Claims
- 1. In a digital system, an assembly comprising:
an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement including a rotatable disk and at least responsive to a read gate signal for initiating a read therefrom and responsive to a write gate signal for initiating a write thereto; a host device that is configured for controlling the data storage arrangement and for generating said read gate signal and said write gate signal in a mutually exclusive way; and an interface electrically interconnecting the data storage arrangement and the host device using a plurality of electrical conductors such that a selected one of the conductors carries both the read gate signal and the write gate signal.
- 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said electromechanical storage arrangement is configured for storing servo information and user data on the rotatable disk and for generating a servo synchronization signal responsive to handling said servo information and for generating an error signal responsive to detection of an error relating at least to said user data and said host device is configured for controlling the data storage arrangement, at least in part, by using said servo synchronization signal and said error signal, and said interface includes a particular one of the conductors which carries both the servo synchronization signal and the error signal in a mutually exclusive manner.
- 3. In a digital system, a method comprising the steps of:
providing an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement including a rotatable disk and being at least responsive to a read gate signal for initiating a read therefrom and responsive to a write gate signal for initiating a write thereto; configuring a host device for controlling the data storage arrangement and for generating said read gate signal and said write gate signal in a mutually exclusive way; and arranging an interface for electrically interconnecting the data storage arrangement and the host device using a plurality of electrical conductors such that a selected one of the conductors carries both the read gate signal and the write gate signal.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said electromechanical storage arrangement is configured for storing servo information and user data on the rotatable disk and for generating a servo synchronization signal responsive to handling said servo information and for generating an error signal responsive to detection of an error relating at least to said user data and said host device is configured for controlling the data storage arrangement, at least in part, by using said servo synchronization signal and said error signal, and the step of arranging the interface includes the step of using a particular one of the conductors to carry both the servo synchronization signal and the error signal in a mutually exclusive manner.
- 5. In a digital system, an assembly comprising:
an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement including a rotatable disk having servo information and user data storable thereon and configured for generating a servo synchronization signal responsive to said servo information and at least for generating an error signal responsive to detection of an error relating to said user data; a host device that is configured for controlling the data storage arrangement, at least in part, by using said servo synchronization signal and said error signal; and an interface electrically interconnecting the data storage arrangement and the host device using a plurality of electrical conductors such that a selected one of the conductors carries both the servo synchronization signal and the error signal in a mutually exclusive manner.
- 6. In a digital system, a method comprising the steps of:
providing an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement including a rotatable disk having servo information and user data storable thereon and configured for generating a servo synchronization signal responsive to said servo information and at least for generating an error signal responsive to detection of an error relating to said user data; configuring a host device for controlling the data storage arrangement, at least in part, by using said servo synchronization signal and said error signal; and arranging an interface to electrically interconnect the data storage arrangement and the host device using a plurality of electrical conductors such that a selected one of the conductors carries both the servo synchronization signal and the error signal in a mutually exclusive manner.
- 7. In a system including an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo electronics device having a servo serial interface, in cooperation with a read/write electronics device having a read/write serial interface for control thereof, and a preamp electronics device having a preamp serial interface for control thereof, such that digital data can be written to or read from said disk responsive to a host device, said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of device serial interfaces, an interface arrangement, comprising:
an external serial interface, forming part of the storage arrangement, for use in externally electrically connecting the storage arrangement and for bi-directionally externally transferring a serial control-related data, for use in operating each of the servo device, the read/write device and the preamp device; a host serial interface, forming part of the host device, in data communication with the external serial interface of the storage arrangement, configured for applying a device identification on the external serial interface in a way which directly associates at least a portion of the serial control-related data with each of the device serial interfaces; and a serial router, forming part of said storage arrangement, in data communication with each of the device serial interfaces, for using said device identification to manage said serial control-related data bi-directionally between the device serial interfaces and the external serial interface.
- 8. In an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo electronics device having a servo serial interface, in cooperation with a read/write electronics device having a read/write serial interface for control thereof, and a preamp electronics device having a preamp serial interface for control thereof, such that digital data can be written to or read from said disk, and said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of device serial interfaces, an external interface arrangement, comprising:
a primary serial gateway for implementing external bidirectional transfer of a serial control-related data that is used in operating each of the servo device, the read/write device and the preamp device, consistent with a serial protocol; and a serial router in data communication with said primary serial gateway for using said serial protocol to manage said serial control-related data bi-directionally between the primary serial gateway and each of the device serial interfaces.
- 9. In a system including an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo electronics device having a servo serial interface, in cooperation with a read/write electronics device having a read/write serial interface for control thereof, and a preamp electronics device having a preamp serial interface for control thereof, such that digital data can be written to or read from said disk responsive to a host device, and said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of devices and associated device serial interfaces, an interface arrangement, comprising:
a primary serial gateway, forming part of the storage arrangement for externally bi-directionally transferring a serial control-related data, which is used in operating said devices; a host serial interface, forming part of the host device and in data communication with the primary serial gateway of the storage arrangement, configured for applying a serial protocol to the serial control-related data passing between the host device and the storage arrangement; and a serial router, forming part of said storage arrangement and in data communication with said primary serial gateway, for using said serial protocol to manage said serial control-related data between the primary serial gateway and each of the device serial interfaces.
- 10. The system of claim 9 wherein said serial control-related data includes a series of commands issued by the host device to the storage arrangement and wherein said host device is configured for adding a device ID, as part of said serial protocol, to each of said commands, which device ID selectively identifies one of said devices for use by said serial router.
- 11. The system of claim 9 wherein said serial control-related data includes a series of commands issued by the host device to the storage arrangement which is made up of read commands and write commands and wherein said host device is configured for tracking a portion of said serial control-related data that is associated with each command.
- 12. The system of claim 11 wherein, for a current one of said commands, the host device and the serial router are configured to cooperate to capture the serial gateway for use by the current command prior to the host device issuing a subsequent command.
- 13. The system of claim 11 wherein the storage arrangement includes an operation definitions section which specifies a command length for each command that is associated with a particular device and the host device cooperates with the storage arrangement for tracking a current command based on the command length for that command, as part of said serial protocol.
- 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the host device is configured to listen for a specified number of bits during transfer of said current command until said command length is reached and, thereafter, initiates a subsequent command.
- 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the current command is a write command that is directed to a targeted one of said device serial interfaces, using said device ID, and each write command, including the current command, includes a header portion and a data portion, to cause the targeted device, that is associated with the targeted device serial interface, to store the data portion at a particular location in the targeted device.
- 16. The system of claim 14 wherein the current command is a read command that is directed to a targeted one of said device serial interfaces, using said device ID, and each read command, including the current command, includes a header portion and a data portion, such that the host device and the storage arrangement cooperate to send the header portion to a targeted device, that is associated with a targeted device serial interface, to cause the targeted device to use the header portion to read a specific data group from a specific data location within the targeted device and, thereafter, the storage arrangement returns the specific data to the host device as said data portion.
- 17. The system of claim 9 wherein said serial control-related data includes a series of commands issued by the host device to the storage arrangement and each command is directed to a targeted one of said devices and includes a first set of information that is for use by the storage arrangement at least for controlling said serial router and a second set of information that is for internal use by said targeted device.
- 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the first set of information includes a mark bit which initiates the command and further identifies the command as one of a read command and a write command.
- 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first set of information further includes a device identification that indicates the targeted device.
- 20. The system of claim 17 wherein the second set of information includes a header portion, which specifies a specific data location in the targeted device, and a data portion for one of reading from or writing to the specific data location.
- 21. The interface arrangement of claim 9 wherein said host serial interface is configured for applying a device identification to a specific portion of said serial control-related data that is to be directed to a targeted one of said device serial interfaces and said serial router is configured for recognizing the device identification for each device serial interface and directing that specific portion of the serial control-related data to the targeted device.
- 22. The interface arrangement of claim 21 wherein said serial router is further configured for sending the specific portion of said serial control-related data to the targeted device without sending the device identification to the targeted device serial interface.
- 23. The interface arrangement of claim 22 wherein each of said devices is operated responsive to a read and write command set that is unique to each device and wherein said serial control-related data is used, at least in part, to selectively assert the unique read and write command set-to each of said devices.
- 24. The interface arrangement of claim 23 wherein said host device includes a sequencer that is customizable for the read and write command set of each device.
- 25. The interface arrangement of claim 9 wherein said serial router is provided as part of an overall integrated circuit.
- 26. In a system including an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo electronics device having a servo serial interface, in cooperation with a read/write electronics device having a read/write serial interface for control thereof, and a preamp electronics device having a preamp serial interface for control thereof, such that digital data can be written to or read from said disk responsive to a host device, and said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of devices and associated device serial interfaces, a method comprising the steps of:
configuring a primary serial gateway, forming part of the storage arrangement for externally bi-directionally transferring a serial control-related data, which is used in operating said devices; arranging a host serial interface, as part of the host device in data communication with the primary serial gateway of the storage arrangement, for applying a serial protocol to the serial control-related data passing between the host device and the storage arrangement; and using a serial router, as part of said storage arrangement and in data communication with said primary serial gateway, to manage said serial control-related data between the primary serial gateway and each of the device serial interfaces.
- 27. The method of claim 26 wherein said serial control-related data includes a series of commands issued by the host device to the storage arrangement and wherein said host device is configured for adding a device ID, as part of said serial protocol, to each of said commands, which device ID selectively identifies one of said devices.
- 28. The method of claim 27 wherein, for a current one of said commands, the host device and the serial router are configured to cooperate to capture the serial gateway for use by the current command prior to the host device issuing a subsequent command.
- 29. The method of claim 27 including the step of configuring an operation definitions section which specifies a command length for each command that is associated with a particular device, as part of said storage arrangement, and causing the host device to track a current command on the command length for that command, as part of said serial protocol.
- 30. The method of claim 29 including the step of listening with the host device for a specified number of bits during transfer of said current command, until said command length is reached, and, thereafter, initiating a subsequent command.
- 31. The method of claim 30 wherein the current command is a write command that is directed to a targeted one of said device serial interfaces, using said device ID, and including the step of forming each write command, including the current command, to include a header portion and a data portion, to cause the targeted device, that is associated with the targeted device serial interface, to store the data portion at a particular location in the targeted device.
- 32. The method of claim 30 wherein the current command is a read command that is directed to a targeted one of said device serial interfaces, using said device ID, and including the step of forming each read command, including the current command, to include a header portion and a data portion, such that the host device and the storage arrangement cooperate to send the header portion to a targeted device, that is associated with a targeted device serial interface, to cause the targeted device to use the header portion to read a specific data group from a specific data location within the targeted device and, thereafter, the storage arrangement returns the specific data group to the host device as said data portion.
- 33. The method of claim 26 wherein said serial control-related data includes a series of commands issued by the host device to the storage arrangement and each command is directed to a targeted one of said devices and including the step of forming each command to include a first set of information that is for use by the storage arrangement, at least for controlling said serial router, and a second set of information that is for internal use by said targeted device.
- 34. The method of claim 33 including the steps of providing a mark bit as part of said first set of information for use in initiating the command and further identifying the command as one of a read command and a write command.
- 35. The method system of claim 34 including the step of adding a device identification to the first set of information that indicates the targeted device.
- 36. The method of claim 33 including the step of adding a header portion to the second set of information, which specifies a specific data location in the targeted device, and a data portion for one of reading from or writing to the specific data location.
- 37. The method of claim 26 including the steps of configuring said host serial interface for applying a device identification to a specific portion of said serial control-related data that is to be directed to a targeted one of said device serial interfaces and configuring said serial router for recognizing the device identification for each device serial interface and directing that specific portion of the serial control-related data to the targeted device.
- 38. The method of claim 37 including the step of further configuring the serial router for sending the specific portion-of said serial control-related data to the targeted device without sending the device identification to the targeted device serial interface.
- 39. The method of claim 38 wherein each of said devices is operated responsive to a read and write command set that is unique to each device and including the step of using said serial control-related data, at least in part, to selectively assert the unique read and write command set to each of said devices.
- 40. The method of claim 39 including the steps of providing a sequencer as part of said said host device and customizing the sequencer for the read and write command set of each device.
- 41. The method of claim 26 including the step of integrating said serial router and the servo device as part of an overall integrated circuit.
- 42. In an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo electronics device having a servo serial interface for transferring serial servo data, in cooperation with a read/write electronics device having a read/write serial interface for transferring serial read/write data, and a preamp electronics device having a preamp serial interface for transferring serial preamp data, such that user data can be written to or read from said disk, said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of device serial interfaces, each of which is configured for transferring a device specific serial data, a method comprising the steps of:
configuring a primary serial gateway for use in externally bi-directionally transferring a serial control-related data which is made up of device-specific serial data for operating each of the servo device, the read/write device and the preamp device; identifying at least a portion of said serial control-related data that travels through said external serial interface to associate that portion of the serial control-related data with targeted ones of the device serial interfaces; and configuring a serial router for routing said serial control-related data, based at least in part on the identified portion of the serial control-related data, between the external serial interface and each targeted one of the device serial interfaces.
- 43. In a system including an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo device having a servo serial interface, in cooperation with a read/write device having a read/write serial interface for control thereof, and a preamp device having a preamp serial interface for control thereof, such that digital data can be written to or read from said disk responsive to a host device, and said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of device serial interfaces each of which is associated with a device such that each device is operated responsive to a read and write command set that is unique to that device, an interface arrangement, comprising:
a primary serial gateway, forming part of the storage arrangement, for electrically interconnecting the storage arrangement to the host device to implement external bidirectional transfer of a serial control-related data which is used in operating each of the servo device, the read/write device and the preamp device; a host serial interface, forming part of the host device and in data communication with the primary serial gateway of the storage arrangement, configured for use in selectively asserting each read and write command set to each of said devices on said primary serial gateway for use in managing each device and for identifying a command that is asserted by the host device to a targeted one of the devices using a device identification; and a serial router, forming part of said storage arrangement, in selective data communication with each of the device serial interfaces, for using said device identification to direct the asserted command to the targeted device.
- 44. The interface arrangement of claim 43 wherein the command that is asserted to the targeted device is a read command and wherein said serial router is configured for passing a read response, originated by the targeted device, back to the host device via the primary serial gateway.
- 45. The interface arrangement of claim 44 wherein the read response includes a predetermined data length and wherein said host device includes a sequencer that is customized to the read and write command set of each device to cause the sequencer to listen for the read response over a period which corresponds to the predetermined length of the read response.
- 46. In a system including an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for performing write operations to and read operations from said disk under the control of a servo device having a servo serial interface, in cooperation with a read/write device having a read/write serial interface for control thereof, and a preamp device having a preamp serial interface for control thereof, such that digital data can be written to or read from said disk responsive to a host device, and said storage arrangement thereby including a plurality of device serial interfaces each of which is associated with a device such that each device is operated responsive to a read and write command set that is unique to that device, a method comprising the steps of:
forming a primary serial gateway, as part of the storage arrangement, for electrically interconnecting the storage arrangement to the host device to implement external bi-directional transfer of a serial control-related data which is used in operating each of the servo device, the read/write device and the preamp device; configuring a host serial interface, as part of the host device, in data communication with the primary serial gateway of the storage arrangement, for use in selectively asserting each read and write command set to each of said devices on said primary serial gateway for managing each device and for identifying a command that is asserted by the host device to a targeted one of the devices using a device identification; and arranging a serial router, as part of said storage arrangement, in selective data communication with each of the device serial interfaces, for using said device identification to direct the asserted command to the targeted device.
- 47. The method of claim 46 wherein the command that is asserted to the targeted device is a read command and including the step of configuring said serial router for passing a read response, originated by the targeted device, back to the host device via the primary serial gateway.
- 48. The method of claim 47 wherein the read response includes a predetermined data length and including the steps of providing a sequencer, as part of said host device, and customizing the sequencer to the read and write command set of each device to cause the sequencer to listen for the read response over a period which corresponds to the predetermined length of the read response.
- 49. In an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for use in electromagnetically writing user data to the disk and for use in electromagnetically reading the user data from the disk under the control of an electronics arrangement through the use of control-related data, and which electronics arrangement is externally interfaced for transferring said user data, a data interface arrangement comprising:
at least one data line for use in externally transferring said user data during said read operations and said write operations; and a configuration for using said data line during operation of the storage arrangement to carry at least a portion of said control-related data at a time when said data line is not carrying said user data.
- 50. The data interface arrangement of claim 49 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement performs a start-up procedure that is associated with spinning up said rotatable disk prior to reading and writing the user data and wherein said configuration uses the data line during the start-up procedure.
- 51. The data interface arrangement of claim 50 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement includes a spindle motor for rotating said disk under the control of said electronics arrangement and said spindle motor is used to generate a back EMF signal while spinning and wherein said data line carries zero crossing data that is generated responsive to the back EMF signal during said start-up procedure.
- 52. The data interface arrangement of claim 51 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement includes an additional data line for carrying said user data and said spindle motor is controlled using a commutation signal as part of said control-related data and wherein said additional data line carries said commutation signal, as another portion of said control-related data, during said start-up procedure.
- 53. The data interface arrangement of claim 50 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement includes a spindle motor for rotating said disk under the control of said electronics arrangement and said spindle motor is controlled using a commutation signal and wherein said data line carries the commutation signal during said start-up procedure.
- 54. The data interface arrangement of claim 49 wherein the data line is an NRZ line.
- 55. In an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement having a rotatable disk and an actuator arm for use in electromagnetically writing user data to the disk and for use in electromagnetically reading the user data from the disk under the control of an electronics arrangement through the use of control-related data, and which electronics arrangement is externally interfaced for transferring said user data, a method comprising the steps of:
providing at least one data line for use in externally transferring said user data during said read operations and said write operations; and using said data line, during operation of the storage arrangement, to carry at least a portion of said control-related data at a time when said data line is not carrying said user data.
- 56. The method of claim 55 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement performs a start-up procedure that is associated with spinning up said rotatable disk prior to reading and writing the user data and the step of using the data line for carrying at least a portion of said control-related data is performed during the start-up procedure.
- 57. The method of claim 56 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement includes a spindle motor for rotating said disk under the control of said electronics arrangement and said spindle motor is used to generate a back EMF signal while spinning and the step of using the data line to carry at least a portion of the control-related data includes the step of transferring a zero crossing data that is generated responsive to the back EMF signal during said start-up procedure.
- 58. The method of claim 57,wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement includes an additional data line for carrying said user data and said spindle motor is controlled using a commutation signal as part of said control-related data and said method includes the step of using the additional data to carry said commutation signal, as another portion of said control-related data, during said start-up procedure.
- 59. The method of claim 56 wherein said electromechanical digital data storage arrangement includes a spindle motor for rotating said disk under the-control of said electronics arrangement and said spindle motor is controlled using a commutation signal and the step of using the data line to carry at least a portion of the control-related data includes the step of transferring the commutation signal during said start-up procedure.
- 60. The method of claim 55 including the step of using the data line as an NRZ line for transfer of said user data.
- 61. In an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement including a disk for storing user data thereon which user data is transferred through a data port, a method comprising the steps of:
providing a serial port for operating the storage arrangement using a bidirectional control-related serial data that is clocked using a clock signal; and writing said user data to said disk using said clock signal as a time base reference.
- 62. In an electromechanical digital data storage arrangement including a disk for storing user data thereon which user data is transferred through a data port, a configuration comprising:
a serial port for operating the storage arrangement using a bi-directional control-related serial data that is clocked using a clock signal; and means for using said clock signal as a time base reference for writing said user data to said disk.
- 63. In an overall system including a host device for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and said host device is provided with a particular firmware configuration for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration in the host device, such that the particular firmware configuration, provided with the host device, is limited in controlling the updated version of the storage arrangement, a method comprising the steps of:
installing an update set of firmware, that corresponds to differences between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration, as part of the updated version of the storage arrangement; configuring the particular firmware configuration of the host device to automatically query, irrespective of the version of the storage arrangement, any storage arrangement with which the host device is connected for the presence of said update set of firmware; connecting the host device to an updated version of the storage arrangement; and upon detection of said update firmware set responsive to the query, establishing the updated firmware configuration in the host device, based on the update firmware set, to cause the host device to operate the storage arrangement using the updated firmware configuration.
- 64. The method of claim 63 wherein said update firmware set replaces only a portion of the particular firmware configuration.
- 65. The method of claim 63 wherein said particular firmware configuration is divided into a plurality of original code segments and said update firmware set includes individual update segments that correspond to individual ones of the plurality of original code segments such that each update segment of the updated firmware configuration replaces one of the original code segments.
- 66. The method of claim 65 wherein, prior to using any specific one of the original code segments of the particular firmware configuration, the host device performs a query to determine if that specific code segment is replaced by the updated firmware configuration.
- 67. The method of claim 66 including the step of using a jump table in the step of performing said query such that the jump table specifies each update segment of the updated firmware configuration.
- 68. The method of claim 66 wherein, upon determining that the specific code segment has been replaced, the host device executes that specific code segment as provided by the updated firmware configuration.
- 69. The method of claim 68 wherein the specific code segment, as part of the updated firmware configuration, includes a different length than that specific code segment, as part of the particular firmware configuration.
- 70. The method of claim 65 wherein said storage arrangement includes non-volatile electronic memory means and wherein the step of installing the updated firmware set in the storage arrangement includes the steps of loading a first portion of said code segments into said electronic memory means and a second portion of said code segments onto said disk such that, upon start-up of the storage arrangement, said first portion of the code segments relate to initialization of the storage arrangement to, thereafter, enable reading digital data, including said second portion of the code segments, from the disk.
- 71. In an overall system including a host device for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and said host device is provided with a particular firmware configuration for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration in the host device, such that the particular firmware configuration, provided with the host device, is limited in controlling the updated version of the storage arrangement, an arrangement comprising:
an update set of firmware, installed in said updated version of the storage arrangement, that corresponds to differences between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration; first means for causing the host device to automatically query, irrespective of the version of the storage arrangement, any storage arrangement with which the host device is connected for the presence of said update set of firmware; and second means for establishing the updated firmware configuration in the host device upon detection of said update firmware set responsive to the query, based on the update firmware set, to cause the host device to operate the storage arrangement using the updated firmware configuration.
- 72. The arrangement of claim 71 wherein said update firmware set replaces only a portion of the particular firmware configuration.
- 73. The arrangement of claim 71 wherein said particular firmware configuration is divided into a plurality of original code segments and said update firmware set includes individual update segments that correspond to individual ones of the plurality of original code segments such that each update segment of the updated firmware configuration replaces one of the original code segments.
- 74. The arrangement of claim 73 wherein, prior to using any specific one of the original code segments of the particular firmware configuration, the host device is configured to perform a query to determine if that specific code segment is replaced by the updated firmware configuration.
- 75. The arrangement of claim 74 wherein the updated firmware configuration includes using a jump table to which said query is directed such that the jump table specifies each update segment of the updated firmware configuration.
- 76. The arrangement of claim 74 wherein, upon determining that the specific code segment has been replaced, the host device is configured to execute that specific code segment as provided by the updated firmware configuration.
- 77. The arrangement of claim 76 wherein the specific code segment, as part of the updated firmware configuration, includes a different length than its corresponding original code segment, as part of the particular firmware configuration.
- 78. The arrangement of claim 73 wherein said storage arrangement includes non-volatile electronic memory means for storing a first portion of the update set of firmware as a first group of update code segments and a second portion of said updated firmware set is stored as a second group of update code segments on said disk such that, upon start-up of the storage arrangement, said first portion of the update code segments relate to initialization of the storage arrangement to, thereafter, enable reading digital data, including said second portion of the update code segments, from the disk.
- 79. In a system including a host device having a host processing arrangement for controlling the overall host device and for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is initially provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and a particular firmware configuration is used for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement such that a first portion of the particular firmware configuration is required to allow the storage arrangement to access any digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration that changes at least the first portion of the updated firmware configuration, compared to the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, in a way which would at least limit access to the digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, a method comprising the steps of:
electrically interfacing storage arrangement control means with said host processing arrangement of the host device and with the updated version of the storage arrangement, said storage arrangement control means including the particular firmware configuration for controlling the particular version of the storage arrangement; storing a first firmware update in the host device that corresponds at least to a difference between the first portion of the particular firmware and the first portion of the updated firmware configuration in a way that is accessible to the host processing arrangement; and transferring the first firmware update to the storage arrangement control means, using the host processing arrangement, in a way that causes the storage arrangement control means to install the first portion of the updated firmware configuration for controlling the storage arrangement.
- 80. The method of claim 79 including the step of storing a second firmware update on the rotatable disk, approximately at a time of manufacture of the storage arrangement, corresponding to an additional difference between a second portion of the particular firmware configuration, as compared to a second portion of the updated firmware configuration, and the step of accessing the second firmware update, using the storage arrangement control means, after installing the first portion of the updated firmware configuration to install the second portion of the updated firmware configuration.
- 81. In a system including a host device having a host processing arrangement for controlling the overall host device and for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is initially provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and a particular firmware configuration is used for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement such that a first portion of the particular firmware configuration is required to allow the storage arrangement to access any digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration that changes at least the first portion of the updated firmware configuration, compared to the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, in a way which would at least limit access to the digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, a firmware control arrangement, comprising:
storage arrangement control means electrically interfaced with said host processing arrangement of the host device and with the updated version of the storage arrangement, said storage arrangement control means including the particular firmware configuration for controlling the particular version of the storage arrangement; a firmware update stored in the host device that corresponds at least to a difference between the first portion of the particular firmware and the first portion of the updated firmware configuration in a way that is accessible to the host processing arrangement; and means for transferring the firmware update to the storage arrangement control means, using the host processing arrangement, in a way that causes the storage arrangement control means to, thereafter, execute the first portion of the updated firmware configuration in controlling the storage arrangement.
- 82. The firmware control arrangement of claim 81 wherein a second firmware update is stored on the rotatable disk, approximately at a time of manufacture of the storage arrangement, corresponding to an additional difference between a second portion of the particular firmware configuration, as compared to a second portion of the updated firmware configuration, and said storage arrangement control means is configured for accessing the second firmware update, using the storage arrangement control means, after installing the first portion of the updated firmware configuration to install the second portion of the updated firmware configuration.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/313,550, filed on Dec. 6, 2002, which is itself a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/952,998 filed on Sep. 14, 2001, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The present application further claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/466,221, filed on Apr. 28, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60466221 |
Apr 2003 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10313550 |
Dec 2002 |
US |
Child |
10447544 |
May 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09952998 |
Sep 2001 |
US |
Child |
10313550 |
Dec 2002 |
US |