Concurrent data recording and reproducing method, seek operation control method and magnetic disk drive using the methods

1. A magnetic disk drive comprising:

a magnetic disk medium;

a magnetic head;

a head actuator to move the magnetic head relative to the magnetic disk medium; and

a controller configured to control the head actuator to move the magnetic head to record data to and reproduce data from the magnetic disk medium;

wherein the controller is configured to control the magnetic head to record stream data on the magnetic disk medium in a stream data format; and

wherein the controller is configured to detect a situation in which two or more stream data are to be recorded or reproduced concurrently so as to set a slower seek operation mode;

wherein the controller is configured to use an AV command defined by an ATA-7 to record the stream data on the magnetic disk medium in a stream data format.

2. The magnetic disk drive according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to reset the slower seek operation mode to a previous seek operation mode if any two of the two or more stream data are not recorded or reproduced concurrently.

3. The magnetic disk drive according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to reset the slower seek operation mode to a previous seek operation mode in response to an interrupt signal from a host system.

4. The magnetic disk drive according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to set the slower seek operation mode by referring to a previously stored seek profile which represents a time allowed for the magnetic disk drive to seek one stream from another stream of the streams that are concurrently recorded or reproduced.

5. The magnetic disk drive according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to judge whether information received from a host system is stream data or not.

6. The magnetic disk drive according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to execute seek operations in the slower seek operation mode in the situation in which two or more stream data are to be recorded or reproduced concurrently.

7. The magnetic disk drive according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured, in recording first stream data on the magnetic disk medium while reproducing second stream data which has been recorded on the magnetic disk medium, to set a seek time shorter when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an innermost area of the magnetic disk medium than when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an outermost area of the magnetic disk medium.

8. A method of controlling a head actuator to move a magnetic head relative to a magnetic disk medium to record data to and reproduce data from the magnetic disk medium, the method comprising:

controlling the magnetic head to record stream data on the magnetic disk medium in a stream data format; and

detecting a situation in which two or more stream data are to be recorded or reproduced concurrently so as to set a slower seek operation mode;

wherein the stream data is recorded on the magnetic disk medium using an AV command defined by an ATA-7 in a stream data format.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

resetting the slower seek operation mode to a previous seek operation mode if any two of the two or more stream data are not recorded or reproduced concurrently.

10. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

resetting the slower seek operation mode to a previous seek operation mode in response to an interrupt signal from a host system.

11. The method according to claim 8 further comprising, upon detecting the situation in which two or more stream data are to be recorded or reproduced concurrently:

setting the slower seek operation mode by referring to a previously stored seek profile which represents a time allowed for the magnetic disk drive to seek one stream from another stream of the streams that are concurrently recorded or reproduced.

12. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

judging whether information received from a host system is stream data or not.

13. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

executing seek operations in the slower seek operation mode in the situation in which two or more stream data are to be recorded or reproduced concurrently.

14. The method according to claim 8 further comprising, in recording first stream data on the magnetic disk medium while reproducing second stream data which has been recorded on the magnetic disk medium:

setting a seek time shorter when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an innermost area of the magnetic disk medium than when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an outermost area of the magnetic disk medium.

15. A recording and reproducing method for recording first stream data on a recording medium while reproducing second stream data which has been recorded on the recording medium, the method comprising:

setting a seek time shorter when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an innermost area of the recording medium than when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an outermost area of the recording medium; and

concurrently recording the first stream data on and reproducing the second stream data from the recording medium using the seek time;

wherein the first and second stream data are recorded on the recording medium using an AV command defined by an ATA-7 in a stream data format.

16. A method for controlling a seek operation in a magnetic disk drive when the magnetic disk drive recognizes information sent from a host device as stream data and concurrently accesses two or more stream data including the stream data sent from the host device; the method comprising:

setting the magnetic disk drive which is interoperably connected to the host device into a standby state;

judging whether the information sent from the host device is stream data;

if the information is judged as stream data, finding other stream data that are to be recorded or reproduced;

if two or more other stream data are to be recorded or reproduced, pairing the stream data from the host device with one of the stream data found and assigning a slower seek mode to the pair;

executing seek operations in the slower seek mode between the two stream data constituting the pair; and

recording the stream data on a magnetic disk medium using an AV command defined by an ATA-7 in a stream data format.

17. The method according to claim 16 further comprising:

resetting the slower seek operation mode to a previous seek operation mode, if any two of the two or more stream data are not recorded or reproduced concurrently, or in response to an interrupt signal from the host device.