Dynamically changing a buffer flush threshold of a tape drive based on historical transaction size

• Main Authors: Fry Scott M, Katagiri Takashi, Karp James M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.11.2016
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; PHYSICS

According to one embodiment, a method for dynamically changing a buffer threshold in a tape drive includes determining that a drive buffer is emptied of data, calculating a write size indicating an amount of data from a transaction size left to be written to a tape prior to a next anticipated sync command, setting a buffer threshold that triggers a back hitch to a smaller value when the transaction size is less than a buffer size, setting the buffer threshold to the smaller value when an absolute difference between the transaction size and the write size is greater than or equal to the buffer size, and setting the buffer threshold to a larger value when the transaction size is not less than the buffer size and/or the absolute difference between the transaction size and the write size is less than the buffer size.