Enterprise data storage system using multi-level cell flash memory
First Claim
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1. A data storage system comprising:
- a host;
a controller; and
a data storage drive comprising;
a plurality of flash memory elements;
a first memory portion including a first number of the flash memory elements; and
a second memory portion including a second number of the flash memory elements, the second memory portion being exclusive of the first memory portion;
wherein the first memory portion and the second memory portion combine to represent an actual capacity of the data storage drive and the first memory portion represents an advertised capacity of the data storage drive, the advertised capacity of the first memory portion being presented to the host by the controller as a total capacity of the data storage drive; and
wherein data writes from the host to the data storage drive are written to a capacity of flash memory elements corresponding to the advertised capacity, but wherein data writes are spread over the actual capacity of the data storage drive.
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Abstract
A system including an enterprise data storage system having a plurality of multi-level cell (MLC) flash devices configured as data storage drives. The enterprise data storage system is operated in such a way and the configuration of the MLC flash devices is such that the enterprise data storage system is able to maintain a performance level comparable to that of an enterprise data storage system utilizing single-level cell (SLC) flash devices.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A data storage system comprising:
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a host; a controller; and a data storage drive comprising; a plurality of flash memory elements; a first memory portion including a first number of the flash memory elements; and a second memory portion including a second number of the flash memory elements, the second memory portion being exclusive of the first memory portion; wherein the first memory portion and the second memory portion combine to represent an actual capacity of the data storage drive and the first memory portion represents an advertised capacity of the data storage drive, the advertised capacity of the first memory portion being presented to the host by the controller as a total capacity of the data storage drive; and wherein data writes from the host to the data storage drive are written to a capacity of flash memory elements corresponding to the advertised capacity, but wherein data writes are spread over the actual capacity of the data storage drive. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of increasing the durability of a data storage system including a plurality of MLC (multi-level cell) flash drives comprising:
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overprovisioning a data storage drive comprising a plurality of MLC flash memory devices by forming a first memory portion including a first number of the MLC flash memory devices and a second memory portion including a second number of the MLC flash memory devices, the second memory portion being exclusive of the first memory portion; wherein the first memory portion and the second memory portion combine to represent an actual capacity of the data storage drive and the first memory portion represents an advertised capacity of the data storage drive; presenting the advertised capacity of the first memory portion being to a host by a controller as a total capacity of the data storage drive; writing an amount of data writes from the host to flash memory devices of the data storage drive corresponding to the advertised capacity; and spreading the data writes over the flash memory devices of the data storage drive corresponding to the actual capacity of the data storage drive. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification