Abstract: A method is disclosed for configuring a data storage device. The data storage device receives a configuration code, and in response to the configuration code selects a configuration data record set from a plurality of configuration data record sets. The data storage device is configured in response to the selected configuration data record set. For example, the data storage device may be configured into a manufacturing test procedure mode, and then into a customer specific operating mode. In another embodiment, a hardware configuration of the data storage device is identified, and the configuration code selected based on the identified hardware configuration.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed including a disk, and a head actuated over the disk. Control circuitry within the disk drive is operable to receive a write operation for a refresh zone of the disk, measure a write operation quality parameter that affects the quality of the write operation, and perform the write operation. An update function is enabled in connection with performing the write operation, wherein the update function is operable to update a refresh monitor as a function of the write operation and the write operation quality parameter. Data stored in the refresh zone of the disk is refreshed in response to the refresh monitor.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for configuring a data storage device. The data storage device receives a configuration code, and in response to the configuration code selects a configuration data record set from a plurality of configuration data record sets. The data storage device is configured in response to the selected configuration data record set. For example, the data storage device may be configured into a manufacturing test procedure mode, and then into a customer specific operating mode. In another embodiment, a hardware configuration of the data storage device is identified, and the configuration code selected based on the identified hardware configuration.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed including a disk comprising a plurality of refresh zones, and a head actuated over the disk. The disk drive further comprises control circuitry for receiving access commands from a host. The control circuitry refreshes a refresh zone in a plurality of segments with an interval between each segment, and processes at least one of the access commands during the interval between at least two of the segments, wherein a size of each segment and the interval ensures an average throughput of access commands received from the host does not fall below a first threshold.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed including a first disk surface comprising a plurality of data tracks, wherein each data track comprises a first plurality of data sectors, and a second disk surface comprising a plurality of data tracks, wherein each data track comprises a second plurality of data sectors. A first head is actuated over the first disk surface and a second head is actuated over the second disk surface. The first and second data sectors are accessed in a serpentine access pattern, wherein a plurality of refresh zones are defined relative to the serpentine access pattern. When a write command is received from a host, data is written to at least one of the refresh zones, and a refresh monitor associated with the refresh zone is updated.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed including a disk, and a head actuated over the disk. A refresh monitor is maintained for data stored on the disk, wherein the refresh monitor comprises an update function responsive to an operating parameter of the disk drive. A duration monitor is maintained, and the update function of the refresh monitor is modified in response to the duration monitor. The data stored on the disk is refreshed in response to the refresh monitor.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk. A redundancy generator generates a plurality of redundancy symbols appended to user data to form a codeword C(x) written to a selected data sector on the disk. During a read operation, a syndrome generator generates a plurality of error syndromes in response to a received codeword C?(x) generated by reading the selected data sector. An error detector, responsive to the error syndromes, detects a number of errors in the received codeword C?(x), and a plurality of counters count a number of times the number of errors falls within a predetermined plurality of ranges to thereby provide a distribution of the errors. The error distribution is used, for example, for selecting a track density or ECC depth, or for failure prediction or defect mapping.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed including a disk comprising a plurality of refresh zones, and a head actuated over the disk. The disk drive further comprises control circuitry for receiving access commands from a host. The control circuitry refreshes a refresh zone in a plurality of segments with an interval between each segment, and processes at least one of the access commands during the interval between at least two of the segments, wherein a size of each segment and the interval ensures an average throughput of access commands received from the host does not fall below a first threshold.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for ordering error recovery steps of an error recovery procedure executed by a disk drive, wherein each error recovery step having an execution time. The disk drive comprises a disk having a plurality of tracks, wherein each track comprises a plurality of data sectors. A plurality of step success counters are initialized, wherein each counter corresponds to one of the error recovery steps. A plurality of the error recovery steps are executed, wherein if an error recovery step successfully recovers one of the data sectors the corresponding step success counter is incremented. A step priority value is computed for each error recovery step in response to the step success counter and execution time for each step. The error recovery steps are then ordered in response to the step priority values.

Abstract: An information storage device is disclosed (such as a disk drive) comprising an interface for connecting to a host through a cable, and control circuitry for communicating with the host over the cable by executing a communication process. The communication processes comprises the steps of transmitting a communication request to the host over the cable and waiting to receive a response from the host over the cable. A cable loss event is logged if the host fails to respond after executing the communication process at least twice. Performing the communication process multiple times before logging a cable loss event helps ensure a communication failure is actually due to a faulty cable connection.

Abstract: A disk drive and method are disclosed for data transfer initiated by nonstandard disk-drive commands on a serial interface that only supports standard disk-drive commands. In the method, a nonstandard disk-drive command for data transfer is embedded within a first data block accessible using a first standard disk-drive command. The first standard disk-drive command is transmitted through the serial interface causing the first data block to be transferred from the host computer to the disk control system. The embedded command is extracted from the transferred first data block and provided to the disk control system. A status response is transmitted to the host computer based on the extracted command. At least one additional standard disk-drive command is transmitted through the serial interface to the disk control system for transferring the identified data between the host computer and the disk drive.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk having a plurality of tracks, a head actuated over the disk, and control circuitry for servicing an access command received from a host, wherein the access command identifies at least one of the tracks. The control circuitry identifies a band of tracks associated with the access command, maintains a counter for tracking an amount of time the head is within the band of tracks, and moves the head out of the band of tracks in response to the counter to facilitate wear prevention.

Abstract: The present invention may be regarded as a disk drive comprising a disk having a plurality tracks, each track comprising a plurality of data sectors. If an error occurs while attempting to read one of the data sectors, a retry operation is executed in an attempt to recover the errant data sector. Averaged read data is generated over multiple retry operations, and the averaged read data processed to recover the errant data sector. In one embodiment, the averaged read data comprises an averaged binary sequence detected over multiple retry operations. In another embodiment, the averaged read data comprises averaged read signal sample values generated over multiple retry operations.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed for executing a preemptive multitasking operating system comprising tasks of varying priority, including a disk task for processing disk commands by initiating seek operations and configuring parameters of a read/write channel, a host task for initiating disk commands in response to host commands received from a host computer, a background task for initiating disk commands to perform background operations including a defect scan of the disk, and an execution task for arbitrating the disk commands generated by the host task and the background task and for transmitting the arbitrated disk commands to the disk task.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a disk drive is disclosed. The disk drive comprising a disk, a head actuated radially over the disk, a host interface for receiving disk commands from a host system, and a semiconductor memory for storing a drive operating program and a manufacturing program. The drive operating program comprising a disk access procedure for processing disk commands and a disk access vector for calling the disk access procedure. During a development stage, the manufacturing program is executed by an external test system that sends disk commands to a development drive. During a manufacturing stage, the manufacturing program is executed internally on each disk drive being manufactured by calling the disk access procedure of the drive operating program through the disk access vector.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a microprocessor for executing a disk command. The microprocessor initializes a configuration data structure comprising a plurality of configuration parameters with default values. The microprocessor modifies at least one of the configuration parameters with a custom value to generate a custom configuration data structure, and the microprocessor executes the disk command using the custom configuration data structure.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed for executing a drive operating program and a manufacturing program during a manufacturing process. An external test system executes a test program comprising platform independent executable code segments and host interface executable code segments. The external test system for executing the host interface executable code segments to send disk commands to a development drive. The manufacturing program comprises the platform independent executable code segments of the test program and disk access executable code segments. The drive operating program comprises a disk access procedure for processing disk commands and a disk access vector for calling the disk access procedure. The disk access executable code segments of the manufacturing program execute disk commands by calling the disk access procedure of the drive operating program through the disk access vector.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk for storing initial host requested (IHR) data requested by a host computer during a start-up process of the host computer, a head actuated radially over the disk, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) for caching at least part of the IHR data. The disk drive transmits the cached IHR data from the NVSM to the host computer during the start-up process thereby avoiding the delay associated with initializing the mechanics of the disk drive as well as conserving battery power for mobile applications.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed which pre-computes first seek parameters to seek to a continuation track storing read-ahead data, and second seek parameters to seek to a target track of a next command. An abort window is also computed for aborting a read-ahead operation early in order to seek to the target track of the next command. If the head enters the abort window, the disk drive is programmed with the second seek parameters to seek to the target track of the next command. If the read-ahead operation requires a seek to the continuation track prior to the head entering the abort window, the disk drive is programmed with the first seek parameters to seek to the continuation track.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed that is responsive to standard disk-drive commands associated with disk-drive operations and to nonstandard disk-drive commands required for disk drive manufacture and quality testing. The disk drive includes a disk, a head actuated radially over the disk, and a disk control system. The disk control system responds to disk-drive commands and accesses data storage locations on the disk through the head. A serial ATA interface couples the disk control system to a host computer. The serial ATA interface is configured to transfer standard disk-drive commands from the host computer to the disk control system and is configured to not transfer nonstandard disk-drive commands from the host computer to the disk control system. The extracting means extracts a nonstandard disk-drive command that is embedded within a data block accessed using a standard disk-drive command and provides the extracted nonstandard disk-drive command to the disk control system.