Disk device using disk to rewrite firmware and firmware determination method
AssigneeFunai Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorMitsuru Kawakita
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In the case where a disk storing firmware for rewriting is used to upgrade firmware stored in a flash memory, byte codes #15, #16 of the disk corresponding to a reserve code (byte codes #15, #16) of the flash memory are ignored. Specifically, byte codes #1 to #14 of the flash memory are compared with byte codes #1 to #14 of the disk. If all codes match each other, it is determined that the firmware of the disk is firmware of a compatible model and a rewrite operation is started. Therefore, under the condition that the disk device is of a compatible model, the firmware of the device can be upgraded and thus the firmware is improved in compatibility.
Claims3
A disk device comprising:
- a nonvolatile memory storing first firmware for performing basic control of said disk device,
- said first firmware stored in said nonvolatile memory including a first attribute code that represents an attribute of hardware of said disk device, and second firmware stored on a disk including a second attribute code that represents an attribute of target hardware and that is different in code length from said first attribute code, and
- at least one of said first firmware and said second firmware further including a reserve code adjusting the code length of the attribute code of said at least one of said first firmware and said second firmware so as to match the adjusted code length with the code length of the attribute code of the other of said first firmware and said second firmware;
- and
- a control unit responding to a command to rewrite said first firmware to compare said first attribute code with said second attribute code while ignoring a code corresponding to said reserve code and, when said first and second attribute codes match each other, determining that said second firmware is compatible firmware to start a rewrite operation and, when said first and second attribute codes mismatch, determining that said second firmware is incompatible firmware to cancel a rewrite operation.
A firmware determining method determining, in the case where a disk is used to rewrite first firmware for performing basic control of a disk device, whether second firmware stored on said disk is compatible firmware, wherein
- said first firmware stored in a nonvolatile memory includes a first attribute code that represents an attribute of hardware of said disk device, and said second firmware stored on said disk includes a second attribute code that represents an attribute of target hardware and that is different in code length from said first attribute code,
- at least one of said first firmware and said second firmware further includes a reserve code adjusting the code length of the attribute code of said at least one of said first firmware and said second firmware so as to match the adjusted code length with the code length of the attribute code of the other of said first firmware and said second firmware, and
- in response to a command to rewrite said first firmware, said first attribute code is compared with said second attribute code while a code corresponding to said reserve code is ignored and, when said first and second attribute codes match each other, it is determined that said second firmware is compatible firmware and, when said first and second attribute codes mismatch, it is determined that said second firmware is incompatible firmware.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.