Patent ID: 6982846

Claim:
A cartridge handling system for initializing a data storage cartridge for tamper resistant write once recording, said data cartridge loaded at said cartridge handling system, said data storage cartridge having a rewritable media, said rewritable media having a prerecorded media identifier readable by and unwritable by a data storage drive; a cartridge memory, said cartridge memory having a section lockable to read-only; and a cartridge shell, said cartridge memory retained in said cartridge shell; said cartridge handling system comprising: a memory interface for writing information to and reading information from said cartridge memory of said data storage cartridge loaded at said cartridge handling system; a read/write system for reading information from and writing information to said rewritable media of said data storage cartridge loaded at said cartridge handling system; and a control system for communicating with said memory interface and said read/write system, said control system: causing said read/write system to read said prerecorded media identifier of said rewritable media; causing said memory interface to write a write once flag and said read media identifier to said cartridge memory in said lockable section; causing said memory interface to lock to read-only, said lockable section of said cartridge memory having at least said write once flag and said media identifier; and causing said read/write system to write at least a write once flag to a required data set of said rewritable media of said cartridge, whereby said write once flags and said media identifier are provided both at said locked read-only section of said cartridge memory retained in said cartridge shell, and at said data storage cartridge rewritable media; wherein said prerecorded media identifier comprises an identifier specific to said loaded data storage cartridge; and wherein said rewritable media comprises a magnetic tape having at least one prerecorded servo track and having said media identifier encoded into said servo track.