IP Library Granted Patent US 11,204,705
Granted Patent B2
US 11,204,705 · App. 16/293,393 · Granted Dec 21, 2021

Retention-aware data tiering algorithm for hybrid storage arrays

Inventors: Chao Sun (San Jose, CA); Pi-Feng Chiu (Milpitas, CA); Dejan Vucinic (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
G06F3/064G06F3/0619G06F3/0647G06F3/0685G06F12/0246G06N20/00G06F2212/7211
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,204,705
App. No.
16/293,393
Granted
Dec 21, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A memory array controller includes memory media scanning logic to sample a bit error rate of memory blocks of a first memory device. A data management logic may then move data from the first memory device to a second memory device if the bit error rate matches a threshold level. The threshold level is derived from a configurable data retention time parameter for the first memory device. The configurable data retention time parameter may be received from a user or determined utilizing various known machine learning techniques.

Claims (68)

1. A hybrid storage system comprising:

a first memory device;

a second memory device;

memory media scanning logic configured to periodically sample a bit error rate of memory blocks of the first memory device;

data management logic configured to:

apply an evaluation algorithm to determine an initial data temperature selected from hot data and cold data;

write hot data blocks to the first memory device; and

write cold data blocks to the second memory device; and

a wear leveling logic in the first memory device configured to:

determine a configurable data retention time parameter for the first memory device, wherein the configurable data retention time parameter corresponds to a defined time period for moving data blocks from the first memory device to the second memory device;

map the configurable data retention time parameter to a bit error rate threshold level; and

redirect, responsive to the memory media scanning logic generating an indication that the bit error rate matches the bit error rate threshold level, a write of a hot data block from the first memory device to the second memory device.

2. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein:

the first memory device is a solid state drive; and

the second memory device is a hard disk drive.

3. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein:

the first memory device is a first solid state drive; and

the second memory device is a second solid state drive having a higher latency and higher capacity than the first solid state drive.

4. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein the memory media scanning logic comprises static wear leveling logic.

5. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein:

the memory media scanning logic is implemented on a local controller of the first memory device; and

the data management logic is implemented on a central controller for the first memory device and the second memory device.

6. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein:

the first memory device is a solid state drive; and

the data management logic, the wear leveling logic, and the memory media scanning logic are implemented by a controller of the solid state drive.

7. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein the configurable data retention time parameter is correlated to the bit error rate threshold level in a memory lookup table.

8. The hybrid storage system of claim 7 , further comprising a host device interface configured to receive the configurable data retention time parameter from a host device.

9. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein the configurable data retention time parameter is generated by machine learning logic.

10. The hybrid storage system of claim 1 , wherein:

the memory media scanning logic comprises the wear leveling logic; and

the wear leveling logic is configured to:

apply the configurable data retention time parameter and the bit error rate to overrule the determination by the evaluation algorithm that the initial data temperature of the hot data block is hot data; and

initiate a memory migration process by the data management logic to redirect the write of the hot data block to the second memory device.

11. A hybrid storage system comprising:

a first memory device;

a second memory device having different data storage characteristics than the first memory device;

means in the first memory device to periodically sample a bit error rate of the first memory device;

means to apply an evaluation algorithm to determine an initial data temperature selected from hot data and cold data;

means to write hot data blocks to the first memory device;

means to write cold data blocks to the second memory device;

means to determine a configurable data retention time parameter for the first memory device, wherein the configurable data retention time parameter corresponds to a defined time period for moving data blocks from the first memory device to the second memory device;

means to map the configurable data retention time parameter to a bit error rate threshold level; and

means to move, responsive to the bit error rate meeting or exceeding the bit error rate threshold level, hot data blocks from the first memory device to the second memory device.

12. The hybrid storage system of claim 11 , further comprising means to apply the bit error rate and the configurable data retention time parameter to overrule the determination of the initial data temperature as hot data.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

applying an evaluation algorithm to determine an initial data temperature selected from hot data and cold data;

writing hot data blocks to a first memory device;

writing cold data blocks to a second memory device;

determining a configurable data retention time parameter for the first memory device, wherein the configurable data retention time parameter is a defined time period for moving data blocks from the first memory device to the second memory device;

mapping the configurable data retention time parameter to a bit error rate threshold level;

periodically sampling, by the first memory device, a bit error rate of memory blocks of the first memory device;

comparing, for a hot data block, the sampled bit error rate to the bit error rate threshold level; and

redirecting, responsive to the sampled bit error rate exceeding the bit error rate threshold level, a write of the hot data block from the first memory device to the second memory device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving the configurable data retention time parameter from a user input, wherein the configurable data retention time parameter is a user-defined time period for moving data blocks from the first memory device to the second memory device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving the configurable data retention time parameter from a machine learning component.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein mapping the configurable data retention time parameter to the bit error rate threshold level uses a lookup table that stores bit error rate threshold levels as a function of the configurable data retention time parameter.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , further comprising:

marking, responsive to the sampled bit error rate exceeding the bit error rate threshold level, the hot data block to be moved to the second memory device; and

moving, the hot data block to the second memory device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising:

checking, responsive to marking the hot data block to be moved, cache data for the hot data block; and

flushing the cache data for the hot data block to the second memory device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , wherein comparing the sampled bit error rate to the bit error rate threshold level overrules the configurable data retention time parameter for marking the hot data block to be moved to the second memory device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , further comprising:

applying the configurable data retention time parameter and the sampled bit error rate to overrule the determination by the evaluation algorithm that the initial data temperature of the hot data block is hot data; and

initiating a memory migration process to redirect the write of the hot data block to the second memory device.

Assignments (11)
PARTIAL RELEASE OF SECURITY INTERESTS Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 071382/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071050/0001 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 23, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS THE AGENT
Reel/Frame 068762/0494 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 27, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067982/0032 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 29, 2024
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067567/0682 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - A&R LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 064715/0001 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - DDTL LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 067045/0156 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 052915 FRAME 0566 Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 059127/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2020
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 052915/0566 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NAME OF ASSIGNOR PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 049012 FRAME 0028. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded May 20, 2019
From: SUN, CHAO; CHIU, PI-FENG; VUCINIC, DEJAN
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 049240/0603 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 26, 2019
From: SUN, CHAO; CHIU, PI-FENG; VUCINIC, DEJAN
To: WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049012/0028 →