Provided is a magnetic tape cartridge including: a case in which a magnetic tape on which a plurality of servo bands are formed is accommodated; and a storage medium provided in the case, in which the plurality of servo bands are formed at positions spaced apart from each other in a width direction of the magnetic tape along an entire length direction of the magnetic tape, and the storage medium stores pitch information capable of specifying a pitch in the width direction between the plurality of servo bands and distance information capable of specifying a distance between a plurality of servo reading elements that have read the plurality of servo bands.

A magnetic recording medium is a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium, including: a substrate; an underlayer provided on the substrate; and a magnetic layer provided on the underlayer. The substrate contains polyester, each of the underlayer and the magnetic layer contains a lubricant, the magnetic layer has a surface on which a large number of holes is provided, the arithmetic average roughness Ra of the surface is 2.5 nm or less, a BET specific surface area of the entire magnetic recording medium measured in a state where the magnetic recording medium has been washed and dried is 3.5 m.sup.2/g or more and 7.0 m.sup.2/g or less, a squareness ratio of the magnetic layer in a vertical direction is 65% or more, an average thickness of the magnetic layer is 80 nm or less, an average thickness of the magnetic recording medium is 5.6 μm or less, and a servo pattern is recorded on the magnetic layer and a statistical value δ.sub.SW indicating a non-linearity of the servo pattern is 24 nm or less.

The magnetic tape cartridge includes a magnetic tape, and a cartridge reel. In the magnetic tape, a minimum winding deviation occurrence load measured after the magnetic tape is rewound around the cartridge reel by applying a tension of 0.40 N in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape is 300 N or less.

The magnetic tape cartridge includes a magnetic tape, and a cartridge reel. In the magnetic tape, a minimum winding deviation occurrence load measured after the magnetic tape is rewound around the cartridge reel by applying a tension of 0.40 N in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape is 300 N or less.

Provided are a magnetic tape control system that executes pre-rewinding storage of storing a magnetic tape in a state of being wound around a reel, and post-rewinding storage of storing the magnetic tape in a state of being rewound around a reel different from or the same reel as the reel after the pre-rewinding storage such that an end that is a tape outside end during the pre-rewinding storage is turned into a tape inside end and an end that is a tape inside end during the pre-rewinding storage is turned into a tape outside end, and a magnetic tape control device including a rewinding control unit that transmits rewinding execution information, and a drive unit that receives the rewinding execution information and starts running of a magnetic tape stored in a state of being wound around a reel to execute rewinding of the magnetic tape.

Provided are a magnetic tape including a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic powder, a magnetic tape cartridge and a magnetic tape apparatus including this magnetic tape. An amount of a fluid lubricant collected by wiping a surface of the magnetic layer by a nonwoven fabric is in a range of 5 to 400 ng/m.sup.2 as a value per unit area of the surface of the magnetic layer.

An integrated reel hub and motor shaft assembly for a tape drive that limits axial and radial run-out of tape (e.g., magnetic, optical) relative to a read/write head assembly and the various errors (e.g., loading, tension, reading, writing, and the like) associated therewith. In one arrangement, a reel hub of a reel assembly is directly molded (e.g., via an injection molding process) onto and around an end of a drive or motor shaft of a drive assembly. As a result, a more consistent head to tape interface, greater tape tracking performance, increased track density, and the like may be achieved.

The magnetic tape has one or more of each of an area A and an area B having different center line average surface roughness Ra measured on a surface of a magnetic layer in a region over a part of the magnetic tape in a longitudinal direction, with a ratio B.sub.Mag/A.sub.Mag of 1.20 to 10.00 and a ratio B.sub.Mag/B.sub.Back of equal to or greater than 2.0 in a case where extraction amounts per unit area of a component selected from the group consisting of fatty acid, fatty acid ester, and fatty acid amide extracted from a magnetic layer side of the area A and the area B are defined as A.sub.Mag and B.sub.Mag respectively, and an extraction amount per unit area of the above component extracted from a back coating layer side of the area B is defined as B.sub.Back.

A recording tape cartridge includes: a reel including a reel hub having an outer diameter of an upper end portion thereof is smaller than that of a lower end portion thereof, and a lower flange in which plural through holes are radially formed and inclined surfaces are formed at one edge portion and the other edge portion of each of the through holes, the inclined surfaces are directed to a flange circumferential direction. An inclination angle with respect to a reel rotation axis of the inclined surface at the one edge portion, which is directed in a rotational direction of the reel, when a recording tape is wound on the reel, is larger than an inclination angle with respect to the reel rotation axis of the inclined surface of the other edge portion, which is directed in the rotational direction of the reel when the recording tape is led out of the reel.

Various embodiments relate to apparatuses and methods for loading and unloading a tape storage medium. In one embodiment, an apparatus for such purpose includes a mechanized take-up reel. The mechanized take-up reel includes an inner hub, an outer hub being selectively nonrotatably coupleable with the inner hub (where at least one of the hubs is coupled to a rotating mechanism), a tongue coupled to the inner hub, and a slot in the outer hub for permitting the tongue to extend beyond a periphery of a tape engaging surface of the outer hub upon relative rotation between the inner and outer hubs.