Data storage device with data transformation capability

• US 20060193470A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Williams, Larry Lynn
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

In a preferred embodiment a method of operating an intelligent disk drive is described which includes compression and/or encryption capability at the file level. The intelligent disk drive includes means for executing distributed computing tasks including a CPU and associated memory. The communication interface with the host computer or other device on the communication bus is modified to allow the device to send executable code for a task to the drive and to allow the drive to communicate the results and status information about the task to the host device. In a preferred embodiment the disk drive has a task control program, task program code, task data and status information for the distributed task. The task control program implements the basic task management functions of storing the task program, reporting results and saving progress information to allow the task to be interrupted by other drive functions.

Claims

1. A disk drive comprising:

a processor and a memory for storing data and a program for the processor;

means for receiving, from a device on a communication bus, a write command for a write operation with encryption, an encryption key and data to be encrypted and written to disk storage;

means for encrypting the data and recording the encryption key in association with the data; and

means for processing a read command for the data from the device with a decryption key comprising means for comparing the decryption key with the encryption key and refusing to decrypt the data if the decryption key and the encryption key are not equal and otherwise decrypting the data and sending the data to the device.

2. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the data is a file and the write command includes a file identifier and the means for processing a read command further comprises means for identifying the data using a file identifier included in the read command.

3. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the means for processing a read command further comprises means for sending no response when decryption key and the encryption key are not equal to hamper a brute force attempt to guess the decryption key.

4. A disk drive comprising:

a processor and a memory for storing data and a program for the processor;

means for receiving, from a device on a communication bus, a write command for a write operation with compression, the write command including a file identifier and data to be compressed and written to disk storage;

means for compressing the data and recording the file identifier in association with the data; and

means for processing a read command for the data from the device with a file identifier comprising means for retrieving the data using the file identifier, decompressing the data and sending the data to the device.

5. The disk drive of claim 4 wherein means for compressing the data and recording the file identifier in association with the data further comprises recording information details on compression of the data.

6. A disk drive comprising:

a processor and a memory for storing data and a program for the processor;

a task control program executable by the processor loaded into the memory, the task control program including means for accepting a data compression task definition command from a device on a communication bus, the data compression task definition command including a specification of a data compression task program of code executable by the processor and a specification of data for the data compression task program;

means for executing a data compression task program as an interruptible process executing offline, the means for executing the data compression task program including means for storing task status and pointers when an interrupt occurs and resuming execution of the data compression task program when an interrupt has been processed;

means for signaling the device that the data compression task program has completed; and

means for resetting the data compression task status to indicate that no data compression task program is pending after the data compression task program has completed.

7. The disk drive of claim 6 wherein means for accepting a data compression task definition command further comprises means for accepting the data compression task program as data in a write command which follows a diagnostic command.

8. The disk drive of claim 6 wherein the means for signaling further comprises means for sending a request for a diagnostic inquiry.

9. The disk drive of claim 6 wherein the means for transmitting further comprises means for responding to the diagnostic inquiry by sending information to the results of the task program.

10. A method of operating a disk drive comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a device on a communication bus, a write command for a write operation with encryption, an encryption key and data to be encrypted and written to disk storage;

encrypting the data and recording the encryption key in association with the data; and

processing a read command for the data from the device with a decryption key comprising means for comparing the decryption key with the encryption key and refusing to decrypt the data if the decryption key and the encryption key are not equal and otherwise decrypting the data and sending the data to the device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the data is a file and the write command includes a file identifier and the step of processing a read command further comprises Identifying the data using a file identifier included in the read command.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of processing a read command further comprises sending no response when decryption key and the encryption key are not equal to hamper a brute force attempt to guess the decryption key.

13. A method of operating a disk drive comprising:

receiving, from a device on a communication bus, a write command for a write operation with compression, the write command including a file identifier and data to be compressed and written to disk storage;

compressing the data and recording the file identifier in association with the data; and

processing a read command for the data from the device with a file identifier comprising means for retrieving the data using the file identifier, decompressing the data and sending the data to the device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of compressing the data and recording the file identifier in association with the data further comprises recording information details on compression of the data.

15. A method of operating a disk drive comprising:

accepting a data compression task definition command from a device on a communication bus, the data compression task definition command including a specification of a data compression task program of code executable by a processor in the disk drive and a specification of data for the data compression task program;

executing the data compression task program as an interruptible process executing offline, when an interrupt occurs storing task status and pointers and then resuming execution of the data compression task program when the interrupt has been processed;

signalling the device that the data compression task program has completed; and

resetting the data compression task status to indicate that no data compression task program is pending after the data compression task program has completed.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of accepting a data compression task definition command further comprises accepting the data compression task program as data in a write command which follows a diagnostic command.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of signalling further comprises sending a request for a diagnostic inquiry.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of transmitting further comprises responding to the diagnostic inquiry by sending information to the results of the task program.