Disk drive control unit having sets of operating command and operation length information and generating end signal based upon operation length information

• US 5,109,500 A
• Filed: 10/28/1987
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kurihara, Hiroshi, Tsunehiro, Takashi, Kawamura, Satoshi, Mega, Masaki, Iseki, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOHAMED, AYNI Y
• Application Number:
  US07/113,606
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 710/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device

Abstract

A disk control unit for writing data on or reading the same from a disk in a disk apparatus in response to an instruction from a host computer. The disk control unit has a plurality of command buffers for storing a group of operation information and operation length information corresponding to individual fields in the disk format of the disk apparatus. Prior to processing the length information is set in a counter and then is counted decrementally with progress of the processing steps, whereby an operation end signal is produced to control an address generator for the command buffers. The disk control unit also has a pointer register for storing a jump point address in response to indication of the operation information and outputting the stored address in response to indication of the other operation information to change the address of the address generator. The disk control unit further has a plurality of ID field registers for indiscriminately storing the ID field registers forindiscriminately storing the ID field address marks and the ID information in the disk format of the disk apparatus.

Claims

1. A disk control unit for controlling transfer of disk data between a host computer and a disk apparatus, comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of sets of operation command and operation length information, wherein in each set said operation command indicates an operation to be performed by said unit and said operation length information indicates operation length of said operation command;

means for sequentially generating addresses, each address being applied to said storing means to consecutively read out sets of operation command and operation length information;

address storing means for storing said sequentially generated addresses;

count means for counting a value in response to execution of an operation command of a set read out of said storing means, and producing an operation end signal when said value becomes equal to operation length information of said set;

means for controlling said addresses stored in said address storing means in response to execution of said operation command and in repone to said operation end signal produced by said count means; and

means for transferring disk data between said host computer and said disk apparatus in response to execution of said operation command.

2. The disk control unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of ID field memory means for storing predetermined numbers of bytes of address marks and ID information of the disk data to be recorded in said disk apparatus.

3. The disk control unit according to claim 2, further comprising:

means for changing one of said ID information stored in said ID field memory means during a multisector processing operation to read or write a plurality of sectors from or to said disk apparatus.

4. The disk control unit according to claim 1, wherein said address control means has a jump pointer register for setting a jump address in response to said operation command.

5. The disk control unit according to claim 1, wherein said address control means has a retry pointer register for setting a retry address in response to said operation command.

6. A disk control unit for controlling transfer of disk data between a host computer and a disk apparatus, comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of sets of operation command and operation length information, said operation length information indicates operation length of said operation command;

means for generating an address and applying said address to said storing means to consecutively read out a set of operation command and operation length information from said storing means at said address;

address storing means for storing said address;

count means for counting a value in response to execution of said operation command of said set read out of storing means, and producing an operation end signal when said value becomes equal to said operation length information;

means for controlling said address stored in said address storing means in response to said operation command and said operation end signal produced from said count means; and

means for transferring disk data between said host computer and said disk apparatus in response to execution of said operation command;

a plurality of ID field memory means for storing predetermined numbers of bytes of address marks and ID information of the disk data to be recorded in said disk apparatus;

wherein said ID field memory means includes a plurality of ID registers, each of which stores data of one byte therein.

7. A disk control unit for controlling transfer of disk data between a host computer and a disk apparatus, comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of sets of operation command and operation length information, said operation length information indicates operation length of said operation command;

means for generating an address and applying said address to said storing means to consecutively read out a set of operation command and operation length information from said storing means at said address;

address storing means for storing said address;

count means for counting a value in response to execution of said operation command of said set read out of storing means, and producing an operation end signal when said value becomes equal to said operation length information;

means for controlling said address stored in said address storing means in response to said operation command and said operation end signal produced from said count means; and

means for transferring disk data between said host computer and said disk apparatus in response to execution of said operation command;

means for changing one of said ID information stored in said ID field memory means during a multisector processing operation to read or write a plurality of sectors from or to said disk apparatus;

wherein said changing means includes a register for storing change-indicated information supplied from said host computer, and a group of gate circuits each of which is connected to a corresponding ID field memory means and is opened or closed in accordance with the content of said register.

8. A disk control unit disposed between a host computer and a disk apparatus for controlling transfer of disk storage data therebetween, comprising:

information memory means for storing a plurality of sets each having an operation command and operation length information, said operation command indicates an operation to be performed by said unit and said operation length information indicates operation length of said operation command, said sets of operation command and operation length information being supplied as disk apparatus control information from said host computer correspondingly to fields in a disk format of said disk apparatus;

means for sequentially generating addresses each being applied to said information memory means to consecutively read out sets of operation command and operation length information;

address storing means for storing said sequentially generated addresses;

means for counting a value in response to execution of an operation command of a set read out of said information memory means and for producing an operation end signal when said value coincides with operation length information of said set;

address control means for controlling said addresses stored in said address storing means in response to execution of said operation command and in response to said operation end signal;

ID field memory means for storing data of ID fields of said disk format; and

means for transferring disk storage data between said host computer and said disk apparatus in response to execution of said operation command.

9. The disk control unit according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for changing, in response to an instruction from said host computer data of said ID fields stored in said ID field memory means during a multisector processing operation to write or read or to from a plurality of sectors in accordance with the disk format of said disk apparatus.

10. The disk control unit according to claim 9, wherein said changing means includes a register to store the instruction from said host computer.

11. A disk control unit disposed between a host computer and a disk apparatus for controlling transfer of disk storage data therebetween, comprising:

information memory means for storing a plurality of sets of operation command and operation length information, said operation length information indicates operation length of said operation command, said set of operation command and operation length information being supplied as disk apparatus control information from said host computer correspondingly to fields in the disk format of said disk apparatus;

means for generating an address to be applied to said information memory means to consecutively read a set of said operation command and operation length information from said information memory means;

address storing means for storing said address;

means for counting a value in response to execution of said operation command of said set read out of said information memory means and for producing an operation end signal when said value coincides with said operation length information;

address control means for controlling said address stored in said address storing means in response to both said operation command and said operation end signal;

ID field memory means for storing data of ID fields of said disk format; and

means for transferring the disk storage data between the host computer and the disk apparatus in response to said execution of said operation command,

wherein said address control means has a register for storing a jump address and a retry address in response said operation command.

12. The disk control unit disposed between a host computer and a disk apparatus for controlling transfer of disk storage data therebetween, comprising:

information memory means for storing a plurality of sets of operation command and operation length information, said operation length information indicates operation length of said operation command, said sets of operation command and operation length information being supplied as disk apparatus control information from said host computer correspondingly to fields in the disk format of said disk apparatus;

means for generating an address to be applied to said information memory means to consecutively read a set of said operation command and operation length information from said information memory means;

address storing means for storing said address;

means for counting a value in response to execution of said operation command of said set read out of said information memory means and for producing an operation end signal when said value coincides with said operation length information;

address control means for controlling said address stored in said address storing means in response to both said operation command and said operation end signal;

ID field memory means for storing data of ID fields of said disk format; and

means for transferring the disk storage data between the host computer and the disk apparatus in response to said execution of said operation command,

wherein said counter means includes a counter being set to a value equal to said operation length information, said counter counting down using said value equal to said operation length information in response to execution of said operation command.

13. A disk control unit for controlling read/write of data from/to a disk apparatus comprising:

first means for storing a plurality of sets of command and operation length information, said operation length information indicating in operation length of said command;

second means for storing said sets of command and operation length information read from said first storing means in response to a selecting signal supplied from a microcomputer;

means for generating an address to be applied to said second storing means to read out a set of command and operation length information stored at said address in said second storing means;

means for counting a number until said number has a predetermined relation with said operation length information of said set read out from said second storing means in response to execution of said command in the disk control unit and for producing an operation end signal;

means for controlling said address generating means in response to said operation end signal, said controlling means including a retry pointing means for setting a retry address in accordance with said execution of said command; and

means for reading/writing data from or to the disk apparatus in accordance with said execution of said command.

14. A disk control unit according to claim 13, further comprising:

ID field memory means for storing data of ID fields of a disk format of the disk apparatus.

15. A disk control unit according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for changing data of said ID fields during a multisector process to read or write from or to a plurality of sectors in response to a change indicating signal provided from said micro-computer.