IP Library Granted Patent US 10,606,696
Granted Patent B2
US 10,606,696 · App. 15/830,054 · Granted Mar 31, 2020

Internally-generated data storage in spare memory locations

Inventors: David D. Cadigan (Danbury, CT); Stephen Glancy (Yorktown, VA); Frank LaPietra (Poughquag, NY); Kevin McIlvain (Delmar, NY); Jeremy R. Neaton (Fishkill, NY); Richard D. Wheeler (Millerton, NY)
Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
G06F11/1068G06F11/1004G06F11/1048G11C29/52G11C2029/0411
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,606,696
App. No.
15/830,054
Granted
Mar 31, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

An aspect includes generating, within a first memory device of a memory system, a plurality of event-based information associated with activity in the memory system. The event-based information is stored in a reserved portion of the first memory device. The event-based information is provided to a memory controller of the memory system corresponding with an access of a memory row across a plurality of memory devices of the memory system associated with the event-based information.

Claims (44)

1. A method comprising:

generating, within a first memory device of a plurality of memory devices of a memory system, a plurality of event-based information associated with activity in the memory system, wherein the memory devices are connected in parallel to a memory controller by a bus and accessed in parallel as part of a burst read operation;

storing the event-based information in a reserved portion of the first memory device;

providing the event-based information from the reserved portion of the first memory device to the memory controller as part of the burst read operation corresponding with an access of a memory row across the plurality of memory devices; and

storing an interface error correcting code (ECC) for the memory row in the first memory device in combination with the event-based information, wherein the interface e ECC is computed by the memory controller based on data stored across the memory devices of the memory row as part of a write operation, wherein the plurality of memory devices store data, and the event-based information is transferred across a plurality of beats of a multi-beat burst to the memory controller, each beat is part of the burst read operation including data from the memory row, the interface ECC, and the event-based information, and each of the beats comprises a multi-bit transfer on the bus between the memory devices and the memory controller.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing an internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device and in each of the plurality of memory devices as part of the write operation, wherein the internally-generated device ECC is computed on a per memory device basis;

checking the internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device and in each of the plurality of memory devices upon a read operation; and

internally correcting an error detected in a value read from the first memory device or the plurality of memory devices based on the internally-generated device ECC prior to sending the value to the memory controller.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the event-based information is updated based on an access to the internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

dynamically remapping an interface within the first memory device to switch between outputting the interface ECC and the event-based information to a bit line of the first memory device, wherein the bit line is part of the bus between the memory devices and the memory controller.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event-based information comprises a counter and the method further comprises:

updating the counter based on accessing the memory row;

incrementing the counter internally within the first memory device based on a refresh of the memory row; and

resetting the counter based on a write to the memory row.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing one or more sensor values in the event-based information.

7. A memory system comprising:

a memory controller;

a plurality of memory devices operably coupled to the memory controller via a bus, wherein the memory devices are accessed in parallel as part of a burst read operation; and

a first memory device of the memory devices operably coupled to the memory controller, the first memory device configured to:

generate, within the first memory device, a plurality of event-based information associated with activity in the memory system;

store the event-based information in a reserved portion of the first memory device;

provide the event-based information to the memory controller as part of the burst read operation corresponding with an access of a memory row across the plurality of memory devices; and

store an interface error correcting code (ECC) for the memory row in combination with the event-based information, wherein the interface e ECC is computed by the memory controller based on data stored across the memory devices of the memory row as part of a write operation, wherein the plurality of memory devices store data, and the event-based information is transferred across a plurality of beats of a multi-beat burst to the memory controller, each beat is part of the burst read operation including data from the memory row, the interface ECC, and the event-based information, and each of the beats comprises a multi-bit transfer on the bus between the memory devices and the memory controller.

8. The memory system of claim 7 , wherein the memory system is further configured to:

store an internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device and in each of the plurality of memory devices as part of the write operation, wherein the internally-generated device ECC is computed on a per memory device basis;

check the internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device and in each of the plurality of memory devices upon a read operation; and

internally correct an error detected in a value read from the first memory device or the plurality of memory devices based on the internally-generated device ECC prior to sending the value to the memory controller.

9. The memory system of claim 8 , wherein the event-based information is updated based on an access to the internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device.

10. The memory system of claim 7 , wherein the first memory device is further configured to dynamically remap an interface within the first memory device to switch between outputting the interface ECC and the event-based information to a bit line of the first memory device, wherein the bit line is part of the bus between the memory devices and the memory controller.

11. The memory system of claim 7 , wherein the event-based information comprises a counter, the counter is updated based on accessing the memory row, the counter is incremented internally within the first memory device based on a refresh of the memory row, and the counter is reset based on a write to the memory row.

12. The memory system of claim 7 , wherein one or more sensor values are stored in the event-based information.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by processing circuitry to cause the processing circuitry to perform:

generating, within a first memory device of a plurality of memory devices of a memory system, a plurality of event-based information associated with activity in the memory system, wherein the memory devices are connected in parallel to a memory controller by a bus and accessed in parallel as part of a burst read operation;

storing the event-based information in a reserved portion of the first memory device;

providing the event-based information from the reserved portion of the first memory device to the memory controller as part of the burst read operation corresponding with an access of a memory row across the plurality of memory devices; and

storing an interface error correcting code (ECC) for the memory row in the first memory device in combination with the event-based information, wherein the interface e ECC is computed by the memory controller based on data stored across the memory devices of the memory row as part of a write operation, wherein the plurality of memory devices store data, and the event-based information is transferred across a plurality of beats of a multi-beat burst to the memory controller, each beat is part of the burst read operation including data from the memory row, the interface ECC, and the event-based information, and each of the beats comprises a multi-bit transfer on the bus between the memory devices and the memory controller.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the program instructions executable by processing circuitry further cause the processing circuitry to perform:

storing an interface error correcting code (ECC) for the memory row in the first memory device in combination with the event-based information, wherein the interface ECC is computed by the memory controller based on data stored across the memory devices of the memory row as part of a write operation;

storing an internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device and in each of the plurality of memory devices as part of the write operation, wherein the internally-generated device ECC is computed on a per memory device basis;

checking the internally-generated device ECC in the first memory device and in each of the plurality of memory devices upon a read operation; and

internally correcting an error detected in a value read from the first memory device or the plurality of memory devices based on the internally-generated device ECC prior to sending the value to the memory controller.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2017
From: CADIGAN, DAVID D.; GLANCY, STEPHEN; LAPIETRA, FRANK; MCILVAIN, KEVIN; NEATON, JEREMY R.; WHEELER, RICHARD D.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044284/0491 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190171520A1 · Jun 6, 2019