Quantum Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

James P Peng

Turguy Goker

Hoa Le

George A Saliba

Suayb Sefik Arslan

Jaewook Lee

Louis L Hsu

Carsten H Prigge

Suayb Arslan

Dureseti Chidambarrao

Seiki Ogura

Scott M Rockwell

Clark M Janssen

Joe Kent Jurneke

Bruno H Hald

Jerry Hodges

David Tindall, Iii

Robert Yang

Robert Munio

Stephen C Cooper

Steve Cooper

Louie Almero

J Daniel Mis

Mathew Aschenberg

William R Weakley

Tj Quirk

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and computer readable media to access data on removable storage media via a network attached access device. In a particular embodiment, a method provides receiving one or more user provided, in the removable storage media access device, receiving data over a packet communication network for storage on a removable storage medium. After receiving the data, the method provides preparing the data for storage on the removable storage medium. After preparing the data, the method provides writing the data to the removable storage medium.

Network attached device for accessing removable storage media

A tape drive () for use in a tape library () that retains at least one tape cartridge () that retains magnetic tape () includes a drive housing (A) and a media conditioner (). The drive housing (A) is configured to receive the tape cartridge (). The media conditioner () is coupled to the drive housing (A). The media conditioner () is configured to condition the magnetic tape () when the tape cartridge () is received within the drive housing (A). The media conditioner () can be configured to remove at least one of abrasives, contaminants and lubricants that are on the magnetic tape () when the tape cartridge () is received within the drive housing (A). The magnetic tape () is configured to move along a predefined path () within the drive housing (A), which is defined by one or more rollers (). The rollers () can include a modified roller () having a roller body () and an outer coating () that is affixed on an outer surface (A) of the roller body (). The media conditioner () can include the modified roller ().

System and method for conditioning new LTO media

A tape media cartridge includes a cartridge housing having a standard form factor, a cartridge reel that is coupled to and retained within the cartridge and a tape media. The tape media can be selectively wound onto the cartridge reel between a fully wound state, a partially wound state and an unwound state. The tape media forms a media hollow cylinder having a media outer diameter and a media inner diameter that varies depending upon the state of the tape media. When the tape media is in the fully wound state, the tape media has a ratio of the media outer diameter to media inner diameter of at least approximately 95:43. The cartridge housing can include a side wall having a wall center and wall edge, the side wall having a side wall thickness that gradually increases from the side wall center to the side wall edge.

Magnetic tape media cartridge with increased tape media capacity

A method for generating calibration data useful for calibrating a plurality of tape cartridges includes the steps of selecting a subset of tape cartridges from the plurality of tape cartridges, the subset of tape cartridges having fewer tape cartridges than the plurality of tape cartridges; calibrating each of the subset of tape cartridges using a plurality of tape drives to generate global calibration data; selecting one of the plurality of tape cartridges that is not included within the subset of tape cartridges; and calibrating the one of the plurality of tape cartridges using the global calibration data generated via the calibrating of each of the subset of tape cartridges.

Method of total dimensional stability control in magnetic tape system with global calibration data

A method for providing enhanced readability of data written to a magnetic tape, includes the steps of (i) writing data to a first tape partition using a tape drive, the data being written under a first dimensional stability condition; (ii) monitoring an ambient dimensional stability condition with a condition monitor to determine if the ambient dimensional stability condition has moved at least a predetermined threshold value from the first dimensional stability condition toward a preferred dimensional stability condition; and (iii) replicating the data to a second tape partition with a data replicator when it has been determined that the ambient dimensional stability condition has moved at least the predetermined threshold value from the first dimensional stability condition toward the preferred dimensional stability condition.

Partitioned data-based TDS compensation using joint temporary encoding and environmental controls

A media library () for evaluating a health of a head () of a media drive () includes a library control system () that is configured to control oversight functionality of the media library (). The library control system () receives media drive information generated during at least one of a read procedure and a write procedure being performed by the media drive () and analyzes the media drive information to determine the health of the head () of the media drive (). The media drive information includes drive performance metrics generated by the media drive () during a read verify procedure performed by the media drive () upon request of the library control system () of the media library ().

Real-time library-based in situ drive test, drive head status detection, cleaning verification and tracking

A tape cartridge for use in cleaning a head assembly of a tape drive includes a cartridge housing and a tape that is retained within the cartridge housing. The tape includes a cleaning section having a tape surface and an abrasive coating that is coupled to the tape surface. The tape has a tape thickness of between approximately three microns and seven microns. The abrasive coating has a surface roughness of at least approximately two nanometers.

System and method for cleaning advanced LTO tape systems

A servo system for a magnetic tape storage system includes a magnetic tape () including a first servo band (), and a first data band (). An auxiliary servo pattern (A) is embedded within the first data band (). The auxiliary servo pattern (A) is modified to generate an updated auxiliary servo pattern (A) during a writing pass as data is being written to the first data band (). The servo system can further include a magnetic tape drive () including a head assembly () having (i) a first write head () that writes data to the magnetic tape () as the magnetic tape () moves relative to the head assembly () in a first tape direction, (ii) a second write head () that writes data to the magnetic tape () as the magnetic tape () moves relative to the head assembly () in a second, opposite tape direction, and (iii) an auxiliary servo reader () positioned in a shadow of one of the first write head () and the second write head ().

High-precision servo system for advanced magnetic tape storage system

A tape cartridge for use in one or more tape drives of a tape library includes a cartridge housing and a magnetic tape. The magnetic tape is retained within the cartridge housing. The magnetic tape includes a first tape section that is pre-recorded with calibrated data for evaluating data durability on the magnetic tape. The magnetic tape is usable within the tape library to measure a health of the one or more tape drives and/or confirm a suitability of an operating environment within the tape library in terms of at least one of temperature and humidity. The calibrated data in the first tape section can be further configured for evaluating total transverse dimensional stability on the magnetic tape. The first tape section can include predetermined error patterns to assist in evaluating the data durability on the magnetic tape and/or periodic tape scrubbing operations to enhance data durability on the magnetic tape.

Tape library system with integrated, feedback-based environmental and data durability control

A magnetic tape device or system can store erasure encoded data that generates a multi-dimensional erasure code corresponding to an erasure encoded object comprising a code-word (CW). The multi-dimensional erasure code enables using a single magnetic tape in response to a random object/file request, and correct for an error within the single magnetic tape without using other tapes. Encoding logic can further utilize other magnetic tapes to generate additional parity tapes that recover data from an error of the single magnetic tape in response to the error satisfying a threshold severity for a reconstruction of the erasure coded object or chunk(s) of the CW. The encoding logic can be controlled, at least in part, by one or more iterative coding processes between multiple erasure code dimensions that are orthogonal to one another.

Erasure coding magnetic tapes for minimum latency and adaptive parity protection feedback

A diagnostic tape () for use with a tape drive () having a tape head () includes a first tape section (A) and a second tape section (B). The first tape section (A) and the second tape section (B) are configured to move across the tape head () during use of the tape drive (). The first tape section (A) includes a first patterned data code (A) that is indicative of a first spacing between the tape head () and the first tape section (A). The second tape section (B) includes a second patterned data code (B) that is indicative of a second spacing between the tape head () and the second tape section (B). The second patterned data code (B) is different than the first patterned data code (A). The diagnostic tape () can further include a tape head cleaning section (F) including abrasive material () that is configured to move across the tape head () to clean the tape head ().

Diagnostic tape cartridge patterned with predetermined head-media spacings for testing a tape head of a tape drive

A method for inhibiting cycle slip in a tape drive having at least three channels that each utilizes a corresponding numerically controlled oscillator includes establishing a reference clock that is based on an output of the numerically controlled oscillators for at least two of the channels, comparing the output of the numerically controlled oscillator for one of the three channels with the reference clock to determine a first channel phase delta value for the one channel, and generating an error signal for the one channel if the channel phase delta value exceeds a threshold phase delta value for the one channel. The method may also include applying an inhibition loop filter to the error signal for the one channel if the first channel phase delta value exceeds the threshold phase delta value, adjusting a gain of the inhibition loop filter based at least partially upon one of the first channel phase delta value and the threshold phase delta value, and/or feeding back the error signal to the numerically controlled oscillator of the one channel.

System and method for detecting and inhibiting cycle slip for multi-channel media drive

A method of forming EEPROM cells. The method includes forming a tunnel oxide layer on a wafer and forming floating gates on the tunnel oxide layer with the floating gate having sidewalls. Isolation regions may be formed adjacent the sidewalls. A conformal ONO layer of dielectric is formed on the floating gate and sidewalls, using Chemical Vapor Deposition. Next, a selective etch material layer is deposited on the wafer over the conformal dielectric layer. A polish stop layer is deposited on the wafer over the selective etch material layer to define an upper polishing surface above the floating gate. The exposed polish stop layer and underlying selective etch material are removed by depositing an oxide layer on the polish stop layer and then polishing the deposited layer coplanar with the polish stop layer which is an upper polishing surface above the floating gates. Exposed portions of the polish stop layer are removed to expose the selective etch layer above the floating gates and above sidewall regions adjacent the sidewalls. Then, the exposed selective etch layer is removed, exposing the conformal dielectric layer. Finally, a control gate may be formed by depositing a control gate layer above the floating gate and within the sidewall region and patterning the control gate layer. The patterned control gates extend over the floating gate and along the floating gate sidewalls. The control gate-floating gate capacitor area includes the floating gate sidewalls.

Method of making EEPROM cell with improved coupling ratio

In an isolation trench in a silicon-on-insulator wafer, the sidewalls of the trench curve outwardly at the bottom of the trench where the top silicon layer meets the underlying oxide insulating layer. This sidewall geometry eliminates the sharp corner at the bottom of the trench. Preferably, the top edge of the trench wall is also curved.

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Santa Maria, CA, United States of America

James P Peng