Patent ID: 6321979
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: G06F,G11B

Abstract:
A magnetic tape apparatus comprising:a tape drive for recording and reproducing data to/from a magnetic tape;a firmware memory containing firmware; anda controller for controlling the tape drive by executing the firmware,wherein the controller causes the magnetic tape apparatus to:read out a volume identifier (VOLID) mark from an attribute information recorded between a beginning of tape marker (BOT) and a data on the magnetic tape;detect a volume identifier contained in the VOLID mark;determine that the data is firmware if the volume identifier contains a predetermined control code; andif the data is determined to be firmware, to overwrite the firmware recorded on the magnetic tape medium, upon the firmware memory,wherein the predetermined control code is a code that is not an alphanumeric character in either an ASCII or an EBCDIC character set.