System, method, and computer program product for sending failure information from a serial ATA (SATA) solid state drive (SSD) to a host device

• US 8,108,737 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: SandForce, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stenfort, Ross John
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNCAN, MARC M
• Application Number:
  US12/573,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 714/42, 714/48, 714/57
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70225 Optical aspects of catadioptric systems, i.e. comprising reflective and refractive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70341 Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/073 in a memory management context, e.g. virtual memory or cache management memory management G06F12/00; testing of static memory units G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1068 in sector programmable memories, e.g. flash disk G06F11/1072 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for sending failure information from a solid state drive (SSD) to a host device. In operation, an error is detected during an operation associated with a Serial ATA (SATA) solid state drive. Additionally, a command is received for failure information from a host device. Further, the failure information is sent from the solid state drive to the host device, the failure information including failure information associated with the solid state drive.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting an error during an operation associated with a Serial ATA (SATA) solid state drive (SSD);

receiving from a host device a command to return failure information comprising a log page; and

sending the log page from the SSD to the host device in response to the receiving, the log page comprising at least one log page field comprising information relevant to the SSD being comprised of flash memory as a storage media.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one log page field comprises a specific storage media location of the flash memory where the error occurred.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the log page further comprises information indicating whether the specific storage media location of the flash memory is associated with corrupt data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one log page field comprises information indicating that the SSD was unable to free up a storage media location of the flash memory in which to write data for the operation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein subsequent to a determination that the error is associated with a reoccurring event, the at least one log page field comprises a persistent failure indication; and

wherein prior to the determination, the at least one log page field comprises a transient failure indication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one log page field comprises information indicating where the SSD is on a life expectancy curve.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the log page is a read log 10 page comprising a vendor specific field and the at least one log page field is the vendor specific field.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one log page field is one or more of a plurality of fields associated with a read log 10 page.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the log page is capable of being utilized to recover failure information associated with an NCQ command issued to the SSD.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the command includes a command that is capable of being used to fetch SSD information to recover from an NCQ command and failure information associated with the NCQ command.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the failure information is accessible utilizing a command other than a Read Log EXT command or a Read Log DMA command.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the failure information is accessible utilizing a Read Log EXT command.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the failure information is accessible utilizing a Read Log DMA command.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the log page further comprises a format associated with a log page 10.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes sending an NCQ command.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes sending a SATA command.

17. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for detecting an error during an operation associated with a Serial ATA (SATA) solid state drive (SSD);

computer code for receiving from a host device a command to return failure information comprising a log page; and

computer code for sending the log page from the SSD to the host device, the log page comprising at least one log page field comprising information relevant to the SSD being comprised of flash memory as a storage media.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a Serial ATA (SATA) solid state drive (SSD) configured to;

detect an error during an operation associated with the SSD;

receive from a host device a command to return failure information comprising a log page; and

send the log page from the SSD to the host device, the log page comprising at least one log page field comprising information relevant to the SSD being comprised of flash memory as a storage media.