Reducing writes, and estimating and displaying estimated remaining lifetime of non-volatile memories
View Patent ↗Techniques are taught for reducing writes, and estimating and displaying estimated remaining lifetime of non-volatile memories. The write reducing is optionally via determining a difference between write operation results and data stored in the non-volatile memories. The estimated remaining lifetime is optionally based at least in part on a previous lifetime. The displaying is optionally via a gauge.
1. A method comprising:
reducing a number of writes in one or more non-volatile memories;
estimating a remaining lifetime of at least some of the non-volatile memories;
visually displaying the estimated remaining lifetime; and
wherein the estimating is carried out in conjunction with the reducing.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing a number of writes comprises determining a difference between write operation results and data stored in the non-volatile memories.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing a number of writes is performed at least in part by a controller enabled to receive commands from a computer via a storage bus and to control and exchange data with the non-volatile memories.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating a remaining lifetime is based at least in part on a previous lifetime.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising measuring one or more properties of at least one storage device to obtain the previous lifetime.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visually displaying is via a gauge.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-volatile memories comprise flash memory.
8. A system comprising:
a controller enabled to receive commands from a computer via a storage bus and to control and exchange data with one or more non-volatile memories;
a lifetime estimator module enabled to estimate a remaining lifetime of the non-volatile memories based at least in part on command information received from the controller;
a visual display enabled to show the estimated remaining lifetime; and
wherein the controller is further enabled to reduce writes to the non-volatile memories to increase the estimated remaining lifetime.
9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a difference computation module enabled to identify differences between current state and a state that would result after a write operation.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the lifetime estimator module is enabled to estimate the remaining lifetime based at least in part on a previous lifetime.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the previous lifetime is obtained by measuring one or more properties of at least one storage device.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the visual display comprises a gauge.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the non-volatile memories comprise flash memory.
14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising the flash memory.
15. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium, comprising:
computer code for reducing a number of writes in one or more non-volatile memories;
computer code for estimating a remaining lifetime of at least some of the non-volatile memories;
computer code for visually displaying the estimated remaining lifetime; and
wherein the estimating is carried out in conjunction with the reducing.
16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the reducing a number of writes comprises determining a difference between write operation results and data stored in the non-volatile memories.
17. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the estimating a remaining lifetime is based at least in part on a previous lifetime.
18. The computer program product of claim 17 , further comprising computer code for measuring one or more properties of at least one storage device to obtain the previous lifetime.
19. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the visually displaying is via a gauge.
20. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the non-volatile memories comprise flash memory.