File management system for devices containing solid-state media

• US 9,507,538 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Keeler, Stanton M., Williams, Steven S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hershley, Mark E
• Application Number:
  US14/739,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 707/737
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1014 One time programmable [OTP] memory, e.g. PROM, WORM
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/068 Hybrid storage device

Abstract

A device comprising a file management system that includes a plurality of first entries and second entries. The first entries are configured function as a logical block address mapping table for data searching operations on data files stored in data blocks of the device, and the second entries are configured to organize the plurality of data blocks into separate logical groups.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one non-volatile storage medium comprising a plurality of data blocks;

a file management system stored on the at least one non-volatile storage medium, the file management system comprising;

a plurality of logical block address extent entries configured to associate with data files stored in the data blocks; and

a plurality of descriptor entries configured to associate with the data blocks, wherein each of the plurality of descriptor entries references one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries, and wherein the plurality of descriptor entries are configured to organize the data blocks into separate logical groups, and wherein each of the plurality of descriptor entries comprises descriptor files that include information pertaining to a respective one of the plurality of data blocks and information for grouping data blocks of the plurality of data blocks, and wherein a first one of the descriptor files includes information relating to a current state of the respective data block, and wherein the current state of the respective data block is indicative of one of the separate logical groups to which the descriptor entry and the respective data block belong; and

at least one controller configured to manage operations with the at least one non-volatile storage medium based at least in part on the file management system.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the separate logical groups are selected from the group consisting of a condemned group, a free group, a write cache group, a pined cache group, a table group, an anchor group, a defective group, and combinations thereof.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the data blocks comprise a plurality of anchor blocks, wherein at least one of the plurality of anchor blocks is configured to point to at least one version of the file management system stored on the at least one non-volatile storage medium.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of logical block address extent entries is configured to:

associate with a different one of the data files stored in the data blocks or configured to associate with a different cluster of the data files stored in the data blocks;

link to a different one of the plurality of logical block extent entries based on logical block addresses of the different data files, the logical block addresses being recognizable by a host computer that communicates with the device; and

link to a different one of the plurality of logical block extent entries based on physical locations of the different data files on the non-volatile storage medium.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a second one of the descriptor files includes an erase count for the respective data block.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein a third one of the descriptor files includes a pointer to another descriptor entry that belongs to a same one of the separate logical groups as the descriptor entry and the respective data block belong.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein a third one the descriptor files includes a pointer to a previous descriptor entry that belongs to a same one of the separate logical groups as the descriptor entry and the respective data block belong, and wherein a fourth one of the descriptor files includes a pointer to a next descriptor entry that belongs to the same one of the separate logical groups.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein a fifth one of the descriptor files includes a valid logical block address count of the referenced data block, and wherein the valid logical address block count enables the file management system to identify a number of valid data files in the referenced data block.

9. A device comprising:

at least one non-volatile storage medium comprising a plurality of data blocks;

a file management system comprising;

a plurality of logical block address extent entries configured to associate with data files stored in the data blocks, wherein;

each of the plurality of logical block address extent entries is configured to;

associate with a different one of the data files stored in the data blocks or configured to associate with a different cluster of the data files stored in the data blocks;

link to a different one of the plurality of logical block extent entries based on logical block addresses of the different data files, the logical block addresses being recognizable by a host computer that communicates with the device; and

link to a different one of the plurality of logical block extent entries based on physical locations of the different data files on the non-volatile storage medium; and

a first one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries references a second one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries based on a range of logical block addresses associated with the second one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries; and

the first one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries comprises a pointer that references a third one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries based on a physical proximity of a file corresponding to the first logical block address extent entry and a file corresponding to the third logical block address extent entry on the non-volatile storage medium; and

at least one controller configured to manage operations with the at least one non-volatile storage medium based at least in part on the file management system.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the file management system further comprises a plurality of descriptor entries configured to associate with the data blocks, wherein each of the plurality of descriptor entries references one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries, and wherein the plurality of descriptor entries are configured to organize the data blocks into separate logical groups.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the separate logical groups are selected from the group consisting of a condemned group, a free group, a write cache group, a pined cache group, a table group, an anchor group, a defective group, and combinations thereof.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the data blocks comprise a plurality of anchor blocks, wherein at least one of the plurality of anchor blocks is configured to point to at least one version of the file management system stored on the at least one non-volatile storage medium.

13. A method comprising:

providing, in a data storage device, at least one non-volatile storage medium comprising a plurality of data blocks; and

managing, by a controller of the data storage device, operations with the at least one non-volatile storage medium at least based in part on a file management system comprising;

a plurality of logical block address extent entries configured to associate with data files stored in the data blocks, wherein;

each of the plurality of logical block address extent entries is capable of;

associating with a different one of the data files stored in the data blocks or capable of associating with a different cluster of the data files stored in the data blocks;

linking to a different one of the plurality of logical block extent entries based on logical block addresses of the different data files, the logical block addresses being recognizable by a host computer that communicates with the device;

linking to a different one of the plurality of logical block extent entries based on physical locations of the different data files on the non-volatile storage medium, and

a first one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries references a second one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries based on a range of logical block addresses associated with the second one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries; and

the first one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries comprises a pointer that references a third one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries based on a physical proximity of a file corresponding to the first logical block address extent entry and a file corresponding to the third logical block address extent entry on the non-volatile storage medium.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the file management system further comprises a plurality of descriptor entries capable of associating with the data blocks, wherein each of the plurality of descriptor entries references one of the plurality of logical block address extent entries, and wherein the plurality of descriptor entries are capable of organizing the data blocks into separate logical groups.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the separate logical groups from the group consisting of a condemned group, a free group, a write cache group, a pined cache group, a table group, an anchor group, a defective group, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the data blocks comprise a plurality of anchor blocks, wherein at least one of the plurality of anchor blocks is configured to point to at least one version of the file management system stored on the at least one non-volatile storage medium.