Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing proactive cloud orchestration services for a cloud hardware infrastructure. A health management system may monitor component(s) of the cloud hardware infrastructure. The health management system may determine a failure probability metric for the component(s) based on the monitoring of the component and in consideration of historical information associated with the component, or similar components. The health management system may determine an optimization strategy for the component and, when an optimization decision has been reached, initiate a reconfiguration procedure to implement the optimization strategy. The optimization strategy may provide for mitigating or eliminating the consequences of the component failure associated with data loss, downtime, and the like.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method contemplating a sealed container operably enclosing a storage device in an operating environment. A storage device controller is operably coupled to the storage device and configured to monitor operational parametric values of the storage device. An environment modifier is operably coupled to the container and configured to selectively alter the operating environment. A container controller is configured to selectively activate the environment modifier in response to parametric values from the storage device controller.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method contemplating a sealed container operably enclosing a storage device in an operating environment. A storage device controller is operably coupled to the storage device and configured to monitor operational parametric values of the storage device. An environment modifier is operably coupled to the container and configured to selectively alter the operating environment. A container controller is configured to selectively activate the environment modifier in response to parametric values from the storage device controller.

Abstract: Systems and methods for data storage power management are described. In one embodiment, the method includes analyzing metrics collected from one or more storage devices, identifying, based at least in part on analyzing the metrics, a pattern of activity for at least one of the one or more storage devices over a predetermined period of time, generating a control model based at least in part on the identified pattern of activity, and modifying a power mode of at least one of the one or more storage devices based on the control mode. The control model indicate a first time period when at least one of the one or more storage devices is active and a second time period when at least one of the one or more storage devices is inactive.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing proactive cloud orchestration services for a cloud hardware infrastructure. A health management system may monitor component(s) of the cloud hardware infrastructure. The health management system may determine a failure probability metric for the component(s) based on the monitoring of the component and in consideration of historical information associated with the component, or similar components. The health management system may determine an optimization strategy for the component and, when an optimization decision has been reached, initiate a reconfiguration procedure to implement the optimization strategy. The optimization strategy may provide for mitigating or eliminating the consequences of the component failure associated with data loss, downtime, and the like.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, systems, and devices are described for improving data durability in a data storage system. In one example method of improving data durability, a hardware failure risk indicator may be determined for each of a plurality of data storage elements in the data storage system. The method may also include storing one or more replicas of a first data object on one or more of the plurality of data storage elements, with a quantity of the one or more replicas and a distribution of the one or more replicas among the plurality of data storage elements being a function of the hardware failure risk indicators for each of the plurality of data storage elements. In some examples, the hardware failure risk indicators may be dynamically updated based on monitored conditions, which may result in dynamic adjustments to the quantity and distribution of the data object replicas.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, systems, and devices are described for redundancy management for a storage system including a plurality of storage devices. Approaches for redundancy management may involve storage device failure prediction techniques and/or a redundancy value associated with a data file. In one example, a copy of the file may be stored on at least two storage devices. Whether or not to store an additional copy of the file on another storage device may be based at least in part on the redundancy value for the file. In another example, a determination may be made whether to store a copy of the file on another storage device when a storage device storing a copy of the file is predicted to fail. Whether to store a copy of the file on another storage device may be based at least in part on a redundancy value associated with the file.

Abstract: Hard disk drive housing including at least one inlet, at least one outlet. The inlet is situated near spindle and above disk in hard disk drive. The outlet is situated near outside diameter of disk. When disk rotates, air pressure near the inlet is lower than air pressure near the outlet, causing a flow of air through the hard disk drive from the inlet to the outlet, tending to cool the hard disk drive. The inlet may include inlet filter. Outlet may include outlet filter. Manufacturing the housing by providing the inlet and the outlet. The disk cover as manufacturing product. Operating the hard disk drive containing the housing. The hard disk drive containing the housing, and manufacturing the hard disk drive. The hard disk drive as manufacturing product. A system containing at least one of the hard disk drives. Manufacturing the system, and the system as a manufacturing product.

Abstract: This invention includes a method providing at least two boot environments with only one hard disk drive, by using at least two disk surfaces within the hard disk drive. The invention includes the hard disk drives implementing the method. The hard disk drive may include more than two disk surfaces and support more than two boot environments. The invention includes making the hard disk drive, and the product of that process. The invention includes computer systems including at least one of these hard disk drives. The invention also includes removable storage systems which include at least one hard disk drive, and which may communicate via a wireline and/or wireless physical transport with a computer system.

Abstract: A device for extending an event time of a physical shock imparted on an electronic device. The device includes a rigid or semi-rigid frame and a resiliently elastic material coupled to the frame, the resiliently elastic material suspending an electronic device with respect to the frame. The resiliently elastic material may be in the form of a sheet, a strap, a rib, and combinations thereof. One preferred resiliently elastic material is a polymeric material.

Abstract: A hard disk drive with a controller that controls a movement of a head relative to a disk. The controller causes the head to avoid a defect on the disk during a seek routine. The location of the defect is previously identified and stored in the drive. The drive may create a “no-fly” zone about the defect to insure no contact with the head. The no-fly zone can be avoided by delaying the start of a seek routine, varying the displacement profile of the head or other techniques.

Abstract: Parking sliders on disk surfaces by a load tab contacting a tab ramp to engage sliders into secure contact. Head gimbal assemblies including these load tabs; the disk clamp, disk spacer, spindle motors, each including at least one tab ramp; the hard disk drive, their manufacturing processes and the products of those processes.

Abstract: Operating a contact start-stop Hard Disk Drive (HDD) by starting the disks through stimulating the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) to position slider(s) at a slider starting position away from dents and furrows resulting from non-operating mechanical shocks. Embedded circuits supporting operations and HDDs implementing them. Methods of manufacturing the embedded circuits and HDDs, and the manufacturing products of these processes.

Abstract: Hard disk drive housing including at least one inlet, at least one outlet. The inlet is situated near spindle and above disk in hard disk drive. The outlet is situated near outside diameter of disk. When disk rotates, air pressure near the inlet is lower than air pressure near the outlet, causing a flow of air through the hard disk drive from the inlet to the outlet, tending to cool the hard disk drive. The inlet may include inlet filter. Outlet may include outlet filter. Manufacturing the housing by providing the inlet and the outlet. The disk cover as manufacturing product. Operating the hard disk drive containing the housing. The hard disk drive containing the housing, and manufacturing the hard disk drive. The hard disk drive as manufacturing product. A system containing at least one of the hard disk drives. Manufacturing the system, and the system as a manufacturing product.

Abstract: Determining a contact condition between read-write head and accessed disk surface inside hard disk drive, where micro-actuator assembly mechanically couples to slider and electrically interacts through signal path. Signal path sensed, creating sensed feedback signal, used to determine contact condition, which indicates when read-write head is, or is not, in contact with accessed disk surface. Means for implementing this process. Contact condition is product of process. The process may respond to contact condition, altering read-write head flying height. Process may be implemented as operations of embedded control system and/or servo controller. Method of predictive failure analysis using the contact condition to estimate performance parameter and create performance degradation warning. Manufacture process collecting contact condition to partly create reliability estimate of the hard disk drive, which may be form of Mean Time to Failure.

Abstract: A hard disk drive that has a liquid bearing between a head and a disk of the disk drive. The drive includes a spindle motor and an actuator arm assembly coupled to a base plate. The disk and the head are coupled to the spindle motor and actuator arm assembly, respectively. The liquid bearing is formed between the head and the disk. By way of example, the liquid bearing can be formed by the condensation of a vapor within the disk drive assembly. The liquid bearing can minimize mechanical wear while optimizing signal strength in the signal detected by the head.

Abstract: An encapsulated hard disk drive. The drive includes a spindle motor and an actuator arm assembly coupled to a base plate. A disk and head are coupled to the spindle motor and actuator arm assembly, respectively. A cover encloses the disk and the head. The cover and the base plate are covered with an encapsulant. The encapsulant may be a dip coated polymer that can flow into every crack and aperture of the cover and base plate to hermetically seal the disk drive.

Abstract: A method and program product supporting adjusting a temperature of a hard disk drive (HDD) during testing. An HDD test program is performed within a pre-determined optimal test temperature range. The HDD is kept within this pre-determined test temperature range by switching HDD operation modes back and forth between a higher heat generating Rapid Seek Mode and a lower heat generating IDLE mode. The HDD is thus kept within the optimal test temperature range without the use of external heating and/or cooling devices.

Abstract: A hard disk drive with a controller that controls a movement of a head relative to a disk. The controller causes the head to avoid a defect on the disk during a seek routine. The location of the defect is previously identified and stored in the drive. The drive may create a “no-fly” zone about the defect to insure no contact with the head. The no-fly zone can be avoided by delaying the start of a seek routine, varying the displacement profile of the head or other techniques.

Abstract: Determining a contact condition between read-write head and accessed disk surface inside hard disk drive, where micro-actuator assembly mechanically couples to slider and electrically interacts through signal path. Signal path sensed, creating sensed feedback signal, used to determine contact condition, which indicates when read-write head is, or is not, in contact with accessed disk surface. Means for implementing this process. Contact condition is product of process. The process may respond to contact condition, altering read-write head flying height. Process may be implemented as operations of embedded control system and/or servo controller. Method of predictive failure analysis using the contact condition to estimate performance parameter and create performance degradation warning. Manufacture process collecting contact condition to partly create reliability estimate of the hard disk drive, which may be form of Mean Time to Failure.