LIFE MONITORING IN SOLID-STATE DRIVE
An embodiment is a method and apparatus for a technique to report remaining life information of a non-volatile memory array. Information on expected life of a non-volatile memory array is received from a solid-state drive (SSD) processor. The information is converted into remaining life information according to a pre-defined format. The remaining life information is transmitted to an indicator or a communication device.
1 . A method comprising:
receiving information on expected life of a non-volatile memory array from a solid-state drive (SSD) processor;
converting the information into remaining life information according to a pre-defined format; and
transmitting the remaining life information to an indicator or a communication device.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the indicator is a visual indicator.
3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the visual indicator is one of a light-emitting diode (LED) display or a liquid crystal display (LCD).
4 . The method of claim 2 wherein the communication device is one of a wireless, infrared, or radio frequency (RF) device.
5 . An apparatus comprising:
an indicator or a communication device; and
a status processor coupled to the indicator or the communication device to provide remaining life information of a non-volatile memory array to the indicator or the communication device, the status processor comprising:
a receiver to receive information on expected life of the non-volatile memory array from a solid-state drive (SSD) processor,
a converter to convert the information into remaining life information according to a pre-defined format, and
a transmitter to transmit the remaining life information to the indicator or the communication device.
6 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the indicator is a visual indicator.
7 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the visual indicator is one of a light-emitting diode (LED) display or a liquid crystal (LCD).
8 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the communication device is one of a wireless, infrared, or radio frequency (RF) device.
9 . A system comprising:
a non-volatile memory array;
a solid-state drive (SSD) processor coupled to the non-volatile memory array to estimate expected life of the non-volatile memory array;
an indicator or a communication device; and
a status processor coupled to the indicator or the communication device to provide remaining life information of the non-volatile memory array to the indicator or the communication device, the status processor comprising:
a receiver to receive information on expected life of the non-volatile memory array from the SSD processor,
a converter to convert the information into remaining life information according to a pre-defined format, and
a transmitter to transmit the remaining life information to the indicator or the communication device.
10 . The system of claim 9 wherein the indicator is a visual indicator.
11 . The system of claim 10 wherein the visual indicator is one of a light-emitting diode (LED) display or a liquid crystal display (LCD).
12 . The system of claim 9 wherein the communication device is one of a wireless, infrared, or radio frequency (RF) device.