Apparatus, system, and method for testing physical regions in a solid-state storage device

• US 8,725,938 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fusion-IO Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Flynn, David, Thatcher, Jonathan, Aune, Joshua, Wood, Robert Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Than
• Application Number:
  US13/625,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20130036262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 714/25, 714/718, 714/720
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/263 Generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability with external testers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/214 Solid state disk
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7206 Reconfiguration of flash memory system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7208 Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for testing physical regions in a solid-state storage device. The method includes defining a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device. The physical storage region includes a subset of storage capacity of the solid-state storage media. The method includes implementing the physical storage region definition on a storage controller such that memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region. The method includes testing wear of solid-state storage media associated with the physical storage region using memory operations bounded to the physical storage region.

Claims

1. A method for testing a physical region in a solid-state storage device, the method comprising:

defining a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device, the physical storage region comprising less than a storage capacity of the solid-state storage media;

implementing the physical storage region definition on a storage controller such that memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

testing wear of solid-state storage media associated with the physical storage region using memory operations bounded to the physical storage region with one or more wear-leveling operations for the solid-state storage device disabled.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein testing wear of the solid-state storage media further comprises performing memory operations on the physical storage region and determining data integrity of the physical storage region subsequent to performing the memory operations.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising extrapolating data integrity of total physical storage capacity of the solid-state storage media based on data integrity in the physical storage region.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining data integrity of the physical storage region comprises writing a pattern in the physical storage region, reading the physical storage region to obtain a read-back pattern, and comparing the pattern to the read-back pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enforcing the physical storage region definition by redirecting memory operations for the solid-state storage device from a physical memory location outside the physical storage region to a physical memory location inside the physical storage region to facilitate testing wear of the solid-state storage media associated with the physical storage region.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a plurality of physical storage regions on the solid-state storage media of the solid-state storage device, each physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of less than the storage capacity on the solid-state storage media.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising initiating an autonomous set of memory operations within each physical storage region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein testing wear of the solid-state storage media further comprises testing wear of the solid-state storage media according to a testing profile, the testing profile comprising one or more of testing parameters, a specification of physical storage regions to test, a testing time, and a specification of memory operations to perform in each physical storage region under test.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage controller is configured to sequentially write data on the solid-state storage media in a log structured format, the data sequentially stored on the solid-state storage media.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical storage region comprises a set of logical erase blocks, each logical erase block defined by the solid-state storage controller, each logical erase block spanning two or more media chips.

11. An apparatus for testing a physical region in a solid-state storage device, the apparatus comprising:

a definition module configured to define a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device, the physical storage region comprising less than a total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media;

an implementation module configured to enforce the physical storage region definition on a storage controller such that storage operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

a test module configured to test wear of solid-state storage media of the physical storage region by performing storage operations on the physical storage region with one or more wear-leveling operations for the solid-state storage device disabled and determining data integrity of the physical storage region.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the definition module is further configured to define a plurality of physical storage regions on the solid-state storage media of the solid-state storage device, each physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of less than the storage capacity on the solid-state storage media.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the test module is further configured to initiate an autonomous set of storage operations within each physical storage region.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the test module is configured to determine data integrity of the physical storage region subsequent to performing the storage operations.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the test module is further configured to extrapolate data integrity of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media based on the determined data integrity in the physical storage region.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the implementation module is configured to enforce the physical storage region definition by redirecting storage operations for the solid-state storage device from a physical memory location outside the physical storage region to a physical memory location inside the physical storage region.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a sampling module configured to determine that physical storage capacity of the physical storage region satisfies a predetermined storage capacity threshold with respect to the total physical storage capacity.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code executable to perform operations for testing one or more physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the operations comprising:

defining a physical storage region on NAND flash memory media of a NAND flash memory device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash memory media;

enforcing the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the NAND flash memory media such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region;

exercising the physical storage region by performing memory operations on the physical storage region;

determining data integrity of the physical storage region, the data integrity based on a determined number of errors; and

extrapolating data integrity of the total physical storage capacity of the NAND flash memory media based on the determined data integrity of the physical storage region.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise defining a plurality of physical storage regions on the NAND flash storage media of the NAND flash storage device, each physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise initiating one or more software threads to perform autonomous sets of memory operations within each of the physical storage regions.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein each of the software threads performs memory operations according to a testing profile, the testing profile specifying one or more of a number of operations, type of operations, host driver, wear leveling algorithm, data write pattern, and workload.

22. A system for testing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the system comprising:

solid-state storage media;

a storage controller managing data storage on the solid-state storage media;

a definition module configured to define a physical storage region on the solid-state storage media, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media;

an implementation module configured to enforce the physical storage region definition on the storage controller by redirecting memory operations for the solid-state storage device to the physical storage region; and

a test module configured to test wear of solid-state storage media of the physical storage region by performing memory operations on the physical storage region, determining data integrity of the physical storage region, and extrapolating data integrity of the total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media based on the determined data integrity of the physical storage region.

23. An apparatus for testing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the apparatus comprising:

means for defining a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device, the physical storage region comprising less than a total useable storage capacity on the solid-state storage media;

means for implementing the physical storage region definition on a storage controller such that memory operations performed by the storage controller are bounded to the physical storage region; and

means for testing wear of solid-state storage media associated with the physical storage region and extrapolating data integrity of the total useable storage capacity on the solid-state storage media based on a determined data integrity of the physical storage region.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for redirecting memory operations for the solid-state storage device from a physical memory location outside the physical storage region to a physical memory location inside the physical storage region.