Read/write channel embedded on-chip optimization

1. A system embedded in a read/write channel, or a system-on-chip which contains a read/write channel and a disk controller integrated together, of a recording apparatus for optimizing a plurality of parameters for the read/write channel, the system comprising:

a setup/restore block configured to

set up the read/write channel to generate a data pattern specified by a control input received by the setup/restore block; and

write the data pattern to a recording medium of the recording apparatus;

a parameter/metric block configured to store the parameters to be optimized and a metric for each of the parameters;

a metric measurement block configured to provide metric measurements based on the specified pattern; and

a sweep compare select block configured to sweep each value of a plurality of values of the parameters, compare a current metric taken from the metric measurement block with a previous metric for each swept value of the parameters to identify a better metric, and select a value of each of the parameters corresponding to the better metric in order to optimize the plurality of parameters.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the setup/restore block is configured to setup the read/write channel according to one of a pattern of all zeros, a pattern of all ones, and a pseudo-random binary sequence pattern.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the parameter/metric block is configured to store, for each of the parameters, a minimum value and a maximum value for the parameter, a step size for varying the value of the parameter, and information indicating if the parameter is write-related.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the metric measurement block is configured to store a measurement stopping condition, and wherein the metric measurement block is configured to stop metric measurement and send the measured metric to the sweep compare select block when the measurement stopping condition is met.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of parameters comprise primary and secondary parameters, and wherein the sweep compare select block is configured to sweep each value of the primary and secondary parameters simultaneously.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of parameters comprise primary and secondary parameters, and wherein the parameter/metric block is configured to store addresses of the primary and secondary parameters.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the metric for the parameters is one of a symbol error rate, bit error rate, a sector failure rate or sector re-try rate, a mean-square error, a mis-equalization error, a non-linear distortion, and Viterbi margins.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the parameter/metric block is configured to receive parameters to be optimized from a channel user.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprises an error handling block which is configured to detect an error during optimizing of the plurality of parameters.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein an error is produced by the read/write channel as a result of any one of a lack of synchronization, off-tracks, defects, and metric overflow.

11. A system embedded in a read/write channel, or a system-on-chip which contains a read/write channel and a disk controller integrated together, of a recording apparatus for optimizing a plurality of parameters for the read/write channel, the system comprising:

a setup/restore block configured to set up the read/write channel according to a data pattern specified by a control input received by the setup/restore block;

a parameter/metric block configured to store the parameters to be optimized and a metric for each of the parameters;

a metric measurement block configured to provide metric measurements based on the specified pattern; and

a sweep compare select block configured to sweep each value of a plurality of values of the parameters, compare a current metric taken from the metric measurement block with a previous metric for each swept value of the parameters to identify a better metric, and select a value of each of the parameters corresponding to the better metric in order to optimize the plurality of parameters,

wherein at least a portion of the plurality of parameters are used by the read/write channel during a write operation, wherein the sweep compare select block is configured, for each value of the parameters to be swept, to receive input of a write track and a read gate prior to sweeping the value.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the sweep compare select block is configured to sweep each value of the parameters, compare the metric, and select the value of each of the parameters corresponding to the better metric in order to optimize the plurality of parameters without input from a channel user.

13. A magnetic disk drive apparatus comprising:

a head-disk assembly;

a preamplifier operatively coupled with the head-disk assembly;

a read/write channel operatively coupled with the preamplifier;

a control device operatively coupled with the read/write channel to provide input to the read/write channel, wherein the read/write channel has an embedded system for optimizing a plurality of parameters for the read/write channel;

a metric measurement block configured to provide metric measurements based on the specified pattern; and

a parameter/metric block configured to store the parameters to be optimized and a metric for each of the parameters, wherein the parameter/metric block is configured to store, for each of the parameters, a minimum value and a maximum value for the parameter, a step size for varying the value of the parameter, and information indicating if the parameter is write-related.

14. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 13 wherein the control device comprises a disk drive controller or an external error rate tester.

15. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 13 wherein the control device provides timing information to the read/write channel.

16. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 13 wherein the control device provides input of write and read gates to the read/write channel.

17. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 13 wherein the embedded system comprises:

a setup/restore block configured to set up the read/write channel according to a pattern specified by an input received by the setup/restore block; and

a sweep compare select block configured to sweep each value of a plurality of values of the parameters, compare a current metric taken from the metric measurement block with a previous metric for each swept value of the parameters to identify a better metric, and select a value of each of the parameters corresponding to the better metric in order to optimize the plurality of parameters.

18. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 13 wherein the parameters to be optimized are stored in the parameter/metric block without input from a channel user.

19. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 17 wherein the embedded system further comprises an error handling block which is configured to detect an error during optimizing of the plurality of parameters.

20. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 17 wherein the sweep compare select block is configured to sweep each value of the parameters, compare the metric, and select the value of each of the parameters corresponding to the better metric in order to optimize the plurality of parameters without input from a channel user.

21. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 13 wherein the control device and the read/write channel are integrated on a system-on-chip.

22. A magnetic disk drive apparatus comprising:

a head-disk assembly;

a preamplifier operatively coupled with the head-disk assembly; and

a system-on-chip including a read/write channel operatively coupled with the preamplifier and a control device operatively coupled with the read/write channel to provide input to the read/write channel,

wherein the system-on-chip has an embedded system for optimizing a plurality of parameters for the read/write channel,

wherein the embedded system is configured to sweep each value of a plurality of values of the parameters, compare a current metric taken from the metric measurement block with a previous metric for each swept value of the parameters to identify a better metric, and select a value of each of the parameters corresponding to the better metric in order to optimize the plurality of parameters, wherein the plurality of parameters comprise primary and secondary parameters, and wherein the sweep compare select block is configured to sweep each value of the primary and secondary parameters simultaneously.

23. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 22 wherein the embedded system is embedded in the read/write channel of the system-on-chip.

24. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 22 wherein the embedded system is embedded in the control device of the system-on-chip.

25. The magnetic disk drive apparatus of claim 22 wherein the embedded system is embedded partly in the read/write channel and partly in the control device of the system-on-chip.