In one embodiment, a method includes writing data to a storage medium, via a write channel, by applying a partial reverse concatenated modulation code to the data prior to storing encoded data to the storage medium. The applying the partial reverse concatenated modulation code to the data includes application of a C2 encoding scheme to the data to produce C2-encoded data prior to application of one or more modulation encoding schemes to the C2-encoded data to produce modulated data, followed by application of a C1 encoding scheme to the modulated data subsequent to the application of the one or more modulation encoding schemes to produce the encoded data.

According to one embodiment, a method for reading data includes reading a data set repeatedly using different settings until either: a reconstructed data set is sent to a host and/or stored, or a maximum number of rereads has been reached, after each reading of the data set, storing each row to a reserved data buffer that has no errors or errors in the row are correctable using C1-error correction code (ECC) unless a matching row already exists in the reserved data buffer that has fewer corrected errors therein, assembling the data set from the rows stored in the reserved data buffer to form an assembled data set, correcting any remaining errors in the assembled data set using C2-ECC to form the reconstructed data set, and sending the reconstructed data set to the host and/or storing the reconstructed data set.

In one embodiment, an apparatus for reading data from a data storage medium includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to: read data from a data storage medium, the data including a plurality of data sets, determine that an error condition is detected for a data set read from the data storage medium, determine whether the data set was read from the data storage medium using multiple cut and paste (C/P) error recovery procedure (ERP) (C/P ERP Multi), and when the data set was read from the data storage medium using C/P ERP Multi: continue reading data from the data storage medium normally when the detected error condition has been overcome using C/P ERP Multi; otherwise, continue using C/P ERP Multi to read data from the data storage medium until the error condition is overcome.

In one embodiment, a tape drive includes a reserved data buffer and logic integrated with and/or executable by a processor. The logic is configured to read a data set from a medium and store a first portion of the data set to the reserved data buffer in response to a determination that the first portion of the data set is correctable using C2 error correction code (ECC). The logic is also configured to replace any stored row of a non-C2-correctable portion of the data set stored to the reserved data buffer with a corresponding row of the data set read from the medium in response to a determination that the stored row of the non-C2-correctable portion of the data set has an equal amount or more C1-correctable error therein than the corresponding row of the data set read from the medium.

In one embodiment, a data storage system includes a write channel for writing data to a storage medium, the write channel configured to utilize a partial reverse concatenated modulation code. The write channel includes logic adapted for encoding data sets using a C2 encoding scheme, logic adapted for adding a header to each subunit of the data sets, logic adapted for encoding the headers of the data sets with a first modulation encoding scheme, logic adapted for encoding data portions of the data sets with a second modulation encoding scheme, logic adapted for encoding portions of the one or more C2-encoded data sets using a C1 encoding scheme, logic adapted for combining the C1-encoded portions with the modulation-encoded headers of the C2-encoded data sets using a multiplexer, and logic adapted for writing the one or more combined C1 - and C2-encoded data sets to data tracks.