Storage device including a file system manager for managing multiple storage media

• US 8,892,520 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yim, Keun Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): REYES, MARIELA D
• Application Number:
  US12/358,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 707/654, 707/655
• US Class Current: 707/654
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7205 Cleaning, compaction, garbage collection, erase control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/068 Hybrid storage device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A computing system and a storage device are provided. A computing system includes a first storage media, a second storage media having an input/output speed slower than that of the first storage media, and a hybrid file system management unit to manage a first physical file system and second physical file system, and provide a virtual file system manager with a virtual file system converted from the first physical file system and second physical file system. The first physical file system controls the first storage media and the second physical file system controls the second storage media.

Claims

1. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a first storage media;

a second storage media having an input/output speed slower than that of the first storage media and being included in the same device as the first storage media; and

a hybrid file system management unit configured to

manage a first physical file system that controls the first storage media and a second physical file system that controls the second storage media,

provide a virtual file system that comprises files converted from the first physical file system and files converted from the second physical file system,

convert a file from the first physical file system and/or the second physical file system into a format that is used by the virtual file system,

convert a file from the virtual file system into a format that is used by the first physical file system and/or the second physical file system, and

determine whether to move a file requested by an operating system from the second storage media to the first storage media based on a relative gain and a cost of a movement to the first storage media that is calculated based on an access frequency of the requested file,

wherein, in response to the requested file being stored in the second storage media, the hybrid file system management unit is configured to calculate the relative gain and the cost according to the movement to the first storage media based on the access frequency, and move the requested file to the first storage media in response to the calculated relative gain being greater than the calculated cost, and

wherein the hybrid file system management unit is configured to;

determine whether an available space exists in the first storage media before moving the requested file to the first storage media;

select a file which is the least effective with regard to a cost from among files stored in the first storage media in response to the available space not existing in the first storage media;

move the selected file to the second storage media; and

move the requested file to the first storage media from the second storage media.

2. The computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first storage media is a solid state drive (SSD);

the second storage media is a hard disk drive (HDD); and

the hybrid file system management unit is configured to manage the first physical file system that controls the SSD and the second physical file system that controls the HDD, and provide a virtual file system manager with the virtual file system converted from the first physical file system and second physical file system.

3. The computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hybrid file system management unit is configured to calculate the relative gain by multiplying the access frequency and a difference between a data transmission time from the first storage media to a host and a data transmission time from the second storage media to the host, in response to the requested file being stored in the second storage media.

4. The computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hybrid file system management unit is configured to calculate the relative gain indicative of a reduced time of access time in a predetermined period with respect to the requested file, in response to the requested file being stored in the second storage media.

5. The computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hybrid file system management unit is configured to calculate the cost based on a size of the requested file and a write speed of the first storage media.

6. The computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hybrid file system management unit is configured to move the requested file to the first storage media in response to the calculated relative gain being greater than the calculated cost.

7. The computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hybrid file system management unit is configured to transmit the requested file in the second storage media to a host without moving the requested file to the first storage media in response to the calculated relative gain being equal to or less than the calculated cost.