Storage Controller Barrier Commands for Selective Ordering

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Storage devices face a trade-off between data integrity and processing speed, with ordering support improving integrity but reducing speed, and no ordering support enhancing speed but compromising integrity.

Innovation Solution

A storage device with a controller circuitry that selectively guarantees ordering between commands using barrier commands, and provides device descriptors to maintain integrity while supporting high processing speed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the storage device supports ordering of commands, then data integrity is improved, but processing speed is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrityVSAvoidprocessing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

A barrier command is introduced as an intermediary element between regular commands. The barrier command acts as a synchronization point that allows the storage device to maintain ordering guarantees for specific command pairs without enforcing ordering on all commands, thus preserving data integrity while enabling parallel processing of independent command groups.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the storage device does not support ordering of commands, then processing speed is improved, but data integrity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoiddata integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The storage device dynamically adjusts its command processing behavior based on the presence of barrier commands. When barrier commands are detected, the device switches to ordered processing mode for relevant command sequences; otherwise, it operates in unordered parallel processing mode, optimizing speed while maintaining integrity where required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If the storage device changes execution order of commands without notifying the host, then processing speed is improved, but command order consistency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidcommand order consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The barrier command is processed in advance to establish execution boundaries and ordering requirements before actual data operations occur. This preliminary action allows the storage device to pre-plan command execution sequences, ensuring that ordering is maintained where required while enabling flexible reordering in other contexts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250335131A1Storage device, operating method of storage device, and operating method of computing device including storage device

Publication Date: 2025.10.30 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

Disclosed is a storage device, which includes a nonvolatile memory device, and a controller that controls the nonvolatile memory device. In response to a first command, a barrier command, and a second command being received from an external host device, the controller supports an order guarantee between the first command and the second command. Each of the first command and the second command is selected from two or more different commands. In response to a request from the external host device, the controller circuitry is configured to provide the external host device with a device descriptor associated with the ordering.