Patent ID: 6839801

Claim:
A recording system for a magnetic tape drive, said magnetic tape drive for writing data to magnetic tape, said data in the form of transactions of data to be synchronized, and said magnetic tape drive for responding to a Command for writing data of an identified transaction to magnetic tape, with a Tape Command Complete subsequent to writing all data of said identified transaction to said magnetic tape, said recording system comprising: a non-volatile store for storing data; and deferred sync logic for communicating with said magnetic tape drive and for communicating with said non-volatile store for writing data to magnetic tape, said deferred sync logic: stores said data of a transaction to be synchronized to said non-volatile store; upon storing all said data of said transaction to said non-volatile store, responds with a Command Complete; supplies said data of said transaction to said magnetic tape drive for writing to said magnetic tape; repeats said storing, responding, and supplying operations for subsequent transactions of said data to be synchronized; and provides a Deferred Synchronize Command to said magnetic tape drive, said Deferred Synchronize Command specifying at least one previously supplied said transaction of data, said Deferred Synchronize Command comprising said Command for writing data of an identified transaction to magnetic tape, such that said magnetic tape drive, subsequent to writing all said data of said previously supplied transaction to said magnetic tape, provides a Tape Command Complete, whereupon said data of said previously supplied transaction stored to said non-volatile store may be overwritten.