Patent ID: 7903363

Claim:
A method to write information to a tape storage medium, comprising the steps of: disposing a tape storage medium comprising a nominal storage capacity in a tape drive apparatus comprising a write head and a buffer; moving said tape storage medium in a first direction; writing data from said buffer to said tape storage medium; emptying said buffer while said tape storage medium is moving in said first direction; determining by said tape drive, while said tape storage medium is moving in said first direction, whether to enable a backhitchless write wherein said tape storage medium is not stopped and moved in a second and opposition direction, prior to writing new data to said tape storage medium; wherein said backhitchless write eliminates a time overhead required to stop said tape storage medium and to move said tape storage medium in a reverse direction to reposition said write head, and wherein use of said backhitchless write does not adversely impact said nominal storage capacity; wherein said determining step further comprises the steps of: determining a nominal storage capacity (C) for said tape storage medium; determining a Longitudinal Tape Length (L) for said tape storage medium; determining a Current Wrap Number for said write head; determining a Current Longitudinal Position for said write head; calculating a value for a current position (X) of said write head, wherein ( X )=(( L )*(Current Wrap Number))+Current Longitudinal Position; calculating a value for an expected capacity on current location (S), wherein ( S )=( X/L )*(Total Wrap Number)*( C ); determining a current Dataset Number (N); determining a Dataset Size; calculating a value for an actual capacity on current location (R), wherein ( R )=( N )*Dataset Size; based upon said expected capacity on current location and based upon said actual capacity on current location, determining whether to enable said backhitchless write.