MEMORY MANAGEMENT STORAGE TO A HOST DEVICE

• US 20110296088A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Marcu, Alon, Duzly, Yacov, Freikorn, Guy, Perry, Nir
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1041 Resource optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7207 management of metadata or control data

Abstract

Systems and methods of memory management storage to a host device are disclosed. A method is performed in a data storage device with a non-volatile memory and a controller operative to manage the non-volatile memory and to generate management data for managing the non-volatile memory. The method includes performing, at a given time, originating at the controller data management transfer to a host device or originating at the controller data management retrieval from the host device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a data storage device with a non-volatile memory and a controller operative to manage the non-volatile memory and to generate management data for managing the non-volatile memory, wherein the data storage device is operatively coupled to a host device, performing, at a given time;

originating at the controller data management transfer to the host device by

determining a need to transfer management data generated by the controller, and,

based on the determined need, initiating transfer of the management data from the data storage device to

the host device;

or

originating at the controller data management retrieval from the host device by

determining a need to retrieve the management data from the host device, and,

based on the determined need,

initiating retrieval from the host device of the management data, and

receiving the management data from the host device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the management data is transferred to the host device as encrypted management data, and wherein a key for decrypting the encrypted management data is not provided to the host device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the management data for the non-volatile memory includes a logical address to physical address mapping table.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data storage device includes a volatile memory and wherein the controller originates the data management transfer to the host device on determining the need to use a host device memory as a virtual extension of the volatile memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller originates the data management transfer to the host device on determining the need to use a host device memory to hold the management data when the data storage device is to be powered down.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller originates the data management retrieval from the host device on determining the need to access the management data when the data storage device receives power.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer of the management data from the data storage device to the host device is initiated by sending an instruction and transfer parameters to the host device to instruct the host device to facilitate transferring the management data, and wherein the transfer parameters indicate the management data to be transferred.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data management transfer includes sending to the host a transfer instruction, and the data management retrieval includes sending to the host a retrieval instruction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transfer instruction includes one or more transfer parameters.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the retrieval instruction includes one or more retrieval parameters.

11. A data storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory; and

a controller coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the controller is operative to manage the non-volatile memory and to generate management data for managing the non-volatile memory, and

wherein when the data storage device is operatively coupled to a host device, the controller is operative to determine, at a given time, a need to transfer management data generated by the controller or a need to retrieve the management data from the host device, and, based on the determined need,

initiate transfer of the management data from the data storage device to the host device or

initiate retrieval of the management data from the host device.

12. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to encrypt the management data and to transfer the encrypted management data to the host device without providing to the host device a key for decrypting the encrypted management data.

13. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the management data for the non-volatile memory includes a logical address to physical address mapping table.

14. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the data storage device includes a volatile memory and wherein the controller is configured to originate data management transfer to transfer the management data to the host device on determining the need to use a host device memory as a virtual extension of the volatile memory.

15. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to originate a data management transfer to transfer the management data to the host device on determining the need to use a host device memory to hold the management data when the data storage device is to be powered down.

16. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to originate a data management retrieval from the host device on determining the need to access the management data when the data storage device receives power after transferring the management data to the host device and being powered down.

17. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the controller includes a direct memory access (DMA) controller.

18. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to initiate the transfer of the management data from the data storage device to the host device by sending an instruction and transfer parameters to the host device to instruct the host device to facilitate the transfer of the management data, and wherein the transfer parameters indicate the management data to be transferred.

19. The data storage device of claim 11, wherein the data storage device includes one of:

a removable memory card; and

embedded memory.