Patent ID: 8104047

Claim:
A computer implemented method of managing access requests for access to a disk drive, the computer implemented method comprising: tracking, by a device driver, a placement of a set of disk heads; tracking, by the device driver an expected time for the disk drive to process access requests already queued in a queue at the disk drive; responsive to receiving, at the device driver, a particular access request to access the disk drive, determining whether the particular access request can be completed within a specified amount of time without sending the particular access request to a disk drive controller for the disk drive; adding, by the device driver, the particular access request to the queue if a determination is made that the particular access request can be completed within the specified amount of time; responsive to a determination that the particular access request cannot be completed within the specified amount of time without sending the particular access request to the disk drive, sending an error message to an access requestor sending the particular access request; and returning to a requestor the particular access request, specifying a projected amount of time in which the particular access request can be completed, wherein the projected amount of time is greater than the specified amount of time.