Patent ID: 6970311

Claim:
A recording system for a magnetic tape drive, said magnetic tape drive having a plurality of write heads for writing to magnetic tape while said magnetic tape is moved longitudinally with respect to said plurality of write heads, said recording system comprising: at least one buffer storing data to be written to magnetic tape, said at least one buffer having a plurality of separate data flow outputs; a plurality of recording channels receiving output data flow from said plurality of separate data flow outputs, and for operating separate sets of said plurality of write heads to write data to magnetic tape; and a controller operating said at least one buffer and said plurality of recording channels, said controller: operating said at least one buffer and one of said plurality of recording channels to provide data from said at least one buffer to cause a separate set of said plurality of write heads to write said provided data to tracks of magnetic tape; saving said provided data at said at least one buffer; and during the same operation, operating said at least one buffer and another of said plurality of recording channels to provide saved said data from said at least one buffer to cause another separate set of said plurality of write heads to rewrite said saved data to other tracks of said magnetic tape in a continuous arrangement, whereby said separate sets of said plurality of write heads, write said data to magnetic tape, and rewrite said saved data to said magnetic tape, during the same operation, said rewritten data comprising a continuous arrangement of said data; wherein said data stored in said buffer is in the form of data transactions; and wherein said controller additionally responds to an indication that said stored data transactions are to be written to magnetic tape as synchronized data transactions; operating said at least one buffer and one of said recording channels to cause a separate set of said plurality of write heads to write said stored data transactions from said buffer to tracks of magnetic tape in a discontinuous manner, and saving said provided data transactions at said at least one buffer; and, during the same operation, operating said at least one buffer and another of said plurality of recording channels to cause another separate set of said plurality of write heads to rewrite saved said data transactions to other tracks of said magnetic tape in a continuous arrangement.