A method and system for a controlling a head element of a tape drive is disclosed. Y-position values based on servo bands are identified. Control adjustments for the head element are determined based on the Y-position values and the direction of the current wrap.

A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a first portion of data to be written in a magnetic medium, dividing the first portion of data into a plurality of blocks, appending an identification segment having identification information therein to each of the blocks, wherein each block and the corresponding identification information appended thereto forms a record, writing each record in a data partition of the magnetic medium, and writing an index in the data partition of the magnetic medium in response to a predetermined condition being met, wherein the index is associated with all data on the magnetic medium. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.

A tape drive system that uses a tape cartridge having more than one file storage partition, sometimes herein referred to as virtual tapes. The tape file sub-system (which controls tape addressing) is identical to conventional single file storage partition tape cartridges, because: (i) a tape control sub-system controls writing of the multiple virtual tapes on a single tape cartridge, but communicates with the tape file sub-system as if the multiple virtual tapes were actually located on different physical tape cartridges; and (ii) a tape control sub-system controls reading of the multiple virtual tapes from a single tape cartridge, but communicates with the tape file sub-system as if the multiple virtual tapes were actually located on different physical tape cartridges. The multiple virtual tapes stored on a single physical tape cartridge are useful because they help circumvent certain per tape restrictions that are inherent in the tape file sub-system.

Method, computer program product, and system embodiments of the present disclosure may include a computing device which may set a predetermined flag on data to be copied from a primary storage tier and a secondary storage tier. The computing device may identify a first portion of the flagged data as being in a pre-migrated state stored on the primary storage tier and migrate the flagged pre-migrated data from the primary storage tier to a target medium. The computing device may identify a second portion of the flagged data as being in a migrated state stored on the secondary storage tier. The computing device may recall the flagged migrated data from the secondary storage tier to the primary storage tier and migrate the recalled migrated data from the primary storage tier to the target medium.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for timing index write to a tape medium of a tape system. Index write timing data that specifies index write timing based on file metadata attributes is stored. Metadata attributes of a first file are analyzed to determine whether a first index should be written at a first time based on the index write timing data. In response to determining that an index should be written, the first index is written to the tape medium at the first time.

An information processing apparatus determines, for each of packed objects recorded on one data-migration-source magnetic tape, whether or not to regenerate the packed objects by using objects included in the packed objects, generates a second packed object by using objects included in a first packed object determined as being regenerated, performs control of distributing and recording a plurality of second packed objects and parity data on a plurality of magnetic tapes, and performs control of recording a packed object determined as not being regenerated on a magnetic tape different from the data-migration-source magnetic tape.

According to one embodiment, a drive-implemented method includes, in a first mode of operation, processing data using only transducers of subarrays positioned on opposite sides of an inner transducer in an array of transducers, and processing data using only a portion of the transducers in each of the subarrays in a second mode of operation, wherein the inner transducer is inactive in the second mode of operation.

A drive-implemented method includes performing an operation on a storage medium using an array of 2N+1 transducers using transducers on only one side of a centerline of the array in a first mode of operation.

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 an inner transducer and subarrays of the transducers positioned on opposite sides of the inner transducer, reading from or writing to the magnetic recording tape, by the tape drive, using the array of transducers in a first mode of operation corresponding to the first format, and processing data, by the tape drive, using only the transducers in the subarrays in the first mode of operation.

A tape drive allows for an increased track density by partially overlapping adjacent tracks as each successive track is written. Each successive track overwrites a portion of the width of the previous track, thereby reducing the width of the previous track. This process can be applied repeatedly thereby producing an arrangement of shingled data tracks across the width of the tape. In an embodiment, single-pass verification of data written in this manner is accomplished using a head assembly with two read heads per track. A first read head positioned behind the write head verifies that the data written is correct, and a second read head positioned over the previous track verifies that data on the previous track remains intact after being partially overwritten.