Data storage device with metadata command

• US 8,595,572 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Borchers, Albert T., Swing, Andrew T., Sprinkle, Robert S., Klaus, Jason W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRITT, CYNTHIA H
• Application Number:
  US12/756,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20100269015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 714/718, 714/758, 714/763, 714768-771, 711/100, 711/154
• US Class Current: 714/718
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2029/0409 Online test
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/52 Protection of memory contents; Detection of errors in memory contents
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/88 with partially good memories

Abstract

A data storage device may include an interface that is arranged and configured to interface with a host, a command bus, multiple memory devices that are operably coupled to the command bus and a controller that is operably coupled to the interface and to the command bus. The controller may be arranged and configured to receive a read metadata command for a specified one of the memory devices from the host using the interface, read metadata from the specified memory device and communicate the metadata to the host using the interface.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

an interface that is arranged and configured to interface with a host;

a command bus;

multiple memory devices that are operably coupled to the command bus; and

a controller that is operably coupled to the interface and to the command bus, wherein the controller is arranged and configured to;

receive a single read metadata command for a specified one or more of the memory devices from the host using the interface, wherein metadata comprises a logical sector number and a generation number;

read the metadata from multiple pages of the one or more specified memory devices in response to the single read metadata command; and

communicate the metadata from the multiple pages to the host using the interface.

2. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the metadata is used to create a table to map physical addresses of data stored in the specified one or more memory devices to logical addresses for the data.

3. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the generation number indicates a version of data associated with the logical sector number.

4. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the metadata comprises an error correction code.

5. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein when the single read metadata command returns an error, the controller is arranged and configured to:

re-read the metadata from the specified one or more memory devices multiple times;

combine the metadata into a single metadata result; and

communicate the single metadata result to the host using the interface.

6. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the controller is further arranged and configured to:

receive multiple read metadata commands for multiple different specified memory devices from the host using the interface;

read metadata from the specified memory devices in parallel; and

communicate the metadata to the host using the interface.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

receiving a single read metadata command for a specified one or more memory devices of multiple memory devices from a host using an interface, wherein metadata comprises a logical sector number and a generation number;

reading the metadata from multiple pages of the one or more specified memory devices in response to the single read metadata command; and

communicating the metadata from the multiple pages to the host using the interface.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the metadata is used to create a table to map physical addresses of data stored in the specified one or more memory devices to logical addresses for the data.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the generation number indicates a version of data associated with the logical sector number.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the metadata comprises an error correction code.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein when the single read metadata command returns an error, the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

re-reading the metadata from the specified one or more memory devices multiple times;

combining the metadata into a single metadata result; and

communicating the single metadata result to the host using the interface.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

receiving multiple read metadata commands for multiple different specified memory devices from the host using the interface;

reading metadata from the specified memory devices in parallel; and

communicating the metadata to the host using the interface.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the actions of:

communicating a single read metadata command to a controller using an interface to read metadata from multiple pages of one or more specified memory devices of multiple memory devices, wherein the metadata comprises a logical sector number and a generation number;

receiving the metadata from the multiple pages from the controller using the interface; and

generating a table to map physical addresses of data stored in the specified one or more memory devices to logical addresses for the data using the metadata.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the generation number indicates a version of data associated with the logical sector number.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the instructions that, when executed, further perform the actions of:

communicating multiple read metadata commands to the controller using the interface to read metadata from multiple specified memory devices;

receiving the metadata from the controller using the interface; and

generating the table to map physical addresses of the data stored in the multiple memory devices to logical addresses for the data using the metadata.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the metadata comprises an error correction code.