Hard Disk Physical Partitioning via ATA Head Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for configuring hard disks fail to provide complete physical separation of data and operating systems, leading to security issues and reduced performance due to reliance on logical partitions and encryption, which are not foolproof and can be compromised by system administrators or viruses.
Innovation Solution
A method to establish physical partitions on a hard disk by reconfiguring the hard disk head to set user-available and protection partitions, using ATA instructions like Set_MAX_Address and Set_FEATURES_Enable_Address_Offset_Mode, ensuring that user data is isolated at a physical level and protected from access by other partitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple operating systems are installed on the same hard disk using logical partitions, then the computer can serve different application requirements, but the data and systems are not physically separated, leading to security vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The hard disk is divided into multiple physical partitions using ATA instructions to modify the hard disk controller's parameter tables. Each physical partition is assigned a unique starting sector and volume, creating truly separate storage spaces. The system automatically manages partition switching by reloading the parameter table when entering different partitions, ensuring complete physical isolation between user data and other partitions.
2Reliability
If encryption is used to separate user data in a single operating system, then data privacy can be protected, but the encryption process increases processing overhead and reduces running performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data separation function from the operating system level down to the hardware level. Instead of using software-based encryption within an OS, the system creates physically separate partitions at the hard disk level. This extraction eliminates the need for encryption processing overhead while achieving the same security goal through physical isolation. User data is stored in dedicated physical partitions that are inaccessible to other partitions without going through the partition switching mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If the main booting sector at LBA0 is used to initialize multiple operating systems, then system booting is simplified, but damage to LBA0 affects all operating systems simultaneously, reducing security
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different starting sectors to different physical partitions. Each partition has its own boot sector located at its specific starting sector rather than sharing the LBA0 sector. This means that damage, viruses, or maloperations in one partition's boot sector only affect that specific partition, not the entire hard disk or other partitions. The system maintains booting functionality by loading the parameter table into memory and automatically switching to the appropriate partition's boot sector when that partition is selected.
4Productivity
If user data is stored in FAT or FAT32 partitions without encryption, then access speed is improved, but the data can be accessed and deleted by system administrators, reducing security
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses segmentation to create physically separate user data partitions that are isolated from the administrator's partition. Even though the filesystem format (FAT/FAT32) remains unchanged and maintains fast access speeds, the physical separation ensures that administrator accounts cannot access user data without switching partitions through the controlled partition switching mechanism. The parameter table management system enforces this isolation by only allowing access to the currently active partition.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method of establishing a hard disk physical partition. First of all, it selects a sector in which the head of the hard disk physical partition is located, and establishes a user available partition of the hard disk within the range of the hard disk physical volume from the sector, the other portion of the hard disk becomes a protected partition of the hard disk, finally constitutes one hard disk physical partition. After entering into the hard disk physical partition, only the user available partition can be accessed, the protected partition is invisible to the user. It can establish the different hard disk physical partition in the different position of the hard disk through selecting the sector where the head of the hard disk is located. The present method can realize that protecting the various users' data from each other in physical on the premise of sharing the same hard disk, thus establishes fully separate data storage space from physical level, causes the user to have a proprietary run environment.