SECURE AND SCALABLE SOLID STATE DISK SYSTEM

• US 20080282027A1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kingston Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kingston Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Ben Wei, Tang, Choon Tak, Chien, Yungteh
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/349 Arrangements for evaluating degradation, retention or wearout, e.g. by counting erase cycles

Abstract

A solid state disk system is disclosed. The system comprises a user token and at least one level secure virtual storage controller, coupled to the host system. The system includes a plurality of virtual storage devices coupled to at least one secure virtual storage controller. A system and method in accordance with the present invention could be utilized in flash based storage, disk storage systems, portable storage devices, corporate storage systems, PCs, servers, wireless storage, and multimedia storage systems.

Claims

1. A solid state disk system comprising:

a user token;

at least one secure virtual storage controller, coupled to the host system; and

a plurality of virtual storage devices coupled to the at least one secure virtual storage controller.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one virtual storage controller comprises:

a first level secure storage controller; and

a plurality of second level virtual storage controllers having an interface and being compatible with the first level virtual storage controller.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the number of second level secure virtual storage controllers can be added to interface with the first level secure virtual storage controllers.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the first level secure virtual storage controller utilizes a first crypto-engine to provide security.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein each of the second level secure virtual storage controllers utilizes a second crypto-engine to provide security.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one virtual storage controller includes a crypto-engine to provide security.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein a user token serves as the agent to provide password authentication to the host system.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the first crypto-engine and each of the second crypto-engines can be enabled, disabled, and configured independently.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the first level secure virtual storage controller comprises:

a storage host interface;

an interrupt processor coupled to the storage host interface;

a host command and data processor;

a central processing unit;

a soft reset coupled to the central processing unit;

a program memory;

a controller ID;

a RAM and buffer;

a data write processor;

a data read processor;

a pass-through command processor;

a get status and attribute processor;

a local command processor;

a crypto-engine;

a virtual storage processor; and

a plurality of storage device interfaces.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein each of the second level secure virtual storage controllers comprise:

a storage host interface;

an interrupt processor coupled to the storage host interface;

a host command and data processor;

a central processing unit;

a soft reset coupled to the central processing unit;

a program memory;

a controller ID;

a RAM and buffer;

a data write processor;

a data read processor;

a pass-through command processor;

a get status and attribute processor;

a local command processor;

a crypto-engine;

a virtual storage processor; and

a plurality of storage device interfaces.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein each of the storage host interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface and each of the storage device interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein each of the storage host interfaces comprises a parallel ATA (PATA) interface and each of the storage device interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the storage host interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface and each of the storage device interfaces comprises an SD interface.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the SD interface comprises an interface to any of a storage device (SD) card, multimedia card (MMC), compact flash (CF) card, universal serial bus (USB) device, memory stick (MS), ExpressCard, LBA-NAND, ONFI, eMMC, and eSD.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the additional storage and performance can be provided by adding additional secure virtual storage controllers.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the interrupt processor and the soft reset form a mechanism to synchronize the host and device when they are running at different speed.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the interrupt processor and the soft reset form a mechanism to synchronize the host and device when they are running at different speed.

18. A solid state disk system comprising:

a user token;

a first level secure virtual storage controller, coupled to the host system;

a plurality of second level virtual storage controllers having an interface with and being compatible to the first level virtual storage controller; and

a plurality of lower levels of second level virtual storage devices coupled to the plurality of upper levels of second level virtual storage controllers.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the number of second level secure virtual storage controllers can be added to interface with the first level secure virtual storage controllers.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the first level secure virtual storage controller utilizes a first crypto-engine to provide security to the first level secure virtual storage controller.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein each of the second level secure virtual storage controllers utilizes a second crypto-engine to provide security for each of the second level secure virtual storage controllers.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein a token serves as the agent to provide password authentication to the host system.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the first crypto-engine and each of the second crypto-engines can be enabled, disabled, and configured independently.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the first level secure virtual storage controller comprises:

a storage host interface;

an interrupt processor coupled to the storage host interface;

a host command and data processor;

a central processing unit;

a soft reset coupled to the central processing unit;

a program memory;

a controller ID;

a RAM and buffer;

a data write processor;

a data read processor;

a pass-through command processor;

a get status and attribute processor;

a local command processor;

a crypto-engine;

a virtual storage processor; and

a plurality of storage device interfaces.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein each of the second level secure virtual storage controllers comprise:

a storage host interface;

an interrupt processor coupled to the storage host interface;

a host command and data processor;

a central processing unit;

a soft reset coupled to the central processing unit;

a program memory;

a controller ID;

a RAM and buffer;

a data write processor;

a data read processor;

a pass-through command processor;

a get status and attribute processor;

a local command processor;

a crypto-engine;

a virtual storage processor; and

a plurality of storage device interfaces.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein each of the storage host interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface and each of the storage device interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein each of the storage host interfaces comprises a parallel ATA (PATA) interface and each of the storage device interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein each of the storage host interfaces comprises a serial ATA (SATA) interface and each of the storage device interfaces comprises an SD interface.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the SD interface comprises an interface to any of a storage device (SD) card, multimedia card (MMC), compact flash (CF) card, universal serial bus (USB) device, memory stick (MS), Express Card, LBA-NAND, ONFI, eMMC and eSD.

30. The system of claim 18 wherein the additional storage and performance can be provided by adding additional secure virtual storage controllers.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the interrupt processor and the soft reset form a mechanism to synchronize the host and device when they are running at different speed.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the interrupt processor and the soft reset form a mechanism to synchronize the host and device when they are running at different speed.