Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Kevin W McLaughlin

William C Cain

Barry Klein

Matthew G Rutledge

Chinying Sun

A method of operating a peripheral data storage system(PDSS) for use with a host system configured to perform scheduled backup operations to PDSS comprising a user-actuated backup signaling subsystem(UBSS), a user-notifying device comprising first and second notifying states, and a host interface adapted for communication with the host system. The method comprises receiving a first signal from UBSS; communicating first signal to host system via host interface; receiving an acknowledgement signal from host system in response to communicating; and switching user-notifying device between first notifying state and second notifying state in response to received acknowledgement signal. Another method comprises receiving in host system a first request from PDSS for performing a task corresponding to a host-scheduled backup operation for a scheduled backing up of data to PDSS; completing the task by host system based on received first request; and notifying PDSS of completion of the task by host system.

Performing backup operations to peripheral data storage systems

A method of displaying states of a peripheral data storage system (PDSS) comprising a data storage device, a data storage system controller, a user-actuated signaling subsystem, a user display subsystem adapted to display the states, and a peripheral data storage controller host interface adapted for communication with a host system. The method includes determining a state of the PDSS; displaying a first display state via the user display subsystem if the PDSS is in an idle state; displaying a second display state via the user display subsystem if the PDSS is in a state corresponding to receiving a signal from the user-actuated signaling subsystem; displaying a third display state via the user display subsystem if the PDSS is in a dynamically active state; and displaying a fourth display state via the user display subsystem if the PDSS is in an off state.

Peripheral data storage system with multi-state user display

In an external disk drive system comprising a disk drive, a bridge controller comprising a plurality of Bridge Controller Host (BCH) interfaces adapted to establish communication between the external disk drive system and an external device via a plurality of different communication mediums, a method for switching from a first BCH-interface communicating with the external device via a first communication medium to a second BCH-interface during the operation of the external disk drive system. The method comprising sensing a connecting of a second communication medium to the external disk drive system via the second BCH-interface; determining an interface priority of the second communication medium over an interface priority of the first communication medium; dismounting the disk drive from the first communication medium based on the determining; and mounting the disk drive to the second communication medium wherein the external disk drive system remains operational during the dismounting an mounting.

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Mission Viejo, CA, United States of America

Kevin W McLaughlin