Tape storage device

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to:

write, by the controller, data stored in a buffer to a recording medium in a first round of writing;

write, by the controller, an interval marker in the first round of writing when the buffer is empty;

write, by the controller, next data on the recording medium after the interval marker in the first round of writing; and

write, by the controller, data in an area of the interval marker on the recording medium in a second round of writing performed subsequent to the first round.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to write data in an area of the interval marker in which no data is written in each of third and subsequent rounds corresponding to third- and subsequent-time writes.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to write data in the area of the interval marker in the second round when a data fill ratio for a single track written in the first round does not exceed a predetermined value, wherein the data fill ratio refers to an amount of written data on the single track divided by a capacity of the single track.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to write the data stored in the buffer in another track when the data fill ratio for the single track exceeds the predetermined value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to update the data fill ratio for the single track in an end or a beginning of the single track.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to store the data fill ratio for the single track in at least one of the recording medium and a memory.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data is written in the area of the interval marker by a head after a predetermined time has elapsed from when a beginning of the interval marker in the area of the interval marker is read by the head.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein when the predetermined time (T) is expressed by the following equation:

T=L/V ( s )

where L denotes a distance between a write portion and a read portion in the head and V denotes a transportation speed of the recording medium.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a head;

a buffer configured to store data to be written on the recording medium and data read from the recording medium by the magnetic head; and

a motor driver configured to control a motor for transporting the recording medium.

10. A method, comprising:

writing data stored in a buffer onto a recording medium using a write head in a first round of writing;

writing an interval marker on the recording medium in the first round of writing when the buffer is empty;

writing next data onto the recording medium after the interval marker in the first round of writing; and

writing data in an area of the interval marker in a second round of writing performed subsequent to the first round.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising writing data in an area of the interval marker in which no data is written in each of third and subsequent rounds corresponding to third- and subsequent-time writes.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the next data is written in the area of the interval marker in the second round by the head after a predetermined time has elapsed from when a beginning of the interval marker in the area of the interval marker is read.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , comprising determining a data fill ratio for a single track written in the first round, wherein the data fill ratio refers to an amount of written data on the single track divided by a capacity of the single track.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising updating the data fill ratio for the single track in an end of the single track or a beginning of the single track.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 , comprising retaining the data fill ratio for the single track in at least one of the recording medium and a memory.

16. The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising comparing the data fill ratio to a predetermined value, wherein the data stored in the buffer is written in the area of the interval marker when the data fill ratio for the single track does not exceed the predetermined value.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the data stored in the buffer is written in another track when the data fill ratio for the single track exceeds the predetermined value.

18. A computer program product for writing data onto a recording medium, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable/executable by a controller to:

write, by the controller, data stored in a buffer onto a recording medium in a first round of writing using a head;

write, by the controller, an interval marker on the recording medium at a location after the data;

write, by the controller, next data on the recording medium after the interval marker in the first round; and

write, by the controller, data stored in the buffer in an area of the interval marker in a second round performed subsequent to the first round.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the data stored in the buffer is written in the area of the interval marker by the head after a predetermined time has elapsed from when a beginning of the interval marker in the area of the interval marker is read by the head.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 , comprising program code readable/executable by the controller to write, by the controller, data in an area of the interval marker in which no data is written in each of third and subsequent rounds corresponding to third- and subsequent-time writes.