Disk drive and method for data transfer initiated by nonstandard disk-drive commands on a serial ATA interface that only supports standard ATA disk-drive commands

In a disk drive connected to a host computer, and responsive to standard disk-drive commands associated with disk-drive operations and to nonstandard disk-drive commands required for disk-drive manufacture and quality testing, the disk drive including a disk, a head actuated radially over the disk, a disk control system for responding to disk-drive commands and for accessing data storage locations on the disk through the head, and a serial ATA interface for coupling the disk control system to the host computer when the disk drive is connected to the host computer, wherein the serial ATA interface is configured to transfer standard disk-drive commands from the host computer to the disk control system and is configured to not transfer nonstandard disk-drive commands from the host computer to the disk control system, a method for transferring disk-drive data between the disk drive and the host computer, comprising:

• embedding a nonstandard disk-drive command for data transfer within a first data block accessible using a first standard disk-drive command, the nonstandard disk-drive command identifying the disk-drive data for transfer;
• transmitting the first standard disk-drive command from the host computer through the serial ATA interface to the disk control system, wherein the first standard disk-drive command causes the first data block to be transferred from the host computer to the disk control system;
• extracting the embedded nonstandard disk-drive command for data transfer from the transferred first data block;
• providing the extracted nonstandard disk-drive command for data transfer to the disk control system;
• transmitting a status response, based on the extracted nonstandard disk-drive command for data transfer, from the disk drive to the host computer;
• transmitting at least one additional standard disk-drive command, responsive to the status response, from the host computer through the serial ATA interface to the disk control system for transferring the identified data between the host computer and the disk drive.