Use by a host device having a first file system of a portable storage device having a second file system and supporting file segmentation

• US 8,539,174 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Hahn, Judah Gamliel, Bryant-Rich, Donald Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, HONG CHONG
• Application Number:
  US13/603,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 711/154, 711/114, 711/103, 711/5, 711/115, 711/150, 711/170, 711/173, 710/13, 710/74, 710/305, 710/315
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays

Abstract

A host device includes a first file system, and a storage device includes a plurality of memory units and a plurality of controllers. While the host device is operative coupled to the storage device, the host device creates a second file system corresponding to the storage device and copies host content from the first file system to the second file system. The second file system is segmented into a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments being uniquely associated with a particular one of the plurality of controllers. The host device selects a data transfer rate to write the host content from the second file system to the storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a host device having a first file system, while the host device is operatively coupled to a storage device that includes a plurality of memory units and a plurality of controllers;

creating a second file system corresponding to the storage device;

copying host content from the first file system to the second file system;

segmenting the second file system into a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments being uniquely associated with a particular one of the plurality of controllers; and

selecting a data transfer rate to write the host content from the second file system to the storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein segmenting the second file system includes storing the second file system in a file within the first file system and segmenting the file within the first file system into a number of segments that equals a number of the plurality of controllers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the data transfer rate from one of a first rate and a second rate, wherein the second rate differs from the first rate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the first rate as the data transfer rate includes selecting a first connector of the storage device to transfer the host content, and wherein selecting the second rate as the data transfer rate includes selecting a second connector of the storage device to transfer the host content.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first connector is a rapid-access connector and wherein the second connector is a universal serial bus (USB) male A-type connector.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first connector includes a plurality of distinct universal serial bus (USB) interfaces.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein segmenting the second file system is performed by a second controller of the storage device, and wherein the second controller writes each segment into a particular one of the plurality of memory units.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of controllers includes the second controller.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising writing each of the plurality of segments via the associated controller into the plurality of memory units, wherein each segment includes at least one page of data, wherein each page includes a plurality of data bytes, and wherein each page is stored entirely in one of the plurality of memory units.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, from the host device to a second controller of the storage device via a second connector of the storage device, a read request to read data from an address, wherein the address references a storage area in one of the plurality of memory units.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein reading the data from the storage area referenced by the address includes:

identifying a logical page associated with the storage area, wherein the logical page includes a plurality of bytes of the host content;

identifying a particular memory unit associated with the logical page; and

determining a location of the storage area within the particular memory unit.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising copying the host content from the second file system to the storage device at the selected data transfer rate.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising enumerating, at the host device, each of the plurality of controllers as a separate storage device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second file system includes a boot portion.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second file system includes a root directory.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the second file system;

mounting the second file system into the first file system; and

umnounting the second file system.

17. A host device comprising:

a first interface configured to be connected to a first connector of a storage device that includes a plurality of memory units and a plurality of controllers;

a second interface configured to be connected to a second connector of the storage device; and

a first file system storing host content,

wherein the host device is configured to, while the storage device is connected to the first interface via the first connector;

create a second file system corresponding to the storage device;

copy the host content from the first file system to the second file system;

segment the second file system into a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments being uniquely associated with a particular one of the plurality of controllers; and

write the host content from the second file system to the storage device via the first connector, wherein a first data transfer rate associated with the first connector differs from a second data transfer rate associated with the second connector.

18. The host device of claim 17, wherein the host device is further configured to enumerate each of the plurality of controllers as a separate storage device.

19. The host device of claim 17, wherein the first interface is configured to be connected to a rapid-access connector and wherein the second interface is configured to be connected to a universal serial bus (USB) male A-type connector.

20. The host device of claim 17, wherein the first connector includes a plurality of distinct universal serial bus (USB) interfaces.