Storage System Bounded Physical Data Erasure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In traditional flash-based storage systems, there is no user or command-based control over when physical blocks are garbage collected and erased, leading to unpredictable and unbounded times for data to be physically erased after logical deletion.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system-guaranteed logical deletion to physical erasure time bound, where data logically deleted is physically erased through garbage collection and physical erasure of physical blocks within a specified time frame.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If background garbage collection is used to reclaim storage memory, then storage memory can be reused for writing fresh data, but the time for physical erasure becomes unpredictable and unbounded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by moving live data out of the physical block before erasure occurs. The system identifies physical blocks containing both live and dead data, relocates the live data to new locations, and then performs erasure on the now-empty blocks. This preparatory data migration enables subsequent erasure to complete within bounded timeframes, resolving the contradiction between efficient memory reuse and predictable erasure timing.
2Quantity of substance
If physical blocks contain both live and dead data, then storage capacity is utilized efficiently, but data deletion cannot be physically completed until garbage collection occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through a tracking mechanism that monitors the status of physical blocks and their associated live data. The system maintains information about which blocks contain mixed live and dead data, enabling it to systematically identify and process blocks requiring garbage collection. This feedback loop ensures that data deletion is reliably completed by tracking progress and ensuring eventual erasure of all dead data while preserving live data integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system with storage memory and a processing device has a logical deletion to physical erasure time bound. The system dereferences data, responsive to a direction to delete the data. The system monitors physical blocks in storage memory for live data and the dereferenced data. The system cooperates garbage collection with monitoring the physical blocks, so that at least a physical block having the dereferenced data is garbage collected and erased within a logical deletion to physical erasure time bound.