IP Library Granted Patent US 8,275,933
Granted Patent B2
US 8,275,933 · App. 12/616,112 · Granted Sep 25, 2012

Apparatus, system, and method for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device

Assignee: Fusion-10, Inc
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,275,933
App. No.
12/616,112
Granted
Sep 25, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device. The definition module defines a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device. The physical storage region includes a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media. The storage controller performs memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region. The implementation module implements the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the solid-state storage media.

Claims (33)

1. An apparatus for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the apparatus comprising:

a definition module configured to define a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media;

a storage controller configured to perform memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

an implementation module configured to implement the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the solid-state storage media by redirecting memory operations for the solid-state storage device from a physical memory location outside the physical storage region to a physical memory location inside the physical storage region, wherein the definition module and the implementation module comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on a computer readable storage medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the definition module is further configured to define one or more additional physical storage regions on the solid-state storage media of the solid-state storage device, each additional physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a thread module configured to initiate an autonomous set of memory operations within each of the physical storage region and the one or more additional physical storage regions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the storage controller is further configured to sequentially write data on the solid-state storage media in a log structured format, the data sequentially stored on the solid-state storage media.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the implementation module further comprises a region assignment module that assigns the physical storage region to the storage controller.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the physical storage region comprises a set of logical erase blocks, each logical erase block referenced by the storage controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a sampling module configured to determine that physical storage capacity of the physical storage region satisfies a predetermined storage capacity threshold with respect to the total physical storage capacity.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a parameter module configured to manage one or more parameters for the physical storage region, wherein the parameters comprise one or more of security parameters, quality of service parameters, and performance parameters.

9. A method for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the method comprising:

defining a physical storage region on NAND flash storage media of a NAND flash storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media;

performing, by way of a storage controller, memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

enforcing the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the NAND flash storage media by redirecting memory operations for the solid-state storage device from a physical memory location outside the physical storage region to a physical memory location inside the physical storage region.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising defining one or more additional physical storage regions on the NAND flash storage media of the NAND flash storage device, each additional physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media, and further comprising initiating an autonomous set of memory operations within each of the physical storage regions and the one or more additional physical storage regions.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the storage controller is configured to sequentially write data on the solid-state storage media in a log structured format, the data sequentially stored on the NAND flash storage media.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein enforcing the physical storage region definition further comprises assigning the physical storage region to the storage controller.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the physical storage region comprises a set of logical erase blocks, each logical erase block defined by the NAND flash controller, each logical erase block spanning two or more NAND flash media chips.

14. A method for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the method comprising:

defining a physical storage region on NAND flash storage media of a NAND flash storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media;

performing, by way of a storage controller, memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region, wherein the memory operations comprise one or more of erase commands, read commands, and write commands;

enforcing the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the NAND flash storage media;

exercising the physical storage region by performing memory operations on the physical storage region; and

determining data integrity of the physical storage region, the data integrity based on a determined number of errors.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising extrapolating data integrity of the total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media based on the data integrity in the physical storage region.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising defining one or more additional physical storage regions on the NAND flash storage media of the NAND flash storage device, each additional physical storage region comprising a distinct subset of the total physical storage capacity on the NAND flash storage media.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising initiating one or more software threads to perform an autonomous set of memory operations within each of the physical storage region and the one or more additional physical storage regions.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the software threads performs memory operations according to a testing profile, the testing profile specifying one or more of a number of operations, type of operations, host driver, wear leveling algorithm, data write pattern, and workload.

19. An apparatus for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device, the apparatus comprising:

a definition module configured to define a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device, the physical storage region comprising a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media;

a storage controller configured to test wear of solid-state storage media associated with the physical storage region by performing memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region; and

an implementation module configured to implement the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the solid-state storage media.

Assignments (8)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 25, 2016
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 038807/0850 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO REMOVE APPL. NO'S 13/925,410 AND 61/663,464 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 035168 FRAME: 0366. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Apr 30, 2015
From: FUSION-IO, LLC
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 035603/0582 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO REMOVE APPL. NO'S 13/925,410 AND 61/663,464 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 034838 FRAME: 0091. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Apr 30, 2015
From: FUSION-IO, INC
To: FUSION-IO, LLC
Reel/Frame 035603/0748 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2015
From: FUSION-IO, LLC
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 035168/0366 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 28, 2015
From: FUSION-IO, INC
To: FUSION-IO, LLC
Reel/Frame 034838/0091 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 3, 2014
From: FLYNN, DAVID; THATCHER, JONATHAN; AUNE, JOSHUA; WOOD, ROBERT BARRY
To: FUSION MULTISYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 032592/0987 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 9, 2010
From: FUSION MULTISYSTEMS, INC.
To: FUSION-IO, INC.
Reel/Frame 024651/0914 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2010
From: FLYNN, DAVID; THATCHER, JONATHAN; AUNE, JOSHUA; WOOD, ROBERT B.
To: FUSION MULTISYSTEMS, INC. DBA FUSION-IO
Reel/Frame 024147/0401 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61112940 · Nov 10, 2008
Related Publication 20100122019A1 · May 13, 2010