Reduction of aging effects on a magnetic recording tape in a dual-reel cartridge

1. A method for reducing aging effects on a magnetic recording tape comprising:

loading a dual-reel cartridge having the magnetic recording tape into an input/output device;

determining a current load point of the magnetic recording tape;

performing at least one input/output operation on the magnetic recording tape;

selecting an unload point on the magnetic recording tape that is different than the current load point of the magnetic recording tape;

moving the magnetic recording tape to the selected unload point;

sending a date-time stamp associated with the selected unload point to a memory for storing the date-time stamp therein; and

unloading the dual-reel cartridge from the input/output device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the selected unload point is selected from the group consisting of: about a beginning of the magnetic recording tape, a point along a middle of the magnetic recording tape, and about an end of the magnetic recording tape.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unload point is selected from a group of predefined unload points, wherein a predefined unload point that is determined to be previously least utilized is selected as the unload point.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the current load point is determined from the memory, wherein the memory is a local memory of the dual-reel cartridge.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the current load point is determined from the memory, the memory being a virtual memory residing in a cloud memory.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 , comprising performing a cartridge refresh prior to moving the magnetic recording tape to the selected unload point.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the input/output device resides within an automated storage library.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unload point is selected from a table of unload points correlated to predefined temperatures, and comprising determining a temperature of an environment in which the dual-reel cartridge currently resides, and selecting, as the selected unload point, a predefined unload point in the table, the predefined unload point in the table corresponding to the temperature of the environment in which the dual-reel cartridge currently resides.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 , comprising repeating the method in response to determining a condition is true, the condition being selected from the group consisting of: a predefined amount of temperature change within the environment in which the dual-reel cartridge currently resides has occurred, and a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since an input/output operation has been performed on the magnetic recording tape.

10. A computer program product for reducing aging effects on a magnetic recording tape, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions readable and/or executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

loading, by the computer, a dual-reel cartridge having the magnetic recording tape into an input/output device;

determining, by the computer, a current load point of the magnetic recording tape;

performing, by the computer, at least one input/output operation on the magnetic recording tape;

selecting, by the computer, an unload point on the magnetic recording tape that is different than the current load point of the magnetic recording tape;

moving, by the computer, the magnetic recording tape to the selected unload point;

sending, by the computer, a date-time stamp associated with the selected unload point to a memory for storing the date-time stamp therein; and

unloading, by the computer, the dual-reel cartridge from the input/output device.

11. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein the selected unload point is selected from the group consisting of: about a beginning of the magnetic recording tape, a point along a middle of the magnetic recording tape, and about an end of the magnetic recording tape.

12. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein the unload point is selected from a group of predefined unload points, wherein a predefined unload point that is determined to be previously least utilized is selected as the unload point.

13. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein the current load point is determined from the memory, wherein the memory is a local memory of the dual-reel cartridge.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein the current load point is determined from the memory, the memory being a virtual memory residing in a cloud memory.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , the program instructions readable and/or executable by the computer to cause the computer to perform the method comprising: performing a cartridge refresh prior to moving the magnetic recording tape to the selected unload point.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein the input/output device resides within an automated storage library.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein the unload point is selected from a table of unload points correlated to predefined, and the program instructions readable and/or executable by the computer to cause the computer to perform the method comprising: determining, by the computer, a temperature of an environment in which the dual-reel cartridge currently resides, and selecting, by the computer, as the selected unload point, a predefined unload point in the table, the predefined unload point in the table corresponding to the temperature of the environment in which the dual-reel cartridge currently resides.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim 17 , the program instructions readable and/or executable by the computer to cause the computer to perform the method comprising: repeating the method in response to determining a condition is true, the condition being selected from the group consisting of: a predefined amount of temperature change within the environment in which the dual-reel cartridge currently resides has occurred, and a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since an input/output operation has been performed on the magnetic recording tape.

19. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

logic integrated with the processor, executable by the processor, or integrated with and executable by the processor, the logic being configured to:

load a dual-reel cartridge having a magnetic recording tape into an input/output device;

determine a current load point of the magnetic recording tape;

perform at least one input/output operation on the magnetic recording tape;

select an unload point on the magnetic recording tape that is different than the current load point of the magnetic recording tape;

move the magnetic recording tape to the selected unload point;

send a date-time stamp associated with the selected unload point to a memory for storing the date-time stamp therein; and

unload the dual-reel cartridge from the input/output device.

20. A system as recited in claim 19 , wherein the selected unload point is selected from the group consisting of: about a beginning of the magnetic recording tape, a point along a middle of the magnetic recording tape, and about an end of the magnetic recording tape.