Methods, systems and apparatus for reducing the effects of tape dimensional stability
View Patent ↗A method, system, apparatus, and computer readable medium storing instructions for recording data tracks and a method and system for reading data tracks. For recording data tracks, virtual boundary of a first data track recorded on the storage medium is determined. The recording element is positioned based on the determined virtual boundary of the first track and a second data track is recorded by the positioned recording element. For reading data tracks, a first virtual boundary of a first data track and a second virtual boundary of the first data track are determined and a reading element is positioned at a center of the first data track based on the determined virtual boundaries. In the system of reading recorded data tracks, a number of forward reading elements and backward reading elements are provided. The forward reading elements have different pitches.
1. A linear tape storage medium, comprising:
a linear tape media including
a first physical band comprising two or more data tracks;
a second physical band comprising two or more data tracks,
wherein, for the first and second physical bands, successively written tracks of the two or more data tracks partially overwrite a corresponding adjacent track of the two or more data tracks to define respective widths for the two or more data tracks;
wherein the width of a narrowest data track of either the first or second physical bands is greater than or equal to a virtual read element width over a predefined range of environmental conditions; and
wherein a pitch of at least a first and a second data track of the two or more data tracks of the first physical band varies from a pitch of the two or more data tracks of the second physical band concurrently written with the first and second data tracks of the first physical band, respectively.
2. A linear tape storage medium, comprising:
a linear tape media including
a first physical band comprising two or more data tracks;
a second physical band comprising two or more data tracks,
wherein, for the first and second physical bands, successively written tracks of the two or more data tracks partially overwrite a corresponding adjacent track of the two or more data tracks to define respective widths for the two or more data tracks;
wherein the width of a narrowest data track of either the first or second physical bands is greater than or equal to a virtual read element width over a predefined range of environmental conditions; and
wherein the virtual read element width defines a minimum readable width of a virtual track, and wherein the virtual track defines a respective region in which each of a plurality of read elements is able to read a respective track concurrently with other read elements of the plurality of read elements.
3. The linear tape storage medium of claim 2 wherein the virtual track changes as a result of environmental conditions.
4. A linear tape storage medium, comprising:
a linear tape media including
a first physical band comprising two or more data tracks;
a second physical band comprising two or more data tracks,
wherein successively written tracks of the two or more data tracks partially overwrite a corresponding adjacent track of the two or more data tracks to define respective widths for the two or more data tracks;
wherein a pitch of the two or more data tracks of the first physical band varies from a pitch of the two or more data tracks of the second physical band; and
wherein a pitch of at least a first and a second data track of the two or more data tracks of the first physical band varies from a pitch of the two or more data tracks of the second physical band concurrently written with the first and second data tracks of the first physical band, respectively.
5. A linear tape storage medium, comprising:
a linear tape media including
a first physical band comprising two or more data tracks;
a second physical band comprising two or more data tracks,
wherein successively written tracks of the two or more data tracks partially overwrite a corresponding adjacent track of the two or more data tracks to define respective widths for the two or more data tracks;
wherein a pitch of the two or more data tracks of the first physical band varies from a pitch of the two or more data tracks of the second physical band;
wherein the width of a narrowest data track of either the first or second physical bands is greater than or equal to a virtual read element width over a predefined range of environmental conditions; and
wherein the virtual read element width defines a minimum readable width of a virtual track, and wherein the virtual track defines a respective region in which each of a plurality of read elements is able to read a respective track concurrently with other read elements of the plurality of read elements.
6. The linear tape storage medium of claim 5 wherein the virtual track changes as a result of environmental conditions.