ALARM-BASED BACKUP AND RESTORATION FOR A SEMICONDUCTOR STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20120210163A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taejin Info Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taejin Info Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Cho, Byungcheol
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6.21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1076 Parity data used in redundant arrays of independent storages, e.g. in RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide backup and restoration functions for a storage device of a PCI-Express (PCI-e) type that support a low-speed data processing speed for a host. Specifically, embodiments of this invention provide backup and restoration functions for one or more (i.e., a set of) semiconductor storage devices (SSDs). In general, the present invention provides an alarm unit and a secondary power supply coupled to a backup controller. The backup controller is coupled to a backup storage device. When a primary power supply is deactivated (e.g., fails), an alarm unit and the secondary power supply is activated. In response to this activation, the backup controller will backup any data stored on any SSDs of the storage system (as well as any data stored in main memory of the storage system or in main memory of any host server connected thereto). When the primary power supply is reactivated, the secondary power supply (and the alarm unit) is deactivated, and all data backed up is restored to its original source.

Claims

1. A system for backing up and restoring a semiconductor storage device (SSD), comprising:

a secondary power supply coupled to an SSD backup controller;

an alarm unit coupled to the SSD backup controller;

a backup storage device coupled to the SSD backup controller;

at least one SSD memory disk unit coupled to the SSD backup controller, wherein the alarm unit and the secondary power supply is activated in response to a deactivation of a primary power supply, wherein the backup controller backs up SSD data stored on the at least one SSD memory disk unit to the backup storage device in response to the deactivation of the primary power supply.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary power supply is deactivated when the backup of the SSD data is complete.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the backup controller restores the SSD data to the SSD memory disk unit from the backup storage device in response to a reactivation of the primary power supply.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a main memory, wherein the backup controller further backs up main memory data from the main memory to the backup storage device in response to the deactivation of the primary power supply.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the backup controller further restores the main memory data to the main memory in response to a reactivation of the primary power supply.

6. The system of claim 1, the at least one SSD memory disk unit comprising:

a host interface unit;

a DMA controller coupled to the host interface unit;

an ECC controller coupled to the DMA controller;

a memory controller coupled to the ECC controller; and

a memory array coupled to the memory controller, the memory array comprising at least one memory block.

7. The system of claim 1, the at least SSD memory disk unit providing storage for an attached computer device.

8. A system for backing up and restoring a network-based semiconductor storage device (SSD), comprising:

a storage system comprising a storage system main memory, at least one SSD memory disk unit, and an alarm unit;

a host server coupled to the storage system, the host server comprising a server main memory unit; and

a secondary power supply coupled to a backup controller and a backup storage device, wherein the alarm unit and the backup controller is activated in response to a deactivation of a primary power supply, and wherein the backup controller backs up;

server data from the host server main memory, storage system data from the storage system main memory, and SSD data from the at least one SSD memory disk unit to the backup storage system in response to the activation of the secondary power supply.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the secondary power supply is deactivated when the backup of the server data, the storage system data, and the SSD data is complete.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the backup controller restores the server data, the storage system data, and the SSD data from the backup storage device in response to a reactivation of the primary power supply.

11. The system of claim 8, the at least one SSD memory disk unit comprising:

a host interface unit;

a DMA controller coupled to the host interface unit;

an ECC controller coupled to the DMA controller;

a memory controller coupled to the ECC controller; and

a memory array coupled to the memory controller, the memory array comprising at least one memory block.

12. The system of claim 8, the at least SSD memory disk unit providing storage for an attached computer device.

13. The system of claim 8, the primary power supply comprising an uninterruptable power supply.

14. A method for backing up and restoring a semiconductor storage device (SSD), comprising:

coupling a secondary power supply and an alarm unit to an SSD backup controller;

coupling a backup storage device to the SSD backup controller;

coupling at least one SSD memory disk unit to the SSD backup controller;

activating the alarm unit and secondary power supply in response to a deactivation of a primary power supply; and

backing up SSD data stored on the at least one SSD memory disk unit to the backup storage device using the backup controller in response to the deactivation of the primary power supply.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising deactivating the secondary power supply when the backup of the SSD data is complete.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising restoring the SSD data to the SSD memory disk unit from the backup storage device using the backup controller in response to a reactivation of the primary power supply.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising backing up main memory data from a main memory to the backup storage device using the backup controller in response to the deactivation of the primary power supply.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

restoring the main memory data to the main memory using the backup controller in response to a reactivation of the primary power supply.

19. The method of claim 14, the at least one SSD memory disk unit comprising:

a host interface unit;

a DMA controller coupled to the host interface unit;

an ECC controller coupled to the DMA controller;

a memory controller coupled to the ECC controller; and

a memory array coupled to the memory controller, the memory array comprising at least one memory block.

20. The method of claim 14, the at least SSD memory disk unit providing storage for an attached computer device.