APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR MANAGING PHYSICAL REGIONS IN A SOLID-STATE STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20100122019A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fusion-IO Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Wood, Robert Barry, Flynn, David, Thatcher, Jonathan, Aune, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/263 Generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability with external testers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/214 Solid state disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7206 Reconfiguration of flash memory system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7208 Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device. The definition module defines a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device. The physical storage region includes a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media. The storage controller performs memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region. The implementation module implements the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the solid-state storage media.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the apparatus comprising:

a definition module configured to define a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media;

a storage controller configured to perform memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

an implementation module configured to implement the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the solid-state storage media.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the definition module is further configured to define one or more additional physical storage regions on the solid-state storage media of the solid-state storage device, each additional physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a thread module configured to initiate an autonomous set of memory operations within each of the physical storage region and the one or more additional physical storage regions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is further configured to sequentially write data on the solid-state storage media in a log structured format, the data sequentially stored on the solid-state storage media.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the implementation module further comprises a region assignment module that assigns the physical storage region to the storage controller.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the implementation module further comprises a redirection module configured to redirect memory operations to the physical storage region.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the physical storage region comprises a set of logical erase blocks, each logical erase block referenced by the storage controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sampling module configured to determine that physical storage capacity of the physical storage region is statistically significant with respect to the total physical storage capacity.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a parameter module configured to manage one or more parameters for the physical storage region, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of security parameters, quality of service parameters, and performance parameters.

10. A method for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the method comprising:

defining a physical storage region on NAND flash storage media of a NAND flash storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media;

performing, by way of a storage controller, memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

enforcing the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the NAND flash storage media.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising defining one or more additional physical storage regions on the NAND flash storage media of the NAND flash storage device, each additional physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media, and further comprising initiating an autonomous set of memory operations within each of the physical storage regions and the one or more additional physical storage regions.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the storage controller is configured to sequentially write data on the solid-state storage media in a log structured format, the data sequentially stored on the NAND flash storage media.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein enforcing the physical storage region definition further comprises assigning the physical storage region to the storage controller.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein enforcing the physical storage region definition further comprises redirecting memory operations to the physical storage region.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical storage region comprises a set of logical erase blocks, each logical erase block defined by the NAND flash controller, each logical erase block spanning two or more NAND flash media chips.

16. A method for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the method comprising:

defining a physical storage region on NAND flash storage media of a NAND flash storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media;

performing, by way of a storage controller, memory operations within each physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region, wherein the memory operations comprise one or more of erase commands, read commands, and write commands;

enforcing the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the NAND flash storage media;

exercising the physical storage region by performing memory operations on the physical storage region; and

determining data integrity in the physical storage region.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising extrapolating the data integrity in the physical storage region to the total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising defining one or more additional physical storage regions on the NAND flash storage media of the NAND flash storage device, each additional physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising initiating one or more software threads to perform an autonomous set of memory operations within each of the physical storage region and the one or more additional physical storage regions.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the software threads performs memory operations according to a testing profile, the testing profile specifying one or more of a number of operations, type of operations, host driver, wear leveling algorithm, data write pattern, and workload.