DATA STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20100269015A1
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Klaus, Jason W., Sprinkle, Robert S., Borchers, Albert T., Swing, Andrew T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2029/0409 Online test
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/52 Protection of memory contents; Detection of errors in memory contents
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/88 with partially good memories

Abstract

A data storage device may include an interface that is arranged and configured to interface with a host, a command bus, multiple memory devices that are operably coupled to the command bus and a controller that is operably coupled to the interface and to the command bus. The controller may be arranged and configured to receive a read metadata command for a specified one of the memory devices from the host using the interface, read metadata from the specified memory device and communicate the metadata to the host using the interface.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

an interface that is arranged and configured to interface with a host;

a command bus;

multiple memory devices that are operably coupled to the command bus; and

a controller that is operably coupled to the interface and to the command bus, wherein the controller is arranged and configured to;

receive a read metadata command for a specified one of the memory devices from the host using the interface;

read metadata from the specified memory device; and

communicate the metadata to the host using the interface.

2. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the metadata comprises a logical sector number and a generation number.

3. The data storage device of claim 2 wherein the generation number indicates a version of data associated with the logical sector number.

4. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the metadata comprises an error correction code.

5. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein when the read metadata command returns an error, the controller is arranged and configured to:

re-read the metadata from the specified memory device multiple times;

combine the metadata into a single metadata result; and

communicate the single metadata result to the host using the interface.

6. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged and configured to:

read the metadata from multiple pages of the specified memory device with a single read metadata command; and

communicate the metadata from the multiple pages to the host using the interface.

7. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the controller is further arranged and configured to:

receive multiple read metadata commands for multiple different specified memory devices from the host using the interface;

read metadata from the specified memory devices in parallel; and

communicate the metadata to the host using the interface.

8. A recordable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

receiving a read metadata command for a specified memory device of multiple memory devices from a host using an interface;

reading metadata from the specified memory device; and

communicating the metadata to the host using the interface.

9. The recordable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the metadata comprises a logical sector number and a generation number.

10. The recordable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the generation number indicates a version of data associated with the logical sector number.

11. The recordable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the metadata comprises an error correction code.

12. The recordable storage medium of claim 8 wherein when the read metadata command returns an error, the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

re-reading the metadata from the specified memory device multiple times;

combining the metadata into a single metadata result; and

communicating the single metadata result to the host using the interface.

13. The recordable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

reading the metadata from multiple pages of the specified memory device with a single read metadata command; and

communicating the metadata from the multiple pages to the host using the interface.

14. The recordable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

receiving multiple read metadata commands for multiple different specified memory devices from the host using the interface;

reading metadata from the specified memory devices in parallel; and

communicating the metadata to the host using the interface.

15. A recordable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

communicating a read metadata command to a controller using an interface to read metadata from a specified memory device of multiple memory devices;

receiving the metadata from the controller using the interface; and

generating a table to map a physical address of data stored in the specified memory device to a logical address for the data using the metadata.

16. The recordable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the metadata comprises a logical sector number and a generation number.

17. The recordable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the generation number indicates a version of data associated with the logical sector number.

18. The recordable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

communicating multiple read metadata commands to the controller using the interface to read metadata from multiple specified memory devices;

receiving the metadata from the controller using the interface; and

generating the table to map physical addresses of the data stored in the multiple memory devices to logical addresses for the data using the metadata.

57. The recordable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the metadata comprises an error correction code.

58. The recordable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

communicating a single read metadata command to the controller using the interface to read the metadata from multiple pages of the specified memory device; and

receiving the metadata from the multiple pages from the controller using the interface.

19-56. -56. (canceled)