An apparatus according to an embodiment includes an array of transducers including an inner transducer and subarrays of the transducers positioned on opposite sides of the inner transducer, and a controller coupled to the transducers. The controller is configured to process data using only the transducers in the subarrays in a first mode of operation. Moreover, the controller is configured to process data using only a portion of the transducers in each of the subarrays in a second mode of operation, where the inner transducer is inactive in the second mode of operation.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes an array of 2N+1 transducers and a controller directly electrically coupled to each of the transducers, where the controller is configured to use transducers on only one side of a centerline of the array in a first mode of operation.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes an array of 2N+1 transducers, and a controller electrically coupled only to transducers in odd positions in the array. An apparatus according to another embodiment includes an array of 2N+1 transducers, where at least one of the transducers within the array is configured as a servo reader, a controller electrically coupled only to transducers in odd positions in the array, and a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium over the array.

In one embodiment, a drive-implemented method includes determining, by a tape drive, that a magnetic recording tape is compatible with a first format, the tape drive having an array of transducers including subarrays of the transducers positioned on opposite sides of an inner transducer, reading from or writing to the magnetic recording tape using the array in a first mode of operation corresponding to the first format, processing data using only transducers in the subarrays in the first mode of operation, and processing data using only a portion of transducers in each subarray in a second mode of operation corresponding to the second format. The first format specifies locations of data and a contiguous spare area on the tape and compatibility with a second format. The second format specifies a set of second active channels different than a set of first active channels specified by the first format.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes an array of transducers, where the array of transducers includes at least one contiguous group of transducers in a number specified in a format and at least two servo readers, where the servo readers are symmetrically positioned about the contiguous group of transducers and the servo readers are asymmetrically positioned relative to a centerline of the array of transducers.

An implementation of a system disclosed herein provides a method for managing data streams of sequential nature, wherein the method writes the sequential chunks (fragments) directly to an open band in the order these are received from the host and includes determining an end of the incoming data write request related to streaming data and in response to the determination of the end of the incoming data write request related to streaming data, copying remaining data from a current physical band mapped to logical block addresses LBAs related to the data write requests to the allocated (open) band.

Implementations disclosed herein include a method comprising receiving a TRIM request for a media cache in a storage media from a host, determining whether a TRIM range in the TRIM request overlaps with an active operation, invalidating the TRIM range responsive to determining that the TRIM range does not overlap with an active operation, and inserting at least one null node in the media cache. The method may comprise receiving a host read request, performing a media cache search for a read LBA range, and determining where data is located. If all the data is located in the media cache, the system reads from the media cache. If the data is located in a null node, patterning for the null node occurs. If the data is located partially in the main store, the media cache, or a null node, the data may be read, combined, and returned to the host.

Bottom tracks are written to a recording medium using a first setting of a microwave assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) head. Top tracks are interlaced between and partially overlapping the bottom tracks using a second setting of the MAMR head, the second setting resulting in a narrower track width than the first setting.

An information recording medium (10) including a first region (11) in which medium identification information has been recorded, a data region (13), and a second region (12) which is positioned between the first region (11) and the data region (13) and in which control information has been recorded, in which an area of the first region (11) is greater than an area of the second region (12) in size.

Implementations disclosed herein provide an apparatus including a storage media and a storage controller configured to divide physical storage space of the storage media into a plurality of media zones between an inner diameter (ID) and an outer diameter (OD) of the storage media, and write LBA sectors to the media zones in a direction from the ID to the OD and writing the data in the direction from the OD to the ID within each media zone.