Method and apparatus for initialization and calibration of magnetic tape having multiple servo areas.

摘要

An apparatus and method for initializing a magnetic tape (22) when it is mounted in a tape drive (10) is provided. Each time a tape is mounted, control parameters pertaining to the servo system are set to predetermined values and servo read elements in the tape head are activated. When the tape (22) is moved and a number of position error signal (PES) samples are read and averaged for each of the active servo elements. The value of one or more of the parameters is modified and new PES readings and averages are obtained. This process is repeated for a predetermined combination of parameter values whereupon read and write offsets are calculated and stored for each servo element. The resulting adjusted PES is used by the servo controller to optimize track following. <IMAGE>