drive and not addressable by said host such that the host cannot write data onto nor read data from the storage medium by addressing said storage medium;
• establishing a plurality of second data storage areas on the storage medium, making all of said second data storage areas accessible to said host by said host addressing said second data storage areas;
• in said first data storage area establishing a plurality of directories of predetermined physical access parameters of said storage medium, in each of said established directories storing first identifications of data elements stored in the data storage medium and with each of said first identifications storing respective second identifications of physical locations on said storage medium of said data elements;
• and
• in said second data storage areas storing predetermined ones of said first identifications of said logical data elements along with storing said logical data elements;
• in said drive, receiving a request from the host means for accessing one logical data element in one of said second data storage areas;
• in said drive, before accessing said one of said second data storage areas, transferring a copy of a predetermined portion of one of said directories from the first data storage area to a memory external of the storage medium, then accessing a predetermined one of said directories in said memory for retrieving a predetermined one of said physical locations indicated in said one directory, then in said drive relatively moving said head and said storage medium to a said indicated physical location;
• in said drive, from said indicated physical location relatively moving said head and storage medium in a predetermined direction for accessing said one logical data element in said one of said second data storage areas for exchanging data between the one data storage area and said drive without further reference to any of said physical location data;
• in said drive, generating a first plurality of diverse types of medium control blocks;
• on said recording medium, recording, interleaved with said recorded data, a second plurality of said medium control blocks at predetermined physical locations in said storage medium;
• and
• in said first data storage area recording a different one of said plurality of directories for respectively identifying each said type of medium control blocks including indicating said predetermined physical locations in the respective directories for each said medium control block identified therein.

A method of recording data onto as recorded data and reading said recorded data from a data storage medium wherein a drive supports and provides access to the storage medium and a host means sends and receives data to and from the drive for recording on and reading said recorded data from the storage medium, said storage medium and a head being relatively movably mounted in the drive for accessing portions of the record storage medium for recording data onto and reading said recorded data from the storage medium, including the steps;

• establishing a first data storage area on the storage medium, making said first data storage area addressable by said drive and not addressable by said host such that the host cannot write data onto nor read data from the storage medium by addressing said storage medium;
• establishing a plurality of second data storage areas on the storage medium, making all of said second data storage areas accessible to said host by said host addressing said second data storage areas;
• in said first data storage area establishing a plurality of directories of predetermined physical access parameters of said storage medium, in each of said established directories storing first identifications of data elements stored in the data storage medium and with each of said first identifications storing respective second identifications of physical locations on said storage medium of said data elements;
• and
• in said second data storage areas storing predetermined ones of said first identifications of said logical data elements along with storing said logical data elements;
• in said drive, receiving a request from the host means for accessing one logical data element in one of said second data storage areas;
• in said drive, before accessing said one of said second data storage areas, transferring a copy of a predetermined portion of one of said directories from the first data storage area to a memory external of the storage medium, then accessing a predetermined one of said directories in said memory for retrieving a predetermined one of said physical locations indicated in said one directory, then in said drive relatively moving said head and said storage medium to a said indicated physical location;
• in said drive, from said indicated physical location relatively moving said head and storage medium in a predetermined direction for accessing said one logical data element in said one of said second data storage areas for exchanging data between the one data storage area and said drive without further reference to any of said physical location data;
• recording in each of said second data storage areas that stores data an end of data mark that indicates an end of the stored data in the respective ones of said second data storage areas;
• in the drive, recording in said first data storage area an end of data directory having an identification of all of said recorded end of data marks including respective indications for said recorded end of data marks indicating respective physical locations on the storage medium at which said recorded end of data marks are located;
• sorting in said end of data directory for listing all of said recorded end of data marks in an order in which said recorded end of data marks appear in said second data storage areas such that one of said end of data marks indicates an end of data for all data stored in all said second data storage areas;
• selecting said storage medium to be an elongated magnetic tape having a plurality of data storage track scannable by said head means by relatively moving said tape and said head means;
• establishing a load point at which said head means is first relatively positioned for accessing said first data storage area before accessing any of said second data storage areas;
• in said magnetic tape, establishing a plurality of track groups, establishing in each said track group first and second clusters of data tracks, establishing in each said first cluster of data tracks a forward direction of scanning in a first relative direction of tape and head means motion, establishing in each said second cluster of data tracks said forward direction of scanning in a second direction of relative direction of tape and head means motion that is opposite to said first relative direction of tape and head means motion;
• establishing in each said track cluster a predetermined number of physical reference points at respective predetermined longitudinal locations on the tape;
• in said drive, identifying and indicating each said longitudinal reference points of said data tracks in each said track cluster;
• and
• establishing in said first data storage area a map of said reference points and recording in said map a predetermined identification of each respective location of all of said identified reference points;
• in said first data storage area, recording a first plurality of copies of each said directories and said mount tape control block;
• while recording said first plurality of copies, arranging said directory copies and said mount tape control copies into a predetermined physical relationship such that respective ones of said mount tape control copies are logically associated with respective ones of said directory copies;
• in the drive, after recording said first plurality of copies, reading one of said copies of each said logically associated mount tape control blocks and directories and storing the read copy into said memory;
• and
• after said reading step, in said first data storage area, replacing all of said unmount tape control blocks with a first plurality of said unmount tape control blocks.

A method of recording data onto and reading data from a data storage medium wherein a drive supports and provides access to the storage medium and a host means sends and receives data to and from the drive for recording on and reading from the storage medium, said storage medium and a head being relatively movably mounted in the drive for accessing portions of the record storage medium for recording data onto and reading data from the storage medium, including the steps:

• establishing a directory having first directory contents in a first portion of said storage medium that indicates physical locations of data blocks stored in said storage medium;
• indicating in a first partition that said storage medium is not mounted to said drive;
• reading a copy of said first directory contents from said first partition into a memory in said drive;
• then changing said indication in said first partition that said storage medium is mounted in said drive and that said directory is not a valid copy of the first directory contents
• in said drive, generating a first plurality of diverse types of medium control blocks;
• recording data onto the record medium as recorded data;
• in said recording medium, interleaving and recording a second plurality of said medium control blocks among said recorded data at respective predetermined physical locations in said storage medium;
• and
• in said first portion recording a second directory for respectively identifying each said type of medium control blocks including indicating said predetermined physical locations in the second directory for each said medium control block identified therein.

Apparatus for recording data onto and reading data from an elongated magnetic tape data storage medium, said data storage medium having a plurality of elongated data-storing tracks, a drive supporting and providing access to the data storage medium, host means sending and receiving data to and from the drive for recording data on as recorded data and reading said recorded data from the data storage medium, head means being relatively movably mounted in the drive for relative movements with respect to said data storage medium for accessing said elongated data-storing tracks for relatively scanning said tracks of the data storage medium for recording said data onto and reacting said recorded data from said data-storing tracks, including in combination:

• tachometer means operatively connected to said data storage means for metering relative movements of said data storage means and said head means for indicating relative successive physical positions of said head means and said data storage medium;
• first partition means connected to said tachometer means for establishing a first partition on the storage medium and for designating said first partition a drive partition for making said first partition addressable only by said drive;
• second partition means connected to said tachometer means for establishing a plurality of second partitions on the data storage medium;
• indicating a respective one of said relative physical positions as a beginning of said partitions,
• address means in said second partition means for assigning addresses to each of said second partitions for enabling host and drive addressable access to said second partitions;
• medium map means connected to said first and second partition means for establishing and maintaining in said first partition a plurality of directories of predetermined physical access parameters of said storage medium including storing first identifications of data elements stored in the partitions of the data storage medium and with each of said first identifications storing respective indications of said relative physical locations on said storage medium;
• said data storage medium having a plurality of track groups, each said track group having a plurality of first and second track clusters, said data-storing tracks in each one of said first track cluster having a forward direction of scanning in a first relative direction of tape and head means movement, data-storing tracks in each one of said second track clusters having said forward direction of scanning in a second direction of relative direction of tape and head means motion that is opposite to said first relative direction of tape and head means motion;
• each said track cluster having a predetermined plurality of longitudinal-position-indicting indicating reference points respectively at predetermined longitudinal locations in said data storage medium;
• said tachometer means including point means for identifying a physical location of each said reference points;
• said directory means connected to said point means for storing a predetermined indication of all of said identified reference points in one of said directories;
• medium mark means in said drive for generating and reading a plurality of diverse types of medium marks, mark recording means in said medium mark means for recording diverse ones of said medium marks on said data-storing tracks in said track clusters, respectively, interleaved with said recorded data;
• cluster means in said medium mark means for recording beginning and ending wrap medium marks for indicating respectively a beginning and an end of each of said clusters;
• end of data means in said medium mark means for recording an end of data medium mark in each of said partitions that are storing a portion of said recorded data and indicating a physical location of each of said end of data medium marks;
• and
• directory means connected to said end of data means for sorting said end of data medium marks in accordance with said physical location indication of each said end of data medium mark for created a sorted list of said end of data medium marks for indicating a predetermined one of said end of data medium marks as indicating an end of data for said data storage medium.