International Business Machines Corporation

Ole Asmussen

Robert Beiderbeck

Erik Rueger

Markus Schäfer

Stefan Wiedemann

Markus M Schaefer

Frank Krick

Ying Li

Stefan Lehmann

Christof Schmitt

A tape drive includes a plurality of rollers, a head, a tension sensor, and control circuitry. The rollers are spatially arranged within the tape drive to define a route for tape of a received data cartridge to travel from the received data cartridge to a tape reel. The head includes read elements and write elements configured to read from and write to the tape as tape of the received data cartridge travels along the route. The tension sensor is configured to measure tension of the tape as it travels along the route. The control circuitry is configured to cause a motor to impact the tension to keep the tape within a tension threshold.

Tape drive tension management

A processor may provide a machine learning model. The machine learning model may have an input and an output. The processor may receive input data. The input data may include log data of a queried storage medium and a queried media drive. The processor may provide the input data to the input of the machine learning model. The processor may determine, from the output of the machine learning model, a predicted failure cause category and a predicted failure probability assigned to the predicted failure cause category. The processor may provide a first prediction to a user.

Storage mounting event failure prediction

A method to securely collect diagnostic information from an IT product is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes contacting, by an IT product, an external service provider. Upon contacting the external service provider, the IT product checks a database of the external service provider to determine if diagnostic information associated with the IT product needs to be collected. If diagnostic information needs to be collected, an authorization request is sent to an administrator of the IT product. If the authorization request is approved, the IT product collects the diagnostic information and transmits the diagnostic information to the external service provider. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Secure system data collection using call home feature

A tape drive system as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device and a method for operating the tape drive system. A tape drive is connected to a native connector disposed in a wall of a housing. The native connector enables an external connection to the tape drive. A single board computer is operated in a dimension of a credit card. The single board computer includes at least one integrated communication interface selected from Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, and combinations thereof. Data is transferred to and from the tape drive via the at least one integrated communication interface, wherein if the at least one integrated communication interface includes Ethernet and/or USB, then a connector related to the Ethernet and/or USB is provided in a wall of the housing. The tape drive, the single board computer, the native connector and the related connector are provided in the housing.

Tape drive system

A tape cartridge for increasing tape drive head performance is provided. The tape cartridge comprises a cleaning tape, a tape guide arrangement that guides the cleaning tape within the cleaner cartridge, a cleaning fluid application arrangement that applies cleaning fluid to the cleaning tape within the cleaner cartridge, and a cartridge memory that stores cleaning count and motor taches count information. The tape guide arrangement is operable to bring the cleaning tape in contact with the cleaning fluid application arrangement to apply the cleaning fluid onto the cleaning tape when the cleaning tape is subject to a first tension level and avoid the contact with the cleaning fluid application arrangement when the cleaning tape is subject to a second tension level to prevent application of the cleaning fluid onto the cleaning tape.

Increasing tape drive head performance with sectional cleaning using a cartridge memory

A data storage tape cartridge includes a housing having a reel within and rotatably supported by the housing. Two or more data storage tapes are wound up on the same rotary axis of the reel. Each subsequent winding of a first one of the tapes is separated from the previous winding of the first tape by at least another one of the other tapes. A leader pin is attached to a free end of each of the tapes. The leader pins may be connected to one another. The leader pins may be disconnected from one another as part of process for mounting the cartridge in a tape drive.

Data storage tape cartridge

A tape drive system for ensuring tape data integrity by tape surface inspection, the tape drive system being configured for reading and writing data from/to a magnetic tape, is provided. The tape drive system includes a laser inspection unit comprising a sender and a receiver integrated into the tape drive system, wherein the laser inspection unit configured for recognizing a tape defect by scanning the magnetic tape when the tape drive system is in operation. The tape drive system includes a read/write head configured for acting together with the laser inspection unit as sensors for providing sensor data during a read/write operation of the tape drive system, a communication link between the sensors and a controller unit for exchanging sensor data. The controller is configured for evaluating sensor data and for triggering predefined actions based on the respective evaluation results such that the tape data integrity is ensured.

Tape drive system with tape surface inspection unit

A method and system for improving tape drive memory storage is provided. The method includes receiving, by a storage tape drive, a data stream for storage. The data stream is passed through a non-volatile memory device (NVS) of the storage tape drive. The data stream is divided into adjacent variable length data chunks and a chunk list file including similarity identifiers for each of the adjacent variable length data chunks is generated and stored within a (non-volatile memory device) NVS. Duplicate data including duplicated data with respect to a group of data chunks of the adjacent variable length data chunks is identified and deleted from the NVSof the storage tape drive such that the group of data chunks remains within NVS. The group of data chunks is written to a data storage tape cartridge. Pointers identifying each data chunk and an associated storage position are generated and stored.

Tape drive memory deduplication

An apparatus for big data tape management tape cartridge management. The apparatus includes a tape gripper for storing one or more additional tape cartridges within a housing of the tape gripper, wherein the housing of the tape gripper includes a tape cartridge cache, where the tape cartridge cache is a modification to the housing of the tape gripper for holding the one or more additional tape cartridges stacked internally within the tape gripper, the tape cartridge cache is affixed to a bottom portion of the housing of the tape gripper, and the tape cartridge cache includes a plate, oriented above and centered to the tape cartridge cache, capable of being raised and lowered within the tape cartridge cache utilizing one or more springs mounted under the plate inside the tape cartridge cache.

Tape gripper cartridge cache

A computer program product, including a storage device storing computer readable program code executable by a processor to implement a method for corrosion protection of a tape drive based on a tape drive corrosion protection system that includes a tape drive, a temperature sensor, a heating entity, and a controller. Humidity information is determined via a humidity sensor. Temperature information, indicative of a temperature in or within the tape drive, is established via the temperature sensor. The temperature information is received at the controller. The heating entity is activated in a manner dependent on the temperature information established via the temperature sensor in order to prevent corrosion within the tape drive. Activating the heating entity is in response to a determination that the relative humidity is above a specified relative humidity threshold value and a temperature drop is above a specified temperature drop value within a specified period of time.

Tape drive corrosion protection

The invention relates to a tape drive, and to a method and a computer program product for operating a tape drive. The tape drive may include a transport mechanism which may include a tape head. The tape drive may be adapted to receive a magnetic tape with the transport mechanism, and to transport the magnetic tape by the transport mechanism. The tape head may be adapted to perform read-write operations on an oxide side of the magnetic tape. The tape drive may include a burnishing unit, which may include a burnishing roller and a burnish controller having an abrasive shell. The burnishing roller may be installed in the tape drive upstream of the tape head such that the abrasive shell supports the received magnetic tape on the oxide side. The burnish controller may be adapted to control the movement of the burnishing roller.

Magnetic tape drive with a burnishing unit

A method and system for improving tape drive memory storage is provided. The method includes receiving, by a storage tape drive hardware device, a data stream. Duplicate data chunks of the data stream are identified and deleted such that a group of data chunks remain in a non-volatile memory device (NVS) of the storage tape drive. The group of data chunks is written to a data storage tape cartridge. Pointers are generated and stored within the data storage tape cartridge. The pointers are associated with a location within an NVSfor storing de-duplication hashes identifying each data chunk of the group of data chunks stored within data storage tape cartridge. The de-duplication hashes are written from the NVSto a manager non-volatile memory device (MNVS) of a storage tape drive hardware library system. The MNVS is updated.

Tape drive library integrated memory deduplication

A charge level for a first rechargeable power source, a second rechargeable power source, and a third rechargeable power source is determined. The first rechargeable power source is determined to be below a threshold level of charge. In response to determining that the first rechargeable power source is below a threshold level of charge, a switch is made from the first rechargeable power source to the second rechargeable power source.

Using a rechargeable power source for tape cartridge handling

A tape cartridge for a magnetic tape may be provided. The tape cartridge includes a magnetic tape surrounded by a housing and a temperature indicator that signals a temperature of the tape cartridge, for example, by a thermochromic label. Additionally, a system for tape cartridge data protection that interoperates with the tape cartridge is provided. The system includes a storage for holding a tape cartridge, a sensor that detects temperature information from the temperature indicator of the tape cartridge, and a control unit for controlling an actuator that performs an action depending on the detected temperature information. Furthermore, a method for operating the system for tape cartridge data protection is proposed.

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Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany

Ole Asmussen