Arrangement storing different versions of a set of data in separate memory areas and method for updating a set of data in a memory

• US 6,769,053 B1
• Filed: 12/10/2001
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Belle Gate Investment BV
• Original Assignee: Belle Gate Investment BV
• Inventors: De Jong, Eduard Karel, Bos, Jurjen Norbert Eelco
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Application Number:
  US10/009,275
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 711/159, 711/162, 711/156, 235/380
• US Class Current: 711/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Computer-readable medium storing a data structure for supporting persistant storage of a set of data, the data structure including: (a) at least an oldest version of the set of data in first memory area, the first memory area including at least one first tag for uniqueley indentifying the oldest version, and (b) at least a most recently updated version of the set of data in a second, distinct memory area, the second memory area including at least one second tag for uniquely identifying the most recently updated version. The invention also relates to a computer arrangement including a processor and such a computer-readable medium, as well as to a method of updating sets of data having such tagged-data structures.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing a data structure for supporting persistent storage of a set of data, said data structure comprising:

(a) at least an oldest version of said set of data and at least one first tag for identifying said oldest version in a first memory area; and

(b) at least a most recently updated version of said set of data and at least one second tag for identifying said most recently updated version in a second, distinct memory area,

wherein the first memory area is deallocated when there is at least two versions of the set of data available in the data structure.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein each of the versions of said set of data are stored in one or more memory pages, and each of the memory pages includes one tag comprising references to said set of data, a version number and a page number.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2, wherein each page corresponds to one word line.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the data structure is processed by a processor.

5. The computer-readable medium according to claim 4, wherein the processor is arranged to write the tags with redundancy as to their content and, after having read tags from the memory means, to analyze from said redundancy whether or not write errors have occurred.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 4, wherein the processor is arranged to analyze tag values and is only allowed to access said versions of said set of data by reference through said tag values.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein said processor comprises a central processing unit and a distinct memory managing unit, and the tag values are only known to the memory managing unit.

8. A computer arrangement comprising:

a memory including;

a first memory area having at least an oldest version of said set of data and at least one first tag for identifying said oldest version, and

a second memory area having at least a most recently updated version of said set of data and at least one second tag for identifying said most recently updated version; and

a processor configured to process the versions of the set of data,

wherein the most recently updated version comprises a set of pages, each page having a unique tag, and the processor is arranged for updating said most recently updated version of said set of data and to write a predetermined tag of a predetermined one of said set of pages into said memory as a last step of said updating.

9. A computer arrangement comprising:

a memory including;

a first memory area having at least an oldest version of said set of data and at least one first tag for identifying said oldest version, and

a second memory area having at least a most recently updated version of said set of data and at least one second tag for identifying said most recently updated version; and

a processor configured to process the versions of the set of data,

wherein at least one of said tags includes additional data as to indicate ownership and use-rights, and the processor is arranged to recognize ownership and use-rights from these additional data.

10. The computer arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said use-rights differ for different parts of the set of data and the processor is arranged to recognize different use-rights for these different parts.

11. A computer arrangement comprising:

a memory including;

a first memory area having at least an oldest version of said set of data and at least one first tag for identifying said oldest version, and

a second memory area having at least a most recently updated version of said set of data and at least one second tag for identifying said most recently updated version; and

a processor configured to process the versions of the set of data,

wherein the processor is arranged to analyze tag values and is only allowed to access said versions of said set of data by reference through said tag value and the processor comprises a central processing unit and a distinct memory managing unit, and the tag values are only known to the memory managing unit, and wherein said memory managing unit encodes tags with a cryptographic key prior to writing them into the computer-readable medium, said cryptographic key being only known to the memory managing unit.

12. The computer arrangement according to claim 11, wherein said cryptographic key relates to a cryptographic one-way function.

13. method for supporting persistent storage of a set of data in a computer-readable medium, comprising the steps of:

a) storing an oldest version of said set of data and at least one first tag for identifying said oldest version in a first memory area;

(b) storing a most recently updated version of said set of data and at least one second tag for identifying said most recently updated version in a second, distinct memory area; and

(c) de-allocating, following step (b), the first memory area having stored therein the oldest version of said set of data provided at least two versions of said set of data remain in said memory means.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising the further step of verifying said storing in step (b) by a predetermined operation carried out on said second tag.

15. The method of updating a set of data according to claim 13, wherein said most recently updated version comprises a plurality of pages, each page having a unique tag, and a predetermined tag of a predetermined one of said plurality of pages is stored as a last step in step (b) in order to identify completion of said storing in step (b).

16. A system including:

a computer-readable medium storing a data structure for supporting persistent storage of a set of data, the data structure comprising;

(a) at least an oldest version of said set of data in a first memory area including a first set of one or more pages, said computer-readable medium including at least one tag for identifying said oldest version, and

(b) at least a most recently updated version of said set of data in a second distinct memory area including a second set of one or more pages, said computer-readable medium including at least one tag for identifying said most recently updated version; and

a processor for processing the data structure,

wherein each page in the first and second memory areas includes one or more consecutive memory locations that are collectively processed during memory operations, and wherein each page further includes a respective tag having a version number of the set of data and a page number of the respective page.

17. A method for supporting persistent storage of a set of data in a computer-readable medium, comprising:

storing an oldest version of said set of data in a first memory area including a first set of one or more pages, wherein the computer-readable medium includes at least one tag for identifying the oldest version, wherein each page in the first memory area includes one or more consecutive memory locations that are collectively processed during memory operations;

storing a most recently updated version of said set of data in a second distinct memory area including a second set of one or more pages, said computer-readable medium including at least one tag for identifying said most recently updated version, wherein each page in the second memory area includes one or more consecutive memory locations that are collectively processed during memory operations; and

providing each page in the first and second set of pages with a respective tag having a version number of the set of data and a page number of the respective page.