Hard disk drive with disk embedded DOS boot image and firmware download method
AssigneeSeagate Technology International
InventorJae-Ik Song
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system, related hard disk drive (HDD) and method are disclosed in which a firmware download to the HDD is accomplished by receiving it from the host and storing it to a first region of a disk in the HDD. The value of a download flag is set once the firmware download is complete. After the system performs an OFF/ON power cycle, it checks the value of the download flag and changes a Logical Block Address mapping a second region of a non-user data region of the disk storing a DOS boot program. The firmware download is transferred from the first region to a third region of the disk or a non-volatile memory device following execution of a boot procedure by the host using the DOS boot program.
Claims19
A hard disk drive (HDD) operable within a host, and comprising:
- a disk having a user data region adapted to store user defined data and a non-user data region storing physical information data associated with the HDD and a Disk Operating System (DOS) boot program;
- and
- a microprocessor configured to execute an algorithm, comprising:
- receiving a firmware download from the host,
- storing the firmware download to a first region of the disk,
- in response to completing the step of storing the firmware download to the first region of the disk:
- setting a download flag value, and
- generating a message to the host indicating a need for an OFF/ON power cycle, and
- following the OFF/ON power cycle:
- resetting Logical Block Address (LBA) mapping for a second region of the non-user data region storing the DOS boot program in response to the value of the download flag having been set, and
- controlling transfer of the firmware download from the first region to a third region of the non-user data region following execution of a boot procedure run by the host using the DOS boot program.
A system comprising:
- a host;
- and
- a hard disk drive (HDD) operable in conjunction with the host, the HDD comprising:
- a disk having a user data region adapted to store user defined data and a non-user data region storing physical information data associated with the HDD and a DOS boot program;
- and
- a microprocessor configured to execute an algorithm, comprising:
- receiving a firmware download from the host,
- storing the firmware download to a first region of the disk,
- in response to completing the step of storing the firmware download to the first region of the disk:
- setting a download flag value, and
- generating a message to the host indicating a need for an OFF/ON power cycle, and
- following the OFF/ON power cycle:
- resetting Logical Block Address (LBA) mapping for a second region of the non-user data region storing the DOS boot program in response to the value of the download flag having been set, and
- controlling transfer of the firmware download from the first region to a third region of the non-user data region following execution of a boot procedure run by the host using the DOS boot program.
In a system including a hard disk drive (HDD) and a host, a method of downloading firmware to the HDD, comprising:
- receiving a firmware download in the HDD from the host and storing the firmware download to a first region of a disk in the HDD;
- once the firmware download is complete:
- setting the value of a download flag, and
- generating a message from the HDD to the host indicating the need for the OFF/ON power cycle;
- performing a system OFF/ON power cycle;
- and
- following the system OFF/ON power cycle:
- checking the value of the download flag and, in response to the value of the download flag having been set, changing a Logical Block Address mapping a second region of a non-user data region of the disk storing a DOS boot program and
- transferring the firmware download from the first region to a third region of the disk following execution of a boot procedure by the host using the DOS boot program.
A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program to execute a method of downloading firmware to a hard disk drive (HDD), the method comprising:
- receiving a firmware download in the HDD from the host in response to a download command and storing the firmware download to a first region of a disk in the HDD;
- once the firmware download is complete:
- setting the value of a download flag, and
- generating a message from the HDD to the host indicating the need for the OFF/ON power cycle;
- performing a system OFF/ON power cycle;
- and
- following the system OFF/ON power cycle:
- checking the value of the download flag and, in response to the value of the download flag having been set, changing a Logical Block Address mapping a second region of a non-user data region of the disk storing a DOS boot program and
- transferring the firmware download from the first region to a third region of the disk following execution of a boot procedure by the host using the DOS boot program.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.