Fault testing in storage devices

• US 9,454,448 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Ellis, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arcos, Jeison C
• Application Number:
  US14/454,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/24 Marginal checking or other specified testing methods not covered by G06F11/26, e.g. race tests
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2635 using a storage for the test inputs, e.g. test ROM, script files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/06 Digital input from, or digital output to, record carriers , e.g. RAID, emulated record carriers or networked record carriers

Abstract

A method of fault testing in a storage device comprises testing, in accordance with a storage device testing protocol, operability of a plurality of distinct portions on the storage device. The testing includes, for each of the plurality of distinct portions on the storage device: performing one or more operations on a respective portion of the storage device; recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the one or more operations on the respective portion of the storage device; analyzing the recorded data, including determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria; and, in accordance with a determination that the recorded data meets the predetermined failure criteria, performing one or more remedial actions including updating a mapping of the storage device to mark the respective portion as a known-bad portion.

Claims

1. A method of fault testing in a storage device, the method comprising:

testing, in accordance with a storage device testing protocol, operability of a plurality of distinct portions on the storage device;

the testing including, for each of the plurality of distinct portions on the storage device;

performing one or more operations on a respective portion of the storage device;

recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the one or more operations on the respective portion of the storage device;

analyzing the recorded data, including determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data meets the predetermined failure criteria, performing one or more remedial actions including updating a mapping of the storage device to mark the respective portion as a known-bad portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein marking the respective portion of the storage device as a known-bad portion includes updating a mapping table of the storage device to indicate that the respective portion of the storage device should not be used.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the one or more remedial actions comprises:

determining whether a respective operation completed; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective operation did not complete, aborting the respective operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of a respective operation on the respective portion of the storage device comprises recording a sequence of data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the operation at a sequence of sample times.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein analyzing the recorded data includes one or more of:

determining a plurality of current peaks during a respective operation, determining one or more time intervals between said current peaks, and evaluating the time intervals in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

identifying portions of the recorded data corresponding to each of a plurality of suboperations of the respective operation;

for each of a subset of the plurality of suboperations, identifying current level and/or timing parameters, and evaluating the current level and/or timing parameters in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

integrating at least a subset of the recorded sequence of data to generate a corresponding power measurement, and evaluating the generated power measurement in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

evaluating average current drawn during at least a portion of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

evaluating a completion time of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria; and

evaluating a difference in current drawn during two distinct portions of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data comprises at least one of:

operation completion timing;

cycle timing;

peak current;

floor current;

average current; and

difference current.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria comprises:

generating a score based on the one or more predefined characteristics and a plurality of predetermined target values; and

determining whether the generated score meets predetermined failure criteria.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the testing includes, for a respective portion of the storage device:

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data for the respective portion of the storage device does not meet the predetermined failure criteria, determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined warning criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data for the respective portion of the storage device meets the predetermined warning criteria, performing one or more predictive actions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the one or more predictive actions comprises updating metadata corresponding to the respective portion of the storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the metadata includes flagging the respective portion of the storage device for use with low priority data only.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the metadata includes flagging the respective portion of the storage device as being at risk of failing.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more operations comprise at least one of:

a selection operation to select a portion of a memory array;

a read operation;

an erase operation; and

a write operation.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in accordance with an outcome of the analyzing of the recorded data, assigning the respective portion to a respective age category in a plurality of predefined age categories, wherein the respective age category is assigned based, at least in part, on the one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the one or more operations on the respective portion of the storage device comprises performing a plurality of operations on the respective portion of the storage device;

and

the testing further includes;

generating multi-operation characteristics by comparing respective recorded data from respective operations of the plurality of operations;

determining whether the multi-operation characteristics meet predetermined fault criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the multi-operation characteristics meet predetermined fault criteria, performing one or more multi-operation remedial actions.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the testing further includes:

generating multi-portion characteristics by comparing first recorded data corresponding to a first portion of the storage device with second recorded data corresponding to a second portion of the storage device;

determining whether the multi-portion characteristics meet predetermined fault criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the multi-portion characteristics meet predetermined fault criteria, performing one or more multi-portion remedial actions.

16. A storage device, comprising:

a storage medium;

a storage controller, including one or more processors, coupled to the storage medium, the storage controller configured to;

test, in accordance with a storage device testing protocol, operability of a plurality of distinct portions on the storage device;

the testing including, for each of the plurality of distinct portions on the storage device;

performing one or more operations on a respective portion of the storage device;

recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the one or more operations on the respective portion of the storage device;

analyzing the recorded data, including determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data meets the predetermined failure criteria, performing one or more remedial actions including updating a mapping of the storage device to mark the respective portion as a known-bad portion.

17. The storage device of claim 16, wherein recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of a respective operation on the respective portion of the storage device comprises recording a sequence of data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the operation at a sequence of sample times.

18. The storage device of claim 17, wherein analyzing the recorded data includes one or more of:

determining a plurality of current peaks during a respective operation, determining one or more time intervals between said current peaks, and evaluating the time intervals in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

identifying portions of the recorded data corresponding to each of a plurality of suboperations of the respective operation;

for each of a subset of the plurality of suboperations, identifying current level and/or timing parameters, and evaluating the current level and/or timing parameters in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

integrating at least a subset of the recorded sequence of data to generate a corresponding power measurement, and evaluating the generated power measurement in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

evaluating average current drawn during at least a portion of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

evaluating a completion time of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria; and

evaluating a difference in current drawn during two distinct portions of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria.

19. The storage device of claim 16, wherein determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria comprises:

generating a score based on the one or more predefined characteristics and a plurality of predetermined target values; and

determining whether the generated score meets predetermined failure criteria.

20. The storage device of claim 16, wherein the testing includes, for a respective portion of the storage device:

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data for the respective portion of the storage device does not meet the predetermined failure criteria, determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined warning criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data for the respective portion of the storage device meets the predetermined warning criteria, performing one or more predictive actions.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a storage device, the one or more programs including instructions for:

testing, in accordance with a storage device testing protocol, operability of a plurality of distinct portions on the storage device;

the testing including, for each of the plurality of distinct portions on the storage device;

performing one or more operations on a respective portion of the storage device;

recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the one or more operations on the respective portion of the storage device;

analyzing the recorded data, including determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data meets the predetermined failure criteria, performing one or more remedial actions including updating a mapping of the storage device to mark the respective portion as a known-bad portion.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein:

recording data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of a respective operation on the respective portion of the storage device includes;

recording a sequence of data corresponding to electrical current drawn during performance of the operation at a sequence of sample times, and

analyzing the recorded data includes one or more of;

determining a plurality of current peaks during a respective operation, determining one or more time intervals between said current peaks, and evaluating the time intervals in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

identifying portions of the recorded data corresponding to each of a plurality of suboperations of the respective operation;

for each of a subset of the plurality of suboperations, identifying current level and/or timing parameters, and evaluating the current level and/or timing parameters in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

integrating at least a subset of the recorded sequence of data to generate a corresponding power measurement, and evaluating the generated power measurement in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

evaluating average current drawn during at least a portion of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria;

evaluating a completion time of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria; and

evaluating a difference in current drawn during two distinct portions of the respective operation in accordance with the predetermined failure criteria.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined failure criteria comprises:

generating a score based on the one or more predefined characteristics and a plurality of predetermined target values; and

determining whether the generated score meets predetermined failure criteria.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the testing includes, for a respective portion of the storage device:

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data for the respective portion of the storage device does not meet the predetermined failure criteria, determining whether one or more predefined characteristics of the recorded data meets predetermined warning criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the recorded data for the respective portion of the storage device meets the predetermined warning criteria, performing one or more predictive actions.