Digital device configuration and method

• US 7,162,578 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elite Gaming Tech LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC), Cornice Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cornice Incorporated
• Inventors: Bruner, Curtis H., Carlson, Lance R., Mast, Jeffrey E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Portka; Gary
• Application Number:
  US11/074,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

An electromechanical data storage arrangement is interfaced with a host. The interface may include a conductor that carries read and write gate signals. Another conductor carries both a servo sync mark and an error signal. The storage arrangement includes an external serial interface connected to a host serial interface applying a device identification to a portion of serial control-related data that travels over the interface. A serial router in the storage arrangement uses the device identification to manage the control-related data between the interface and a number of serial devices and associated interfaces within the storage arrangement. The serial router is in selective data communication with each of the device serial interfaces, for using the device identification to direct a host-asserted command to a targeted device where each device is controlled by a different command set such that the system can be customized for different command sets of different devices.

Claims

1. In a system including a host device having a host processing arrangement for controlling the overall host device and for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is initially provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and a particular firmware configuration is used for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement such that a first portion of the particular firmware configuration is required to allow the storage arrangement to access any digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration that changes at least the first portion of the updated firmware configuration, compared to the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, in a way which precludes access to the digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk of said undated version when using only the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, a method comprising:

electrically interfacing the updated version of the storage arrangement with said host processing arrangement of the host device, said storage arrangement including at least the first portion of the particular firmware configuration for use in controlling the particular version of the storage arrangement;

storing a first firmware update in the host device that is limited to a difference between the first portion of the particular firmware configuration and the first portion of the updated firmware configuration; and

transferring the first firmware update to the storage arrangement, using the host processing arrangement, and thereafter, operating the storage arrangement by executing the difference between the first portion of the updated firmware configuration and the particular firmware configuration, along with cooperatively executing at least a part of the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, that is exclusive of said difference, for accessing the digital data that is stored on said disk and without replacing the first portion of the particular firmware configuration in the storage arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1 including storing a second firmware update on the rotatable disk, approximately at a time of manufacture of the storage arrangement, that is limited to an additional difference between a second portion of the particular firmware configuration, as compared to a second portion of the updated firmware configuration, and the second firmware update to the storage arrangement, after transfer of the first firmware update and, thereafter, operating the storage arrangement by execution of the additional difference between the second portion of the updated firmware configuration in cooperation with executing some of the second portion of the particular firmware configuration in the storage arrangement that is exclusive of said additional difference and without replacing the second portion of the particular firmware configuration in the storage arrangement.

5. The method of claim 1 including storing the fun portion of the particular firmware configuration in a read only memory section of said storage arrangement control configuration and providing a random acme memory section in the storage arrangement control configuration for thereafter saving at last the updated firmware configuration as the difference between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration.

6. The method of claim 5 including executing the difference between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration directly from said random access memory section and for cooperatively executing a remaining and unmodified portion of the particular firmware configuration directly from the read only memory section.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said updated firmware configuration replaces only a portion of the particular firmware configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said particular firmware configuration is divided into a plurality of original code segmental and said difference includes one or more individual update segments that correspond to individual ones of the plurality of original code segments such that each update segment replaces one of the original code segments.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, prior to using any specific one of the original code segments of the particular firmware configuration, the host processor performs a query to determine if that specific code segment is replaced in the updated firmware configuration.

11. The method of claim 10 including using a jump table, as part of performing said query, such that the jump table specifies each update segment of the updated firmware configuration.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, upon determining that a specific code segment has been replaced, executing that specific code segment as provided by the updated firmware configuration.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the update segments is of a different length than a corresponding one of the original code segments.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said storage arrangement control configuration includes a non-volatile electronic memory and providing the updated firmware configuration in said storage arrangement, before said interfacing, by loading the first portion of the code segments into said non-volatile electronic memory and a second portion ethic code segments onto said disk such that upon mart-up of the storage arrangement and following said interfacing, said first portion of the code segments relate to initialization of the storage arrangement to, thereafter, enable reading digital data, including said second portion of the code segments from the disk.

3. In a system including a host device having a host processing arrangement for controlling the overall host device and for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is initially provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and a particular firmware configuration is used for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement such that a first portion of the particular firmware configuration is required to allow the storage arrangement to access any digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, and said storage arrangement maybe provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration that changes at least the first portion of the updated firmware configuration, compared to the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, in a way which precludes access to the digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk of said updated version when using only the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, a firmware control arrangement, comprising;

a storage arrangement control configuration electrically interfaced with said host processing arrangement of the host device and with the updated version of the storage arrangement, said storage arrangement control configuration including at least the first portion of the particular firmware configuration stored for execution by the storage arrangement control configuration in controlling the particular version of the storage arrangement;

a firmware update stored in the host device that is limited to a difference between the first portion of the particular firmware and the first portion of the updated firmware configuration for access by the host processing arrangement; and

an instruction set for transferring the firmware update to the storage arrangement control configuration in a way that causes the storage arrangement control configuration to, thereafter, execute the difference between the first portion of the updated firmware configuration and the particular firmware configuration along with cooperatively executing at least a part of the particular firmware configuration, that is exclusive of said difference, for accessing the distal data that is stored on said disk and without completely replacing the first portion of the particular firmware configuration for controlling the storage arrangement.

4. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein a second firmware update is stored on the rotatable disk, approximately at a time of manufacture of the storage arrangement, corresponding to an additional difference between a second portion of the particular firmware configuration, as compared to a second portion of the updated firmware configuration, and said storage arrangement control configuration is configured for accessing the second firmware update from safe disk so that the storage arrangement control configuration executes the additional difference between the second portion of the updated firmware configuration in cooperating with executing at least some of the second portion of the particular firmware configuration in the storage arrangement and without replacing the second portion of the particular firmware configuration in he storage arrangement.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein transferring includes retrieving a selected pact of the second portion of the particular firmware configuration from the disk and saving the selected part in said random access memory section and, thereafter, executing the difference between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration directly from said random access memory section and cooperatively configuration the selected part of the particular firmware configuration directly foam the random access memory section.

15. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein said storage arrangement control configuration includes a read only memory section for storing said first portion of the particular firmware configuration and a random access memory section at least for storing the updated firmware configuration as five difference between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration.

16. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein said storage arrangement is configured for executing the difference between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration directly front said random access memory section and for cooperatively executing a remaining and unmodified portion of the particular firmware configuration directly from the read only memory section.

17. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein said storage arrangement control configuration is configured for retrieving a selected part of the second portion of the particular firmware configuration from the disk and saving the selected part in said random access memory section and thereafter, said storage arrangement controller is configured for executing the difference between the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration directly from said random access memory section and for cooperatively executing a remaining and unmodified portion of the particular firmware configuration directly front the random access memory section.

18. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein said update firmware configuration replaces only a portion of the particular firmware configuration.

19. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein said particular firmware configuration is divided into a plurality of original code segments and said update firmware configuration includes one or more individual update segments that correspond to individual ones of the plurality of original code segments, as said difference, such that each update augment of the updated firmware configuration replaces one of the original code segments.

20. The firmware control arrangement of claim 19 wherein, prior to using any specific one of the original code segments of the particular firmware configuration, the storage arrangement control configuration is configured to perform a query to determine if that specific code segment is replaced in the updated firmware configuration.

21. The firmware control arrangement of claim 20 wherein the updated firmware configuration includes a jump table that specifies each update segment of the updated firmware configuration.

22. The firmware control arrangement of claim 20 wherein, upon determining that a specific code segment has bean replaced, the host device is configured to execute that spec code segment as provided by the updated firmware configuration.

23. The firmware control arrangement of claim 22 wherein the specific code segment, as past of the updated firmware configuration, includes a different length than corresponding one of the original code segments, as part of the particular firmware configuration.

24. The firmware control arrangement of claim 3 wherein said storage arrangement includes a non-volatile electronic memory Section far storing a first portion of the update set of firmware as s first group of update code segments and a second portion of said updated firmware set is stored as a second group of update code segments an said disk such that, upon start-up of the storage arrangement, said first portion of the update code segments relate to initialization of the storage arrangement to, thereafter, enable reading digital data, including said second portion of the update code segments, from the disk.

25. In a system including a host device having a host processing arrangement for controlling the overall host device and for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement which is initially provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and a particular firmware configuration is used for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration, a firmware control arrangement, comprising:

a firmware ROM section in the host device which stores at least first portion of the particular firmware configuration for controlling the particular version of the storage arrangement;

a firmware update stored in the storage arrangement, separate from said first portion of the particular firmware configuration, that is limited to a difference between the first portion of the particular firmware configuration and the updated firmware configuration for access by the host processing arrangement; and

an instruction set that causes the host processing arrangement to retrieve the firmware update from the storage arrangement and, thereafter, to execute said firmware update as said difference along with executing an unmodified part of the first portion of the particular firmware configuration from said firmware ROM section to thereby implement said updated firmware configuration without a need to replace the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, as stored in the firmware ROM section;

wherein said first portion of the particular firmware configuration is required to allow the storage arrangement to access a second portion of the particular firmware configuration that is stored on the rotatable disk and said firmware update includes said difference in the first portion of the updated firmware configuration such that the firmware update is required to access any data that is stored the disk of said updated version of the storage arrangement.