Patent ID: 7159063
Filing Date: 2007-01-02
Classification: G06F,G11B

Abstract:
1. A method of hot-swapping a disk drive, comprising: detecting at a gateway a connection of the disk drive to a bus attachment of the gateway, wherein the gateway is in communication with a host adapter through a bus and wherein the gateway is operative to isolate the disk drive from the bus, to receive control signals from the host adapter through the bus directing the disk drive to perform an action while the disk drive is electrically connected to the gateway and isolated from the bus, and to provide instructions to the disk drive via a local communications link corresponding to the directed action from the host adapter; indicating in a shadow register of the gateway that the disk drive is present, wherein the shadow register has an address that is the same as a register of the disk drive; reading from the shadow register through the bus the indication that the disk drive is present; and de-isolating the disk drive from the bus at the gateway to begin communication through the bus with the disk drive.