Flash Memory Storage Prefetch Groups for Buffer Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flash memory-based storage devices face challenges in improving writing and erasing speeds due to slow write and erase operations, limited usage times, and the inability to overwrite data, which are exacerbated by inefficient management of prefetched data in buffer memory.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with a prefetch manager that manages prefetch data based on host workload, linking sequential data into groups and releasing non-sequential data from the buffer memory to maintain efficient use of buffer space, thereby enhancing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If prefetching is implemented to improve read speed, then data access speed is improved, but buffer memory management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by prefetching data before it is actually requested by the host. The storage device predicts which data will be needed next and loads it into the buffer memory in advance, so that when the host requests the data, it is already available in the buffer, significantly reducing access time and improving overall data access speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by implementing a dynamic buffer management mechanism that continuously monitors host access patterns and adjusts prefetching behavior accordingly. The buffer memory allocation and prefetching intensity are dynamically adjusted based on real-time workload characteristics, ensuring optimal performance while adapting to changing access patterns.
2Productivity
If prefetch data is managed inefficiently, then buffer space utilization decreases, but data access speed is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring host access patterns and using this information to adjust prefetching decisions. The system observes which data is actually accessed from the buffer and uses this feedback to refine its predictions about future access patterns, thereby improving buffer space utilization by prefetching only the data that will actually be used.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting prefetching parameters such as prefetch distance, buffer allocation size, and prefetch intensity based on observed workload characteristics. When sequential access patterns are detected, the system increases prefetch distance; when random access patterns are observed, it reduces prefetching intensity, thereby optimizing buffer utilization for different access scenarios.
3Productivity
If sequential data is linked into groups, then buffer management efficiency is improved, but data management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements merging by grouping sequential data into contiguous blocks within the buffer memory. Instead of managing individual data items separately, the system combines sequentially accessed data into unified groups, which simplifies buffer management operations and improves efficiency by reducing the number of separate buffer allocations and management overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the buffer memory into distinct regions or segments that can be independently managed. Sequential data groups are allocated in specific buffer segments, allowing the system to manage different data types and access patterns in separate regions, thereby improving overall buffer management efficiency while maintaining organized data structures.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a storage device. The storage device includes: a memory device (1100); a buffer memory (1300) configured to store partial data among data stored in the memory device (1100); and a memory controller (1200) configured to determine prefetch logical addresses expected to be received sequentially after sequential logical addresses are received from a host (1500), to read prefetch data corresponding to the prefetch logical addresses from the memory device (1100) to store the prefetch data as a prefetch group (1311, 1312) in the buffer memory (1300), and to release the prefetch group (1311, 1312) from the buffer memory (1300) in response to a logical address discontinuous with the logical addresses being received from the host (1500).