Reliable use of desktop class disk drives in enterprise storage applications
View Patent ↗Aspects of increasing the quality and reliability of desktop class storage disks in enterprise storage applications are described. The aspects include monitoring a number of idle states and busy states in a disk drive, and limiting performance of read/write commands by the disk drive based on whether a sufficient number of idle states has been monitored to avoid exceeding a duty cycle rating of the disk drive.
1. A disk drive comprising:
a storage disk; and
a controller coupled to the storage disk and controlling data reads from and data writes to the storage disk by monitoring a number of idle states and busy states and limiting performance of read/write commands based on whether a sufficient number of idle states has been monitored to avoid exceeding a duty cycle rating of the disk drive, wherein the controller further:
utilizes a time count that adjusts in accumulated value based on the number of idle states and busy states in the disk drive;
determines whether the time count has an accumulated value that is greater than zero;
performs a read/write command when the accumulated value is greater than zero; and
delays performance of a read/write command until the accumulated value is greater than zero.
2. The disk drive of claim 1 , wherein the time count increments by a first value for each idle state.
3. The disk drive of claim 2 , wherein the time count decrements by a second value for each busy state.
4. The disk drive of claim 3 , wherein the first value and the second value comprise a ratio of values based on a target duty cycle for the disk drive.