Rendering data invalid in a memory array

1. A method for rendering data invalid within a memory array, comprising:

establishing governing metadata for a memory location within a memory array;

receiving a request to retrieve data from the memory location;

determining whether color metadata associated with the data matches the governing metadata;

returning the data when the color metadata matches the governing metadata;

returning invalidated data when the color metadata does not match the governing metadata; and

patrol scrubbing the memory array by:

walking through a number of memory locations within the memory array,

comparing color metadata associated with data stored in the memory locations to the governing metadata, and

writing invalidated data, updated color metadata, or combinations thereof to memory locations that include data whose color metadata is different from the governing metadata, wherein the updated color metadata matches the governing metadata.

2. The method of claim 1 , in which the invalidated data comprises a string of zeroes.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flushing memory cache associated with the memory location.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising writing the data and the color metadata to the memory location in a first instance, wherein the color metadata is initially the same as the governing metadata.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reallocating a memory location for which governing metadata is changed to a different application.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising indicating when a patrol scrub is completed.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising preventing an update of the governing metadata until pending patrol scrubbing operations are complete.

8. A system for rendering data invalid within a memory array, comprising:

a processor;

memory communicatively coupled to the processor; and

a memory manager to:

establish governing metadata for a number of memory locations within a memory array,

compare color metadata associated with data stored in the memory locations to the governing metadata,

return data for which corresponding color metadata matches the governing metadata

return invalidated data when corresponding color metadata is different from the governing metadata, and

patrol scrub the memory array by:

walking through memory locations within the memory array,

comparing color metadata for data stored in the memory locations being walked through with updated governing metadata for the memory locations being walked through to identify invalidated memory locations, and

writing invalidated data, updated color metadata, or combinations thereof to memory locations having color metadata that does not match updated governing metadata.

9. The system of claim 8 , in which the memory array is non-volatile memory array.

10. The system of claim 8 , in which the memory is a volatile memory array.

11. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a scrub status indicator to indicate when a patrol scrubber has walked through the memory locations within the memory array.

12. The system of claim 8 , in which the patrol scrubber implements an accelerated walk through procedure.

13. The system of claim 8 , in which the invalidated data comprises a pattern of bit values that is different from the data.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the memory manager is to flush memory cache associated with invalidated memory locations.

15. The system of claim 8 , wherein the governing data indicates that a memory location of the memory locations is in a cycle in which the memory location is being used by an application.

16. The system of claim 8 , wherein the memory manager is to reallocate a memory location for which governing metadata is changed to a different application.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processing resource, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions to establish governing metadata for a memory location within a memory array;

instructions to compare color metadata associated with first data stored in the memory locations to the governing metadata, in which the first data corresponds to a request to retrieve the first data;

instructions to return the first data when the color metadata associated with the first data matches the governing metadata;

instructions to invalidate first data whose color metadata is different from the governing metadata; and

instructions to patrol scrub the memory array comprising instructions to:

walk through a number of memory locations within the memory array,

compare color metadata associated with data stored in the memory locations to the governing metadata, and

write invalidated data, updated color metadata, or combinations thereof to memory locations that include data whose color metadata is different from the governing metadata, wherein the updated color metadata matches the governing metadata.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , in which the governing metadata, the color metadata, or combinations thereof comprise a number of bits set to predetermined values.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising instructions to indicate when a patrol scrub is complete.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising instructions to flush memory cache associated with invalidated memory locations.