Western Digital Corporation

James Edward Guttmann

Timothy W Swatosh

Michael Scott Hicken

Mark David Heminger

Steven M Howe

A disk drive and method which efficiently stores zone parameter sets for a plurality of disk surfaces. The disk drive includes a disk control system and a plurality of disk surfaces. Each disk surface has an associated transducer head in communication with the disk control system for reading and writing data to the disk surface. Each disk surface is subdivided into a plurality of zones. Control parameters sets for each zone of a disk surface are stored in table. The disk drive further comprises a first disk surface and a second disk surface. A first zone parameter table is provided for the first disk surface. The first zone parameter table comprising a zone control parameter set for each zone of the first disk surface. A second zone parameter table is provided. The second zone parameter table includes a number of zone control parameter sets, wherein the zone control parameter sets and the second zone parameter table are not included in the first zone parameter table. Means are provided for extracting zone control parameter sets for the second disk surface from the first zone parameter table and the second zone parameter table, a means for extracting zone control parameter sets including offset pointer to the first zone parameter table.

Disk drive which efficiently stores zone parameter sets for a plurality of disk surfaces

A method of mapping sequential logical data blocks to multiple disk surfaces. Data blocks are written to a predetermined number of adjacent tracks on each surface before performing a head switch to write data on another surface. The predetermined number of tracks are written on each surface in turn before performing a seek and head switch to continue writing on another predetermined number of tracks on each surface. After each head switch to continue writing from the radial position reached when writing the previous group of tracks, the direction of track incrementing or decrementing reverses so that the actuator moves back and forth in a 'serpentine' manner.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

James Edward Guttmann