System, method, and computer program product for sending logical block address de-allocation status information

• US 8,230,159 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: LSI Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stenfort, Ross John
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbrugge, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US12/413,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for sending de-allocation status information. In use, a de-allocation status of at least a portion of memory associated with a logical block address is determined. Additionally, de-allocation status information is generated, based on the determination. Furthermore, the de-allocation status information is sent to a device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a de-allocation command from a requestor;

selectively de-allocating user data, protection data, or both user data and protection data from at least a portion of memory associated with a logical block address, in response to the de-allocation command;

determining a de-allocation status of the at least a portion of memory associated with the logical block address, in response to a query from the requestor;

generating de-allocation status information, based on the determination; and

sending the de-allocation status information to the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the de-allocation status information includes an indicator for indicating whether the at least a portion of the memory associated with the logical block address is de-allocated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator indicates a mapped status when the at least a portion of the memory associated with the logical block address is allocated.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator indicates an unmapped status when the at least a portion of the memory associated with the logical block address is de-allocated.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically sending additional de-allocation status information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the automatically sending of the additional de-allocation status information is at a timed interval.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the automatically sending of the additional de-allocation status information is upon de-allocation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying data that is de-allocated from the at least a portion of memory associated with the logical block address.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one of a command or a mode page is utilized to specify one of the data that is de-allocated or a format of data to be returned for de-allocated data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data that is de-allocated includes at least a portion of at least one of the user data or the protection data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of memory associated with the logical block address includes one of multiple logical block address sectors, one logical block address sector, or a portion of a logical block address sector.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the de-allocation status information to the device includes sending a bad status if an unmapped memory block is read.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a command to write a pattern of data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the command to write a pattern of data includes one of a WRITE SAME command or a FORMAT command.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the user data or the protection data is de-allocated based on the command to write a pattern of data.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the user data separate from the protection data in the at least a portion of memory associated with the logical block address.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the requester is enabled to convert logical block address de-allocation information in a first format associated with a first protocol to logical block address de-allocation information in a second format associated with a second protocol, and the de-allocation command comprises the logical block address de-allocation information in the second format.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the requestor includes at least one of a protocol chip or protocol based buffer.

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

computer code for receiving a de-allocation command from a requestor;

computer code for selectively de-allocating user data, protection data, or both user data and protection data from at least a portion of memory associated with a logical block address, in response to the de-allocation command;

computer code for determining a de-allocation status of the at least a portion of memory associated with the logical block address, in response to a query from the requestor; and

computer code for generating de-allocation status information, based on the determination; and

computer code for sending the de-allocation status information to the requestor.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory controller for receiving a de-allocation command from a requestor, for selectively de-allocating user data, protection data, or both user data and protection data from at least a portion of memory associated with a logical block address, in response to the de-allocation command, for determining a de-allocation status of the at least a portion of memory associated with the logical block address, in response to a query from the requestor, for generating de-allocation status information based on the determination, and for sending the de-allocation status information to the requestor.