Abstract: A method includes accessing at least three storage devices each including a first and a second logical unit stored therein. The method also includes grouping the respective first and second logical units of each of the at least three storage devices into a first striped scheme. The method also includes grouping the respective first logical unit of each of the at least three storage devices into a second striped scheme with parity.

Abstract: A recording surface of a magnetic disk is divided into first and second zones. A first head of a first actuator arm assembly reads from and/or writes to the first zone exclusively. A second head of a second actuator arm assembly reads from and/or writes to the second zone exclusively. The first and second head are capable of simultaneously reading from and writing to the recording surface.

Abstract: A recording head includes a substrate, a read transducer, a waveguide core, and a near-field transducer at an end of the waveguide core proximate a media-facing surface. The recording head includes a magnetic write pole and coil. A laser diode unit with one or more non-self-supporting layers of crystalline material region is transfer printed between layers of the recording head.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a slider configured to facilitate heat assisted magnetic recording and a submount affixed to the slider. A laser unit is affixed to the submount and comprises a laser operable in a non-lasing state and a lasing state. A heater is embedded in the laser unit or the submount. The heater is configured to generate preheat for heating the laser during the non-lasing state and to generate steering heat for heating the laser during the lasing state.

Abstract: A data storage device can employ a microactuator system that efficiently translates longitudinal microactuator strain into movement in-plane with a mid-plane of a gimbal tongue. A gimbal tongue may be suspended from a load beam with a transducing head mounted to the gimbal tongue and the transducing head separated from a magnetic recording medium by an air bearing. A microactuator attached to the gimbal tongue can be positioned so that a mid-plane of the microactuator is congruent with a mid-plane of the gimbal tongue.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method that contemplate a data storage disc and a motor supporting the disc in rotation. Control circuitry operates to spin up the disc drive by accelerating the motor to a steady state speed by: beginning the spin up by energizing the motor with a primary power; comparing an amount of auxiliary power that is available from a battery to a predefined threshold; and before the motor is accelerated to the steady state speed and if the threshold comparison is favorable, then boosting the primary power by discharging the battery for a predetermined boost interval.

Abstract: A data storage system can receive a data write request to write data to a physical address of a non-volatile semiconductor memory prior to detecting an error while storing the write data to the physical address. The detected error is corrected with a monitor module connected to the non-volatile semiconductor memory and a counter associated with the physical address is incremented with the monitor module in response to the corrected error. The write data can be subsequently read to a host in response to a data read request.

Abstract: A data storage system can employ one or more data storage modules that each have multiple constituent data storage devices. A plurality of data storage devices can be connected to a control board within a single housing with the control board having a number of SATA outputs connected to each of the plurality of data storage devices. The number of SATA outputs may be less than a total number of data storage devices in the plurality of data storage devices. Each SATA output can be connected to a separate first-tier port multiplier that has circuitry to split a single set of SATA signals into multiple duplicate sets of SATA signals.

Abstract: A method includes generating a plurality of blocks of a block chain wherein the plurality of blocks is associated with components of a storage device. The plurality of blocks is generated by a device other than the storage device when the components are manufactured. The method further includes storing a copy of a ledger associated with the generated blocks on the storage device when the storage device comprises computing power sufficient to generate blocks of a block chain. The method also includes generating additional blocks of the block chain. The additional blocks of the block chain are associated with additional components of the storage device when the additional components are manufactured. The additional blocks are generated independently by the device and by the storage device and wherein respective ledgers are updated.

Abstract: Systems and methods for servo zone transition optimization are described. In one embodiment, the storage system device includes a disk drive and a controller. In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to assess at least one operation of a read/write head of the disk drive; and format, based at least in part on the assessing of the read/write head, a disk surface of the disk drive with a first servo zone, a second servo zone, and an overlap region extending between a start point of the second servo zone and an end point of the first servo zone. In some cases, the overlap region starts towards a disk inner diameter (ID) and ends towards a disk outer diameter (OD).

Abstract: A semiconductor data storage memory can be arranged with an accumulated list in a memory of background operations to be carried out upon a semiconductor memory formed of one or more non-volatile memory dies. When a deterministic window interval is entered responsive to a request from a host during which data transfers between the host and the semiconductor memory meet a minimum predetermined data transfer rate, the accumulated list is sorted into a first set of the background operations that can be performed during the deterministic window interval while maintaining the minimum predetermined data transfer rate and a remaining second set of the background operations. The first set of the background operations is performed during the deterministic window interval prior to the second set of background operations being performed after a conclusion of the deterministic window interval.

Abstract: A method of monitoring a plurality of storage devices using a storage management system includes receiving and analyzing input/output data related to the storage devices and generating a model in response to the monitoring, including the detected input/output data related to at least a first and a second storage device, and where the input/output data includes at least one measurable storage device aspect. The method also includes determining, in response to the generating, that the first storage device is a control storage device, and that the second storage device is to be compared to the first storage device and comparing the input/output data of the second storage device to the first storage device according to the at least one measurable storage device aspect. The method also includes determining that the second storage device is operating sub-optimally and transmitting a notification that the second storage device is operating sub-optimally.

Abstract: Multi-port data storage device capabilities can be provided by a remote host connected to a diskgroup that has a first single port data storage device and a second single port data storage device. Initialization of a first logical volume and a second logical volume in each single port data storage device allows a data access request to be serviced from the remote host with the first logical volume of the first single port data storage device. Data virtualized from the first logical volume of the first single port data storage device to the second volume of the second single port data storage device allows accessing the second volume of the second single port data storage device in response to a request to a data request to the first volume of the first single port data storage device.

Abstract: A write head includes a first surface-plasmonic plate proximate a magnetic pole and recessed from a media-facing surface of the write head. A bottom surface of the first surface-plasmonic plate faces away from the magnetic pole and towards a waveguide core. The first surface-plasmonic plate is formed of a first material having lower-loss in plasmonic coupling than a second material, the second material being more mechanically robust than the first material. A second surface-plasmonic plate is formed of the second material and located on the bottom surface of the first surface-plasmonic plate. A lower edge of the second surface-plasmonic plate extends closer to the media-facing surface than the first surface-plasmonic plate. An upper edge of the second surface-plasmonic plate is slanted in a downtrack direction.

Abstract: A heat-assisted recording head is moved onto a ramp such that the recording head is thermally isolated from a moving disk. A heating device is activated on the recording head to cause the recording head to obtain a high temperature that is not obtainable when proximate to the moving disk. The recording head is moved over the moving disk such that the recording head reaches an operating temperature that is below the high temperature. One or more temperatures between the high temperature and the operational temperature are determined at which a laser of the recording head experiences mode-hopping. The one or more temperatures are stored and accessed by a controller to mitigate mode hopes during an operation of the recording head.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for enacting data security in a data storage device, such as by protecting against a differential power analysis (DPA) attack. In some embodiments, a programmable processor executes programming in a memory to perform a cryptographic function upon user data associated with a host command received from a host device. The cryptographic function involves multiple logical computations to arrive at an output value responsive to an input value over a time interval. During the time interval, the programmable processor is repetitively interrupted by a plurality of interrupt calls respectively selected responsive to a first series of random numbers and resumes operation by a corresponding plurality of function return calls respectively selected responsive to a second series of random numbers. Each of the interrupt calls causes the programmable processor to temporarily suspend the multiple logical computations and perform at least one non-cryptographic function.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for data storage performance scaling based on external energy. In certain embodiments, a system may comprise a data storage device having an interface to communicate with an external device, a nonvolatile memory, and a circuit. The circuit may be configured to receive an indication via the interface of power resources available to the data storage device from the external device in case of a power loss event, adjust a performance metric of the data storage device to apply when accessing the nonvolatile memory during normal power availability based on the indication, and perform operations during normal power availability based on the performance metric.

Abstract: A RAID storage management system includes a plurality of RAID storage devices and a controller configured to manage the plurality of RAID storage devices. The RAID storage management system also includes at least one expander operatively connected to the controller and operatively connected to the plurality of RAID storage devices. The expander is configured to receive a request from the controller for a RAID operation. The expander is also configured to, upon receiving the request, operate to assist the controller in performing the requested RAID operation.

Abstract: Asynchronous data replication between source and target data storage devices of a data storage system can be directed by a connected network controller. A source data set to be replicated from the source data storage device to the target data storage device may be stored in a staging cache while portions of the source data set are parsed by the network controller so that less than all of the source data set is transferred to the target data storage device.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a recording surface comprising a first recording layer having a first ferromagnetic resonant frequency and a second recording layer having a second ferromagnetic resonant frequency. The first recording layer is configured for storing user data and the second recording layer configured for storing servo data. A recording head arrangement is configured for microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) and writing user data to the first recording layer. The recording head arrangement comprises a write pole configured to generate a write magnetic field, and a write-assist arrangement proximate the write pole. The write-assist arrangement is configured to generate a radiofrequency assist magnetic field at a frequency that corresponds to the first ferromagnetic resonant frequency. A reader of the recording head arrangement is configured to read combined signals from the first and second recording layers.