Patent ID: 6647481
Filing Date: 2003-11-11
Classification: G06F,G11B

Abstract:
A method for accessing data in a physical disk drive connectable to a host computer having an operating system which maintains a file system, wherein the physical disk drive may report a user logical address range in relation to booting the host computer or configuring the operating system for maintaining the file system, and the physical disk drive does not report a hidden logical address range in relation to booting the host computer or configuring the operating system, the method comprising:creating a virtual disk drive, wherein the virtual disk drive has a virtual logical address range that is reported to the operating system for maintaining the file system; invoking a driver program for relating addresses of storage locations in the virtual logical address range with addresses for storage locations in the hidden logical address range, wherein the driver program is executed when the file system makes a disk request directed to accessing a file having an file address range associated with the virtual logical address range; remapping the disk request from the virtual logical address range to the hidden logical address range; and transmitting a command to the physical disk drive to access data in the hidden logical address range for responding to the disk request.