Method and apparatus for controlling write buffering operation in a disk drive

A disk drive comprising:

• host interface for receiving and transmitting commands and data from and to a host system;
• a disk for recording write data transferred from the host system, in response to a write command supplied from the host system;
• buffer storage device having a write buffer area for temporarily storing the write data transferred from the host system to said host interface;
• disk controller for reading the write data from the write buffer area and writing the write data on said disk;
• a monitor for monitoring a change in an amount of accumulated in the write buffer area;
• and
• a controller for changing the storage size of the write buffer area to a new storage size in accordance with the change monitored by said monitor;
• wherein said monitor calculates a first amount of write data accumulated in the write buffer area after said disk controller starts reading the write data accumulated in the write buffer area and writing the write data onto said disk, calculates a second amount of write data accumulated in the write buffer area after a predetermined monitoring time (DT) has elapsed, and calculates a decrease (DA) in the data accumulated in the write buffer area which occurs during the monitoring time (DT), from a difference between the first and second amounts of write data, and said controller sets a minimum storage size as a new storage size of the write buffer area, said minimum storage size corresponding to a decrease (DB) in the amount of data accumulated in the write buffer area which is obtained from the decrease (DA) and which occurs during a time (T) the disk requires to rotate once.

A disk drive comprising:

• host interface for receiving and transmitting commands and data from and to a host system;
• a disk medium for recording write data transferred from the host system;
• buffer storage device having a write buffer area for temporarily storing the write data transferred from the host system to said host interface;
• buffer controller for controlling data-access to said buffer storage device and managing the write buffer area;
• disk controller for transferring the write data read from the write buffer area by said buffer controller to s aid disk medium;
• and
• a CPU for controlling a data-writing operation in response to a write command supplied from the host system, calculating a storage size that the write buffer area needs in order to be managed appropriately, on the basis of a change in an amount of write data accumulated in the write buffer area, and setting the storage size in said buffer controller;
• wherein said buffer controller comprises:
• a counter for counting the write data transferred to said buffer storage device, in units of sectors;
• and
• a monitor for subtracting the number of any sectors of data transferred from said buffer storage device to said disk medium, from a count value of the counter, thereby to determine the number of the sectors of write data which are stored in the write buffer area;
• and
• wherein said CPU executes a predetermined supervisor program, thereby to monitor a decrease (DA) in the amount of write data accumulated in the write buffer area, on the basis of a number of sectors of data which has been measured by said buffer controller, calculates from the decrease (DA) a decrease (DB) in the amount of write data which occurs during a time (T) said disk medium requires to rotate once, in accordance with the following equation:
• DB=T×DA/DT,
• and
• sets a minimum storage size corresponding to the decrease (DB) as a new storage size of the write buffer area.

A method of controlling a buffer storage incorporated in a disk drive and having a write buffer area for storing write data transferred from a host system to a disk medium provided in the disk drive, said method comprising:

• receiving the write data transferred from the host system;
• temporarily storing the write data in the write buffer area having an initial storage size;
• reading the write data from the write buffer area in units of sectors and transferring the write data to the disk medium;
• monitoring a decrease in the amount of write data stored in the write buffer area, at predetermined intervals while the write data is being written in and read from the write data area;
• calculating a decrease in the amount of write data which occurs during a time which the disk medium requires to rotate once, on the basis of the decrease monitored;
• and
• setting a minimum storage size as a new storage size of the write buffer area, said minimum storage size corresponding to the decrease thus calculated;
• wherein said calculating a decrease comprises:
• monitoring a decrease (DA) in terms of a number of sectors of data stored in the write buffer area, at predetermined intervals (DT);
• and
• calculating from the decrease (DA) a decrease (DB) in the amount of write data which occurs during a time (T) said disk medium requires to rotate once, in accordance with the following equation:
• DB=T×DA/DT.