Dynamic band boundaries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016012849-A1
Application number	US-201314028410-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 16, 2013
Priority date	Sep 16, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for dynamic band boundaries in data storage devices, particularly devices employing shingled magnetic recording. Band boundaries may be modified to include spare sectors from guard areas between bands to achieve field defect-slipping. Band boundaries can also be shifted to migrate spare sectors from one guard area to another in order to dynamically distribute spare sectors. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a data storage medium and a controller. The data storage medium may have a first and second sequence of circumferentially adjacent data sectors, and a first guard area disposed between the first and second sequence such that no sector of the first sequence is directly adjacent to a sector of the second sequence. The controller may be configured to restructure the first sequence to include a sector from the first guard area to produce a shifted first sequence.

First claim

1 . An apparatus comprising:
a data storage medium having:
a first band of multiple tracks including a first sequence of circumferentially adjacent data sectors;
a second band of multiple tracks including a second sequence of circumferentially adjacent data sectors;
a first guard area disposed between the first sequence and the second sequence such that no sector of the first sequence is directly adjacent to a sector of the second sequence, the first guard area comprising sectors not designated for storing data;
a controller configured to:
restructure the first sequence by adjusting a boundary of the first band to include a selected sector from the first guard area to produce a shifted first sequence; and
designate the selected sector for storing data.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the first sequence includes a plurality of data tracks configured to store data in a shingled manner where one track partially overlaps an adjacent track.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
the sectors not designated for storing data include:
a first spare sector to replace defective sectors; and
isolation sectors to separate the first sequence from the second sequence.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 comprising the controller further configured to:
identify a defective sector in the first sequence;
restructure the first sequence further includes:
designate the defective sector as not available to store data; and
map the first sequence to include the first spare sector from the first guard area as the selected sector.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:
mapping the first sequence further includes:
read a set of data sectors from a portion of the first sequence including consecutive physical sectors from a first end of the first sequence adjacent to the first guard area through the defective sector;
map the portion to consecutive physical sectors offset by one sector per defective sector towards the guard area to produce a shifted portion including the first spare sector;
write the set of data sectors to the shifted portion; and
map LBAs associated with the set of data to the shifted portion.

6 . The apparatus of claim 3 comprising the controller further configured to:
determine whether a defective sector is in the first sequence;
when the defective sector is in the first sequence:
decommission the defective sector from storing data;
determine whether a sector in the first guard area is available as the first spare sector;
when a sector in the first guard area is available as the first spare sector, shift the boundary of the first band by:
map the first sequence to include the first spare sector from the first guard area; and

when a sector in the first guard area is not available as the first spare sector:
map the defective sector to an alternate physical location other than the first guard area.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 comprising the controller further configured to:
determine whether the defective sector is mapped to the alternate physical location;
when the defective sector is mapped to the alternate physical location:
determine whether a sector in the first guard area is available as a spare sector;
when a spare sector is available:
restructure the first sequence to include a spare sector from the first guard area; and
remap the defective sector from the alternate physical location to the first sequence.

8 . The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:
the data storage medium having:
a third band of multiple tracks including a third sequence of circumferentially adjacent data sectors;
a second guard area disposed between the first sequence and the third sequence such that no sector of the first sequence is directly adjacent to a sector of the third sequence, the second guard area comprising sectors not designated for storing data;

the controller configured to restructure the first sequence by:
convert a first sector of the first sequence adjacent to the first guard area to an isolation sector of the first guard area; and
convert a second sector of the second guard area adjacent to the first sequence to a data sector;
designate the first sector as not for storing data; and
designate the second sector for storing data.

9 . The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:
the data storage medium includes multiple sequences of circumferentially adjacent data sectors for data storage and multiple guard areas to separate the multiple sequences;
the controller further configured to:
determine a distribution of spare sectors across the data storage medium; and
shift at least one of the multiple sequences to redistribute spare sectors from at least one of the multiple guard areas to another of the multiple guard areas based on the determination.

10 . The apparatus of claim 3 comprising the controller further configured to:
designate a defective sector in the first sequence as an isolation sector of the first guard area; and
designate another isolation sector from the first guard area that is not needed to separate the first sequence from the second sequence as a spare sector.

11 . An apparatus comprising:
a controller configured to:
restructure a first band of multiple data tracks including a first sequence of circumferentially adjacent data sectors of a data storage medium to include a selected sector from a first guard area to produce a shifted first sequence,
the first guard area disposed between the first band and a second band of multiple data tracks including a second sequence of circumferentially adjacent data sectors such that no sector of the first sequence is directly adjacent to a sector of the second sequence,
the first guard area comprising sectors not designated for storing data; and

designate the selected sector for storing data.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
the sectors not designated for storing data include:
a first spare sector to replace defective sectors; and
isolation sectors to separate the first sequence from the second sequence.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 comprising the controller further configured to:
identify a defective sector in the first sequence;
restructure the first band further includes:
designate the defective sector as not available to store data; and
map the first sequence to include the first spare sector from the first guard area as the selected sector.

14 . The apparatus of claim 12 comprising the controller further configured to:
determine whether a defective sector in the first sequence is mapped to an alternate physical location outside the first sequence;
when the defective sector is mapped to the alternate physical location:
determine whether a sector in the first guard area is available as a spare sector;
when a spare sector is available:
restructure the first sequence to include a spare sector from the first guard area; and
remap the defective sector from the alternate physical location to the first sequence.

15 . The apparatus of claim 12 comprising the controller further configured to:
migrate spare sectors across the data storage medium by shifting a location of the first sequence to move spare sectors from the first guard area adjacent to the first sequence on a first side to a second guard area adjacent to the first sequence on a second side.

16 . The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:
the data storage medium, including multiple sequences of circumferentially adjacent data sectors for data storage and multiple guard areas to separate the

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Feldman Timothy R

Classifications

• G06F3/0608 Primary

  Saving storage space on storage systems · CPC title

• G11B20/1217 Primary

  on discs · CPC title

• G06F3/0676

  Magnetic disk device · CPC title

• G06F3/064

  Management of blocks · CPC title

• G11B20/1889

  with discs · CPC title