# US 5,710,676 A · Pre-formatting of a storage media having fixed-size partitions > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,710,676 A - Document ID: US5710676A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/614,435 - Filed: 1996-03-12 - Granted: 1998-01-20 - Earliest claimed: 1996-03-12 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Scott Milton Fry; Steven Douglas Johnson; Steven Bennett Wilson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5710676A ## CPC - G11B 27/30: on the same track as the main recording - G11B 20/1205: {for discontinuous data, e.g. digital information signals or computer program data} - G11B 15/68: Automatic cassette changing arrangements; {automatic tape changing arrangements} - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract A storage media for linear, serpentine recording is pre-formatted for data storage operations by recording partition format information in a single pass along the length of the storage media by recording partition format information for all storage media tracks at regular partition intervals defined by index locations alternately in both storage media directions before moving the storage media to the next partition interval. At each index location, partition markers are recorded in successive parallel tracks first in one media direction and then the other until markers are recorded across the entire width of the storage media. The steps of moving to a next partition index location, recording partition information in successive parallel tracks in first one direction and then the other, and moving to a next index location one partition length away, are repeated until all partitions of the storage media are pre-formatted. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of recording partition format information on a storage media, the method comprising the steps of: recording partition format information in a first storage media track in a first media direction beginning at an index location of the storage media; recording partition information in a second storage media track, parallel to the first storage media track, in a second media direction opposite that of the first media direction; repeating the steps of recording in the first media direction and then recording in the second media direction in successive parallel tracks across the width of the storage media; and recording partition format information at the next index location of the storage media in alternating media directions within successive parallel tracks across the width of the storage media. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second media recording directions extend along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the index locations are at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the storage media is a linear recording tape. ### Claim 5 A method of recording partition format information at index locations on a storage media, the method comprising the steps of: positioning the storage media at a first index location relative to a recording head; recording partition format information in a predetermined number of parallel tracks relative to the first index location of the storage media by alternately recording the partition format information in a first recording direction of a storage media track and then in an opposite, second recording direction in a parallel storage media track; moving the storage media in a first storage media direction to a next index location relative to the first index location; repeating the steps of recording and moving until a predetermined extent of the storage media is recorded with partition format information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the step of recording includes moving the storage media at a recording speed past the recording head; and the step of moving includes moving the storage media relative to the recording head at a transport speed greater than the recording speed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the index locations are at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the recording direction and the first storage media direction are parallel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the first index location comprises an end of media location, and the step of positioning comprises the steps of: initializing a position indicator that is moved a predetermined distance when the storage media is moved; maintaining a count of the position indicator movement as the storage media is moved from a beginning media location to the end of media location; determining the length of the storage media from the beginning media location to the end of media location in accordance with the count of the position indicator movement. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the step of moving the storage media comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and moving the storage media in the first storage media direction a distance equal to the index location interval. ### Claim 11 A method of recording partition format information on a linear storage media in a plurality of parallel tracks that extend lengthwise along the longitudinal dimension of the storage media, the method comprising the steps of: determining a storage media length from a first media index location to a second media index location relative to a recording head; positioning the second media index location at the recording head; recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the second storage media index location in a first storage media direction; positioning the storage media toward the first media index location at the new media index location relative to the second media index location; recording format information in successive parallel tracks relative to the new media index location by alternately recording in the first storage media direction and then in a second storage media direction opposite that of the first storage media direction, in a parallel track, across the width of the storage media; repeating the steps of positioning the storage media and recording format information alternatingly in the first storage media direction and then in the second storage media direction until the storage media is positioned at the first media index location; and recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the first storage media index location in the second storage media direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and positioning the storage media closer to the first media index location by the index location interval. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of determining storage media length comprises the steps of: initializing a rotational position indication of a hub on which the storage media is wound; maintaining the rotational position indication as the storage media is moved from the first media index location to the second media index location; determining the length of the storage media from the first media index location to the second media index location in accordance with the rotational position indication. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises the steps of: determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length; and moving the storage media closer to the first media index location until the rotational position indication increases by the amount of the index location interval. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the steps of positioning comprise moving the storage media at a high speed greater than a recording speed at which the storage media is moved during recording. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the storage media comprises a tape storage device. ### Claim 17 A storage device having a linear storage media on which partition format information is recorded in a plurality of parallel tracks that extend lengthwise along the longitudinal dimension of the storage media in a process comprising the steps of: determining a storage media length from a first media index location to a second media index location relative to a recording head; positioning the second media index location at the recording head; recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the second storage media index location in a first storage media direction; positioning the storage media toward the first media index location at a new media index location relative to the second media index location; recording format information in successive parallel tracks relative to the new media index location by alternately recording in the first storage media direction and then in a second storage media direction opposite that of the first storage media direction, in a parallel track, across the width of the storage media; repeating the steps of positioning the storage media and recording format information alternatingly in the first storage media direction and then in the second storage media direction until the storage media is positioned at the first media index location; and recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the first storage media index location in the second storage media direction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A storage device as defined in claim 17, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and positioning the storage media closer to the first media index location by the index location interval. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A storage device as defined in claim 17, wherein the step of determining storage media length comprises the steps of: initializing a rotational position indication of a hub on which the storage media is wound; maintaining the rotational position indication as the storage media is moved from the first media index location to the second media index location; determining the length of the storage media from the first media index location to the second media index location in accordance with the rotational position indication. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A storage device as defined in claim 19, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises the steps of: determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length; and moving the storage media closer to the first media index location until the rotational position indication increases by the amount of the index location interval. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) A storage device as defined in claim 19, wherein the steps of positioning comprise moving the storage media at a high speed greater than a recording speed at which the storage media is moved during recording. ### Claim 22 A drive unit controller comprising: a controller central processing unit; and a servo controller that moves drive unit heads relative to a storage media; wherein the controller central processing unit is programmed to control the servo controller and perform method steps for recording partition format information on a storage media, the method steps comprising: recording partition format information in a first storage media track in a first media direction beginning at an index location of the storage media, recording partition information in a second storage media track, parallel to the first storage media track, in a second media direction opposite that of the first media direction, repeating the steps of recording in the first media direction and then recording in the second media direction in successive parallel tracks across the width of the storage media, and recording partition format information at the next index location of the storage media in alternating media directions within successive parallel tracks across the width of the storage media. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 22, wherein the controller central processing unit records information such that the first and second media recording directions extend along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 22, wherein the index locations are at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 22, wherein the storage media is a linear recording tape. ### Claim 26 A drive unit controller comprising: a controller central processing unit; and a servo controller that moves drive unit heads relative to a storage media; wherein the controller central processing unit is programmed to control the servo controller unit and record partition format information at index locations on the storage media by performing method steps comprising: positioning the storage media at a first index location relative to recording heads, recording partition format information in a predetermined number of parallel tracks relative to the first index location of the storage media by alternately recording the partition format information in direct recording direction of a storage media track and then in an opposite, second recording direction in a parallel storage media track, moving the storage media in a first storage media direction to a next index location relative to the first index location, and repeating the steps of recording and moving until a predetermined extent of the storage media is recorded with partition format information. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 26, wherein the step of recording includes moving the storage media at a recording speed past the recording heads; and the step of moving includes moving the storage media relative to the recording heads at a transport speed greater than the recording speed. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 26, wherein the index locations are at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 26, wherein the recording direction and the first storage media direction are parallel. ### Claim 30 (depends on 26) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 26, wherein the first index location comprises an end of media location, and the step of positioning comprises the steps of: initializing a position indicator that is moved a predetermined distance when the storage media is moved; maintaining a count of the position indicator movement as the storage media is moved from a beginning media location to the end of media location; determining the length of the storage media from the beginning media location to the end of media location in accordance with the count of the position indicator movement. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 30, wherein the step of moving the storage media comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and moving the storage media in the first storage media direction a distance equal to the index location interval. ### Claim 32 A drive unit controller comprising: a controller central processing unit; and a servo controller that moves drive unit heads relative to a storage media; wherein the controller central processing unit is programmed to control the servo controller and record partition format information on a linear storage media in a plurality of parallel tracks that extend lengthwise along the longitudinal dimension of the storage media by performing method steps comprising: determining a storage media length from a first media index location to a second media index location relative to the recording heads, positioning the second media index location at the recording heads, recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the second storage media index location in a first storage media direction, positioning the storage media toward the first media location at a new media index location relative to the second media index location, recording format information in successive parallel tracks relative to the new media index location by alternately recording in the first storage media direction and then in a second storage media direction opposite that of the first storage media direction, in a parallel track, across the width of the storage media, repeating the steps of positioning the storage media and recording format information alternatingly in the first storage media direction and then in the second storage media direction until the storage media is positioned at the first media index location, and recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the first storage media index location in the second storage media direction. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 32, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and positioning the storage media closer to the first media index location by the index location interval. ### Claim 34 (depends on 32) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 32, wherein the step of determining storage media length comprises the steps of: initializing a rotational position indication of a hub on which the storage media is wound; maintaining the rotational position indication as the storage media is moved from the first media index location to the second media index location; and determining the length of the storage media from the first media index location to the second media index location in accordance with the rotational position indication. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 34, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises the steps of: determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length; and moving the storage media closer to the first media index location until the rotational position indication increases by the amount of the index location interval. ### Claim 36 (depends on 32) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 32, wherein the positioning steps comprise moving the storage media at a high speed greater than a recording speed at which the storage media is moved during recording. ### Claim 37 (depends on 32) A drive unit controller as defined in claim 32, wherein the storage media comprises a tape storage device. ### Claim 38 A storage subsystem comprising: a host computer; a drive unit that receives storage media, on which it records information received from the host computer with at least one recording head; and a drive unit controller that controls movement of the drive unit recording head relative to the storage media by performing method steps for recording partition format information on the storage media, the method steps comprising: recording partition format information in a first storage media track in a first media direction beginning at an index location of the storage media, recording partition information in a second storage media track, parallel to the first storage media track, in a second media direction opposite that of the first media direction, repeating the steps of recording in the first media direction and then recording in the second media direction in successive parallel tracks across the width of the storage media, and recording partition format information at the next index location of the storage media in alternating media directions within successive parallel tracks across the width of the storage media. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 38, wherein the drive unit controller records information such that the first and second media recording directions extend along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 40 (depends on 38) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 38, wherein the index locations are at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 41 (depends on 38) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 38, wherein the storage media is a linear recording tape. ### Claim 42 A storage subsystem comprising: a host computer; a drive unit that receives storage media, on which it records information received from the host computer with at least one recording head; and a drive unit controller that controls movement of the drive unit head relative to the storage media by performing method steps that record partition format information at index locations on the storage media, the method steps comprising: positioning the storage media at a first index location relative to the recording head, recording partition format information in a predetermined number of parallel tracks relative to the first index location of the storage media by alternately recording the partition format information in a first recording direction of a storage media track and then in an opposite, second recording direction in a parallel storage media track, moving the storage media in a first storage media direction to a next index location relative to the first index location, and repeating the steps of recording and moving until a predetermined extent of the storage media is recorded with partition format information. ### Claim 43 (depends on 42) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 42, wherein the step of recording includes moving the storage media at a recording speed past the recording head; and the step of moving includes moving the storage media relative to the recording head at a transport speed greater than the recording speed. ### Claim 44 (depends on 42) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 42, wherein the index locations are at regularly spaced intervals along the length of the storage media. ### Claim 45 (depends on 42) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 42, wherein the recording direction and the first storage media direction are parallel. ### Claim 46 (depends on 42) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 42, wherein the first index location comprises an end of media location, and the step of positioning comprises the steps of: initializing a position indicator that is moved a predetermined distance when the storage media is moved; maintaining a count of the position indicator movement as the storage media is moved from a beginning media location to the end of media location; and determining the length of the storage media from the beginning media location to the end of media location in accordance with the count of the position indicator movement. ### Claim 47 (depends on 46) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 46, wherein the step of moving the storage media comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and moving the storage media in the first storage media direction a distance equal to the index location interval. ### Claim 48 A storage subsystem comprising: a host computer; a drive unit that receives linear storage media, on which it records information received from the host computer with at least one recording head; and a drive unit controller that controls movement of the drive unit head relative to the storage media to record partition format information on the linear storage media in a plurality of parallel tracks that extend lengthwise along the longitudinal dimension of the storage media by performing method steps comprising: determining a storage media length from a first media index location to a second media index location relative to the recording head, positioning the second media index location at the recording head, recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the second storage media index location in a first storage media direction, positioning the storage media toward the first media location at a new media index location relative to the second media index location, recording format information in successive parallel tracks relative to the new media index location by alternately recording in the first storage media direction and then in a second storage media direction opposite that of the first storage media direction, in a parallel track, across the width of the storage media, repeating the steps of positioning the storage media and recording format information alternatingly in the first storage media direction and then in the second storage media direction until the storage media is positioned at the first media index location, and recording format information in alternate parallel tracks relative to the first storage media index location in the second storage media direction. ### Claim 49 (depends on 48) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 48, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length and positioning the storage media closer to the first media index location by the index location interval. ### Claim 50 (depends on 48) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 48, wherein the step of determining storage media length comprises the steps of: initializing a rotational position indication of a hub on which the storage media is wound; maintaining the rotational position indication as the storage media is moved from the first media index location to the second media index location; and determining the length of the storage media from the first media index location to the second media index location in accordance with the rotational position indication. ### Claim 51 (depends on 50) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 50, wherein the step of positioning the storage media toward the first media index location comprises the steps of: determining an index location interval in accordance with the determined storage media length; and moving the storage media closer to the first media index location until the rotational position indication increases by the amount of the index location interval. ### Claim 52 (depends on 48) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 48, wherein the positioning steps comprise moving the storage media at a high speed greater than a recording speed at which the storage media is moved during recording. ### Claim 53 (depends on 48) A storage subsystem as defined in claim 48, wherein the storage media comprises a tape storage device.