| QUANTUM CORPORATION Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120089574 | PRIORITIZING DATA DEDUPLICATION - An example method includes controlling a data de-duplication apparatus to arrange a de-duplication schedule based on the presence or absence of a replication indicator in an item to be de-duplicated. The method also includes selectively controlling the de-duplication schedule based on a replication priority. In one embodiment, the method includes, upon determining that a chunk of data is associated with a replication indicator, controlling the data de-duplication apparatus to schedule the chunk for de-duplication ahead of chunks not associated with a replication indicator. In one embodiment, the method also includes, upon determining that the chunk is associated with a replication priority, controlling the data de-duplication apparatus to schedule the chunk for de-duplication ahead of chunks of data not associated with a replication priority. The schedule location is based, at least in part, on the replication priority. The method also includes controlling de-duplication order based on the schedule. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120087031 | ADAPTIVE DISTURBANCE COMPENSATION WITH MULTI-RATE SYNCHRONIZED SAMPLING - An apparatus and method for providing adaptive disturbance compensation with multi-rate synchronized sampling is disclosed herein. The dynamic disturbance occurring in a media drive during read/write operations is attenuated using the adaptive disturbance compensation scheme. A plurality of compensation filters are used, each of the compensation filters configured to attenuate a disturbance caused by a particular source within the media drive. Each of the compensation filters is computed based on a sampling rate relevant to the respective disturbances. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120076244 | WAVEFORM INTERPOLATOR ARCHITECTURE FOR ACCURATE TIMING RECOVERY BASED ON UP-SAMPLING TECHNIQUE - In one embodiment, an interpolator-based timing recovery system improves accuracy by calculating additional sampled signals of a digital signal and generating an interpolation based on the additional sampled signals and the digital signal, while employing a parallel architecture to maintain system clock frequency and a pipeline architecture to minimize sampled data memory requirement. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120047324 | SEQUENTIAL ACCESS STORAGE AND DATA DE-DUPLICATION - An example method includes determining a configuration of two or more partitions for a sequential access medium. At least one partition stores data de-duplication data structures while at least one other partition stores a repository of unique data blocks associated with the data structures. The method also includes controlling a data de-duplication computer to configure the sequential access medium according to the configuration. The method includes producing an output sequence for writing the data structures and a set of unique data blocks associated with the set of data structures to the sequential access medium as configured with the two or more partitions. One embodiment includes controlling a data de-duplication computer to write the data de-duplication data structures and the set of unique data blocks to the sequential access medium according to the output sequence. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120016882 | DELTA CHUNKS AND DELTA HASHES - Example apparatus, methods, and computers control processing delta chunks with delta hashes. One example method includes computing a first hash for a chunk for which a duplicate determination is to be made. The first hash is suitable for making the duplicate chunk determination. The method also includes computing a delta hash for the chunk. The delta hash is suitable for making a delta chunk determination. The method controls a de-duplication logic to process the chunk as a duplicate upon determining that the first hash matches a stored first hash. The method controls the de-duplication logic to process the chunk as a delta chunk upon determining that the first hash does not match a stored first hash and that the delta hash matches a stored delta hash. Processing a chunk as a delta chunk may include storing a reference to a stored chunk and storing delta hash information. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20120016852 | COLLABORATIVE, DISTRIBUTED, DATA DE-DUPLICATION - Example apparatus, methods, and computers participate in collaborative, distributed, data de-duplication. One example method includes initializing a layered parser in a first node in a collaborative distributed data de-duplication (CDDD) topology with a first set of de-duplication control parameters. After transmitting some information to another node in the CDDD topology, the method includes selectively reconfiguring the layered parser in response to feedback acquired from the second node in the CDDD topology. The feedback concerns the data provided by the layered parser. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20120016848 | ESTABLISHING PARSE SCOPE - Example apparatus, methods, and computers control establishing a shared parse scope between two computers that intend to be involved in a shared de-duplication action. One example method includes, upon determining that a first de-duplication logic and a second de-duplication logic are to participate in a shared de-duplication action for an object, controlling the first de-duplication logic to establish a shared parse scope with the second de-duplication logic. Establishing the shared parse scope may include negotiations between the computers, where the negotiations transfer dialect information. The dialect information may take the form of rules. The method may also include persisting the shared parse scope. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20110314222 | Clustered Storage Network - A data storage network is provided. The network includes a client connected to the data storage network; a plurality nodes on the data storage network, wherein each data node has two or more RAID controllers, wherein a first RAID controller of a first node is configured to receive a data storage request from the client and to generate RAID parity data on a data set received from the client, and to store all of the generated RAID parity data on a single node of the plurality of nodes. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110307683 | INDEX ENTRY EVICTION - Systems, methods embodied on computer-readable media, and other embodiments associated with index entry eviction are described. One example method includes selecting an index entry for eviction from a bucket of index entries based on a time value, a utility value, and a precedence value. A precedence value may be a value associated with an index entry that is static over time. Additionally, results of a function that compares two precedence values may be static over time. The example method may also include providing an index entry identifier that identifies the index entry. | 12-15-2011 |
| 20110302341 | Data Flow Control and Bridging Architecture Enhancing Performance of Removable Data Storage Systems - A data flow control and bridging architecture that enhances the performance of removable data storage systems. In one implementation, the present invention provides a bypass bus implementation where the data transfer phase associated with select commands occurs directly between the host computing system and the target removable data storage unit. In one implementation, the present invention further provides a data flow and bridging architecture that emulates a removable media interface, such as the ATAPI interface, to the host computing system, and translates these commands for a target removable storage unit that implements a fixed media interface, such as the ATA interface. In yet another implementation, the present invention provides a data flow and bridging architecture that supports the serial ATA interface. | 12-08-2011 |
| 20110289281 | Policy Based Data Retrieval Performance for Deduplicated Data - A method that includes, by one or more computer systems, determining a data retrieval rate policy based on at least one data retrieval rate parameter. The method also includes determining at least one storage subsystem performance parameter. The method further includes determining a fragmentation value based on the data retrieval rate policy and the at least one storage subsystem performance parameter. The method additionally includes determining a storage subsystem fragmentation of a first data object. The storage subsystem fragmentation includes fragmenting the first data object into a plurality of first data object fragments. The method also includes deduplicating the first data object based on the fragmentation value and the storage subsystem fragmentation. | 11-24-2011 |
| 20110258398 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR VECTORED DATA DE-DUPLICATION - The present invention is directed toward methods and systems for data de-duplication. More particularly, in various embodiments, the present invention provides systems and methods for data de-duplication that may utilize a vectoring method for data de-duplication wherein a stream of data is divided into “data sets” or blocks. For each block, a code, such as a hash or cyclic redundancy code may be calculated and stored. The first block of the set may be written normally and its address and hash can be stored and noted. Subsequent block hashes may be compared with previously written block hashes. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110238635 | Combining Hash-Based Duplication with Sub-Block Differencing to Deduplicate Data - In one embodiment, a method includes accessing data; partitioning the data into sub-blocks; determining whether a first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks or similar to another one of the sub-blocks; if the first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks, applying by the one or more computer systems hash-based deduplication to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks; and, if the first one of the sub-blocks is similar to another one of the sub-blocks, applying by the one or more computer systems sub-block differencing to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110228421 | Detecting LTO Servo Patterns on Perpendicular Recorded Media - In one embodiment, a servo processing circuit comprises a correlation filter and a Lagrange interpolator peak detector coupled to the correlation filter. The correlation filter is operable to receive a first signal as input; correlate the first signal with a reference signal; and produce a second signal as output, wherein the second signal indicates a correlation between the first signal and the reference signal. The Lagrange interpolator peak detector is operable to receive the second signal as input; detect one or more peaks in the second signal; and produce a third signal as output, wherein the third signal indicates one or more peak locations of the peaks in the second signal. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110225385 | CONTROLLING CONFIGURABLE VARIABLE DATA REDUCTION - Example apparatus, methods, and computers control configurable, variable data reduction. One example method includes identifying data reduction controlling attributes in an object to be data reduced by a configurable variable data reducer. The attributes provide information upon which decisions concerning whether and/or how to data reduce the object can be based. The example method also includes controlling a configurable variable data reducer to selectively data reduce the object based, at least in part, on the data reduction controlling attributes. The control exercised can determine whether, where, when, and/or how data reduction will proceed. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110218972 | DATA REDUCTION INDEXING - Example apparatus, methods, data structures, and computers control indexing to facilitate duplicate determinations. One example method includes indexing, in a global index, a unique chunk processed by a data de-duplicator. Indexing the unique chunk in the global index can include updating an expedited data structure associated with the global index. The example method can also include selectively indexing, in a temporal index, a relationship chunk processed by the data de-duplicator. The relationship chunk is a chunk that is related to another chunk processed by the data de-duplicator by sequence, storage location, and/or similarity hash value. Indexing the relationship chunk in the temporal index can also include updating one or more expedited data structures associated with the temporal index. The expedited data structures and indexes can then be consulted to resolve a duplicate determination being made by a data reducer. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110213917 | Methods and Systems for Improving Read Performance in Data De-Duplication Storage - The present invention is directed toward methods and systems for data de-duplication. More particularly, in various embodiments, the present invention provides systems and methods for data de-duplication that may utilize a data de-duplication system that retrieves data from a data storage device in an order based on the location of blocks on the data storage device. Some embodiments break a data stream into multiple blocks of data and store the blocks of data on a data storage device of a data de-duplication system, wherein a code representing a redundant block of data is stored in place of the block of data. A location for each block of data may be stored. Additionally, the blocks may be read in an order that is determined based on the location of the blocks. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20110182391 | Adaptive Filter Using Shifted Reverse Interpolation - In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises an adaptive filter, a timing recovery unit, and a reverse interpolation filter. The adaptive filter has adaptive filter coefficients that are adjusted based on a first error signal at a first sample rate and filters a first signal at the first sample rate to obtain a second signal at the first sample rate. The timing recovery unit interpolates the second signal at the first sample rate to obtain a third signal at a second sample rate; and estimates a partial response signal at the second sample rate corresponding to the third signal. The a reverse interpolation filter interpolates a second error signal at the first sample rate, which is a difference between the third signal and the partial response signal, to obtain the first error signal at the first sample rate for feeding back to the adaptive filter. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110154052 | MEDIA-FOLLOWING ENCRYPTION POLICY CONTROL - Example articles of manufacture, methods, and systems facilitate having encryption policy follow an article of manufacture like a tape cartridge. One example article of manufacture includes a media portion (e.g., tape) and a non-media portion (e.g., housing). The media portion is configured to store machine readable information. The article of manufacture could be a tape, a disk, a memory, and other computer readable media. The article of manufacture also includes an encryption policy information indicator. The encryption policy information indicator can be configured to store information that controls an encryption policy associated with the article of manufacture. Therefore, encryption policy can, for example, follow a tape cartridge rather than be resident solely in a controlling application (e.g., tape library). | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110153972 | FREE SPACE DEFRAGMENTION IN EXTENT BASED FILE SYSTEM - Example apparatus, methods, data structures, and computers defragment unallocated space in a storage associated with an extent based file system. One example method locates a first unallocated area having a desired size and a desired location to receive an extent from a first end of an allocated area in the storage. The example method then swaps the extent from the first end of the allocated area with the first unallocated area. The example method also locates a second unallocated area having a desired size and a desired location to receive an extent from a second opposite end of the allocated area in the storage. The example method then swaps the extent from the second end of the allocated area with the second unallocated area. The example method may continue to swap until no more suitable unallocated regions are available to receive an extent sliced off an allocated area. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110149438 | UNIQUE MEDIA IDENTIFIER - An apparatus and method for providing a unique identifier for data storage media is disclosed herein. The servo track of the data storage media is encoded one or more times with media manufacturer's data. The media manufacturer's data includes a variety of information including the unique identifier. The unique identifier differentiates among different media manufacturers, different spools or pancakes from which a given media comes from, and different media within a given spool or pancake. The unique identifier scheme is configured to facilitate standardization among media manufacturers while providing error correction and flexibility for future changes in format. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110145324 | REDUCING MESSAGING IN A CLIENT-SERVER SYSTEM - A detection that a client-server system, which is operating in a first state mode, has switched from a first use case to a second use case for accessing a property of an object associated with a server. The first state mode during the first use case reduces messaging in the client-server system as compared to using a second state mode. A determination is performed as to whether using the second state mode during the second use case would reduce messaging in the system as compared to using the first state mode. The client-server system is transitioned to the second state mode, if operating in the second state mode would reduce messaging in the client-server system as compared to operating in the first state mode for the second use case. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110113228 | Rules-Based, Mode-Driven Manager for Timer Bounded Arbitration Protocol Based Resource Control - An example apparatus includes a processor, a memory, and an interface that connects the processor, the memory, and a set of components. The set of components includes a first component configured to acquire a mode from members of an HA cluster and a second component configured to enforce mode pairing rules for members of the HA cluster. Once the desired mode pairing has been determined, a third component takes actions configured to either achieve the mode pairing according to rules for members of the HA cluster or to selectively force a hardware reset of one or more members of the HA cluster upon determining that a split brain scenario is possible based, at least in part, on the mode of the members of the HA cluster. The example apparatus therefore implements a rules-based manager for timer bounded arbitration protocol based resource control. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110113066 | ADAPTING A TIMER BOUNDED ARBITRATION PROTOCOL - Example apparatus, methods, and computers prevent a split brain scenario in a pair of high availability servers by maintaining single writer access to a resource. One example method includes monitoring control of an arbitration (ARB) block by an active file system manager (FSM). An active file system portmapper (FSMPM) simultaneously requests permission from a standby FSM to restart a dead-man timer. The active FSM attempts to maintain control of the ARB block before expiration of the dead-man timer. If the active FSM is unable to maintain control of the ARB block before expiration of the dead-man timer, a hardware reset of an apparatus running the active FSM is forced. Therefore, the active FSMPM and standby FSM negotiate for additional time to maintain control of the ARB block to maintain single writer access and avoid unnecessary hardware resets. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110113017 | Supporting Internal Consistency Checking with Consistency Coded Journal File Entries - Example systems, methods, and apparatus economize generating and processing incremental journal files while maintaining internal consistency. One example method determines whether a sequence number associated with a first inode description in a disaster recovery (DR) journal entry is out of sequence with a second corresponding inode description in a DR metadump. The example method controls a DR journal process to provide a file system inconsistency signal and to suspend application of the DR journal entry to the DR metadump. The suspending and signaling can occur upon determining that a first access time independent verification code computed from the first inode description does not match a second access time independent verification code computed from the second inode description. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110107139 | TIMER BOUNDED ARBITRATION PROTOCOL FOR RESOURCE CONTROL - Example apparatus, methods, and computers prevent a split brain scenario in a pair of high availability servers by maintaining single writer access to a resource by controlling the resource according to a timer bounded arbitration protocol that controls self-termination of a writer process. One example method includes monitoring control of an arbitration (ARB) block by an active file system manager (FSM) and selectively causing a selection of a standby metadata controller (MDC) when control of the ARB block does not satisfy the timer bounded ARB protocol. The example method also includes selectively forcing a hardware reset of an apparatus running the active FSM and selectively establishing an FSM on a selected redundant MDC as a replacement FSM. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110093664 | DATA DE-DUPLICATION BY PREDICTING THE LOCATIONS OF SUB-BLOCKS WITHIN THE REPOSITORY - A computer-enabled method of storing an input dataset in a storage medium includes storing a copy for each of a plurality of repeatable blocks of data in an input dataset in a storage medium. The process further includes finding a location in the storage medium of the copy of a block of data in the input dataset. Finding the location includes determining a most likely location in the storage medium of the copy of the block of data from one or more blocks of data preceding the block of data based on statistics of past stored data. Finding the location further includes if the determined most likely location contains a block of data that matches with the actual block of data, retrieving the location in the storage medium of the copy of the block of data. The process also includes storing the location of the copy of the block of data. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20100318698 | Data Flow Control and Bridging Architecture Enhancing Performance of Removable Data Storage Systems - A data flow control and bridging architecture that enhances the performance of removable data storage systems. In one implementation, the present invention provides a bypass bus implementation where the data transfer phase associated with select commands occurs directly between the host computing system and the target removable data storage unit. In one implementation, the present invention further provides a data flow and bridging architecture that emulates a removable media interface, such as the ATAPI interface, to the host computing system, and translates these commands for a target removable storage unit that implements a fixed media interface, such as the ATA interface. In yet another implementation, the present invention provides a data flow and bridging architecture that supports the serial ATA interface. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100312959 | SPATIAL LOCALITY OF FILE SYSTEM BLOCK ALLOCATIONS FOR RELATED ITEMS - Example apparatus, methods, and computers facilitate improving spatial locality of file system block allocations for related items. One example method includes accessing a block allocation request that is configured to control a computer to allocate a block of storage available on a storage device and, upon determining that the block allocation request includes a session key that identifies a session associated with a block reservation pool, controlling the computer to allocate a block of storage from the block reservation pool to satisfy the block allocation request rather than allocating a block of storage from generally available blocks of storage. The block reservation pool includes blocks of storage on the storage device that satisfy a spatial locality relationship determined by a pre-read technique associated with the storage device. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20100309583 | Methods, Systems and Apparatus for Reducing the Effects of Tape Dimensional Stability - A method, system, apparatus, and computer readable medium storing instructions for recording data tracks and a method and system for reading data tracks. For recording data tracks, virtual boundary of a first data track recorded on the storage medium is determined. The recording element is positioned based on the determined virtual boundary of the first track and a second data track is recorded by the positioned recording element. For reading data tracks, a first virtual boundary of a first data track and a second virtual boundary of the first data track are determined and a reading element is positioned at a center of the first data track based on the determined virtual boundaries. In the system of reading recorded data tracks, a number of forward reading elements and backward reading elements are provided. The forward reading elements have different pitches. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20100228916 | Apparatus & Method for Virtualizing Data Storage Media, Such as for Use in a Data Storage Library Providing Resource Virtualization - A system and method for use in an automated data storage cartridge library defines cartridges for use with an external host computer (“open” cartridges), and cartridges for use only internal to the library (“closed” cartridges). Cartridges may be “virtualized” by storing data from them on disk or closed cartridges, and then “realized” by writing data to physical cartridges. Virtual cartridges may be logically exported from one library to another. When new cartridges are introduced to the library, they may be designated with one of multiple designations or uses. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100028110 | HIGH DENSITY VARIABLE ACCESS STORAGE LIBRARY - A media storage library for storing a plurality of media cartridges is provided. The media storage library includes at least one media transfer mechanism, and a plurality of storage panels for storing media cartridges, including at least a first movable storage panel. The first storage panel is movable from the first position to a second position, and each storage panel of the plurality of movable storage panels includes at least a first access face for the at least one media transfer mechanism to access the media cartridges. An access space is formed between the first movable storage panel and a second storage panel, and the at least one media transfer mechanism is able to access the media cartridges via the access space and the first access face. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100014179 | Media library system and method for monitoring changes in inventory of media cartridges - A method for monitoring changes in an inventory of media cartridges in a media library includes the steps of determining with a controller that the inventory of media cartridges in the media library has changed, and asynchronously reporting with the controller the specific change in inventory of media cartridges that has occurred in the media library. The method can also include the step of determining whether the change in inventory included an increase or a decrease in the quantity of media cartridges within the media library, or whether the change in inventory did not include an increase or decrease in the quantity of media cartridges within the media library. Further, the method can also include the step of determining whether the change in inventory of media cartridges is required to be reported. A media library system includes a media library having a plurality of media cartridges, and a controller that determines a change in an inventory of media cartridges in the media library. In certain embodiments, the controller asynchronously and selectively reports a specific change in the inventory of media cartridges in the media library. | 01-21-2010 |
| 20090313646 | Data Storage Media Accessibility in a Media Library - An apparatus and method for increasing data storage capacity of a media library is disclosed herein. The elevation or vertical clearance of a tray assembly included in the library is configured to permit access of data storage media stored near the floor of the library. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20090271556 | CONNECTING MULTIPLE PERIPHERAL INTERFACES INTO ONE ATTACHMENT POINT - An interconnect apparatus is provided for connecting at least one peripheral device to a multi-channel interface. The apparatus includes an incoming connector having a first incoming channel connector and at least one second incoming channel connector, wherein the incoming connector is operable to detachably connect to an interface cable, a first outgoing connector having a first outgoing channel connector, at least one second outgoing connector having at least one second outgoing channel connector, and routing logic operable to propagate a first signal between the first incoming channel connector and the first outgoing channel connector, and to propagate at least one second signal between the at least one second incoming channel connector and the at least one second outgoing channel connector; wherein a position of the first outgoing channel connector in the first outgoing connector corresponds to a position of the at least one second outgoing channel connector in the at least one second outgoing connector. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20090222232 | REEL MOTOR TORQUE CALIBRATION DURING TAPE MOTION - Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to calculation of a reel motor torque constant (“K | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090213488 | METHODS, SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING THE EFFECTS OF TAPE DIMENSIONAL STABILITY - A method, system, apparatus, and computer readable medium storing instructions for recording data tracks and a method and system for reading data tracks. For recording data tracks, virtual boundary of a first data track recorded on the storage medium is determined. The recording element is positioned based on the determined virtual boundary of the first track and a second data track is recorded by the positioned recording element. For reading data tracks, a first virtual boundary of a first data track and a second virtual boundary of the first data track are determined and a reading element is positioned at a center of the first data track based on the determined virtual boundaries. In the system of reading recorded data tracks, a number of forward reading elements and backward reading elements are provided. The forward reading elements have different pitches. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090144498 | DATA STORAGE SYSTEM FOR STORING DATA IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA STORAGE MEDIA - A data storage system for storing data includes a data storage medium and a data interface that communicates with the data storage medium. The data interface is configured to place data into a logical data capsule having a defined size, where the data placed into the logical data capsule can occupy less than the defined size of the logical data capsule. In the data storage system, the logical data capsule is moved as a whole between the data storage medium and the data interface. Additionally, when any data in the logical data capsule is read or modified, all of the data in the logical data capsule is read or modified as a whole. | 06-04-2009 |
| 20090040643 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WRITING TIMING BASED SERVO TRACKS ON MAGNETIC TAPE USING COMPLEMENTARY SERVO WRITER PAIRS - Method and apparatus for writing timing based (servo) tracks on magnetic recording tape using complementary servo writer pairs. A magnetic tape intended to store, for instance, computer data conventionally contains servo tracks in addition to the data tracks. Typically many servo tracks and data tracks are arranged laterally across the width of the tape. The adjacent servo tracks (bands) here are complementary in terms of the orientation of their stripes and are written (recorded) by a complementary arranged servo writer pair. This advantageously reduces the position error signal by a substantial amount, even to nearly zero. In one version the servo writers are straight in configuration and in another version they are curved or chevron shape. These complementary servo writer pairs write adjacent servo bands. This takes advantage of the fact that typical servo technology, for instance in the LTO tape format, uses two servo heads, a top and bottom servo head, and averages the position error signal of the top and bottom servo read heads in the tape drive to determine the position error. By writing the servo tracks as described here, this error as written-in is substantially reduced. This is because the top and bottom servo sensors interpret the complementary aspect as being position error signal error in opposite directions, which thereby cancels out. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090006679 | Data Flow Control and Bridging Architecture Enhancing Performance of Removable Data Storage Systems - A data flow control and bridging architecture that enhances the performance of removable data storage systems. In one implementation, the present invention provides a bypass bus implementation where the data transfer phase associated with select commands occurs directly between the host computing system and the target removable data storage unit. In one implementation, the present invention further provides a data flow and bridging architecture that emulates a removable media interface, such as the ATAPI interface, to the host computing system, and translates these commands for a target removable storage unit that implements a fixed media interface, such as the ATA interface. In yet another implementation, the present invention provides a data flow and bridging architecture that supports the serial ATA interface. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090001207 | Continuous micro-groove roller technology - A guide roller mounted in a tape drive for reducing mechanical noise associated with travel of a magnetic tape medium in a tape path is provided. The guide roller includes a cylindrical barrel, which is rotatably coupled to a tape drive. The cylindrical barrel rotates as the magnetic tape medium is guided by the guide roller as it travels through the tape path. A continuous helical groove forms a spiral on the outer surface of the cylindrical barrel along the length of the cylindrical barrel. The continuous helical groove forms contiguous rings of the spiral. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090001206 | Tape guider for limiting lateral tape motion - A magnetic tape guiding apparatus located in a position associated with a head element for guiding magnetic tape in a tape drive is provided. A body of the tape guiding apparatus has a first end and a second end and sides. There are at least two protrusions of the tape guiding apparatus associated with one side of the body. A magnetic tape medium passes between the at least two protrusions and the head element such that the at least two protrusions and the head element contact the magnetic tape medium. A first flange is associated with the first end of the body, and a second flange is associated with the second end of the body. Each flange projects beyond the at least two protrusions. Both flanges limit movement of the magnetic tape medium. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20080316072 | Method for Constructing RLL Codes of Arbitrary Rate - The claimed embodiments provide methods, apparatuses and systems directed to run-length limited (RLL) coding of data. In one implementation, concatenatable RLL codes with run lengths of zeroes not exceeding k are constructed for any rate N/(N+1) where N≦2 | 12-25-2008 |
| 20080266705 | Servo error detection and compensation utilizing virtual data tracking servo methods - A method for detecting errors in a servo system of a magnetic storage drive includes writing a plurality of data tracks at a pitch, detecting a position of an edge of at least two of the data tracks under control of a servo system (e.g., an optical or magnetic servo system), and determining an error in the servo system based on the detected positions and known pitch of the data tracks. Differences in the track edge positions of the tracks from the positions at which they were written may indicate errors in the optical servo system (e.g., non-linearity errors, as well as other errors such as electrical, temperature, or the like). Determined errors may be stored with a look-up table of positional errors or used to normalize a position algorithm associated with the servo system. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080247076 | Tape tension sensor - A tension sensor within a tape drive for measuring tension of a magnetic tape medium is provided. The tension sensor comprises a guide pin connected to a top plate for guiding the magnetic tape medium; at least two flexure structures connected to the top plate and a base such that the at least two flexure structures are in a parallel configuration; and at least one magnetic field density sensor associated with the guide pin for detecting lateral motion of the guide pin. In some embodiments, the guide pin is a tape guiding roller. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20080239544 | Intelligent tape drive assembly that diagnoses and repairs its own tape drives - A tape drive assembly ( | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080235561 | Methodology and apparatus for soft-information detection and LDPC decoding on an ISI channel - A system comprising a plurality of channel detectors (CDs) receiving quantized and equalized ISI channel information indicative of an LDPC codeword. The channel information is split for input to the CDs, such that each CD receives channel information indicative of a portion of the LDPC codeword. Each CD outputs at least first soft information for bits of the codeword portion of that CD. The first soft information for the codeword is received by an LDPC decoder, which uses the soft information to produce a user bit sequence and second soft information about the user bit sequence. The system can cause the second soft information to be input to the plurality of CDs, such that iterative processing can occur for the codeword. Other aspects include a system providing clocking of one or more CDs at a frequency selected to balance codeword throughput of the CDs with codeword throughput of an LDPC decoder clocked by a second clock, and methods according to each system. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080235559 | Strengthening parity check bit protection for array-like LDPC codes - An LDPC parity check matrix originated using an array code provides more protection against errors for parity bits 1 through 1-p, which can, during decoding, allow faster convergence to a higher LLR value for those bits as well as higher overall reliability of other parity check bits. The present parity check matrix provides an upper triangular sub-matrix (H | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080198503 | AUTO-SERVO TAPE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED RECORDING HEAD - A recording head comprises a first tape-head contact area including a first write element and a first read element, which itself may include an MR sensor element. The first read element is laterally offset as to the first write element, and no portion of the first read element lies in a region laterally overlapped by the first write element. A second tape-head contact area includes a second write element and a second read element, which also may include an MR sensor element. The second read element is laterally offset as to the second write element, and no portion of the second read element lies in a region laterally overlapped by the second write element. The first read and write elements of the first tape-head contact area are aligned with the second write and read elements of the second tape-head contact area so that an end portion of the second write element lies in a region that laterally overlaps only an end portion of the first write element. Data track widths less than one micron are achievable with this head design. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20080197036 | Protective cartridge case having shock absorbing features - A protective cartridge case for housing a storage cartridge having at least one reel is provided. The protective cartridge case includes a housing for enclosing the storage cartridge therein, the housing including a top portion and a bottom portion having opposing major inner surfaces in a closed position. A first absorbing member is disposed adjacent the inner surface of the top portion and a second absorbing member is disposed adjacent the inner surface of the bottom portion. The protective case further including a first absorbing member disposed adjacent the inner surface of the top portion and a second absorbing member disposed adjacent the inner surface of the bottom portion for absorbing forces on the cartridge during a shock event. Additional absorbing members may be disposed adjacent minor side surfaces of the housing for cushioning minor side surfaces of the cartridge. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20080197032 | Protective cartridge case having zero-tension latch - A protective cartridge case for housing a storage cartridge is provided. The protective cartridge case includes a housing having a top and bottom portion for enclosing a storage cartridge, the top and bottom portions having major surfaces that oppose each other along a vertical direction, and a latch member for selectively securing the top portion and bottom portion in a closed position. The latch member secures the top and bottom portion in a closed position with substantially zero tension on the latch member in the horizontal direction. | 08-21-2008 |
