Abstract: A controller and a method for interfacing between a host and storage medium. A storage medium interface includes CH0 circuitry for performing a CH0 process to access a buffer memory on behalf of the storage medium. A host interface includes CH1 circuitry for performing a CH1 process to access the buffer memory on behalf of the host. Access to the buffer memory is arbitrated in sequential tenures to each channel of the multi-channel bus within a maximum arbitration round trip time defined by the time taken by the storage medium to move a distance corresponding to N sectors in which N is greater than one. In the CH0 tenure, the CH0 process transfers data corresponding to N sectors of the storage medium in a multi-sector burst. The length of the tenure of the CH0 channel is pre-designated so that the multi-sector burst is completed within the CH0 tenure.

Abstract: A disk channel includes disk channel modules that process data for a read/write operation on a rotating medium. A memory is accessible to the disk channel modules and comprises a sector request queue that has status information that is associated with each of the disk channel modules. A control module is in communication with and manages data transfer through the disk channel modules based on the sector request queue.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for performing in-line error correction in a disk storage system. The system includes an error correction (ECC) module; and a first memory storage device, wherein the first memory storage device and the error correction module simultaneously receive data from a storage disk before being buffered for transfer to a host system. The ECC module provides error correction mask before any data is transferred from the first memory storage device to a second memory buffer.