Abstract: Method for predicting an imminent failure of a disk drive. A plurality of attributes are selected for monitoring during operation of the disk drive. These attributes may include self-preserving attributes, performance attributes, error rate attributes, and even count attributes. An initial value is determined for each one of the selected attributes. A threshold value is then selected for each of the attributes. The disk drive is then monitored for occurrences of the self-preserving, performance, error rate and event count attributes. Each time an occurrence of the attributes is monitored, the initial value for that attribute is updated and normalized. The updated normalized value for the attribute is then compared with the corresponding threshold for that attribute and an imminent failure of the disk drive is predicted if the normalized updated value of the attribute exceeds the threshold therefor.

Abstract: A layered block device driver for accessing a storage device coupled to a computer system having a platform on which a disk fault prediction application operates. The layered block device driver includes a file system driver coupled to the computer system, at least one upper level driver coupled to the file system driver, an intermediate driver having a first coupling with the upper level driver for the exchange of messages between the intermediate driver and the upper level driver and a second coupling with the application which controls the exchange of messages between the application and the storage device, and a port driver coupled to the intermediate driver and the storage device.

Abstract: In a desktop computer, a hard disk drive activity indicator such as an LED is mounted on the front panel, remote from its associated hard disk drive which is mounted in the back of the housing. The LED is triggered in response both I/O writes for addresses reserved for use with the hard disk, and interrupt requests generated by the hard disk drive. Triggering logic on the motherboard of the computer detects these conditions, and a retriggerable monostable multivibrator which activates the LED. The LED is coupled to the triggering logic with by a conductor that need not be added as an additional part or assembly but instead is within an already-existing assembly such as the power supply.

Abstract: A disk array controller includes a local microprocessor, a bus master interface, a compatible interface, buffer memory and a disk interface. The controller includes a DMA controller between the microprocessor, the bus master interface, the compatibility interface and the buffer memory. DMA controllers are also provided between the disk interface and the buffer memory. One of these DMA channels includes an XOR engine used to develop parity information used with the disk array. The various DMA controllers are cycled to allow access to the buffer memory and the disk interface.

Abstract: An interface between a CPU bus and peripheral device such as a standard embedded controller disk drive uses either a dedicated, I/O mapped register set for control and status communication between the host CPU and the disk controller, or an alternate "flex mode" protocol which allows the drive to be used with great versatility in a wide variety of systems. This alternate "flex mode" protocol does not require changes to the hardware definition of the drive interface, but instead uses the data port to transfer information blocks to set up a subsequent data transfer through this port.