A storage device comprises tape reel(s) holding tape media for storing data, a head assembly, motor(s) configured to actuate the head assembly, a sealed casing, and a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) configured to control operations of the motor(s). The head assembly comprises a support structure, a head bar with read head(s) and write head(s), and a suspension system connecting the head bar to the support structure. The sealed casing encloses in its interior the tape reel(s), the head assembly, and the motor(s). Meanwhile, the PCBA is mounted on an external surface of the casing.

The magnetic recording medium includes: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent, wherein the ferromagnetic powder is selected from the group consisting of hexagonal strontium ferrite powder and ε-iron oxide powder, and has an average particle size of 5 nm or more and 20 nm or less, wherein the magnetic layer has a servo pattern, and wherein an average area Sdc of magnetic clusters of the magnetic recording medium in a DC demagnetization state, measured by a magnetic force microscope is 0.2×10.sup.4 nm.sup.2 or more and less than 5.0×10.sup.4 nm.sup.2.

A tape drive that can select one or more wraps from any available wraps on a tape medium for writing temporary data upon detecting a flush condition. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data can be selected from wraps otherwise reserved for normal writing operations. Selection of the one or more wraps for temporary writing may be based on multiple considerations, including proximity to the wrap of current data writing operations and tape medium degradation. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data may be selected with or without regard of their assigned read/write direction. Assigning wraps based on proximity and/or degradation can lead to certain operational advantages including reducing tape write head movement in the transverse direction and spreading tape medium wear more evenly across the surface of the tape medium.

A servo pattern recording method according to an embodiment of the present technology is a servo pattern recording method of recording a servo pattern on a tape-like magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer including five or more servo bands, the method including: determining at least three first servo bands in which first servo band identification information constituted by a plurality of bits is to be recorded, and at least two second servo bands in which second servo band identification information constituted by a plurality of bits is to be recorded, the second servo band identification being different from the first servo band identification information; and recording each of the first servo band identification information and the second servo band identification information in the first servo band and the second servo band on the same phase.

In the magnetic recording medium, a number distribution A of a plurality of bright regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 5 kV and a number distribution B of a plurality of dark regions, based on equivalent circle diameters thereof, in a binarized image of a secondary electron image obtained by imaging a surface of the magnetic layer by a scanning electron microscope at an acceleration voltage of 2 kV respectively satisfy a predetermined number distribution.

In the probability distribution calculated from TDSage, TDSenv, and TC, the magnetic tape has the probability P.sub.fail of equal to or less than 0.2%, in which the absolute value of ΔSB exceeds 0.3 μm. TDSage is a maximum absolute value of a difference between the servo band interval obtained before a predetermined storage and the servo band interval obtained after the storage, TDSenv is a value calculated by multiplying a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the servo band interval respectively obtained under five predetermined environments by ½, TC is a value calculated by multiplying TDStens by 0.5 N, and TDStens is a ratio of a change in the servo band interval to a change in tension calculated from the servo band interval respectively obtained under five predetermined environments by applying a plurality of different tensions in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape.

A tape embedded drive can include tape media for storing data, a first tape reel and a second tape reel, each coupled to one end of the tape media, and a head stack assembly (HSA). The HSA can include a first head assembly having at least one read head and one write head and a second head assembly having a non-operable head incapable of reading or writing. In an embodiment, the first head assembly is configured to be placed along a first side of the tape media and the second head assembly with the non-operable head is configured to be placed along a second side of the tape media opposite the first side of the tape media.

The magnetic tape satisfies TDSage+TDSenv−TC≤0.30 μm. TDSage is a maximum absolute value of a difference between the servo band interval obtained before a predetermined storage and the servo band interval obtained after the storage, TDSenv is a value calculated by multiplying a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the servo band interval respectively obtained under five predetermined environments by ½, TC is a value calculated by multiplying TDStens by 0.5 N, and TDStens is a ratio of a change in the servo band interval to a change in tension calculated from the servo band interval respectively obtained under five predetermined environments by applying a plurality of different tensions in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape.

The magnetic tape in which a difference (S.sub.0.1−S.sub.1.6) between a spacing S.sub.0.1 and a spacing S.sub.1.6 obtained after n-hexane cleaning on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 32 nm. The S.sub.0.1 is a value obtained as a spacing under a pressing force of 0.1 atm from a relational expression between a pressure and a spacing obtained by performing a spacing measurement on the surface of the magnetic layer by an optical interference method under a pressing force of each of a plurality of different pressures after the n-hexane cleaning, and S.sub.1.6 is a spacing measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by the optical interference method under the pressing force of 1.6 atm after the n-hexane cleaning.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to tape drives used for magnetic recording on tapes. Tape drives use tape heads that comprise a read head, a write head, and an additional head that may be a write head or a read head. The tape head is fabricated over a common substrate with the first head being formed first, followed by a shield layer, followed by the second head, followed by another shield layer, and finally followed by the third head. Fabricating the tape head over a common substrate is cost effective. The tape head can be wired such that fewer parallel connections between the heads and bond pads are present. As such, cross-talk between the wires and noise is reduced.