Remote power cycling of peripheral data storage system

• US 7,346,790 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Klein, Barry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao; Chun
• Application Number:
  US10/816,545
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 713/310, 713/320, 713/324, 713/330, 365/145, 365/226
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3221 of disk drive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3268 Power saving in hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method for remotely power cycling a peripheral data storage system (PDSS) from a host system. The method comprises powering-up the PDSS from the host system based on a host-scheduled backup operation; transmitting pre-selected data to the PDSS from the host system based on the host-scheduled backup operation; and powering-down the PDSS from the host system based on the host-scheduled backup operation. Another method is for operating a PDSS for use with a host system configured to perform scheduled backup operations to the PDSS, the PDSS comprising a peripheral data storage device, a PDSS controller, and a peripheral data storage controller host interface adapted for communication with the host system. The method comprises powering-up the PDSS based on a host-scheduled backup operation; receiving data from the host system for storing in the peripheral data storage device; and powering-down the PDSS based on the host-scheduled backup operation.

Claims

1. A method for remotely power cycling a peripheral data storage system from a host system, the method comprising:

scheduling a host-scheduled backup operation, wherein the host-scheduled backup operation comprises pre-selected data from the host for backup on the peripheral data storage system and a start time for the host-scheduled backup operation;

powering-up the peripheral data storage system from the host system at the start time based on the host-scheduled backup operation;

transmitting the pre-selected data to the peripheral data storage system from the host system based on the host-scheduled backup operation; and

powering-down the peripheral data storage system from the host system upon completion of the host-scheduled backup operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the powering-up is performed periodically at a pre-scheduled time corresponding to the host-scheduled backup operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the powering-up further comprises:

transmitting a power-up command to the peripheral data storage system for powering-up of the peripheral storage system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

transmitting a power-down command to the peripheral data storage system for powering-down of the peripheral storage system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the powering-up further comprises:

supplying operating power to the peripheral data storage system from the host system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

ceasing the supplying of operating power to the peripheral data storage system from the host system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

determining if the transmitted pre-selected data were stored in the peripheral data storage system prior to the powering-down the peripheral storage system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral data storage system comprises a peripheral data storage device, a peripheral system controller, and a peripheral system controller host interface adapted for communication with the host system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the powering-up comprises powering-up the peripheral storage device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the powering-down comprises powering-down the peripheral storage device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the powering-up further comprises:

transmitting a power-up command to the peripheral data storage system for powering-up of the peripheral data storage device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the power-up command causes the peripheral data storage system to supply power to the peripheral data storage device from an external power supply source.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

transmitting a power-down command to the peripheral data storage system for powering-down of the peripheral data storage device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the power-down command causes the peripheral data storage system to cease a supplying of power to the peripheral data storage device from an external power supply source.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the peripheral data storage system comprises an external disk drive system and wherein the peripheral data storage device is a disk drive.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the host system comprises a host data storage system and wherein the pre-selected data resides in the host data storage system.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the host-scheduled backup operation in the host system prior to the powering-up.

18. The method of claim 17, the configuring further comprising:

pre-selecting a portion of host data for the host-scheduled backup operations of the selected portion to the peripheral data storage system.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the host system is adapted for communication with the peripheral data storage system via a universal serial bus (USB) cable.

20. A method of operating a peripheral data storage system for use with a host system configured to perform scheduled backup operations to the peripheral data storage system, the peripheral data storage system comprising a peripheral data storage device, a peripheral data storage system controller, and a peripheral data storage controller host interface adapted for communication with the host system, the method comprising:

powering-up the peripheral data storage system at a start time based on a host-scheduled backup operation, wherein the host-scheduled backup operation is scheduled by the host system and comprises pre-selected data from the host for backup on the peripheral data storage system and the start time for the host-scheduled backup operation;

receiving the pre-selected data from the host system for storing in the peripheral data storage device; and

powering-down the peripheral data storage system upon completion of the host-scheduled backup operation.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the powering-up is performed periodically at a pre-scheduled time corresponding to the host-scheduled backup operation.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the powering-up further comprises:

receiving a power-up command from the host system for powering-up of the peripheral data storage system.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

receiving a power-down command from the host system for powering-down of the peripheral data storage system.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the powering-up further comprises:

receiving operating power from the host system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

ceasing the receiving of operating power from the host system.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

determining if the received data were stored in the peripheral data storage device prior to the powering-down the peripheral data storage system.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the powering-up comprises powering-up the peripheral data storage device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the powering-down comprises powering-down the peripheral data storage device.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the powering-up further comprises:

receiving a power-up command from the host system for powering-up of the peripheral data storage device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the power-up command causes the peripheral data storage system to supply power to the peripheral data storage device from an external power supply source.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the powering-down further comprises:

receiving a power-down command from the host system for powering-down of the peripheral data storage device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the power-down command causes the peripheral data storage system to cease a supplying of power to the peripheral data storage device from an external power supply source.

33. The method of claim 20, wherein the peripheral data storage system comprises an external disk drive system and wherein the peripheral data storage device is a disk drive.

34. The method of claim 20, wherein the peripheral data storage controller host interface is adapted for communication with the host system via a universal serial bus (USB) cable.

35. The method of claim 20, wherein the peripheral data storage system controller is a bridge controller and wherein the peripheral data storage controller host interface is a bridge controller host interface.

36. A method for remotely power cycling a peripheral data storage system from a host system, the host system comprising a disk drive, the method comprising:

scheduling a host-scheduled backup operation, wherein the host-scheduled backup operation comprises pre-selected data from the host for backup on the peripheral data storage system and a start time for the host-scheduled backup operation;

powering-up the peripheral data storage system from the host system at the start time based on a host-scheduled backup operation;

transmitting the pre-selected data to the peripheral data storage system from the disk drive of the host system based on the host-scheduled backup operation; and

powering-down the peripheral data storage system from the host system upon completion of the host-scheduled backup operation.

37. A method of operating a peripheral data storage system for use with a host system comprising a disk drive, the host system configured to perform scheduled backup operation from the disk drive to the peripheral data storage system, the peripheral data storage system comprising a peripheral data storage device, a peripheral data storage system controller, and a peripheral data storage controller host interface adapted for communication with the host system, the method comprising:

powering-up the peripheral data storage system at a start time based on a host-scheduled backup operation, wherein the host-scheduled backup operation is scheduled by the host system and comprises pre-selected data from the host for backup on the peripheral data storage system and the start time for the host-scheduled backup operation;

receiving the pre-selected data from the disk drive of the host system for storing in the peripheral data storage device; and

powering-down the peripheral data storage system upon completion of the host-scheduled backup operation.