Reliability System for Use with Non-Volatile Memory Devices

• US 20090046512A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Halloush, Munif Farhan, Pratt, Thomas L.
• Application Number:
  US11/840,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046512A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.90
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/22 Safety or protection circuits preventing unauthorised or accidental access to memory cells

Abstract

A system and method which provides a non-volatile memory management system with the ability to monitor the health of a corresponding non-volatile memory and to safeguard data stored within the non-volatile memory when data integrity is at risk. The monitoring and safeguarding is provided via a crisis reliability mode module which monitors the health of a corresponding non-volatile memory and to enters a crisis reliability mode of operation when data integrity within the non-volatile memory is at risk.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring data integrity within a non-volatile memory having finite program cycles comprising:

monitoring memory operations to determine whether a crisis reliability mode condition is present;

operating the non-volatile memory in a crisis reliability mode of operation when a crisis reliability mode condition is present.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the crisis reliability mode of operation further comprises:

performing a verify after write operation for every write operation that is performed on the non-volatile memory.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the crisis reliability mode of operation further comprises:

scanning the data portion of the non-volatile memory to identify available blocks;

identifying the available blocks as potential spare blocks.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the crisis reliability mode of operation further comprises:

allocating at least one of the available blocks as spare blocks; and

,

reducing a logical block address for the non-volatile memory to correspond to a reduced memory size, an amount of reduction in memory size corresponding to a number of available blocks allocated as spare blocks.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a number of available reserved spare blocks is below a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold relating to whether there are enough spare blocks left to replace blocks within a data portion of the non-volatile memory.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a number of erase and program cycles performed on the non-volatile memory exceed a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold relating to whether the number of erase and program cycles approach a cycle capacity of the non-volatile memory.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a high level of error correction code (ECC) correction or error detection code (EDC) detected errors for data read from the non-volatile memory has occurred.

8. A system for ensuring data integrity within a non-volatile memory comprising:

means for monitoring memory operations to determine whether a crisis reliability mode condition is present; and

,

means for operating the non-volatile memory in a crisis reliability mode of operation when a crisis reliability mode condition is present.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for operating the non-volatile memory in a crisis reliability mode of operation further comprises:

means for performing a verify after write operation for every write operation that is performed on the non-volatile memory.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for operating the non-volatile memory in a crisis reliability mode of operation further comprises:

means for scanning the data portion of the non-volatile memory to identify available blocks; and

,

means for identifying the available blocks as potential spare blocks.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for operating the non-volatile memory in a crisis reliability mode of operation further comprises:

means for allocating at least one of the available blocks as spare blocks; and

,

means for reducing a logical block address for the non-volatile memory to correspond to a reduced memory size, an amount of reduction in memory size corresponding to a number of available blocks allocated as spare blocks.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a number of available reserved spare blocks is below a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold relating to whether there are enough spare blocks left to replace blocks within a data portion of the non-volatile memory.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a number of erase and program cycles performed on the non-volatile memory exceed a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold relating to whether the number of erase and program cycles approach a erase and program cycle capacity of the non-volatile memory.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a high level of error correction code (ECC) correction or error detection code (EDC) detected errors for data read from the non-volatile memory has occurred.

15. An information handing system comprising

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a module for ensuring data integrity within a non-volatile memory, the module comprising executable by the processor for;

monitoring memory operations to determine whether a crisis reliability mode condition is present;

operating the non-volatile memory in a crisis reliability mode of operation when a crisis reliability mode condition is present.

16. The information handing system of claim 15 wherein the module further comprises instructions for:

performing a verify after write operation for every write operation that is performed on the non-volatile memory.

17. The information handing system of claim 15 wherein the module further comprises instructions for:

scanning the data portion of the non-volatile memory to identify available blocks;

identifying the available blocks as potential spare blocks.

18. The information handing system of claim 17 wherein the module further comprises instructions for:

allocating at least one of the available blocks as spare blocks; and

,

reducing a logical block address for the non-volatile memory to correspond to a reduced memory size, an amount of reduction in memory size corresponding to a number of available blocks allocated as spare blocks.

19. The information handing system of claim 15 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a number of available reserved spare blocks is below a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold relating to whether there are enough spare blocks left to replace blocks within a data portion of the non-volatile memory.

20. The information handing system of claim 15 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a number of erase and program cycles performed on the non-volatile memory exceed a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold relating to whether the number of erase and program cycles approach a erase and program cycle capacity of the non-volatile memory.

21. The information handing system of claim 15 wherein the crisis reliability mode condition comprises:

whether a high level of error correction code (ECC) correction or error detection code (EDC) detected errors for data read from the non-volatile memory has occurred.