STORAGE DEVICE AND DATA TRANSFERING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140149706A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SHIM, Hojun, KIM, Eunchan
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0238 Memory management in non-volatile memory, e.g. resistive RAM or ferroelectric memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1024 Latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/214 Solid state disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7203 Temporary buffering, e.g. using volatile buffer or dedicated buffer blocks

Abstract

A data transferring method of a storage device is provided. The method may include transferring a first data to a first outbound area, transferring the first data sent to the first outbound area to a first area of a main memory corresponding to a first address programmed by an address translation unit, transferring a second data to a second outbound area in response to an indication that the address translation unit is to be reprogrammed, and transferring the second data sent to the second outbound area to the first outbound area.

Claims

1. A data transferring method of a storage device, the method comprising:

transferring, by the storage device, first data to a first outbound area;

transferring, by the storage device, the first data transferred to the first outbound area to a first area of a main memory, the first area of the main memory corresponding to a first address programmed by an address translation unit;

transferring, by the storage device, second data to a second outbound area; and

transferring, by the storage device, the second data from the second outbound area to a second area of the main memory corresponding to a second address reprogrammed by the address translation unit.

2. The data transferring method of claim 1, wherein both the first data and the second data are read data, the read data being read from a source buffer through a direct memory access circuit in response to a read command.

3. The data transferring method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, by the direct memory access circuit, whether a size of the read data exceeds a size of the first outbound area; and

reprogramming, by the direct memory access circuit, the address translation unit for a transfer of the second data when a size of the read data exceeds a sin of the first outbound area.

4. The data transferring method of claim 3, further comprising:

programming the address translation unit such that an area of the main memory corresponding to the first address is designated as the first outbound area before the first data is transferred to the first outbound area.

5. The data transferring method of claim 3, further comprising:

reprogramming the address translation unit such that an area of the main memory corresponding to the second address is designated as the second outbound after the first data is transferred to the first area of the main memory.

6. The data transferring method of claim 5, further comprising:

performing a dummy read operation on the first outbound area through the direct memory access circuit; and

determining whether a transfer of the first data has been completed.

7. The data transferring method of claim 1, wherein each of the first data and the second data is read data, the read data being read from a source buffer through a direct memory access circuit according to a read command.

8. The data transferring method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing a dummy read operation on the first outbound area through the direct memory access circuit;

determining whether a transfer of the first data has been completed;

performing a dummy read operation on the second outbound area through the direct memory access circuit; and

determining whether a transfer of the second data has been completed.

9-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method for determining whether a data transfer operation has been completed, the method comprising:

sending, by a processor, a data transfer request to a main memory, the data transfer request including a data transfer operation to be performed;

sending, by the processor, doorbell information to a storage device, the doorbell information indicating that the data transfer request has been made, the storage device storing the doorbell information in a register;

receiving, by the processor, an interrupt from the storage device once the data transfer operation has been completed;

accessing, by the processor, the doorbell information stored in the register in response to receiving the interrupt; and

determining, by the processor, whether the data transfer operation has been completed based on the doorbell information stored in the register.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein in response to the data transfer request being sent, the storage device fetches a command that corresponds to the data transfer request and the storage device updates the register with the doorbell information.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the storage device includes an interface circuit including an address translation unit, a first outbound area, and a second outbound area, and the method further comprises:

directing the storage device to transfer first write data to the first outbound area if the data transfer operation is a write operation;

determining whether the address translation unit requires reprogramming; and

directing the storage device to transfer second write data to the second outbound area if the address translation unit is determined to require reprogramming.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining whether the address translation unit requires reprogramming comprises:

determining a size of the first outbound area;

determining a size of the first write data; and

determining that the address translation unit requires reprogramming if the size of the first write data is greater than the size of the first outbound area.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

reprogramming the address translation unit in parallel with the data transfer operation.