US 8,429,336 B2Granted

Disk drive and method of changing a program therefor

AssigneeHGST Netherlands B.V.

InventorToru Aida

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Abstract

A method of changing a program for controlling a disk drive that includes an EEPROM. The method includes storing a program block to a disk area such that the program block is associated with a second area for storing the program block that is not utilized for a read operation from the disk area. The method also includes storing a program block that is associated with a first area to an area that includes at least a portion of the second area in the EEPROM such that the first area contained a program block that is utilized for a read operation from the disk area. In addition, the method includes changing the program block in the first area after storing to the second area. Moreover, the method includes storing to the second area the program block that is not utilized for a read operation from the disk area after storing to the first area.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method of changing a program for controlling a disk drive that includes an EEPROM in said disk drive, said method comprising:

storing a program block to a disk area, said program block being associated with a second area for storing a program block that is not utilized for a read operation from said disk area;
storing a program block associated with a first area to an area comprising at least a portion of said second area in said EEPROM, said first area having contained a program block that is utilized for a read operation from said disk area;
changing said program block in said first area after said storing to said second area;
storing to said second area said program block that is not utilized for a read operation from said disk area after said changing to said first area, wherein a new program comprising a new first program block to be stored to said first area and a new second program block to be stored to said second area are obtained and stored to said disk area;
the program block associated with said second area is said new second program block;
the program block associated with said first area is said new first program block;
and the program block to be stored to said second area after said change of said first area is said new second program block;
and
storing a new boot code to free space in said EEPROM, wherein said new program comprises said new boot code;
and preserving both a boot code that has already been stored in said EEPROM and said new boot code.

7 more elements

A disk drive that includes a program for controlling said disk drive, said disk drive comprising:

a disk area for storing data;
an EEPROM for storing to a first area a program block that is utilized for a read operation from said disk area and for storing to a second area a program block that is not utilized for a read operation from said disk area;
and
a controller for storing a program block associated with said first area to an area comprising at least a portion of said second area in said EEPROM, after storing to said disk area a program block associated with said second area, and then storing to said second area said program block that is not utilized for a read operation from said disk area after changing said program block in said first area, wherein the controller is configured to obtain a new program comprising a new first program block to be stored in said first area and a new second program block to be stored in said second area and is configured to store said new program to said disk area;
the program block associated with said second area is said new second program block;
the program block associated with said first area is said new first program block;
and said program block to be stored to said second area after said change of said first area is said new second program block, and wherein the controller is configured to store a new boot code to free space in said EEPROM, wherein said new program comprises said new boot code;
and is configured to preserve both a boot code that has already been stored in said EEPROM and said new boot code.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.