Apparatus, systems, and methods for nameless writes

• US 9,015,425 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Intellectual Property Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Flynn, David, Nellans, David, Ouyang, Xiangyong
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHNEE, HAL W
• Application Number:
  US14/094,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 711/103, 711/203, 711/209, 711/E12.008, 711/E12.017
• US Class Current: 711/152
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1048 using arrangements adapted for a specific error detection or correction feature
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/108 Parity data distribution in semiconductor storages, e.g. in SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0238 Memory management in non-volatile memory, e.g. resistive RAM or ferroelectric memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/85 Active fault masking without idle spares active fault masking without idle spare hardware where processing functionality is redundant G06F11/2035
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7207 management of metadata or control data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7208 Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0652 Erasing, e.g. deleting, data cleaning, moving of data to a wastebasket
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30043 LOAD or STORE instructions; Clear instruction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30072 to perform conditional operations, e.g. using predicates or guards

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for implementing nameless storage operations. Storage clients can access and allocate portions of an address space of a non-volatile storage device to a nameless storage request. The methods include receiving from a storage client, a nameless storage request configured for storing data in an unspecified, available address of a logical block address of a non-volatile storage device, determining whether there exists enough logical capacity in the logical address space to satisfy the nameless storage request, allocating a logical identifier to the nameless storage request, and sending the allocated logical identifier to the storage client. Other embodiments are described.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a storage client, a block IO write request configured for storing data in an unspecified, available logical block address of a logical address space managed by a non-volatile storage device;

allocating a logical block address of the logical address space to data of the write request; and

communicating the allocated logical block address to the storage client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether there is sufficient capacity in the logical address space to satisfy the write request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether there is sufficient capacity includes using a data structure for maintaining logical block address assignments in the logical address space.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the write request from the storage client does not specify a logical block address in the logical address space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated logical block address comprises one or more logical identifiers that are assigned to the write request when the logical block address is allocated.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising communicating the assigned one or more logical identifiers to the storage client.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the data of the write request at one or more storage locations of the non-volatile storage device after the logical identifier is assigned to the data of the write request.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing the data sequentially in the one or more storage locations or storing the data in a log based format in the one or more storage locations.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving from the storage client a request to read the stored data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile storage device allocates the logical block address to the data of the request.

11. A method for data allocation, comprising:

receiving, from a storage client, a block IO write request configured for writing data in an unspecified, available logical block address of a logical address space managed by a non-volatile storage device;

determining whether capacity exists in the logical address space to satisfy the write request;

allocating an unallocated logical block address of the logical address space to data of the write request; and

reporting the allocated logical block address to the storage client.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the write request from the storage client does not request a specific logical identifier.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the write request from the storage client identifies a specific logical identifier.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning a logical identifier to the write request and reporting the assigned logical identifier to the storage client.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising writing the data of the write request at a storage location of the non-volatile storage device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving from the storage client a request to read the stored data.

17. A nameless storage method, comprising:

receiving, from a storage client, a nameless block IO write request configured for storing data in an unspecified, available logical block address of a logical address space managed by a non-volatile storage device;

determining whether there exists enough logical capacity in the logical address space to satisfy the nameless write request;

allocating a logical identifier to the nameless write request; and

sending the allocated logical identifier to the storage client.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether there exists enough logical capacity includes using an index for managing logical identifier allocations in the logical address space.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a list of logical identifiers or a range of logical identifiers are allocated to the nameless write request.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising writing the data of the nameless write request at a storage location of the non-volatile storage device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving from the storage client a request to read the stored data.

22. A method for data allocation, comprising:

receiving, from a storage client, a block IO write request configured for writing data in an unspecified, available logical block address of a logical address space managed by a non-volatile storage device;

determining whether capacity exists in the logical address space to satisfy the write request using an index configured to maintain logical identifier assignments in the logical address space, the index being managed by the non-volatile storage device;

allocating an unallocated logical block address of the logical address space to data of the write request; and

reporting the allocated logical block address to the storage client.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the write request from the storage client does not specify a logical block address in the logical address space.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the allocated logical block address comprises one or more logical identifiers that are assigned to the write request when the logical block address is allocated.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising storing the data of the write request at one or more storage locations of the non-volatile storage device after the logical identifier is assigned to the data of the write request.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising storing the data sequentially in the one or more storage locations or storing the data in a log based format in the one or more storage locations.