Relocated reclaim block

• US 20060149891A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rudelic, John C.
• Application Number:
  US11/026,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149891A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1036 Life time enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7211 Wear leveling

Abstract

In a memory, a reclaim block is relocated. Memory management may employ an algorithm to determine how to determine which of multiple blocks to use as a reclaim block. The block selected as the reclaim block may be used as the reclaim block for a number of write cycles, program rewrites, etc., and may subsequently be switched.

Claims

1. A method for memory management comprising:

using a selected memory block in a code volume as a reclaim block for the code volume; and

switching from using the selected memory block as the reclaim block to using a different memory block as the reclaim block.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein switching from using the selected memory block to using the different memory block comprises determining with a selection algorithm the different memory block to use as the reclaim block.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the selection algorithm comprises generation of a random memory block index, the randomly generated memory block index to indicate the different memory block to use as the reclaim block.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising maintaining a counter to indicate a number of operations performed.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the selection algorithm determines to use the different memory block as the reclaim block if the number of operations performed is within a threshold.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the counter comprises a global counter, and the number of operations comprises a number of reclaims performed using the selected memory block.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein the counter comprises a counter to track a number of write cycles performed with the selected memory block.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein the algorithm comprises a round robin selection algorithm to select the different memory block from among a list of potential reclaim blocks.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein the algorithm comprises a random selection algorithm to randomly select the different memory block from among available memory blocks, and use the randomly selected second memory block as the reclaim block if the counter indicates that the number of write cycles of the second memory block does not exceed a threshold.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a machine accessible medium having content to provide instructions to result in a machine performing operations, including:

designating a block as a reclaim block;

coalescing the contents of a managed code block to a reclaim block to result in the reclaim block having valid contents of the managed code block in adjacent locations within the reclaim block;

deleting the contents from the managed code block;

copying the coalesced contents to the managed code block to result in the managed code block having the valid contents in adjacent locations within the managed code block; and

designating a different block as the reclaim block.

11. An article of manufacture according to claim 10, wherein the content to provide instructions to result in the machine designating the different block as the reclaim block further comprises the content to provide instructions to result in the machine selecting the different block with a next free block algorithm, to designate the first available code block adjacent to occupied code blocks as the reclaim block.

12. An article of manufacture according to claim 10, wherein the content to provide instructions to result in the machine designating the different block as the reclaim block further comprises the content to provide instructions to designate a new reclaim block after each time content is deleted from the a managed code block.

13. An apparatus for storing data comprising:

a memory having data to define a delete routine to invalidate a portion of code stored in the memory, the delete routine to invoke a reclaim routine to use a reclaim block to coalesce the code, and a swap routine to designate a block of the memory to use as the reclaim block; and

a management filesystem coupled to the memory to execute routines defined in the data.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, the management filesystem further comprising a counter to indicate a number of times the reclaim block has been invoked by the reclaim routine, the swap routine to designate a different block of memory to use as the reclaim block if the number of times the reclaim block has been invoked exceeds a threshold.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, the management filesystem further comprising a counter to indicate a number of write cycles for the reclaim block, the swap routine to designate a different block of memory to use as the reclaim block if the number of write cycles for the reclaim block exceeds a threshold.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, the swap routine to designate the different block of memory based on a last-in first-out selection algorithm to designate the last available memory block of managed code memory as the reclaim block, and designate the next to last available memory block of the managed code memory as the reclaim block if the number of write cycles for the reclaim block exceeds a threshold.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, the swap routine to maintain a list of blocks available to designate as the reclaim block, and to designate a block from among the blocks on the list.

21. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the memory comprises a non-volatile memory.

18. A system comprising:

a flash device having a dynamically designated reclaim block to reclaim a section of stored code;

a processor coupled with the flash device to obtain instructions from the flash device for execution; and

a transceiver having an antenna communicatively coupled with the processor to receive or transmit communications to or from the processor.

19. A system according to claim 18, the flash device further including memory management to designate the reclaim block based at least in part on a selection algorithm that designates the next available memory block adjacent to stored code within a managed code section of the flash device.

20. A system according to claim 18, the flash device further including memory management to maintain a counter to indicate a number of reclaims performed on stored code, and designate the reclaim block when the number of reclaims reaches a threshold.