Method and apparatus for accessing data stored in a storage system that includes both a final level of cache and a main memory

1. A data access system comprising:

a storage system, wherein the storage system includes

a main memory, and

a cache module comprising a first controller and a cache, wherein the cache of the cache module is configured as a final level of cache to be accessed by the first controller prior to the first controller accessing the main memory; and

a processor including one or more levels of cache,

wherein

in response to data required by the processor not being cached within the one or more levels of cache of the processor, the processor is configured to generate an address of a physical location to be accessed within the storage system in order to retrieve the data required by the processor,

the first controller is configured to convert the address of the physical location to be accessed within the storage system into an address of a virtual location within the final level of cache, and

the address of the virtual location within the final level of cache is useable by the cache module to determine whether the data required by the processor is cached within the final level of cache.

2. The data access system of claim 1 , wherein:

the cache includes dynamic random access memory;

the cache module further comprises a second controller; and

the second controller is configured to (i) convert the address of the virtual location within the final level of cache into an address of a physical location within the dynamic random access memory, and (ii) determine whether the data required by the processor is cached within the dynamic random access memory based on the address of the physical location within the dynamic random access memory,

wherein in response to the data required by the processor being cached within the dynamic random access memory, the data required by the processor is determined to be cached within the final level of cache.

3. The data access system of claim 2 , wherein:

the second controller is configured to, in response to the data required by the processor being cached in the dynamic random access memory, access the physical location in the dynamic random access memory corresponding to the address of the physical location within the dynamic random access memory; and

the first controller is configured to, in response to the data required by the processor not being cached in the dynamic random access memory, access a physical location in the main memory corresponding to the address of the physical location within the dynamic random access memory.

4. The data access system of claim 2 , wherein the cache module is configured to access a second dynamic random access memory, and wherein the second controller is configured to:

convert the address of the virtual location within the final level of cache into an address of a physical location within the second dynamic random access memory; and

determine whether the data required by the processor is cached within the second dynamic random access memory based on the address of the physical location within the second dynamic random access memory.

5. The data access system of claim 4 , wherein the second dynamic random access memory is located in a different system-on-chip (SOC) than the cache module.

6. The data access system of claim 1 , wherein the first controller is configured to perform a full set associative translation of the address of the physical location to be accessed by the storage system to generate the address of the virtual location.

7. The data access system of claim 1 , wherein the first controller is configured to:

without receiving a request for upcoming data from the processor, (i) predict that the processor is to request access to the upcoming data, (ii) access the upcoming data in the main memory, (iii) store the upcoming data in the cache of the cache module; and

subsequent to storing the upcoming data in the cache of the cache module, (i) receive a request for the upcoming data from the processor, and (ii) transfer the upcoming data from the cache of the cache module to the processor.

8. The data access system of claim 1 , wherein the main memory comprises a solid-state drive (SSD), and wherein the final level of cache comprises a dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

9. A network device comprising the data access system of claim 1 .

10. The network device of claim 9 , wherein the network device comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet, or a computer.

11. The network device of claim 10 , further comprising a system bus connected between (i) the processor and (ii) the cache module and the main memory,

wherein the data is transferred (i) between the processor and the cache module via the system bus, and (ii) between the cache module and the main memory via the system bus.

12. A method of operating a data access system, wherein the data access system comprises (i) a processor having one or more levels of cache, and (ii) a storage system comprising a cache module and a main memory, wherein the cache module comprises a cache and a first controller, wherein the cache of the cache module is configured as a final level of cache to be accessed by the cache module prior to the cache module accessing the main memory, the method comprising:

determining whether data required by the processor is cached within the one or more levels of cache of the processor;

if the data required by the processor is not cached within the one or more levels of cache of the processor, (i) generating an address, via the processor, for a physical location to be accessed within the storage system in order to retrieve the data required by the processor; and

at the first controller and in response to the data required by the processor not being cached within the one or more levels of cache of the processor, converting the address of the physical location to be accessed within the storage system into an address of a virtual location within the final level of cache to determine whether the data required by the processor is cached within the final level of cache.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, at a second controller in the cache module:

converting the address of the virtual location within the final level of cache into an address of a physical location within a dynamic random access memory, wherein the cache includes the dynamic random access memory;

determining whether the data required by the processor is cached within the dynamic random access memory based on the address of the physical location within the dynamic random access memory; and

in response to the data required by the processor being cached within the dynamic random access memory, determining the data required by the processor to be cached within the final level of cache.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

at the second controller and in response to the data required by the processor being cached in the dynamic random access memory, accessing the physical location in the dynamic random access memory corresponding to the address of the physical location within the dynamic random access memory; and

at the first controller and in response to the data required by the processor not being cached in the dynamic random access memory, accessing a physical location in the main memory corresponding to the address of the physical location within the dynamic random access memory.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising at the first controller performing a full set associative translation of the address of the physical location to be accessed by the storage system to generate the address of the virtual location.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising at the first controller:

without receiving a request for upcoming data from the processor, (i) predicting that the processor is to request access to the upcoming data, (ii) accessing the upcoming data in the main memory, (iii) storing the upcoming data in the cache of the cache module; and

subsequent to storing the upcoming data in the cache of the cache module, (i) receiving a request from the processor for the upcoming data, and (ii) transferring the upcoming data from the cache of the cache module to the processor.

17. A data access system comprising:

a cache module comprising

(i) a dynamic random access memory configured as a final level of cache to be accessed prior to a main memory being accessed,

(ii) a first controller configured to convert an address of a first physical location to an address of a virtual location, wherein the address of the first physical location is associated with a request by a processor to access data contained at the address of the first physical location, and

(iii) a dynamic random access memory controller configured to convert the address of the virtual location into an address of a second physical location,

wherein the first controller is further configured to, based on the address of the second physical location, determine whether to access the dynamic random access memory or the main memory to fulfill the request of the processor.

18. The data access system of claim 17 , further comprising the processor, wherein the processor is in communication with the cache module via a system bus, and wherein:

the processor is configured to transmit the request to the first controller via the system bus;

the request includes the address of the first physical location; and

the first controller is configured to

perform a full set associative translation of the address of the first physical location to generate the address of the virtual location,

based on the data requested and without receiving a request for upcoming data from the processor, (i) predict that the processor is to request access to the upcoming data, (ii) access the upcoming data in the main memory, (iii) store the upcoming data in the dynamic random access memory, and

subsequent to storing the upcoming data in the dynamic random access memory, (i) receive a second request for the upcoming data from the processor, and (ii) transfer the upcoming data from the dynamic random access memory to the processor.

19. A device comprising the data access system of claim 17 .

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the device comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet or a computer.