Disk System Data Updates Using Non-Volatile Memory Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of updating system data on a disk device requires multiple recordings, leading to increased time and potential delays in response to host devices, reducing user convenience.
Innovation Solution
The disk device records system data on both a non-volatile memory and the disk, with the controller managing the process to write data to the non-volatile memory first and then to the disk, and includes mechanisms to interrupt or restart the writing process based on host device commands and specific operations, ensuring efficient data management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If system data is recorded multiple times on the disk to increase reliability, then the reliability of the disk device is improved, but the time required to update system data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system data storage by dividing it into two separate locations: non-volatile memory and disk storage. This segmentation allows the system to maintain multiple copies of system data without requiring sequential updates to all copies, as each storage medium can be updated independently or simultaneously, thereby reducing the total update time while maintaining reliability through redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-volatile memory acts as an intermediary storage medium between the host device and the disk. By introducing this intermediate layer, the system can update system data in the faster non-volatile memory while simultaneously or subsequently updating the disk, without requiring the host device to wait for sequential completion of all update operations.
2Speed
If system data is updated on both non-volatile memory and disk, then the response time to host device is improved, but the complexity of data management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the update operations for non-volatile memory and disk into a coordinated process managed by the controller. The controller simultaneously handles both storage media, updating them in a coordinated manner rather than sequentially, which maintains fast response times to the host device while managing the complexity through unified control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of data storage location by implementing a dual-storage architecture. This parameter change allows the system to optimize for both speed and reliability by storing copies of system data in two different media with different characteristics, managed through controller logic that handles the complexity of coordinating updates between the two storage locations.
Data Source
AI summary
A disk device is controlled using system data. The disk device includes a disk, a non-volatile memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to record a set of system data on both the non-volatile memory and the disk.