A tape reader is provided that reads data from a tape without requiring specific alignment. The tape reader may include a reader head comprising a sensor array with a plurality of sensors that detect the data independent of the track within which the data is stored. Multiple sensors may detect data in each track instead of a single, dedicated sensor for each track. The sensor array may comprise multiple sensors in multiple dimensions, such as perpendicular to the movement of the tape or in parallel to the movement of the tape, including serpentine linear recording formats where the sensors may be in a matrix positioned at various angles from horizontal to vertical.

A tape reader is provided that reads data from a tape without requiring specific alignment. The tape reader may include a reader head comprising a sensor array with a plurality of sensors that detect the data independent of the track within which the data is stored. Multiple sensors may detect data in each track instead of a single, dedicated sensor for each track. The sensor array may comprise multiple sensors in multiple dimensions, such as perpendicular to the movement of the tape or in parallel to the movement of the tape, including serpentine linear recording formats where the sensors may be in a matrix positioned at various angles from horizontal to vertical.

An apparatus, in accordance with one approach, includes a receiving area configured to receive a plurality of tape spool pairs. A drive mechanism is configured to selectively drive the tape spool pairs. A magnetic head configured to perform data operations on magnetic recording tapes of the tape spool pairs is also present. A positioning mechanism is configured to selectively align the magnetic head to a selected one of the tape spool pairs. An engagement mechanism is configured to create a relative movement between the magnetic head and the magnetic recording tape of the selected tape spool pair for engaging the magnetic recording tape with the magnetic head. A controller is configured to instruct the drive mechanism to drive the selected tape spool pair during performance of data operations on the selected tape spool pair, and to instruct the drive mechanism to drive a second tape spool pair for performing a second operation on the second tape spool pair while the data operations are being performed.

Provided is a magnetic tape device including: a magnetic head having a magnetic element that acts in proximity to a magnetic layer formed on a front surface of a magnetic tape; and a support member which is disposed at a position facing the magnetic head and against which a back surface of the magnetic tape provided on a side opposite to the front surface is pressed, in which the support member has a groove formed along a running direction of the magnetic tape only in a region corresponding to a non-acting region except for a region of the magnetic layer on which the magnetic element acts.

A method for recording parity data of data stripes within shingled media recording bands in a redundant array of independent disks can be accomplished using a plurality of shingled media recording (SMR) hard disk drives (HDD) each with a plurality of shingled data bands. A data stream received from a host computer system is sequentially stored to a plurality of block segments in successive order, one stripe at a time successively. Each of the shingled data bands possess n data blocks (or multiple data blocks that are grouped together as a data unit) that are successively ordered, each corresponding successive data block from all of the SMR HDDs defines a data stripe, accordingly n data blocks in each SMR HDD defines n stripes across the shingled data bands. A transaction group sync triggers a halt to writing the data stream. The rest of the data stripe is written with fill bits. Parity data is written to a parity drive in one or more SMR parity blocks that correspond in size and sequence to the data blocks in the data stripes possessing the first data stream and any of the fill bits.

A product according to one embodiment includes a magnetic recording tape having opposite ends and at least one servo track, a longitudinal axis of the magnetic recording tape being defined between the ends. The at least one servo track has a plurality of straight first magnetic bars, and a plurality of straight second magnetic bars spaced from the first magnetic bars. A width of each of the at least one servo track is defined in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the magnetic recording tape between sides of the servo track. Lengths of the second magnetic bars between outermost ends thereof are less than 80% of the width of the associated servo track, straight portions of the second magnetic bars each having a longitudinal axis oriented substantially 90 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the magnetic recording tape.

A product according to one embodiment includes a magnetic recording tape having opposite ends and at least one servo track, a longitudinal axis of the magnetic recording tape being defined between the ends. The at least one servo track has a plurality of straight first magnetic bars, and a plurality of straight second magnetic bars spaced from the first magnetic bars. A width of each of the at least one servo track is defined in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the magnetic recording tape between sides of the servo track. Lengths of the second magnetic bars between outermost ends thereof are less than 80% of the width of the associated servo track, straight portions of the second magnetic bars each having a longitudinal axis oriented substantially 90 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the magnetic recording tape.

A method for characterizing a magnetic recording tape, according to one approach, includes measuring, using a magnetic head having servo readers of known pitch, a servo band difference at various locations along a length of a magnetic recording tape. The servo band difference measurements and/or derivatives thereof are stored in association with the magnetic recording tape. This procedure creates a characterization of the magnetic recording tape that is useful for assessing aging of the magnetic recording tape, as well as improving subsequent reading and/or writing operations.

A method for characterizing a magnetic recording tape, according to one approach, includes measuring, using a magnetic head having servo readers of known pitch, a servo band difference at various locations along a length of a magnetic recording tape. The servo band difference measurements and/or derivatives thereof are stored in association with the magnetic recording tape. This procedure creates a characterization of the magnetic recording tape that is useful for assessing aging of the magnetic recording tape, as well as improving subsequent reading and/or writing operations.

A tape library system includes a plurality of tape libraries, a plurality of data centers, and an error diagnostic system. Each of the plurality of tape libraries includes a tape drive, at least one tape cartridge that retains magnetic tape, and a tape cartridge mover that moves the tape cartridge relative to the tape drive. Each of the plurality of data centers is configured to retain at least one of the plurality of tape libraries. The error diagnostic system includes (i) a central database that is configured to receive one or more error codes from each of the plurality of tape libraries, each of the one or more error codes being generated due to errors that occurred during operation of the tape drive within a corresponding tape library, and (ii) a system controller including a processor that is configured to analyze the one or more error codes from each of the plurality of tape libraries to determine a health of the tape drive and the at least one tape cartridge within the corresponding tape library.