Method and apparatus for servicing host commands by a disk drive

• US 8,909,889 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Ong, Choo-Bhin, Guda, Chandra M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I
• Application Number:
  US13/270,130
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/168, 711/170, 710/21, 710/104, 713/2, 365/189.04, 365/189.2, 365/233.14, 360/73.01, 369/53.45, 369/178.01
• US Class Current: 711/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1657 Access to multiple memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1668 Details of memory controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/2054 Spindle motor power-up sequences

Abstract

A disk drive including a disk configured to spin at a target spin speed, a servo core configured to access the disk, a first non-volatile memory configured to store a first initialization firmware, a second non-volatile memory configured to store a second initialization firmware, a first volatile memory, a second volatile memory, a non-volatile memory core configured to access the first non-volatile memory, and a main core. The main core is configured to load the second initialization firmware from the second non-volatile memory to the second volatile memory concurrently with the loading of the first initialization firmware from the first non-volatile memory to the first volatile memory by the non-volatile memory core, control the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk, and communicate with the non-volatile memory core to service host commands from the first non-volatile memory when the disk is not spinning at the target spin speed.

Claims

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk configured to spin at a target spin speed and store first data for servicing host commands;

a servo core configured to access the disk and initiate spinning of the disk;

a first non-volatile memory configured to store a first initialization firmware and second data for servicing host commands;

a second non-volatile memory configured to store a second initialization firmware;

a first volatile memory;

a second volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory core configured to access the first non-volatile memory and load the first initialization firmware from the first non-volatile memory to the first volatile memory; and

a main core configured to;

load the second initialization firmware from the second non-volatile memory to the second volatile memory concurrently with the loading of the first initialization firmware from the first non-volatile memory to the first volatile memory by the non-volatile memory core;

control the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk; and

communicate with the non-volatile memory core to service host commands from the first non-volatile memory when the disk is not spinning at the target spin speed.

2. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the main core is further configured to post a drive ready status to a host after the main core communicates with the non-volatile memory core.

3. The disk drive of claim 2 wherein the main core is further configured to control the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk prior to posting the drive ready status.

4. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the main core is further configured to post a drive ready status prior to the disk spinning at the target spin speed.

5. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the main core is further configured to control the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk when a host command from the host requires data stored on the disk.

6. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first non-volatile memory comprises a NAND memory.

7. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the second non-volatile memory comprises a serial flash memory or a NAND memory.

8. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the second volatile memory comprises a double data rate (DDR) memory.

9. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first volatile memory is located in the non-volatile memory core.

10. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the servo core and the main core are part of a disk controller, and the non-volatile memory core is part of a non-volatile memory controller.

11. The disk drive of claim 10 wherein the disk controller and the non-volatile memory controller are separate from each other.

12. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first non-volatile memory and the second non-volatile memory are part of a same memory.

13. A method of operating a disk drive to service host commands from a host, the disk drive comprising a disk configured to spin at a target spin speed and store first data for servicing host commands, a servo core configured to access the disk and initiate spinning of the disk, a first non-volatile memory configured to store a first initialization firmware and second data for servicing host commands, a second non-volatile memory configured to store a second initialization firmware, a first volatile memory, a second volatile memory, a non-volatile memory core, and a main core, the method comprising the steps of:

loading, using the non-volatile memory core, the first initialization firmware from the first non-volatile memory to the first volatile memory;

loading, using the main core, the second initialization firmware from the second non-volatile memory to the second volatile memory concurrently with the loading of the first initialization firmware from the first non-volatile memory to the first volatile memory by the non-volatile memory core;

controlling the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk; and

communicating, using the main core, with the non-volatile memory core to service host commands from the first non-volatile memory when the disk is not spinning at the target spin speed.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising posting a drive ready status to a host after the main core communicates with the non-volatile memory core.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising controlling the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk prior to posting the drive ready status.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising posting the drive ready status prior to the disk spinning at the target spin speed.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising controlling the servo core to initiate spinning of the disk when a host command from the host requires data stored on the disk.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the first non-volatile memory comprises a NAND memory.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the second non-volatile memory comprises a serial flash memory or a NAND memory.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the second volatile memory comprises a double data rate (DDR) memory.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the first volatile memory is located in the non-volatile memory core.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein the servo core and the main core are part of a disk controller, and the non-volatile memory core is part of a non-volatile memory controller.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the disk controller and the non-volatile memory controller are separate from each other.

24. The method of claim 13 wherein the first non-volatile memory and the second non-volatile memory are part of a same memory.