Database recovery apparatus and method of using dual plane nonvolatile memory

• US 5,913,219 A
• Filed: 02/04/1997
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pendragon Electronics and Telecommunications Research LLC (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Baek, Young Sik, Jin, Sung Il, Kim, Yong Keol
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/794,933
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 707/202, 707/204, 707/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/74 using duplex memories, i.e. using dual copies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

There are effects that the page table does not have to be administrated since the process of backing up to a disc is not necessary, that the small unit lock is possible since the backup and recovery are performed in block units, that long copy time, which was one of the greatest disadvantages in performing the transaction, is negligible, so that all the burdens imposed on the transaction can be removed and, high speed transaction processing and recovery can be performed.

Claims

1. A database recovery apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing a database processing program;

a power monitor and control circuit which receives a backup/recovery state signal, supplies a power source to maintain the backup state for a predetermined time if a power failure occurs during the backup state, and prevents the backup state from being performed by outputting an interrupt signal if the power failure occurs at any time other than during the backup state;

a dual plane nonvolatile memory, including a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory divided into a plurality of block units whereby a chip is selected by a chip select signal, said dual plane nonvolatile memory performing a recovery process which copies a block unit of data of said nonvolatile memory to a block of said volatile memory in response to a backup/recovery control signal and an address read/write control signal and a backup process which overwrites the data of said volatile memory block to said nonvolatile memory block; and

database processing means for loading the program, outputting the backup/recovery control signal to said power monitor and control circuit, outputting a chip select signal to said dual plane nonvolatile memory, and outputting the address and the backup/recovery control signal so that the recovery process is performed, the data of said volatile memory block of said dual plane nonvolatile memory is updated through the address and the read/write control, and thereafter the backup process is performed by outputting the address and the backup recovery control signal.

2. The database recovery apparatus of claim 1, wherein said dual plane nonvolatile memory comprises:

decoding means which receives the chip select signal and the address and decodes and outputs said chip select signal and said address;

at least one backup/recovery control circuit which receives the first and second outputs of said decoding means, receives the backup/recovery control signal from said database processing means, outputs the backup and control signal, and outputs an enable signal of the first byte and second byte of memory;

a volatile memory which is divided into a plurality of blocks each of which is divided into a plurality of bytes, receives the data in block unit in response to the recovery control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit, receives the enable signal of the first byte and second byte of each block from said backup/recovery control circuit, receives the enable signal of remaining bytes from said decoding means, updates the data of the activated byte of block through a read/write control and data bus of said database processing means, and outputs the updated data of block unit according to the backup control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit; and

a nonvolatile memory which is divided into a plurality of blocks each of which is divided into a plurality of bytes, outputs the stored data of block unit to said volatile memory in response to the recovery control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit, and receives and stores the updated data of block unit from said volatile memory in response to the backup control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit.

3. The database recovery apparatus of claim 2, wherein said backup/recovery control circuit comprises:

a first logic AND gate element which receives the first output of said decoding means and the backup/recovery control signal from said database processing means, ANDs said first output and said backup/recovery control signal, and outputs the recovery control signal;

a second logic AND gate element which receives the second output of said decoding means and the backup/recovery control signal from said database processing means, ANDs said second output and said backup/recovery control signal, and outputs the backup control signal;

a third logic AND gate element which receives the first output of said decoding means and the inverted backup/recover control signal, ANDs said first output and said inverted backup/recovery control signal, and outputs the enable signal of the first byte; and

a fourth logic AND gate element which receives the second output of said decoding means and the inverted backup/recovery control signal, ANDs said second output and said inverted backup/recovery control signal, and outputs the enable signal of second byte.

4. The database recovery apparatus of claim 3, wherein said backup/recovery control circuit performs a general memory access process when the backup/recovery control signal inputted from the database processing means is "0", and when the backup/recovery control signal is "1", if the decoding means indicates "0" address (first byte), outputs the recovery control signal, and if the decoding means indicates "1" address (second byte), outputs the backup control signal.

5. The database recovery apparatus of claim 2, wherein said nonvolatile memory and said volatile memory are each respectively divided into m number of blocks, each of which is divided into n number of bytes, and the number of said backup/recovery control circuits is equal to m, the number of blocks of said volatile memory and said nonvolatile memory.

6. A database recovery apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing a database processing program;

a power monitor and control circuit which receives a backup/recovery state signal, supplies a power source to maintain the backup state for a predetermined time if a power failure occurs in the backup state, and prevents the backup state from being performed by outputting an interrupt signal if the power failure occurs at any time other than during the backup state;

a first dual plane nonvolatile memory and a second dual plane nonvolatile memory, including a volatile memory and nonvolatile memory divided into a plurality of block units, whereby a chip is selected by a chip select signal, and performs a recovery process which copies a block unit of data of said nonvolatile memory to said volatile memory block in response to a backup/recovery control signal and an address read/write control signal and a backup process which overwrite the data of volatile memory block to said nonvolatile memory block; and

database processing means for loading the program from said memory, outputting the backup/recovery control signal to said power monitor and control circuit, outputting a chip select signal to said first and second dual plane nonvolatile memory, and outputting the address and the backup/recovery control signal so that the recovery process is performed, the data of said volatile memory block of said first and second dual plane nonvolatile memory is updated through the address and the read/write control, and thereafter the address and the backup recovery control signal are outputted to the first dual plane nonvolatile memory, and then if the backup process fails, the database of the first dual plane nonvolatile memory is updated by reading the data of the second dual plane nonvolatile memory prior to update, and if the backup process of the first dual plane nonvolatile memory succeeds, the address and the backup/recovery control signal are outputted to the second dual plane nonvolatile memory and then if the backup process fails, the database of the second dual plane nonvolatile memory is updated by reading the updated data of the first dual plane nonvolatile memory.

7. The database recovery apparatus of claim 6, wherein said dual plane nonvolatile memory comprises:

decoding means which receives the chip select signal and the address and decodes and outputs said chips select signal and said address;

at least one backup/recovery control circuit which receives the first and second outputs of said decoding means, receives the backup/recovery control signal from said database processing means, outputs the backup and control signal, and outputs an enable signal of the first byte and second byte of memory;

a volatile memory which is divided into a plurality of blocks each of which is divided into a plurality of bytes, receives the data in block unit in response to the recovery control signal of said backup/recovery circuit, receives the enable signal of the first byte and second byte of each block from said backup/recovery control circuit, receives the enable signal of remaining bytes from said decoding means, updates the data of the activated byte of block through a read/write control and data bus of said database processing means, and outputs the updated data of block unit according to the backup control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit; and

a nonvolatile memory which is divided into a plurality of blocks each of which is divided into a plurality of bytes, outputs the stored data of block unit to said volatile memory in response to the receiver control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit, and receives and stores the updated data of block unit from said volatile memory in response to the backup control signal of said backup/recovery control circuit.

8. A database recovery method applied to a database recovery apparatus using a nonvolatile memory constructed by dualization in a database system comprising the steps of:

a) copying a nonvolatile memory block of a first and second dual plane nonvolatile memory to a volatile memory block, updating the data of volatile memory block of said first and second dual plane nonvolatile memory, and thereafter checking whether the update performance partially succeeds;

b) informing, if the update succeeded in said step a), that backup is in effect for a power monitor and control circuit, copying the updated volatile memory block of said first dual plane nonvolatile memory, and thereafter checking whether the copy succeeds;

c) recovering, if the copy failed in said step b), said nonvolatile memory block of said first dual plane nonvolatile memory to a value prior to the update by using said nonvolatile memory block of said second dual plane nonvolatile memory, thereafter informing of the update failure to the power monitor and control circuit, and ending the transaction;

d) informing, if the copy succeeded in said step b), the progress of the backup to said power monitor and control circuit, copying said volatile memory block of said second dual plane nonvolatile memory to said nonvolatile memory block, and checking whether the copy succeeds;

e) informing, if the copy succeeded in said step d), that update is completed and ends the transaction, but if the copy failed, recovering said nonvolatile memory block of said second dual plane nonvolatile memory to the latest update value by using said nonvolatile memory block of said first dual plane nonvolatile memory, informing of the update and completion, and then ending the transaction; and

f) discarding, if the update failed in said first step, the updated volatile memory block of said first and second dual plane nonvolatile memory, informing of the update failure, and ending the transaction.

9. A database recovering method utilizing a dual plane nonvolatile memory in a database system, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) copying a block unit of data from a nonvolatile memory to a volatile memory block unit in response to a backup/recovery control signal;

(b) updating the data copied to said volatile memory block in response to a read/write control signal;

(c) checking whether the updating partially succeeds;

(d) informing a power monitor and control circuit of a processing of the backup if the updating partially succeeds in said step (c);

(e) copying the updated data of said volatile memory to said nonvolatile memory block;

(f) informing said power monitor and control circuit of the completion of the updating step after completion of said step (e), and completing the transaction;

(g) discarding the updated data of said volatile memory if said updating fails in said step (c); and

(h) indicating a failure of said updating step and completing the transaction.