Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

Parker-hannifin Corporation

Bertea Corporation

Parker-hannifan Plc

Curtis Edgar Stevens

William Bernard Boyle

Lawrence J Dalphy

Virgil V Wilkins

Kenny T Coker

Sandra L Harper

Dan Thanh Nguyen

Carl Edward Bonke

Eric B Chapman

William R Schley

Daniel K Blackburn

Milton J Greif

Lawrence P Flesch

An Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) device is disclosed for communicating with a host. The ATA device receives a command from the host, and while the ATA device is busy processing the command, the ATA device receives intra-command data from the host in at least one bits, andin a device control field. In one embodiment the ATA device is a parallel ATA device, and the device control field is part an ATA task file. In another embodiment, the ATA device is a serial ATA device, and the device control field is part of a host to device Frame Information Structure (FIS).

Using device control field to implement non-disruptive notification of an ATA device

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of data sectors. The hybrid drive further comprises a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) comprising a plurality of memory segments. A disk cache is defined comprising a first plurality of the data sectors, and a non-cache area of the disk is defined comprising a second plurality of the data sectors. When a write command is received from a host, data is written to the disk cache, and under certain conditions, the data is copied from the disk cache to the NVSM.

Hybrid drive copying disk cache to non-volatile semiconductor memory

A data storage apparatus includes a command processor that receives write commands and data blocks from a host, the write commands comprising block ID's (BID) corresponding to data blocks; storage resources including semiconductor memory and mass storage; a data manager that selects storage resources and allocates selected resources to block ID's; a translation table to map a storage resource to the allocated block ID, and storage resources that are selected after receipt of the write command. A method is further provided for increasing performance in a storage device comprising a plurality of storage resources, transferring data to a storage resource that is available to transfer the data.

Data storage apparatus providing host full duplex operations using half duplex storage devices

A method is provided for asynchronous notifications from a device to a host in systems without requiring hardware provision for asynchronous operations. In an embodiment of the invention, a system supports command queuing and a command is sent from a host to a device. The device receives the command and an associated tag, and accepts the command as valid. After accepting the command, the device begins monitoring for asynchronous events. If an asynchronous event is detected, the device provides notification of the event by sending a response and the associated tag to the host. In another embodiment of the invention, a method of asynchronous notification enables use of invalid tags. In a further embodiment of the invention, asynchronous notifications may be enabled by a host and operate without additional host commands.

Method for providing asynchronous event notification in systems

A data storage device (DSD) tester is disclosed for testing a DSD. The DSD tester comprises control circuitry operable to receive production line data through an interface, wherein the production line data is related to the DSD. The control circuitry executes a DSD test on the DSD, and transmits failure data generated by the DSD test and the production line data to a failure information database.

Data storage device tester

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of data sectors, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). A read frequency of a first logical block address (LBA) is maintained, and when the read frequency of the first LBA exceeds a threshold and a corresponding PBA is assigned to a data sector of the disk, first data stored in the data sector is copied to a memory segment of the NVSM. When the read frequency of the first LBA exceeds a threshold and the PBA is assigned to a memory segment of the NVSM, first data stored in the memory segment is copied to a data sector of the disk. When a read command is received to read the first LBA, a decision is made to read the first data from one of the NVSM and the disk.

Hybrid drive storing redundant copies of data on disk and in non-volatile semiconductor memory based on read frequency

A data storage device (DSD) tester for testing a DSD is disclosed. The DSD tester comprises control circuitry operable to receive a DSD log from the DSD, wherein the DSD log comprises at least one entry identifying at least one error condition. A sequence of commands associated with the error condition is executed in order to determine whether the DSD is defective.

'A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk wherein a Native Command Queuing (NCQ) access command is received from a host. The NCQ access command comprises at least one logical block address (LBA) associated with a logical block, and a tag field for identifying the access command. The tag field is evaluated to determine a size of the logical block, and the logical block is transferred between the disk drive and the host. The logical block comprises user data and protection information for implementing end-to-end protection. The tag field comprises a tag number selected from a range of numbers, where the range of numbers comprise a first range of numbers for identifying a logical block comprising user data and protection information, and a second range of numbers for identifying a logical block comprising user data without protection information.'

Disk drive and method using native command queuing tags to identify logical block size and implement protection information

A write command is received from a host computer at a disk drive having a disk. The write command is associated with a data block and a logical block address of the data block, and a logical sector size of the data block is smaller than a physical sector size of a physical sector on the disk associated with the logical block address. The data block is written to a staging sector located in non-volatile media of the disk drive based at least in part on the logical sector size being smaller than the physical sector size. A write response is sent to the host computer, the write response indicating that the write command has been completed. After sending the write response to the host computer, the data block is written to the physical sector on the disk.

Method of staging small writes on a large sector disk drive

A Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) device for communicating with a host is disclosed. The SATA device comprises control circuitry which enters a XRDY state in preparation for sending data to the host, receives a first XRDY from the host while in the XRDY state, and sets a RXRDY flag. After receiving the first XRDY, the control circuitry receives a RRDY from the host while in the XRDY state, transmits a data block to the host in response to the RRDY, and enters an idle state after transmitting the data block to the host. If the RXRDY flag is set while in the idle state, the control circuitry waits for the host to transmit a second XRDY.

Serial ATA device implementing intra-command processing by detecting XRDY primitive while in the XRDY state

A memory device is attachable to a host computer system. The memory device includes an interface to couple the memory device to the host computer system. The memory device includes a controller for controlling operations in the memory device. The controller enables a first mode of operation in which the memory device communicates with the host computer system through the interface by emulating a disk device and a second mode of operation in which the memory device communicates through the interface by emulating an optical device.

External memory device to provide disk device and optical functionality

A system and method for measuring the position of at least one field producing element (e.g., a magnet) without a direct electrical or physical connection between the field producing element and one or more sensors. In one embodiment, the output from an array of sensors (e.g., Hall Effect sensors) is curve fit using an algorithm having a characteristic bell curve (e.g., curve fit tracking algorithm, center of gravity algorithm, etc.) to determine at least one of an absolute or relative position associated with the field producing element and/or a property associated with the field producing element (e.g., magnetic flux). Another embodiment is directed to detecting errors in one or more of the sensors and excluding the output of the faulty sensors in determining the position associated with the field producing element.

Through-wall position sensor

Methods for processing basic input output system (BIOS) modules of a computer to initialize the computer. The computer includes a system memory, a central processing unit (CPU), a computer bus, a critical nonvolatile storage device, and a secondary nonvolatile storage device. Selected BIOS modules required for operation of the computer are transferred from the critical nonvolatile storage device, and optionally a protected area of the secondary nonvolatile storage device, to system memory and executed to initialize the computer. Minimal BIOS initialization code is stored in a first portion of the critical nonvolatile storage device which is operative to initialize the CPU and the system memory. Additional BIOS modules are stored in the critical nonvolatile storage device or the protected area of the secondary nonvolatile storage device. A dispatch manager is stored in a second portion of the critical nonvolatile storage device. The dispatch manager is operative to selectively load and iteratively execute a predetermined number of tasks relating to initialization of the computer, which involves locating, loading and executing selected ones of the stored BIOS modules.

Method of storing BIOS modules and transferring them to memory for execution

Reservation and allocation of additional space on a hard disk drive for use by an end user is disclosed. A user-accessible area of a hard disk drive is enlarged by determining if a boot engineering extension record is present. If the boot engineering extension record is present, the amount of free media space in the host protected area of the hard disk drive is determined. If media space is available, the unused portion of the host protected area is converted to be user-accessible.

Systems, software and methods for allocating additional mass storage media space from free media space available in the host protected area

The present invention is a method and system for accessing at least one emulated readable storage in a processor-based system. The system comprises a memory for storing instruction sequences by which the processor-based system is processed. The memory has at least one readable emulated storage location. A processor is coupled to the memory, and the stored instruction sequences cause the processor to (a) detect an access to at least one readable storage element; (b) transfer the access to the at least one readable storage element to an access to at least one readable emulated storage location; and (c) process an instruction sequence corresponding to the access to the at least one readable storage element.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Curtis Edgar Stevens