File talk:Linear serpentine tape drive.png

Serpentine[edit]

The linear serpentine writing process is not accurately protrayed in this image. See page 35 of the IBM RED BOOK. At least in the case of LTO, the tracks overlap and are grouped such that all tracks in a group are written in the same direction. -- Austin Murphy 14:21, 27 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It is portrayed accurately enough to introduce a general concept of serpentine for unprepared reader. General concept is: tape is reversed, heads shift a little, recording goes in another direction. The redbook drawning makes those simple facts really hard to understand. In other hand it explains clearly much more advanced concept i.e. that tracks are best to be placed in somewhat different order to enable cross-generation compatibility (by the means of shingling). --Kubanczyk 18:13, 28 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]