Patent ID: 7948711
Filing Date: 2011-05-24
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory data storage medium, said data storage medium including a set of machine-readable instructions that are executable by a processing device to implement an algorithm, said algorithm comprising the steps of: detecting a degraded status of an input/output transducer of a tape drive; selecting and inserting a cleaner cartridge into the tape drive, said cleaner cartridge including a cleaner tape, wherein the cleaner tape contains timing-based servo information; wherein the cleaner cartridge includes an aggressive cleaning frontcoat section; and wherein the aggressive cleaning frontcoat section includes particles chosen from the group of oxide-coated iron metal particles, chromium dioxide, alumina, chrome-3, and silicon dioxide; moving the cleaner tape over the input/output transducer; reading said timing-based servo information from the cleaner tape; and ascertaining a cleanliness status of the input/output transducer based on the timing-based servo information read from the cleaner tape.