COOPERATIVE WRITE-BACK CACHE FLUSHING FOR STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20180089082A1
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Jakowski, Andrzej, Kaminski, Maciej
• Granted Patent: US 10,331,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/12 Replacement control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

In one embodiment, a request to access a first storage location of a storage device may be received, wherein the storage device comprises a data storage and a cache. The cache may be accessed to obtain data for one or more second storage locations of the storage device, wherein the data for the one or more second storage locations has not been written to the data storage, and wherein the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located near each other on the data storage. The data storage may then be accessed in response to the request to access the first storage location of the storage device. The data storage may also be accessed to write the data for the one or more second storage locations obtained from the cache.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a non-volatile data storage;

a cache;

a storage controller to;

receive a request to access a first storage location of the data storage;

access the cache to obtain data for one or more second storage locations of the data storage, wherein the data for the one or more second storage locations has not been written to the data storage, and wherein the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located near each other on the data storage;

access the data storage in response to the request to access the first storage location of the data storage; and

access the data storage to write the data for the one or more second storage locations obtained from the cache.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is further configured to:

determine that the cache does not contain data for the first storage location;

determine that the cache contains the data for the one or more second storage locations;

determine that the data for the one or more second storage locations has not been written to the data storage; and

determine that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located near each other on the data storage.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage comprises disk-based storage.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the storage controller is further configured to determine that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located on one or more adjacent sectors of the data storage.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the storage controller is further configured to determine that the one or more adjacent sectors are located on a same cylinder of the data storage.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the storage controller is further configured to determine that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations can be accessed successively to reduce disk head seeking operations on the data storage.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is further configured to determine that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations correspond to adjacent physical locations on the data storage.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is further configured to determine that a plurality of logical block addresses for the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations correspond to adjacent physical locations on the data storage.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cache comprises random access memory.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cache comprises flash-based memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is further configured to:

respond to the request to access the first storage location by obtaining data for the first storage location from the data storage; and

cache the data for the first storage location.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a request to access a first storage location of a storage device, wherein the storage device comprises a data storage and a cache;

accessing the cache to obtain data for one or more second storage locations of the storage device, wherein the data for the one or more second storage locations has not been written to the data storage, and wherein the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located near each other on the data storage;

accessing the data storage in response to the request to access the first storage location of the storage device; and

accessing the data storage to write the data for the one or more second storage locations obtained from the cache.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the cache does not contain data for the first storage location;

determining that the cache contains the data for the one or more second storage locations;

determining that the data for the one or more second storage locations has not been written to the data storage; and

determining that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located near each other on the data storage.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the data storage comprises disk-based storage.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located on one or more adjacent sectors of the data storage.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining that the one or more adjacent sectors are located on a same cylinder of the data storage.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations can be accessed successively to reduce disk head seeking operations on the data storage.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations correspond to adjacent physical locations on the data storage.

19. A system comprising:

a processor;

a storage device comprising;

a non-volatile data storage;

a cache;

a storage controller to;

receive a request to access a first storage location of the storage device;

access the cache to obtain data for one or more second storage locations of the storage device, wherein the data for the one or more second storage locations has not been written to the data storage, and wherein the first storage location and the one or more second storage locations are located near each other on the data storage;

access the data storage in response to the request to access the first storage location of the storage device; and

access the data storage to write the data for the one or more second storage locations obtained from the cache.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a display communicatively coupled to the processor;

a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor;

or

a battery coupled to the processor.