Patent ID: 7162578

Claim:
In a system including a host device having a host processing arrangement for controlling the overall host device and for operational support of an electromechanical storage arrangement, which is initially provided separate from the host device, and which stores digital data on a rotatable disk, and a particular firmware configuration is used for controlling a particular version of the storage arrangement such that a first portion of the particular firmware configuration is required to allow the storage arrangement to access any digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk, and said storage arrangement may be provided in an updated version which requires an updated firmware configuration that changes at least the first portion of the updated firmware configuration, compared to the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, in a way which precludes access to the digital data that is stored on the rotatable disk of said undated version when using only the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, a method comprising: electrically interfacing the updated version of the storage arrangement with said host processing arrangement of the host device, said storage arrangement including at least the first portion of the particular firmware configuration for use in controlling the particular version of the storage arrangement; storing a first firmware update in the host device that is limited to a difference between the first portion of the particular firmware configuration and the first portion of the updated firmware configuration; and transferring the first firmware update to the storage arrangement, using the host processing arrangement, and thereafter, operating the storage arrangement by executing the difference between the first portion of the updated firmware configuration and the particular firmware configuration, along with cooperatively executing at least a part of the first portion of the particular firmware configuration, that is exclusive of said difference, for accessing the digital data that is stored on said disk and without replacing the first portion of the particular firmware configuration in the storage arrangement.