System and method for recording direct access storage device operating statistics

• US 5,729,397 A
• Filed: 12/31/1992
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Gordon James, Ottesen, Hal Hjalmar
• Primary Examiner(s): PSITOS, ARISTOTELIS
• Application Number:
  US07/999,502
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 371/16.5, 371/29.1, 360/69, 360/75, 360/78.04, 360/60
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs

Abstract

A disk drive includes an error and operating condition tracking mechanism for later analysis. A device controller for the disk drive has access to non-volatile storage. The non-volatile storage is partitioned into one or more areas for storage of condition and error information. A main partition is used for storage of cumulative operating statistics. A secondary partition is used for logging time stamped condition records, with the accumulative count register being used to provide the time stamp. A last in last out partition is used by the device controller to store time stamped error occurrence records for the data storage system.

Claims

1. A secondary data storage system for a host computer system comprising:

a rotatable data storage medium;

transducer means positionable with respect to the rotatable data storage medium for physically altering the rotatable data storage medium and for generating a read back signal in response to detection of physical alterations of the rotatable data storage medium;

processing means connected to the transducer means for filtering data from of the read back signal and generating indication of error in the data;

a plurality of operating condition monitoring devices including, means for measuring ambient temperature around the secondary data storage system, means for measuring vibration of the secondary data storage system, means for measuring power supply output voltage, means responsive to the read back signal for determining clearance between the read and write transducer and the recording medium;

a device controller having access to a clock and the plurality of operating condition monitoring devices and receiving indications of error from the processing means for generating a plurality of types of operating records;

a non-volatile, non-moving storage connected to the device controller for receiving the operating records and for storing the operating records sorted by type into partitions of the non-volatile, non-moving storage, the partitions including a main partition for storage of cumulative operating statistics, a secondary partition for logging time stamped operating condition records and a last in last out partition for storing time stamped error occurrence records; and

an external connection port to the non-volatile, non-moving storage allowing read access to the partitions while bypassing the device controller.

2. A secondary data storage system as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising servo controller means for positioning the transducer means and wherein the operating condition monitoring devices further include means responsive to the servo controller means for determining access times to records stored on the data storage medium.

3. A secondary data storage system as set forth in claim 2, the device controller further comprising:

means responsive to indication of error in the data for determining an error rate and for interrupting the device controller to poll the measuring means for vibration, temperature and voltage level and the determining means for access time and clearance for condition records if the error rate exceeds a predetermined minimum.

4. A secondary data storage system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the device controller is responsive to the clock or to power up of the storage system for updating the accumulated operating statistics.

5. A method of logging operating statistics for a disk drive unit for use in error analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

clocking power on time of the disk drive unit;

periodically recording power on time in a main partition of a non-volatile, non-moving storage device;

responsive to occurrence of error upon access to a moving media within the disk drive unit, making an error record of such occurrence in a last in last out partition of the non-volatile, non-moving storage including a time stamp, ambient temperature, output voltage for a power supply to the disk drive, mechanical vibration of the disk drive, and clearance between a storage medium and a read and write transducer;

tracking access time periods to locations for data records on the storage medium;

responsive to occurrence of error upon access of the moving media determining an error rate; and

responsive to the error rate exceeding a predetermined minimum recording operating conditions for the disk drive to a secondary partition of the non-volatile storage including a time stamp;

accessing the non-volatile, non-moving storage device over an external connection port.

6. A method of logging operating statistics for disk drives for use in error analysis as set forth in claim 5, the method further comprising the step of:

encrypting the records of errors and operating conditions.