Electronic labeling for offline management of storage devices

• US 20060080359A1
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Golds, David P., Powell, Therron L., Carter-Schwendler, Carl M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

A system and method using hardware and software components enable a storage module to maintain information about an associated storage device and its content such that the information is accessible when the storage device is offline or in a low power configuration. A general-computing host system connects to the storage module via a pluggable interface to provide information to a nonvolatile memory cache on the storage module. The storage module includes a separate power source, an output display, input buttons, and a module controller. The host system includes an application and host platform for processing file-system related events to send records to the module controller to automatically update a catalog representing storage device information in the nonvolatile memory. When offline, the user may display the catalog information and use the buttons to navigate among it. The host system may also allow the user to interactively review and modify the catalog.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

maintaining information in a memory associated with a storage module; and

outputting data corresponding to the information on a display associated with the storage module, including when a primary storage device of the storage module is decoupled from a host computer system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting data corresponding to the information on a display comprises providing catalog data corresponding to content stored on the primary storage device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information maintained in memory comprises content catalog information, and wherein outputting data corresponding to the information on a display comprises providing catalog data when the primary storage device is coupled to a host computer system but is in a non-operational state.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, receiving commands, and adjusting the data output on the display in response to the commands.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage module is coupled to a host computer system, and further comprising, transferring at least some of the information from the host computer system to the storage module.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein transferring at least some of the information from a host computer system to the storage module comprises sending data in response to an event detected by the host computer system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising, registering for event detection.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein registering for event detection comprises providing at least one filtering criterion.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, detecting replacement of the primary storage device with another storage device, and further comprising, outputting different data on the display.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein outputting different data on the display comprises accessing another set of information maintained in memory, the other set of information corresponding to the other storage device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting data comprises outputting storage space-related data on the display.

12. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 1.

13. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

a storage device; and

a storage module that couples to the storage device, the storage module including a memory that contains storage information related to the storage device, a user interface comprising a display screen, and a controller coupled to the memory and to the user interface, the controller configured to access the memory and to output data corresponding to the storage information to the display screen, including when the storage module is decoupled from a host computer system.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the user interface further comprises an input mechanism coupled to the controller, and wherein the controller receives commands from the input mechanism and adjusts the data output to the display screen in response to the commands.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage module includes an internal battery and optional charging circuitry for powering the display screen and the controller when the storage module is decoupled from a host computer system.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage module is hot-pluggable into a host computer system.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage module couples to a host computer system via a single communications link that handles I/O communications to the storage device and storage information communications to the controller, and wherein the storage module includes a bridge that separates the I/O communications from the storage information communications.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage module couples to a host computer system via at least two distinct communications links, including at least one communications link that handles I/O communications to and from the storage device and another communications link that handles storage information communications to the controller.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage device may be decoupled from the storage module and another storage device coupled to the storage module.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage device and the storage module are of unitary construction.

21. The system of claim 13 further comprising at least one other storage device that couples to the storage module.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage module is coupled to a host computer system, and wherein the host computer system includes a detection mechanism that detects when a change to the storage information is needed in the storage module memory, and an update mechanism that updates the storage module memory.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the storage information comprises a catalog of labeling information corresponding to the content of the storage device, and wherein the detection mechanism comprises an event filter that captures events including events related to changes to the content of the storage device.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the update mechanism comprises a catalog provider coupled to the event filter, the catalog provider configured to communicate data to the controller of the storage module for updating the storage module memory in response to an event detected by the event filter.

25. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage information comprises configuration details corresponding to the storage device.

26. The system of claim 13 wherein the storage module is coupled to a host computer system, and wherein the host computer system communicates with the controller to output auxiliary information provided by the host computer system to the display.

27. The system of claim 13 wherein the memory further maintains cached I/O data.

28. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform a method, comprising:

receiving storage-related information from a host computer system corresponding to a storage device coupled to the host computer system;

storing the storage-related information in a memory that is accessible independent of whether the storage device is coupled to the computer system;

receiving a command; and

accessing the memory to output data to a display screen that is operational to display data independent of whether the storage device is coupled to the computer system.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein receiving a command comprises receiving indication of a button actuation from among a set of at least one button that is operational independent of whether the storage device is coupled to the computer system.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the command corresponds to a navigation command, and further comprising, changing currently displayed output data in response to receiving the command, to provide different data representative of scrolling through the storage-related information.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the storage-related information corresponds to a catalog of content that is maintained on the storage device, and wherein accessing the memory comprises accessing data for a piece of content maintained on the storage device.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the storage-related information corresponds to a key needed to decrypt at least some of the data maintained on the storage device, and further comprising reading the key from the memory.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the storage-related information corresponds to configuration information for the storage device, and wherein accessing the memory comprises reading the configuration information to display data corresponding to the configuration information on the display screen.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein receiving storage-related information from a host computer system comprises receiving a record corresponding to an event detected at the host computer system.

35. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

a storage device;

a memory that contains storage-related information corresponding to the storage device;

a controller coupled to the memory;

a connection for selectively coupling the controller and the storage device to a host computer system;

a user interface coupled to the controller, the user interface comprising an input mechanism and a display; and

a power source that powers the user interface and the controller to enable access to the memory and control of the user interface to display storage-related information when the controller is not coupled to a host computer system.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the memory, controller, interface and a user interface are incorporated into a cartridge that couples with the storage device.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the power source is incorporated into the cartridge.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the storage device comprises a media reader having one or more removable media loaded therein.

39. The system of claim 35 wherein the storage-related information labels content stored on the storage device, and wherein the controller controls of the user interface to display labeling data representative of at least some of the content stored on the storage device.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the input mechanism provides commands to the controller, and wherein the controller changes the labeling data that is displayed in response to the commands.