Methods for upgrading, diagnosing, and maintaining replaceable non-volatile memory
View Patent ↗In one embodiment of the invention, a replaceable memory apparatus is disclosed. The replaceable memory apparatus includes a first rectangular multilayer printed circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a first male pluggable electrical connector mounted to the first side near a first edge; a first female pluggable electrical connector mounted to the second side; and first non-volatile memory mounted to the first side and the second side. The first female pluggable electrical connector is coupled to the first male pluggable electrical connector to feed through first signals. The first non-volatile memory is coupled to the first female pluggable electrical connector and the first male pluggable electrical connector to receive the first signals.
1. A method of upgrading a memory apparatus comprising:
plugging one or more additional daughter-memory-cards into one or more additional sockets of a base-board, each of the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards including one more non-volatile memory devices (NVMD) mounted thereto;
after having plugged the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards into the one or more additional sockets, configuring each of the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards with a unique identification, each of the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards configured for use within the base-board; and
after having plugged the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards into the one or more additional sockets, updating a non-volatile card configuration device to at least identify each of the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards plugged into the one or more additional sockets, wherein the updating of the non-volatile card configuration device includes storing
the unique identification of each of the one or more additional daughter-memory-cards;
bad block information associated with each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to each additional daughter-memory-card; and
health indicators associated with each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to each additional daughter-memory-card.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the updating of the non-volatile card configuration device further includes storing
one or more identifiers respectively associated with the one or more non-volatile memory devices (NVMD) mounted to each additional daughter-memory-card.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein
the bad block information exceeds a threshold level or is requested, and the method further comprises:
passing the bad block information in the non-volatile card configuration device to a user to inform the user of the health of one or more daughter-memory-cards used within the baseboard.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
periodically updating the bad block information and the health indicators associated with each NVMD in the non-volatile card configuration device.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein
the bad block information is updated in response to a determination that a block of data capacity in an NVMD is a bad data block.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein
the health indicators are updated if there is an increase over that stored in the non-volatile card configuration device.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the health indicators are updated if
a correctable error occurs to increase the number of correctable errors indicator for an NVMD stored in the card configuration device,
a write operation occurs with a write operation latency to increase the write operation latency indicator for an NVMD stored in the non-volatile card configuration device,
an erase operation occurs with an erase operation latency to increase the erase operation latency indicator for an NVMD stored in the non-volatile card configuration device,
a program write error occurs to increase the program error count indicator for an NVMD stored in the non-volatile card configuration device, or
a program erase error occurs to increase the program erase error count indicator for an NVMD stored in the non-volatile card configuration device.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein
the health indicators for each non-volatile memory device include one or more of a number of correctable errors, a write operation latency, an erase operation latency, a program error count, and a program erase count.
9. The method of claim 2 , wherein
at least one of the health indicators exceeds a threshold level or is requested, and the method further comprises:
passing the at least one of the health indicators in the non-volatile card configuration device to a user to inform the user of the health of one or more daughter-memory-cards used within the baseboard.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the non-volatile card configuration device provides information to initialize the memory apparatus.
11. A method for a memory apparatus comprising:
plugging one or more new daughter-memory-cards into one or more sockets of a base-board, each of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards including one more non-volatile memory devices (NVMD) mounted thereto;
after having plugged the one or more new daughter-memory-cards into the one or more sockets, configuring each of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards with a unique identification, each of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards configured for use within the base-board; and
after having plugged the one or more new daughter-memory-cards into the one or more sockets, updating a non-volatile card configuration device coupled to the base-board to at least identify each of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards plugged into the one or more sockets, wherein the non-volatile card configuration device is updated to store
the unique identification of each of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards;
bad block information associated with each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to each new daughter-memory-card; and
health indicators associated with each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to each new daughter-memory-card.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein
the non-volatile card configuration device is further updated to store
one or more identifiers respectively associated with each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to each new daughter-memory-card.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein
the health indicators for each non-volatile memory device include one or more of a number of correctable errors, a write operation latency, an erase operation latency, a program error count, and a program erase count.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein
the bad block information exceeds a threshold level or is requested, and the method further comprises:
passing the bad block information in the non-volatile card configuration device to a user to inform the user of the health of one or more daughter-memory-cards plugged into a baseboard.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein
the bad block information in the non-volatile card configuration device is passed to a host system to inform the user of the health of one or more daughter-memory-cards plugged into the baseboard.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein
the bad block information in the non-volatile card configuration device is read out through a communication port mounted to the baseboard to inform the user of the health of one or more daughter-memory-cards plugged into the baseboard.
17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
prior to the plugging of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards, pulling one or more failing daughter-memory-cards from the one or more sockets such that the one or more new daughter-memory-cards replace the one or more failing daughter-memory-cards.
18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
reading information in the non-volatile card configuration device including
the unique identification of a daughter-memory-card and each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to the daughter-memory-card,
the bad block information associated with each NVMD, and
the health indicators associated with each NVMD;
comparing the health indicators for each daughter-memory-card in the non-volatile card configuration device with one or more threshold levels; and
in response to one of the one or more threshold levels being exceeded by a health indicator to indicate a failing daughter-memory card, passing the information in the non-volatile card configuration device to a user to inform the user of health of one or more daughter-memory-cards plugged into the base-board.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
prior to the plugging of the one or more new daughter-memory-cards, pulling one or more failing daughter-memory-cards from the one or more sockets such that the one or more new daughter-memory-cards replace the one or more failing daughter-memory-cards.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein
the health indicators for each non-volatile memory device include one or more of a number of correctable errors, a write operation latency, an erase operation latency, a program error count, and a program erase count.
21. The method of claim 11 , wherein
the non-volatile card configuration device provides information to initialize the memory apparatus.
22. A method of diagnosing failure in a memory apparatus comprising:
reading information stored in a non-volatile card configuration device including
a unique identification of one or more daughter-memory-cards and each non-volatile memory device (NVMD) mounted to the one or more daughter-memory-cards,
bad block information associated with each NVMD, and
health indicators associated with each daughter-memory-card and each NVMD mounted thereto;
comparing the health indicators for each daughter-memory-card in the non-volatile card configuration device with one or more threshold levels; and
in response to one of the one or more threshold levels being exceeded, passing the information in the non-volatile card configuration device to a user to inform the user of health of the one or more daughter-memory-cards plugged into a base-board.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein
the health indicators for each daughter-memory-card and NVMD mounted thereto include one or more of a number of correctable errors, a write operation latency, an erase operation latency, a program error count, and a program erase count.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein
the non-volatile card configuration device provides information to initialize the memory apparatus.