Flash Memory Integrity Verification via Signature Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-performance Flash-based memory systems face data integrity issues due to coherency corruption, where data and commands may be transmitted over different paths, leading to potential errors and user data loss.

Innovation Solution

A data transmission integrity checking scheme is implemented, where each storage command and data block are tagged with a unique signature field, allowing validation of the correct association before execution, and transmitted over separate paths to prevent mismatches and ensure accurate data storage or retrieval.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If data and commands are transmitted over separate paths to increase parallelism, then system performance is improved, but data integrity deteriorates due to coherency corruption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem performanceVSAvoiddata integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces signature fields as intermediary elements that mediate between the separate data and command paths. These signatures act as matching keys that ensure commands are correctly associated with their corresponding data blocks even when transmitted through different paths, thus maintaining data integrity while preserving parallelism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where signatures are attached to both commands and data blocks, and the receiving end validates the association by matching these signatures. This feedback loop ensures that any mismatch between commands and data is detected and can be corrected, maintaining reliability in a high-performance parallel system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If numerous parallel execution threads are employed to increase throughput, then productivity is improved, but the risk of data loss increases due to more hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovethroughputVSAvoiddata loss risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the data transmission by attaching unique signatures to each command-data pair. This segmentation allows independent validation of each parallel thread's data integrity without affecting other threads, enabling high throughput while maintaining individual data safety

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies beforehand cushioning by pre-attaching signatures to commands and data blocks before transmission. This preparatory measure creates a protective mechanism that cushions against potential data loss from hazards in parallel execution, allowing the system to operate at high speed with reduced risk

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS10216625B2Hardware integrity verification

Publication Date: 2019.02.26 SK HYNIX MEMORY SOLUTIONS AMERICA INC

AI summary

A flash memory management method and apparatus provides for the separation of the command and data paths so that communication paths may be used more efficiently, taking account of the characteristics of NAND FLASH circuits where the times to read, write and erase data differ substantially. A unique sequence identifier is assigned to a write command and associated data and association of the data and commands are validated prior to writing to the memory by comparing the unique sequence numbers of the data and command prior to executing the command. This comparison is performed after the data and command have traversed the communication paths.