Patent ID: 6857076

Claim:
A computing apparatus comprising: a digital data storage device; a bus-to-bus bridge configured to receive digital data from a host processor and to forward said digital data to said digital data storage device in an encrypted form, wherein said bus-to-bus bridge is configured to encrypt said digital data and forward the digital data to the digital storage device without intervention of the host processor, and wherein a configuration register in the bus-to-bus bridge is adapted to store information that is used by the bus-to-bus bridge to selectively enable and disable encryption depending on the target device that is to receive the data that is transmitted via the bus-to-bus bridge; a non-volatile memory location in or connected to said bus-to-bus bridge which stores an identification code; and a key accessed by said bus-to-bus bridge to define at least in part an encryption process, wherein said key is derived at least in part from said identification code.