Hard disk apparatus capable of transforming logical addresses of apparatus diagnosis cylinders to HDD-by-HDD physical addresses

• US 5,889,937 A
• Filed: 06/26/1997
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tamagawa, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HUA, LY
• Application Number:
  US08/883,335
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 371/21.2, 371/68.1, 395/183.18, 711/114
• US Class Current: 714/42
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1816 Testing

Abstract

A magnetic disk apparatus includes a plurality of hard disk drives (HDDs) and a decoder for transforming logical addresses received from a host to physical addresses respectively assigned to the HDDs. The HDDs each have a magnetic disk section including at least one magnetic disk for storing data, a magnetic head section for selectively writing or reading data in or out of the magnetic disk section, and a drive control for controllably driving the magnetic head section in accordance with the physical addresses output from the decoder. The decoder has a function for transforming the logical addresses of a diagnosis command received from the host to the physical addresses of the HDDs while the drive control has a function of controlling a write/read test with the physical addresses produced by the function of the decoder. The decoder further has a function of setting the physical addressees of the radially innermost cylinders of the HDDs as the physical addresses to be diagnosed. The decoder additionally has a function of allocating, when the logical addresses of the diagnosis command are continuous addresses, dividing the logical addresses and then allocating them to the physical addresses.

Claims

1. A magnetic disk apparatus comprising:

a plurality of hard disk drives (HDDs); and

a decoder for transforming logical addresses received from a host to physical addresses respectively assigned to said plurality of HDDs as user cylinders;

said plurality of HDDs each comprising;

a magnetic disk section including at least one magnetic disk for storing data;

a magnetic head section for selectively writing or reading data in or out of said magnetic disk section; and

a drive control for controllably driving said magnetic head section in accordance with the physical address output from said decoder;

said decoder having a diagnosis address transforming function for transforming logical addresses of a diagnosis command received from the host to the physical addresses of said plurality of HDDs as diagnosis cylinders associated with each of said plurality of HDDs;

said drive control having a function of controlling a write/read test at the physical addresses produced by said diagnosis address transforming function by test data being written to and read out of said diagnosis cylinders to protect data stored in said user cylinders from damage.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said decoder has a diagnosis address setting function for setting the physical addressees of radially innermost cylinders of said plurality of HDDs as the physical addresses to be diagnosed.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said decoder has an allocating function for allocating, when the logical addresses of the diagnosis command are continuous addresses, dividing said logical addresses and allocating said logical addresses divided to the physical addresses.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said magnetic disk section comprises a plurality of magnetic disks, said magnetic head section including a plurality of magnetic heads.

5. A hard disk system comprising:

a plurality of magnetic disk apparatuses each comprising;

a plurality of hard disk drives (HDDs); and

a decoder for transforming logical addresses received from a host to physical addresses respectively assigned to said plurality of HDDs as user cylinders;

said plurality of HDDs each comprising;

a magnetic disk section including at least one magnetic disk for storing data;

a magnetic head section for selectively writing or reading data in or out of said magnetic disk section; and

a drive control for controllably driving said magnetic head section in accordance with the physical address output from said decoder;

said decoder having a diagnosis address transforming function for transforming logical addresses of a diagnosis command received from the host to the physical addresses of said plurality of HDDs as diagnosis cylinders associated with each of said plurality of HDDs;

said drive control having a function of controlling a write/read test at the physical addresses produced by said diagnosis address transforming function by test data being written to and read out of said diagnosis cylinders to protect data stored in said user cylinders from damage; and

a disk access control for collecting controlling operation of said plurality of magnetic disk apparatuses.