Abstract: A controller in a hard disk drive system for controlling the transfer of data and control signals between a plurality of host processors and the disk drive system. The disk drive system including storage media, at least one transducer for recording data on and retrieving data from the storage media and an actuator for moving the transducers with respect to the storage media. The controller includes a programmed first microprocessor operating under control of a first operating system stored in a first memory unit associated with the first microprocessor for controlling the recording of data on and the retrieval of data from the storage media, the controlling of the actuator to locate the transducer at and to maintain the transducer at a specified location with respect to the storage media.

Abstract: In a disk drive storage system, an interface apparatus for controlling the transfer of sectors of data between a host processor and a buffer within the storage system in response to READ and WRITE command issued by the host processor. The apparatus comprises a Byte Count State Machine for controlling the transfer of a sector of data between the host processor and the buffer, an Update Task File State Machine for counting the sectors transferred by the Byte Count State Machine and generating the sector address of the next sector to be transferred by the Byte Count State Machine, a Read State Machine for controlling the processing of all READ commands and a Write State Machine for controlling the processing of all WRITE commands.

Abstract: A flash solid state drive, having a flash solid state memory compatible with ATA/IDE Interface standards to be connected to a host for storing or retrieving sectors of data, where each sector contains 512 bytes of data, each sector is addressed by a cylinder, head and sector number CHS. The host provides, for a read or write operation, the number of sectors to be stored or retrieved, the CHS for each sector to be stored or retrieved and the data for the sectors to be stored. The solid state memory has stored therein a header for each CHS address that can be issued by the host, the header having indicia identifying the data block and indicating where the data for the data block is stored in the solid state memory.

Abstract: A multi-layer data integrity system for use in a disk drive controller for ensuring the data integrity as data is transferred through the controller and written and fetched from the disk media. The disk drive controller is partitioned into an interface controller and a low level controller where the interface controller controls the transfer of data to and from the host processor and the low level controller controls the recording and reading from the disk media. The interface controller employs a first error encoding and detecting means for encoding the data as originally received from the host processor. The low level controller employs an error encoding and detecting means for encoding both the received data and the encoding data which was appended to the data received by the interface controller. The low level controller's error encoding and detecting means corrects errors detected in recovered data.

Abstract: A high level controller for maintaining communication with a host processor via a host processor interface for establishing communication paths between the host processor interface, an internal processor and a plurality of storage means. A first means receives indicia from the internal processor where the indicia specifies one of the communication paths and generates control signals for forming the specific communication path requested. A second means receives the control signals from the first means and forms the requested communication path. A third means is connected to the first and second means for controlling the communication of the system with the host processor interface in accordance with control signals generated by the first means. In this manner various data paths for communication between the host interface, internal processor and a plurality of storage means may be adaptably specified and formed to make optimum use of the system.

Abstract: A disk drive architecture controls the transfer of data between a host processor interface and a recording media that includes one or more disk surfaces for storing data. A low-level data controller controls the transfer of data between the disk surfaces and a data buffer. An interface controller controls the transfer of data between the host interface and the data buffer. An arbiter and buffer controller, responsive to data transfer requests from the low-level and interface controllers, arbitrates data storage and retrieval accesses of the data buffer. The low-level and interface controllers operate substantially independent of one another in performing their respective control operations. Consequently, data is transferred bi-directionally through the data buffer at the optimum timing for both controllers.

Abstract: An optical disk drive system with which data may be permanently and correctly stored on removable media. The system includes a drive into which the media, a disk housed in a cartridge, may be removably inserted. The drive interfaces with a host CPU through a storage control unit, which storage control unit may also have other peripheral devices, such as magnetic disk drives, coupled therethrough to the host CPU. A special data format is used for data stored on the disk in order to provide efficient use of and access to the available storage space. The disk is divided into data bands, each data band having a prescribed number of concentric data tracks therein. Each data track is divided into equal length sectors. The data is organized into data blocks, each block being made up of a selected sequence of prescribed data sections. Many of the data sections commence with synchronization bits followed by the data to be stored. The data of each data section is adapted to fit within each data sector on the disk.