Data storage system with removable memory module having parallel channels of DRAM memory and flash memory

• US 8,134,875 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baxter, Glenn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hur, J. H.
• Application Number:
  US12/329,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20100142243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 365/149, 365/185.08, 365/185.11, 365/49.1, 365/49.12, 365/189.2, 711/101, 711/103, 711/105, 711/108, 711/115, 711/5, 326/37
• US Class Current: 365/189.2
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/02 Disposition of storage elements, e.g. in the form of a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/04 Supports for storage elements , e.g. memory modules; Mounting or fixing of storage elements on such supports

Abstract

A data storage system includes a first circuit board, a plurality of sockets coupled to the first circuit board, an connector coupled to each of the sockets for coupling each of the sockets to external circuitry, and a plurality of memory modules, each memory module disposed within one of the sockets. The memory module includes a circuit board, an integrated circuit device having configurable blocks, DRAM devices that form parallel channels of DRAM memory and flash memory devices that form parallel channels of flash memory. The memory module also includes an interface electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device for coupling input and output between the integrated circuit device and external circuitry.

Claims

1. A memory module comprising:

a circuit board;

an integrated circuit device having configurable blocks, the integrated circuit device coupled to the circuit board;

a plurality of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) devices coupled to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device so as to form a plurality of parallel channels of DRAM memory;

a plurality of flash memory devices coupled to the circuit board and coupled to the integrated circuit device so as to form a plurality of parallel channels of flash memory; and

an interface coupled to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device for coupling input and output between the integrated circuit device and external circuitry,

wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to receive data and to store the received data on one or more of the plurality of DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices, and further wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to receive a search request that indicates data information, and to search the received data for the data information, wherein the search request does not indicate a sector address.

2. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the interface is a card-edge connector that is configured to be coupled to a socket of a device such that the memory module can be inserted into the socket for adding memory to the device and such that the memory module can be removed from the socket for removing memory from the device.

3. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit device comprises a field programmable gate array device.

4. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the circuit board conforms to the JEDEC DDR2 dual in-line memory module interface mechanical standard and the interface comprises a card-edge connector that conforms to the JEDEC DDR2 dual in-line memory module interface mechanical standard, wherein the card edge connector does not conform to electrical requirements of the JEDEC DDR2 dual in-line memory module interface mechanical standard.

5. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flash memory devices include a configuration flash memory device that stores configuration data for configuring the integrated circuit device, the configuration data including a bit stream for programming the integrated circuit device and including software programming code that can be installed on the integrated circuit device.

6. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit device includes a plurality of multi-gigabit transceivers.

7. The memory module of claim 6 wherein the integrated circuit device includes a hard-core Central Processing Unit (CPU).

8. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to receive data and to store the received data on one or more of the plurality of DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices, and further wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to perform an operation on the received data responsive to an instruction to perform the operation and subsequent to storage of the received data to generate modified data, and to store the modified data on one or more of the plurality of DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices.

9. The memory module of claim 8 wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to generate the modified data responsive to receiving an instruction to modify the data from circuitry external to the memory module.

10. The memory module of claim 8 wherein the search request originates from circuitry external to the memory module.

11. A data storage system comprising:

a first circuit board;

a plurality of sockets coupled to the first circuit board;

a connector coupled to each of the sockets for coupling each of the sockets to external circuitry; and

a plurality of memory modules, each memory module disposed within one of the sockets, each memory module comprising;

a second circuit board;

an integrated circuit device having configurable blocks, the integrated circuit device coupled to the second circuit board;

a plurality of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) devices coupled to the second circuit board and electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device so as to form a plurality of parallel channels of DRAM memory;

a plurality of flash memory devices coupled to the second circuit board and coupled to the integrated circuit device so as to form a plurality of parallel channels of flash memory; and

an interface electrically coupled to the second circuit board and to the integrated circuit device,

wherein each memory module is directly communicatively linked via the first circuit board to at least two other memory modules and is configured to communicate with one another using Ethernet.

12. The data storage system of claim 11 wherein the interface is a card-edge connector and each of the sockets are configured to couple to the card-edge connector.

13. The data storage system of claim 11 wherein the integrated circuit device comprises a field programmable gate array device and wherein the plurality of flash memory devices include a configuration flash memory device that stores configuration data for configuring the field programmable gate array device.

14. The data storage system of claim 11 wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to receive data and to store the received data on one or more of the plurality of DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices, and further wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to receive a search request that indicates data information to search for and to search within the received data for the data information, wherein the search request does not comprise a sector address.

15. The data storage system of claim 11 wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to receive data and to store the received data on one or more of the plurality of DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices, and further wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to perform an operation on the received data responsive to an instruction to perform the operation and subsequent to storage of the received data to generate modified data, and to store the modified data on one or more of the plurality of DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices.

16. A method comprising:

coupling a removable memory module that includes a plurality of DRAM devices, a plurality of flash memory devices and an integrated circuit device having configurable blocks to a socket on a circuit board;

receiving data at the integrated circuit device;

storing the received data on one or more of the DRAM devices;

receiving a search request at the memory module, wherein the search request does not comprise a sector address;

searching the received data using the integrated circuit device; and

sending the results of the search from the integrated circuit device to external circuitry.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

after the storing the received data on one or more of the DRAM devices, storing the received data on one or more of the flash memory devices.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the search request includes data information and wherein the searching the received data further comprises searching the received data to determine whether the received data includes the data information.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

performing an operation on the received data responsive to an instruction to perform the operation and subsequent to storage of the received data to generate modified data; and

storing the modified data in one or more of the DRAM devices and the plurality of flash memory devices.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the integrated circuit device performs the operation on the received data.