External Buffer Memory Mapping for Sudden Power-Off Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for high-capacity memory devices in servers is hindered by the limited capacity of buffer memories in storage devices, leading to challenges in managing input/output data and ensuring data integrity during sudden power-offs.
Innovation Solution
A computing system architecture that utilizes a high-capacity buffer memory external to the storage device, managed by a memory controller, to store and manage map data and meta data, enabling safe data recovery during power failures by transferring these data to a nonvolatile memory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a high-capacity buffer memory is included in the storage device, then data management efficiency is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the buffer memory function from the storage device and relocates it to an external memory device. The storage device controller manages map data and metadata in the external buffer memory, achieving high-capacity buffering without incorporating a large buffer memory internally, thus improving data management efficiency while avoiding the complexity and cost of integrating high-capacity buffer memory directly into the storage device.
2Speed
If map data and metadata are stored only in volatile buffer memory, then access speed is improved, but data reliability deteriorates during sudden power-off
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by detecting sudden power-off events and immediately transferring map data and metadata from the volatile buffer memory to the nonvolatile memory device before data loss occurs. This ensures that even though the buffer memory is volatile, the critical mapping information is preserved through proactive backup action triggered by power-off detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the nonvolatile memory device as an intermediary to preserve map data and metadata. The storage device controller acts as a mediator that manages data between the volatile buffer memory and nonvolatile storage, ensuring that mapping information is both quickly accessible during operation and safely preserved during power failures.
3Quantity of substance
If buffer memory capacity is increased to handle high-capacity memory devices, then data management capability is improved, but the storage device size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the buffer memory function from the storage device and relocates it to an external memory device. The storage device controller manages map data and metadata in the external buffer memory, achieving high-capacity buffering without incorporating a large buffer memory internally, thus improving data management efficiency while avoiding the complexity and cost of integrating high-capacity buffer memory directly into the storage device.
Data Source
AI summary
A memory device is provided. The memory device includes: a buffer memory; and a memory controller configured to: obtain map data and meta data for recovering the map data from at least one external storage device; store the map data and the meta data obtained from the at least one external storage device in the buffer memory, the buffer memory being allocated for the at least one external storage device; translate a logical address corresponding to the at least one external storage device into a physical address of the buffer memory; and send the map data and the meta data to the at least one external storage device in response to detecting a sudden power-off event.