Buffered writing of datasets and end longitudinal positions (end lposs) on a magnetic recording tape and validating the end lposs during reading of a later dataset thereafter

Abstract

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a controller configured to control writing operations to a magnetic recording tape, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the controller for causing the controller to receive a plurality of records, store datasets associated with the plurality of records in a buffer memory, and write the datasets stored in the buffer memory to the magnetic recording tape in response to a predetermined number of datasets being stored in the buffer memory. For each of the datasets being written, an end longitudinal position indicative of a physical position where the dataset is physically written to the magnetic recording tape is determined. Moreover, for each determined end longitudinal position, the end longitudinal position and an identifier of the associated dataset are stored to a table of a dataset that is to be subsequently written to the magnetic recording tape.