Patent ID: 8166217
Filing Date: 2012-04-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A storage controller for interfacing between a host and a disk drive, the storage controller comprising: a buffer memory that stores data that is transferred between the host and the disk drive; and a channel located on the storage controller that receives the data from the disk drive in one of a first format and a second format, and determines whether data conversion is required based on whether the data is in the first format or the second format, wherein the channel includes: conversion logic that converts the data from the first format to the second format when the data conversion is required, maintains the data in the second format when the data conversion is not required, and stores the data in the buffer memory in the second format, and when the channel receives the data from the buffer memory in the second format, the conversion logic selectively converts the data from the second format to the first format and transfers the data to the disk drive in the first format, wherein the conversion logic includes a shuttle register and a shuttle counter, the shuttle counter counts a number of valid data bytes stored in the shuttle register, and the conversion logic uses the same shuttle register and the same shuttle counter for both conversion from the second format to the first format and conversion from the first format to the second format, wherein the conversion logic is hardware.