Storage subsystem with configurable buffer
First Claim
1. A storage subsystem, comprising:
- a controller coupled to non-volatile storage, said controller capable of writing data to, and reading data from, the non-volatile storage in response to commands received by the storage subsystem from a host system; and
a volatile memory coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to implement a write buffer in said volatile memory to buffer write data received from the host system on write operations, and to transfer said write data from the write buffer to the non-volatile storage, said buffer memory being capable of receiving data at a higher rate than the non-volatile storage, such that the storage subsystem is capable of receiving write data from the host system at a rate that exceeds a write speed of the non-volatile storage;
wherein the controller is configured to adjust a size of the write buffer in response to commands from the host system so as to vary both a sustained write speed of the storage subsystem and a risk of data loss, such that the size of the write buffer is decreased when said write data is determined to be critical and is increased when said write data is determined to be non-critical.
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Abstract
A storage subsystem includes a variable-size write buffer that temporarily stores write data received from a host system. The storage subsystem is capable of adjusting the size of the write buffer so as to vary both the performance (e.g., sustained write speed) of the storage subsystem and a risk of data loss. In one embodiment, the storage subsystem implements a command set that enables the host system to directly control the size of the write buffer. The storage subsystem may additionally or alternatively be capable of adjusting the size of the write buffer based on monitored operating conditions, such as the temperature, the stability/consistency of a power signal received from the host system, and/or the elapsed time since the storage subsystem was last powered up.
321 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A storage subsystem, comprising:
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a controller coupled to non-volatile storage, said controller capable of writing data to, and reading data from, the non-volatile storage in response to commands received by the storage subsystem from a host system; and a volatile memory coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to implement a write buffer in said volatile memory to buffer write data received from the host system on write operations, and to transfer said write data from the write buffer to the non-volatile storage, said buffer memory being capable of receiving data at a higher rate than the non-volatile storage, such that the storage subsystem is capable of receiving write data from the host system at a rate that exceeds a write speed of the non-volatile storage; wherein the controller is configured to adjust a size of the write buffer in response to commands from the host system so as to vary both a sustained write speed of the storage subsystem and a risk of data loss, such that the size of the write buffer is decreased when said write data is determined to be critical and is increased when said write data is determined to be non-critical. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of handling write operations from a host to a storage subsystem, the method comprising:
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receiving, at the storage subsystem, write data from the host system, and storing the write data in a variable-size write buffer implemented in a volatile memory of the storage subsystem; moving the write data from the write buffer to non-volatile storage of the storage subsystem, and signaling to the host system when the write buffer is available to receive additional write data; and adjusting a size of the write buffer over time to vary a sustained write speed of the storage subsystem and an associated risk of data loss, so that the size is decreased when the write data is determined to be critical and the size is increased when the write data is determined to be non-critical. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification