ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND FILE READ AND WRITE METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160306583A1
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Woo Joong, Kim, Min Jung, Seo, Sung Jong, Yeom, Jun Beom, Hong, Jong Woo, Yun, Sung Hwan, Kim, Sei Jin, Kim, Jong Min, Lee, Sang Woo
• Granted Patent: US 10,209,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1744 using compression, e.g. sparse files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes at least one first memory being nonvolatile and a processor configured to read a file from the first memory or to write a file on the first memory. The first memory stores instructions, the instructions, when executed, causing the processor to provide a software layer structure including a first virtual file system layer configured to interface with an application program layer, a compressed file system layer configured to compress at least a part of data of the written file or to decompress at least a part of data of the read file, a second virtual file system layer configured to manage the written or read file, and a first file system layer configured to read at least a part of the file from the first memory or to write at least a part of the file on the first memory.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

at least one first memory being nonvolatile; and

a processor electrically connected to the first memory and configured to read a file from the first memory or to write a file on the first memory,

wherein the first memory is configured to store instructions, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to provide a software layer structure comprising;

a first virtual file system layer configured to interface with an application program layer;

a compressed file system layer being a lower layer of the first virtual file system layer and configured to compress at least a part of data of the written file or to decompress at least a part of data of the read file;

a second virtual file system layer being a lower layer of the compressed file system layer and configured to manage at least one of the written or read file; and

a first file system layer being a lower layer of the second virtual file system layer and configured to read at least a part of the read file from the first memory or to write at least a part of the written file on the first memory.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the software layer structure further comprises:

a second file system layer being a lower layer of the first virtual file system layer and configured to access the first memory and to read or write uncompressed data.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the first memory comprises a first partition and a second partition,

the first file system layer accesses the first partition and reads or writes compressed data, and

the second file system layer accesses the second partition and reads or writes the uncompressed data.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the first partition is a partition in which a system file is stored, and

the second partition is a partition in which a user file is stored.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, further comprising a display configured to provide a user interface configured to receive a selection of whether to store a file in the first partition or in the second partition when the file is stored in the first memory.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second memory being volatile,

wherein the first memory is configured to store an instruction to cause the processor to;

initialize the first memory if the electronic device is booted;

mount the first file system layer about at least a part of an area of the first memory on the second memory; and

mount the compressed file system layer about the at least a part of the area of the first memory on the second memory.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

each of the first virtual file system layer and the second virtual file system layer manages data by a first data unit, and

the compressed file system layer compresses data by a second data unit being a multiple of the first data unit.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first memory is configured to store an instruction to cause the processor to:

identify a compression ratio of data compressed at the compressed file system layer; and

write original data that is decompressed if the compression ratio is smaller than or equal to a designated ratio.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second memory being volatile, wherein the second memory comprises;

a first buffer configured to cache data managed at the first virtual file system layer;

a second buffer configured to cache data managed at the compressed file system layer; and

a third buffer configured to cache data managed at the second virtual file system layer.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first memory is configured to store an instruction to cause the processor to:

cache data that is compressed at the compressed file system layer in the second buffer;

continuously arrange the compressed data in a memory space on the second buffer; and

transmit the compressed data to the third buffer.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the second memory further comprises a fourth buffer configured to cache data decompressed at the compressed file system layer when a file stored in the first memory is read.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first memory stores an instruction instructing the processor to:

manage data of the third buffer by a first data unit; and

set a memory area of the third buffer, that a corresponding data unit occupies to an inactive area or a free area if all data included in the first data unit is decompressed.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first memory is configured to store an instruction to cause the processor to perform a read-ahead at one of the first and second virtual file system layers.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second memory being volatile, and

wherein the first memory is configured to store an instruction to cause the processor to read a file, that is stored in the first memory, to the second memory based on a request of the application program layer and the compressed file system layer to decompress the data read to the second memory before data that the application program layer requests all is completely read.

15. A method of operating an electronic device for writing a file, the method comprising:

requesting a compressed file system layer to write data based on a file writing request of an application program layer, at a first virtual file system layer;

compressing the data at the compressed file system layer;

requesting a second virtual file system layer to write the compressed data at the compressed file system layer; and

writing the compressed data in a first memory through a first file system layer at the second virtual file system layer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the requesting the second virtual file system layer comprises:

identifying a compression ratio of the compressed data; and

requesting the first file system layer to write original data that is decompressed if the compression ratio is smaller than or equal to a designated ratio.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the requesting the second virtual file system layer further comprises:

arranging the compressed data so as to be continuously stored in a second buffer; and

requesting the first file system layer to continuously write the data stored in the second buffer.

18. A method of operating an electronic device for reading a file, the method comprising:

requesting a compressed file system layer to read data through a first virtual file system layer at an application program layer;

requesting a second virtual file system layer to read the data at the compressed file system layer;

requesting a block layer to read the data through a first file system layer at the second virtual file system layer;

reading the data from a first memory at the block layer;

transmitting the read data to the second virtual file system layer through the first file system layer at the block layer;

decompressing the data transmitted to the second virtual file system layer at the compressed file system layer; and

transmitting the decompressed data to the application program layer through the first virtual file system layer at the compressed file system layer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmitting the read data comprises:

copying, at the block layer, the data into a third buffer by a first data unit, and

wherein the transmitting the read data further comprises;

setting a memory area of the third buffer, that a corresponding data unit occupies, to an inactive area or a free area if all data included in the first data unit is decompressed at the compressed file system layer.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

caching uncompressed data in a fourth buffer at the compressed file system layer;

identifying whether data that the compressed file system layer requests is in the fourth buffer at the compressed file system layer if the application program layer is requested to read the data; and

transmitting the data, that is cached in the fourth buffer, to the application program layer through the first virtual file system layer at the compressed file system layer if the data that the application program layer requests is in the fourth buffer.