Hard disk drive controller employing a plurality of microprocessors

A controller in a hard disk drive system for controlling the transfer of data and control signals between a plurality of host processors and said disk drive system, said disk drive system including storage media, at least one transducer for recording data on and retrieving data from said storage media and an actuator for moving said transducers with respect to said storage media, said controller comprising:

• a programmed first microprocessor operating under control of a first operating system stored in a first memory unit associated with said first microprocessor for controlling the recording of data on said storage media and the retrieval of data from said storage media, the positioning of said actuator to locate said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media and for maintaining the position of a said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media, wherein said first microprocessor further comprises:
• error handling means for detecting and correcting error in data recovered from said storage media;
• and
• reporting means for reporting the error and the error location to said second microprocessor;
• a programmed second microprocessor operating under control of a second operating system stored in a second memory unit associated with said second microprocessor for controlling the transfer of data from a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors to said disk drive system and the transfer of data recovered from said storage media to a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors and for generating and communicating parameters to said first microprocessor for defining operations to be performed by said first microprocessor wherein said second microprocessor further comprises;
• error history means for performing statistical and historical error record keeping for error detected by said first microprocessor and said second microprocessor;
• error correction means for recovering from errors detected by said first microprocessor that was not correctable by said first error processor;
• and
• error detection means for detecting an error in the transfer of data internal to said disk drive system other than an error detected in the recovered data from said storage media by said error handling means of said first microprocessor;
• and
• where said second microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said first microprocessor and said first microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said second microprocessor in exercising operations defined by said parameters received from said second microprocessor.

A controller in a hard disk drive system for controlling the transfer of data and control signals between a plurality of host processors and said disk drive system, said disk drive system including storage media, at least one transducer for recording data on and retrieving data from said storage media and an actuator for moving said transducers with respect to said storage media, said controller comprising:

• a programmed first microprocessor operating under control of a first operating system stored in a first memory unit associated with said first microprocessor for controlling the recording of data on said storage media and the retrieval of data from said storage media, the positioning of said actuator to locate said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media and for maintaining the position of a said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media;
• a programmed second microprocessor operating under control of a second operating system stored in a second memory unit associated with said second microprocessor for controlling the transfer of data from a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors to said disk drive system and the transfer of data recovered from said storage media to a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors and for generating and communicating parameters to said first microprocessor for defining operations to be performed by said first microprocessor wherein said second microprocessor further comprises;
• task means for accumulating tasks for said disk drive system issued by said plurality of host processors;
• sequence means for determining the order in which said tasks are to be performed by said disk drive system;
• and
• mapping means for address mapping the location of data in said storage media and in said buffer, for determining the availability of storage space on said storage media and said buffer and for allocating storage space on said storage media and said buffer for said task received by said disk drive system that required space on said storage media and in said buffer;
• and
• where said second microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said first microprocessor and said first microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said second microprocessor in exercising operations defined by said parameters received from said second microprocessor.

A controller in a hard disk drive system for controlling the transfer of data and control signals between a plurality of host processors and said disk drive system, said disk drive system including storage media, at least one transducer for recording data on and retrieving data from said storage media and an actuator for moving said transducers with respect to said storage media, said controller comprising:

• a programmed first microprocessor operating under control of a first operating system stored in a first memory unit associated with said first microprocessor for controlling the recording of data on said storage media and the retrieval of data from said storage media, the positioning of said actuator to locate said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media and for maintaining the position of a said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media;
• a programmed second microprocessor operating under control of a second operating system stored in a second memory unit associated with said second microprocessor for controlling the transfer of data from a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors to said disk drive system and the transfer of data recovered from said storage media to a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors and for generating and communicating parameters to said first microprocessor for defining operations to be performed by said first microprocessor wherein said second microprocessor further comprises;
• translation means for converting a task received from a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors into one or more commands for said first processor to carry out said task;
• and
• transfer means for transferring said one or more commands for said task to a third memory unit associated with said first microprocessor;
• and
• where said second microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said first microprocessor and said first microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said second microprocessor in exercising operations defined by said parameters received from said second microprocessor.

A controller in a hard disk drive system for controlling the transfer of data and control signals between a plurality of host processors and said disk drive system, said disk drive system including storage media, at least one transducer for recording data on and retrieving data from said storage media and an actuator for moving said transducers with respect to said storage media, said controller comprising:

• a programmed first microprocessor operating under control of a first operating system stored in a first memory unit associated with said first microprocessor for controlling the recording of data on said storage media and the retrieval of data from said storage media, the positioning of said actuator to locate said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media and for maintaining the position of a said transducer at a specified location with respect to said storage media;
• a programmed second microprocessor operating under control of a second operating system stored in a second memory unit associated with said second microprocessor for controlling the transfer of data from a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors to said disk drive system and the transfer of data recovered from said storage media to a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors and for generating and communicating parameters to said first microprocessor for defining operations to be performed by said first microprocessor wherein said second microprocessor further comprises;
• task means for accumulating tasks for said disk drive system issued by said plurality of host processors;
• sequence means for determining the order in which said tasks are to be performed by said disk drive system;
• mapping means for address mapping the location of data in said storage media and in said buffer and for determining the availability of storage space on said storage media and said buffer;
• host means for controlling the communications between said disk drive system and said plurality of host processors wherein said disk drive system can be processing a request from one of said plurality of host processors while being in direct communication with another one of said plurality of host processors;
• translation means for converting a task received from a requesting host processor of said plurality of host processors into one or more commands for said first processor to carry out said task;
• and
• transfer means for transferring said one or more commands for said task to a third memory unit associated with said first microprocessor;
• and
• where said second microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said first microprocessor and said first microprocessor operates independently of and concurrently with said second microprocessor in exercising operations defined by said parameters received from said second microprocessor.