Storage control system with power down mechanism and method of operation thereof

• US 9,298,252 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Smart Storage Systems Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Ellis, Robert W., Virgin, Theron Wayne, Creasman, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANDEY, KESHAB R
• Application Number:
  US13/855,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/321, 713/322, 713/323, 713/324, 713/330, 713/340, 713/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3268 Power saving in hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A storage control system and method of operation thereof includes: a control unit for initiating a hardening process beginning at a power-down signal; a counter module, coupled to the control unit for tracking a recorded time beginning at the power-down signal; a completion module, coupled to the counter module, for generating a work-complete entry in memory devices at a conclusion of the hardening process; and a calculation module, coupled to the completion module, for calculating a power down margin by determining the recorded time between the work-complete entry and a complete power loss of a hold-up power.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a storage control system comprising:

initiating a hardening process beginning at a power-down signal, wherein host data and meta data are stored in a first portion of non-volatile memory of the storage control system during the hardening process;

tracking time information beginning at the power-down signal;

generating a work-complete entry in the non-volatile flash memory at a conclusion of the hardening process;

calculating a power down margin corresponding to elapsed time between the conclusion of the hardening process and a complete power loss of a hold-up power; and

in accordance with a determination that the power down margin is less than a buffer threshold, designating a second portion of the non-volatile memory of the storage control system, different from the first portion, to be used during a next hardening process.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein tracking the time information includes generating tick entries between the power-down signal and the complete power loss.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising generating a unique identifier for distinguishing the time information of the hardening process from the time information of a different hardening process.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the time information, corresponding to the power-down signal, in the non-volatile memory of the storage control system in parallel with the hardening process; and

calculating a work length of the hardening process corresponding to elapsed time between the power-down signal and the conclusion of the hardening process.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

tracking the time information includes generating a power-cycle record; and

further comprising;

generating a unique identifier for indexing the power-cycle record.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein tracking the time information includes generating timestamp information after the power-down signal, the timestamp information includes a power-loss stamp, a completion stamp, and a depletion stamp.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising generating a warning when the power down margin is below the buffer threshold.

3. The method as claimed in claim, wherein tracking the time information includes generating timestamp information between the power-down signal and the complete power loss.

9. A storage control system comprising:

a control unit for initiating a hardening process beginning at a power-down signal, wherein host data and meta data are stored in a first portion of non-volatile memory of the storage control system during the hardening process;

a counter module, coupled to the control unit, for tracking time information beginning at the power-down signal;

a completion module, coupled to the counter module, for generating a work-complete entry in the non-volatile flash memory at a conclusion of the hardening process; and

a calculation module, coupled to the completion module, for calculating a power down margin corresponding to elapsed time between the conclusion of the hardening process and a complete power loss of a hold-up power;

the control unit is further for designating a second portion of the non-volatile memory of the storage control system, different from the first portion, to be used during a next hardening process in accordance with a determination that the power down margin is less than a buffer threshold.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the counter module is for generating tick entries between the power-down signal and the complete power loss.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the counter module is for generating timestamp information between the power-down signal and the complete power loss.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising an identifier module, coupled to the control unit, for generating a unique identifier for distinguishing the time information of the hardening process from the time information of a different hardening process.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a length module, coupled to the control unit, for calculating a work length of the hardening process corresponding to elapsed time between the power-down signal and the conclusion of the hardening process.

14. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the counter module is for generating a power-cycle record; and

further comprising;

an identifier module, coupled to the control unit, for generating a unique identifier for indexing the power-cycle record.

15. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the counter module is for generating timestamp information after the power-down signal, the timestamp information includes a power-loss stamp, a completion stamp, and a depletion stamp.

16. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the counter module is for tracking the time information in the non-volatile memory in parallel with the hardening process.

17. The system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising an alert module, coupled to the control unit, for generating a warning when the power down margin is below the buffer threshold.