Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Shad Henry Thorstenson

Zvonimir Z Bandic

Cyril Guyot

David Robison Hall

Robert Eugeniu Mateescu

Bernd Lamberts

Timothy Tsai

Brian Lee Morger

Tomohiro Harayama

Andrew E Larson

Jeffrey Richards Hester

William Bernard Boyle

Jonathan Darrel Coker

Remmelt Pit

Kris Victor Schouterden

Gregory Michael Frees

Zarko Popov

Cory J Peterson

Damien Cyril Daniel Le Moal

Anthony Edwin Welter

Christopher Scott Dudley

Christopher Scott Taylor

Michael James Miller

Thomas James Despins

Mark Bergquist

Andy Larson

A Data Storage Device (DSD) includes a memory for storing data, and a controller configured to execute firmware or code to perform a task. While performing the task, the controller is further configured to assign unique identifiers to respective firmware or code portions that are executed to perform the task, and create a list or data structure including the unique identifier assigned to the firmware or code portion that created the task. A unique identifier is added to the list or data structure for each firmware or code portion executed for the task. The list or data structure indicates the order in which the firmware or code portions are executed.

Exception analysis for data storage devices

A Data Storage Device (DSD) includes at least one Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) configured to store data and a Non-Volatile Cache (NVC). Write data is stored in a volatile memory in preparation for writing the write data in the at least one NVM. In response to a power loss of the DSD, at least a portion of the data stored in the volatile memory is transferred from the volatile memory to the NVC and one or more parameters are determined for deriving a margin representing an additional amount of data for transfer from the volatile memory to the NVC using a remaining power following a power loss. A size of the NVC is adjusted based at least in part on the derived margin.

Adaptive power loss management for data storage devices

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a magnetic media comprising a plurality of data tracks, wherein each data track comprises a plurality of data sectors. A plurality of access commands are stored in a command queue, and an access command is selected from the command queue. When the selected access command is a write command to a target data track and at least part of a first data track proximate the target data track needs to be refreshed, a refresh read command is executed to read data from at least part of the first data track prior to executing the write command to the target data track.

Data storage device executing just-in-time refresh

A write command is received to write data in a Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) realm of a disk to be formatted for writing data in non-overlapping tracks. The disk includes a plurality of areas of the disk that can be formatted as a CMR realm or as a Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) realm formatted for writing data in overlapping tracks. It is determined whether performance of the write command would require writing to begin in a portion of the CMR realm that has not been written with non-overlapping tracks. In response to determining that the performance of the write command would require writing to begin in a portion of the CMR realm that has not been written with non-overlapping tracks, a predefined data pattern is written using non-overlapping tracks in the portion of the CMR realm that has not been written with non-overlapping tracks.

Dynamic hybrid shingled magnetic recording device

In general, techniques are described for writing data to a storage device that comprises an interface and a controller. The interface may receive a request to sequentially write data stored in a first group of tracks to an I-region, where the first group of tracks was also previously written. The controller may move data stored in a second group of consecutive tracks different than the first group of tracks from the I-region to an E-region, the second group having cardinality equal to the tracks that must be moved for the first group to be written sequentially in the I-region. The E-region comprises a portion of the storage device reserved for temporary storage. The controller may determine a position of the I-region where data from one of the second group was previously stored, and write data from the first group of tracks sequentially to the I-region, starting at the position.

Atomic write-in-place for hard disk drives

A method, apparatus and a data storage device are provided for implementing drive list mode for read and write transfers on a recordable surface of a storage device. Drive List mode provides a queue in a linked list to chain together multiple independent transfers on a single track. The multiple drive independent transfers include at least one of sequential transfers, near-sequential transfers, and random transfers on the single track. A drive list mode transfer of multiple independent transfers on the single track is enabled in one disk revolution, and requiring a single hardware setup for the drive list mode transfer.

Implementing drive list mode for reads and writes for hard disk drives

A shingled magnetic recording hard disk drive that uses writeable cache tracks in the inter-band gaps between the annular data bands minimizes the effect of far track erasure (FTE) in the boundary regions of annular data bands caused by writing to the cache tracks. Based on the relative FTE effect for all the tracks in a range of tracks of the cache track being written, a count increment (CI) table or a cumulative count increment (CCI) table is maintained. For every writing to a cache track, a count for each track in an adjacent boundary region, or a cumulative count for each adjacent boundary region, is increased. When the count value for a track, or the cumulative count for a boundary region, reaches a predetermined threshold the data is read from that band and rewritten to the same band.

Shingled magnetic recording disk drive with inter-band disk cache and minimization of the effect of far track erasure on adjacent data bands

A shingled magnetic recording (SMR) disk drive has concentric shingled data tracks having data sectors with physical block addresses (PBAs), with the tracks being arranged in annular bands separated by annular inter-band gaps. The disk drive also has an on-disk extended cache region and may have writable inter-band cache (IBC) tracks in the inter-band gaps. A count is maintained in memory for each band and each IBC, and the count is incremented for each writing to a band or an IBC. When a count for a band or IBC reaches a predetermined threshold, the data is read from the tracks in the boundary region of the adjacent band that are within the range of the FTE and that data is then written to the extended cache. The FTE-affected tracks are then invalidated, meaning that PBAs can no longer be assigned to the data sectors in those tracks.

Shingled magnetic recording disk drive with compensation for the effect of far track erasure (FTE) on adjacent data bands

A shingled magnetic recording (SMR) hard disk drive (HDD) essentially eliminates the effect of far track erasure (FTE) in the boundary regions of annular data bands caused by writing in the boundary regions of adjacent annular data bands. The extent of the FTE effect is determined for each track within a range of tracks of the track being written. Based on the relative FTE effect for all the tracks in the range, a count increment (CI) table or a cumulative count increment (CCI) table is maintained for all the tracks in the range. For every writing to a track in a boundary region, a count for each track in an adjacent boundary region, or a cumulative count for the adjacent boundary region, is increased. When the count reaches a predetermined threshold the data is read from that band and rewritten to the same band.

Shingled magnetic recording disk drive with minimization of the effect of far track erasure on adjacent data bands

A SCSI ID of a SCSI initiator device that has won an arbitration is identified on a SCSI bus and stored in a register at a SCSI device. Subsequently, a SCSI ID of a selected SCSI target device which was selected by the SCSI initiator device is identified on the SCSI bus and compared with the SCSI ID in the register. If the SCSI ID of the selected SCSI target device and the SCSI ID stored in the register are different, a SCSI command from the SCSI initiator device is processed by the selected SCSI target device. If the SCSI ID of the selected SCSI target device and the SCSI ID stored in the register are the same, the selected SCSI target device refrains from processing the SCSI command from the SCSI initiator device.

Methods and apparatus for improving data integrity for small computer system interface (SCSI) devices

A peripheral device (which is preferably a disk drive) can automatically collect trace data upon detecting certain error conditions. The peripheral device has the ability to selectively alter the range of state data collected in a trace depending on the error type. Preferably, the device includes a programmable processor executing a control program. A set of trace switches, each enabling a corresponding set of trace points, can be independently set by the control program. An error trace identification table identifies, for each error type, a corresponding set of trace switches. If an error is encountered, the trace switches corresponding to the error type are determined from the table, and the switches are set accordingly. In another invention aspect, a set of trap switches in the device can be set to trap on the occurrence of a specific error type, thereby supporting a more detailed error analysis.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Shad Henry Thorstenson