METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WRITING DATA IN MEMORY SYSTEM

• US 20120239889A1
• Filed: 03/16/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yangsup, Cheon, Wonmoon
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1847 specifically adapted to static storage, e.g. adapted to flash memory or SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays

Abstract

A method of writing data in a memory system comprises determining a characteristic of write data and generating characteristic information according to the determined characteristic, generating a write command corresponding to the write data, and sending the write command, the characteristic information, and the write data to the memory system.

Claims

1. A method of writing data in a memory system, comprising:

determining a characteristic of write data and generating characteristic information according to the determined characteristic;

generating a write command corresponding to the write data; and

transmitting the write command, the characteristic information, and the write data to the memory system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the characteristic of write data and generating the characteristic information comprises:

determining whether the write data is duplication data of source data stored in the memory system, compressed data, multimedia data, or pattern data including an iterative pattern; and

generating the characteristic information according the determination.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the write data is duplication data of the source data stored in the memory system, the characteristic information includes information associated with a starting logical address of the write data, a length of a logical address of the write data, and a starting logical address of the source data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if the write data is compressed data, the characteristic data includes information associated with a starting logical address of the write data and a length of a logical address of the write data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the write data is pattern data, the characteristic information includes information associated with a starting logical address of the write data, a length of a logical address of the write data, and an iterative pattern of the pattern data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if a part of the write data is pattern data, the characteristic information includes information associated with a starting logical address of the part of the write data, a length of a logical address of the part of the write data, and an iterative pattern of the pattern data.

7. A method of writing data in a memory system comprising a storage device and a controller configured to control the storage device, comprising:

receiving a write command, write data, and characteristic information indicating a characteristic of the write data;

determining a write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information; and

writing the received write data in the storage device according to the determined write method.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein if the received characteristic information indicates that the received write data is duplication data of source data stored in the storage device, the write method is determined to be a virtual write method.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information comprises:

updating metadata such that the metadata indicates that the write data are written at the same address as the source data; and

outputting a message indicating that writing of the write data is completed.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein if the received characteristic information indicates that the received write data is not compressed data, the write method is determined to be a compression write method.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information comprises:

compressing the received write data;

writing the compressed data in the storage device; and

outputting a message indicating that writing of the write data is completed.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein if the received characteristic information indicates that the received write data is not multimedia data, the write method is determined to be a compression write method.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining the write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information comprises:

if the received characteristic information indicates that the received write data is pattern data including an iterative pattern, extracting the iterative pattern from the received characteristic information;

comparing the extracted pattern with previously stored patterns;

if the extracted pattern coincides with one of the previously stored patterns, determining the write method to be a virtual write method; and

if the extracted pattern does not coincide with one of the previously stored patterns, determining the write method to be a pattern write method.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein writing the received write data according to the determined write method comprises:

if the write method is determined to be a virtual write method, updating metadata such that a logical address of the write data is mapped to an address in which the coincided pattern is stored; and

outputting a message indicating that writing of the write data is completed.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein writing the received write data according to the determined write method comprises:

if the write method is determined to be a pattern write method, writing the extracted pattern in the storage device;

updating metadata such that a logical address of the write data is mapped to an address in which the extracted data is stored; and

outputting a message indicating that writing of the write data is completed,

wherein writing the received write data according to the determined write method further comprises adding the extracted pattern to the previously stored patterns.

16. A memory system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store data; and

a controller configured to control the storage device, wherein the controller receives a write command, write data, and characteristic information indicating a characteristic of the write data, determines a write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information, and writes the received write data in the storage device according to the determined write method.

17. The memory system of claim 16, wherein if the received characteristic information indicates that the received write data is duplication data of source data stored in the storage device, the write method is determined to be a virtual write method.

18. The memory system of claim 17, wherein determining the write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information comprises updating metadata such that the metadata indicates that the write data are written at the same address as the source data, and outputting a message indicating that writing of the write data is completed.

19. The memory system of claim 16, wherein if the received characteristic information indicates that the received write data is not compressed data, the write method is determined to be a compression write method.

20. The memory system method of claim 19, wherein determining the write method of the received write data according to the received characteristic information comprises compressing the received write data, writing the compressed data in the storage device, and outputting a message indicating that writing of the write data is completed.