Predictive data-loader

• US 20070276989A1
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Lasser, Menahem, Mosek, Amir, Lehr, Amir, Duzly, Yacov
• Application Number:
  US11/802,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276989A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0862 with prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2022 Flash memory

Abstract

The present invention discloses devices for improving data-retrieval times from a non-volatile storage device. A non-volatile storage device including: a storage memory for storing data; a cache memory for preloading the data upon a host-system request to read the data; and a storage-device controller configured: to determine that a plurality of data segments that constitute a non-contiguous data object, stored in the storage memory such that at least one data segment is non-contiguous to a preceding data segment in the data object, are in a predictable sequence; and to preload a non-contiguous next data segment in the predictable sequence into the cache memory after loading a current data segment into a host system from the cache memory, wherein the next data segment is preloaded prior to the host-system request to read the next data segment.

Claims

1. A non-volatile storage device comprising:

(a) a storage memory for storing data;

(b) a cache memory for preloading said data upon a host-system request to read said data; and

(c) a storage-device controller configured;

(i) to determine that a plurality of data segments that constitute a non-contiguous data object, stored in said storage memory such that at least one said data segment is non-contiguous to a preceding said data segment in said data object, are in a predictable sequence; and

(ii) to preload a non-contiguous next data segment in said predictable sequence into said cache memory after loading a current data segment into a host system from said cache memory, wherein said next data segment is preloaded prior to said host-system request to read said next data segment.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured:

(iii) to store information about said predictable sequence upon writing of said data object into said storage memory.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured:

(iii) to receive an indication, from said host system, that said data object is a predictable data object.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said indication is provided upon writing said data object into said storage memory.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein said indication is provided upon reading said data object from said storage memory.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured:

(iii) to determine said data object as a predictable data object by examination of properties of said data object.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said properties include at least one property from the group consisting of:

a name of said data object, an extension of said data object, and a format of said data object.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein an identity of said next data segment is determined from at least one item from the group consisting of:

a data structure that is external to said data object, a parameter in said current data segment of said data object, a table for converting virtual addresses to physical addresses of said plurality of data segments, a pointer from said current data segment to said next data segment, a host-system designation of said current data segment, and a statistical frequency analysis of data segments that follow said current data segment in previous retrievals of said current data segment.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said host-system request includes an identity of said next data segment for preloading into said cache memory.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured:

(iii) to select said next data segment for preloading into said cache memory, from said plurality of data segments, using a diluted algorithm or a diluted formula, prior to said host-system request to read said next data segment.