Performance testing of disk drives in consumer electronics devices

• US 20070255518A1
• Filed: 05/01/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech 5 SAS
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jeon, Edwin, Murray, Mark, Maguire, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/113
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/455 Arrangements for functional testing of heads; Measuring arrangements for heads

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for testing performance of a disk drive in a digital home communications terminal. In one such method, the steps comprise: measuring at least one time for data transfer of a group of sectors on the disk drive; and providing the time to a server over a communications channel. In another method, the steps comprise: downloading a disk drive performance test application from a server over a communication channel; executing the test application to measure at least one time for data transfer of a group of sectors on the disk drive; and reporting the time to the server over the communication channel.

Claims

1. A method for testing performance of a disk drive in a digital home communications terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring at least one time for data transfer of a group of sectors on the disk drive; and

providing the time to a server over a communications channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of sectors is located at a first distance from the center of the disk drive, and further comprising the step of repeating the measuring step for a different group of sectors located at a second distance from the center, and wherein the first distance is different than the second distance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transfer comprises a disk read, and further comprising the steps of:

disabling a read look-ahead feature of the disk drive;

starting a timer;

reading from the group of sectors; and

stopping the timer when the read step completes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

reading from the group of sectors to a first buffer;

seeking to the group of sectors;

staring a timer;

writing to the group of sectors from the first buffer; and

stopping the timer when the write step completes.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

providing an error code to the server if the write step encounters a drive error.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

providing an error code to the server if the read step encounters a drive error.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

enabling a write cache on the disk drive before the write step;

flushing the write cache before the stop timer step; and

stopping the timer when the flush completes.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

responsive to a read error on the read step, reading from each sector in the group to a second buffer; and

writing to each sector in the group from the second buffer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the disk drive comprises a hard disk drive.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the disk drive comprises a DVD drive.

11. A method for testing performance of a disk drive in a digital home communications terminal (DHCT), the method comprising the steps of:

downloading a disk drive performance test application from a server over a communication channel;

executing the test application to measure at least one time for data transfer of a group of sectors on the disk drive; and

reporting the time to the server over the communication channel.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

reporting the time to the server through an SNMP message.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

storing the time in non-volatile memory.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

loading the test application into random access memory (RAM); and

rebooting the DHCT after the executing step, wherein the test application remains in RAM after the reboot.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

reporting the time to the server before the reboot step.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

unloading the test application from RAM.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the disk drive comprises a hard disk drive.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the disk drive comprises a DVD drive.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication channel comprises a downstream channel and a distinct upstream channel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the upstream communication channel comprises a telephone subscriber loop.