Data transfer of a linear tape drive
View Patent ↗An example provides a system and method for decreasing a data transfer rate of a linear tape drive. The method includes detecting, within a linear tape drive, a first data transfer rate of a host computing system to determine whether the first data transfer rate is slower than a second data transfer rate of a magnetic tape head within the linear tape drive. The method also includes, in response to determining that the first data transfer rate is slower than the second data transfer rate, deactivating a specified number of data write elements within the magnetic tape head, wherein deactivating the specified number of the data write elements includes decreasing the second transfer rate.
1. A linear tape drive, comprising:
a controller configured to determine a data transfer rate of a host computing system based on an amount of data contained within a buffer of the linear tape drive; and
a magnetic tape head, comprising a write array, the write array comprising a plurality of data write channels, wherein the magnetic tape head is configured to decrease a number of active data write channels if the data transfer rate of the host computing system is below a specified threshold value.
2. The linear tape drive of claim 1 , wherein decreasing the number of active data write channels comprises decreasing a data transfer rate of the magnetic tape head.
3. The linear tape drive of claim 2 , wherein decreasing the data transfer rate of the magnetic tape head comprises decreasing a rate at which data is written to magnetic tape disposed within the linear tape drive.
4. The linear tape drive of claim 1 , wherein the data contained within the buffer comprises data received from the host computing system.
5. The linear tape drive of claim 1 , wherein the data transfer rate of the host computing system comprises an overall incoming data transfer rate from a plurality of host computing systems.
6. The linear tape drive of claim 1 , wherein the linear tape drive is configured to write the data contained within the buffer to magnetic tape disposed within the linear tape drive using the active data write channels.
7. The linear tape drive of claim 6 , wherein the linear tape drive is configured to write format information to the magnetic tape.
8. A method for decreasing a data transfer rate of a linear tape drive, comprising:
detecting, within a linear tape drive, a first data transfer rate of a host computing system to determine whether the first data transfer rate is slower than a second data transfer rate of a magnetic tape head within the linear tape drive;
in response to determining that the first data transfer rate is slower than the second data transfer rate, deactivating a specified number of data write channels within a write array of the magnetic tape head, wherein deactivating the specified number of the data write channels comprises decreasing the second data transfer rate.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein decreasing the second data transfer rate comprises decreasing a rate of writing data received from the host computing system to magnetic tape within the linear tape drive.
10. The method of claim 8 , comprising deactivating the specified number of the data write channels in response to determining that the first data transfer rate is below a specified threshold value.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the first data transfer rate of the host computing system comprises determining an amount of data contained within a buffer of the linear tape drive.
12. The method of claim 8 , comprising determining the specified number of the data write channels to deactivate based on a desired value of the second data transfer rate.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the desired value of the second data transfer rate comprises a value of the first data transfer rate.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the specified number of the data write channels comprises an even numbered fraction of a total number of the data write elements.
15. A system for writing data to a magnetic tape, comprising:
a host computing system configured to send data to and receive data from a linear tape drive at a data transfer rate; and
the linear tape drive, comprising a magnetic tape head comprising data write channels disposed within an array, wherein the linear tape drive is configured to decrease a number of active data write channels within the magnetic tape head based on the data transfer rate of the host computing system.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein decreasing the number of active data write channels based on the data transfer rate of the host computing system comprises decreasing a second data transfer rate of the linear tape drive in response to determining that the data transfer rate of the host computing system is slower than the second data transfer rate of the linear tape drive.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein decreasing the number of active data write channels based on the data transfer rate of the host computing system comprises decreasing a second data transfer rate of the linear tape drive in response to determining that the data transfer rate of the host computing system is lower than a specified threshold value.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of host computing systems, and wherein the data transfer rate comprises an overall data transfer rate of the plurality of host computing systems.
19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the host computing system and the linear tape drive are communicably coupled via a network.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the linear tape drive is disposed within the host computing system.