Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-13
2004-11-09
Iqbal, Nadeem (Department: 2114)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
C711S133000, C714S006130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06816982
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer hardware and software technologies and more particularly related to computer hard disk drive back-up and recovery systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the significant problems many computer users are facing today is the loss of time and loss of data due to computer hard disk drive (HDD) failure. The majority of HDD failures are caused by HDD corruption, which in turn may be caused by HDD over-full, viruses intrusion, human error in HDD configuration, mistakes or incompatibility in new software installation, or electrical or mechanical malfunction. When a HDD failure occurs, there is often no back-up system which can be used to restore and recover the HDD. In addition, it is often very difficult and time consuming to recover the computer software operating system (OS) on the computer and restore all the data. For example, even with an existing back-up system, the user often must rebuild the OS on the drive before the data can be restored. Rebuilding the OS on a HDD can take up to an hour, and restoring all contents on a HDD can take anywhere from 1 to 8 hours depending on the size of the HDD. This long down time is often unacceptable as today's computer systems must be operational all the time to avoid the loss of revenue and customer good will.
Many efforts have been made to design and develop methods and system for protection of the operating system (OS) and important data on a HDD from virus intrusion and other attacks, and for quick recovery of the contents of a HDD in case of a failure. The following eight (8) references are believed to be pertinent to this field of art:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,845 issued to Beal et al. on Oct. 13, 1992 for “Data Storage System For Providing Redundant Copies Of Data On Different Disk Drives” (hereafter “Beal”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,301 issued to Cheney et al. on Jul. 26, 1994 for “Data Transfer Bus System And Method Serving Multiple Parallel Asynchronous Units” (hereafter “Cheney”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,450 issued to Shieh on Apr. 11, 1995 for “Portable Hard Disk Drive Connector With A Parallel (Printer) Port Control Board” (hereafter “Shieh”);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,811 issued to Bodo on Jul. 7, 1998 for “Digital Data Duplicating System” (hereafter “Bodo”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,551 issued to Huggins et al. on Apr. 13, 1999 for “Single Computer System Having Multiple Security Levels” (hereafter “Huggins”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,341 issued to Liang on Jul. 27, 1999 for “Dynamic Printer-Port Switcher For Selectively Connecting At Least Two Peripheral Devices To A PC Having A Printer Port” (hereafter “Liang”);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,618 issued to Weber on May 23, 2000 for “Multiple Operating System And Disparate User Mass Storage Resource Separation For A Computer System” (hereafter “Weber”); and
8. WIPO International Publication No. WO 01/02936 A1 for PCT Application by Peterson for “Computer Security System with Dedicated Hard Drives” (hereafter “Peterson”).
Beal disclosed a disk storage system that writes multiple copies of records directed to user-specified volumes. The system includes a multiplicity of control units interconnected by direct data links, and a multiplicity of corresponding sets of recording means communicate over the direct data links when a write request is received by one control unit to cause one volume in each set of recording means to write a copy of the received record.
Cheney disclosed a system and method for transferring data between a single channel unit and multiple asynchronous storage devices. The system utilizes read strobe signals to indicate when the storage devices will send data over a data bus, and initiate a validity count-down which in turn indicates when the data on the data bus is valid, as the data on the data bus is sampled when the count-down has completed. The system may further includes means for checking the data for array parity errors while the data is sent and received to and from the storage devices.
Shieh disclosed a portable hard disk connector with a parallel/printer port control board. The connector includes a case which has an upper cover and a lower cover engaged with the upper cover. The control board is fixedly fitted in the lower cover and has a parallel/printer port interface input connector, a parallel/printer port output connector, and two hard disk drive connectors. The connectors are partly protruding out of the case. A switch is mounted on the control board and partly protruding out of the case. There is also a female connector for connecting a hard disk drive connected with the rear side of case. A 1.8″ hard disk drive can be fitted in the case and connected with the female connector. Furthermore, the hard disk drive connectors can be externally connected with one to two hard disk drives as desired. The switch is used for adjusting the principal and secondary relationship between the hard disk drives when the connector is connected with an external hard disk drive.
Bodo disclosed a data-duplicating system for copying digital data between information storage device that occupies a mounting space sized to receive a standard 5 ¼ inch, half-height hard disk drive. The system includes different types of information-storage-device connectors adapted for coupling to the data-duplicating system information storage devices that conform to various disparate, incompatible interface specifications. The electronic circuit of the system includes a digital logic circuit for reading digital data from a first information storage device and writing the read digital data to one or more other information storage devices. It utilizes a high-speed serial-port which permits coupling together a pair of data-duplicating systems. It also has a plurality of switches and a liquid crystal display for an operator to control the system.
Huggins disclosed a single computer system with multiple security levels which allows a user to switch between two or more networks without transferring data between the networks. The single computer system is a standard computer which includes a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a random access memory (RAM), a power supply and a reset switch. The computer is coupled to two or more network cards, where each of the cards is in turn connected to a separate storage device such as a hard disk drive. Each combination of a network card connected to a storage device constitutes a local network. As in a standard computer, activating the reset switch reboots the CPU and clears the RAM. A user can choose between the local networks by using a selection switch which may be a rotary switch, a rocker switch, or a push button switch, which activates one of the local networks or the reset switch. The selection switch is constructed so that it is impossible to switch between two local networks without first activating the reset switch, thereby preventing data from being transferred between the local networks. By preventing the transfer of data between the local networks, each network can have a different level of security.
Liang disclosed a dynamic printer-port switcher (DPS) for selectively connecting, through software control, two or more peripheral devices to a personal computer (PC) having a printer port. The DPS includes a printer-port connector for connecting the DPS to a printer port on the PC, two or more peripheral connectors for connecting the DPS to multiple peripheral devices, such as printers, PC cameras, scanners, external CD-ROM drives, and external hard disk drives. The DPS also includes two or more switching circuits which are under control by a control circuit to selectively connect the PC to one of the connected peripheral devices.
Weber disclosed an apparatus for providing multiple operating system and hard disk drive separation on a single computer. The computer system can have several nonconcurrently active hard disk drives each ordinarily loaded with unique software bundles. Each active hard drive, when selec
Chen Tony D.
Iqbal Nadeem
Rozsa Thomas I.
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