In-Place Storage Update via Error Recovery and Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for in-place updating of content in non-volatile storage devices face challenges such as large update package sizes, storage consumption, unreliable updates due to write before read conflicts, and inefficiencies in handling block-level updates, particularly in devices like flash memory where complete block overwrite is necessary.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using error recovery functions to generate an error recovery result that allows for partial data recovery, enabling efficient in-place updating with reduced storage operations and ensuring reliability by using a protection buffer to protect original content during updates, thereby minimizing the number of write operations and avoiding write before read conflicts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complete updated version is stored in storage device in addition to original version, then update reliability is improved, but storage consumption increases and update package size becomes huge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary portions of data (original content or updated content) from the complete versions stored in storage device, and uses them temporarily in a buffer for update operations. This eliminates the need to store complete updated versions in the storage device, significantly reducing storage consumption while maintaining update reliability through selective data usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a buffer as an intermediary component between the storage device and the update process. The buffer temporarily holds extracted original or updated content during update operations, acting as a mediator that reduces the need for large storage allocations while ensuring update reliability through controlled data access and protection mechanisms.
2Loss of information
If complete updated version is transmitted via band-width limited communication channels, then update completeness is improved, but transmittance becomes cumbersome and sometimes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the update data into two separate transmissions: (1) a delta file containing only the differences between original and updated versions, and (2) an error recovery result. This segmentation allows the majority of update information to be transmitted efficiently via bandwidth-limited channels, while minimal additional data (error recovery result) is transmitted to enable reliable reconstruction, significantly reducing total transmittance time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of transmitting the complete updated version, the patent transmits only the partial information necessary for reconstruction (delta file plus error recovery result). This partial action approach transmits minimal data while still achieving complete update reconstruction, eliminating the transmittance bottlenecks associated with sending full updated versions over bandwidth-limited channels.
3Quantity of substance
If original content is overwritten with updated content directly, then storage consumption is reduced, but update reliability deteriorates due to write before read conflicts and interruption risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by calculating and storing the error recovery result before the actual update operation. This error recovery result is used during the update process to reconstruct any lost or corrupted data, providing a safety mechanism that ensures update reliability even when directly overwriting original content with updated content in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides beforehand cushioning by maintaining the error recovery result as a protective measure during in-place updates. This error recovery data acts as a cushion that can recover from update failures or write before read conflicts, ensuring that direct overwriting operations remain reliable while consuming minimal storage space.
4Quantity of substance
If delta file is used to reduce update package size, then update package size is reduced, but write before read conflicts occur during in-place updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the error recovery result to detect and correct write before read conflicts during the update process. The error recovery result provides information about the original state of data, allowing the update process to verify whether write before read conflicts have occurred and to recover from them, thereby maintaining update reliability while using compact delta files.
Solution Approach 2:
The error recovery result acts as an intermediary that mediates between the delta file updates and the original content. It provides a reference mechanism that allows the update process to detect and resolve write before read conflicts without requiring large update packages, thus maintaining both compact update size and update reliability.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C
AI summary
Methods and systems for in-place updating original content stored in a non-volatile storage device and for yielding updated content. Some of the described embodiments illustrate the possibilities for reduction in storage operations, storage blocks, and/or update package size. Some of the described embodiments include the writing of error recovery result(s) such as XOR result(s) which enable the recovery of data in case of an interruption of the update process. In some of the described embodiments, there is re-usage of a protection buffer containing content which is required in the update process.