Namespace-Based Compression Control for Encrypted Memory Writes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory systems face challenges in effectively utilizing storage space and protecting user data, particularly in non-volatile memory systems like SSDs, due to inefficiencies in data compression and encryption methods that can compromise security and performance.
Innovation Solution
A memory system with a controller that manages namespaces, compresses data using lossless algorithms, encrypts using namespace-specific encryption keys, and ensures that data items requiring different encryption keys are compressed in separate units, thereby maintaining security and enhancing compression efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data compression is performed using a fixed compression unit, then compression efficiency is improved, but encryption key switching may occur within the compression unit causing security issues
Solution Approach 1:
The compression unit is segmented into multiple sub-compression units, each corresponding to a specific encryption key. This segmentation ensures that data encrypted with different keys is compressed separately, preventing key switching within a compression unit while maintaining compression efficiency through parallel processing of multiple sub-units.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression unit size is made dynamic and adjustable based on the number of encryption keys and data characteristics. The system can adaptively determine the optimal compression unit size to balance compression efficiency with encryption security requirements, allowing the compression unit to expand or contract based on runtime conditions.
2Quantity of substance
If the compression unit is increased to improve compression efficiency, then storage space utilization is improved, but the complexity of managing encryption key switching increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the compression process into sub-compression units tied to specific encryption keys, simplifying key management by ensuring each segment uses only its associated key. This segmentation reduces the complexity of tracking and managing key switches across large compression units.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary component (compression unit determination circuit) is introduced to automatically determine and manage the compression unit size based on encryption key information. This intermediary handles the complexity of key management internally, presenting a simplified interface to the rest of the system while optimizing storage space utilization.
3Reliability
If multiple encryption keys are used for different namespaces, then data security is improved, but compression efficiency decreases due to separate compression for each key
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sub-compression units processing different encryption keys are merged into a unified compression framework that operates in parallel. This merging allows the system to maintain separate compression streams for security while achieving overall compression efficiency through coordinated parallel processing and shared resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The compression unit determination circuit is designed with multi-functionality to handle both security requirements (determining compression units based on encryption keys) and efficiency requirements (optimizing compression ratios). This universal component performs multiple functions including key-based segmentation, compression unit sizing, and coordination of parallel compression operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller of a memory system includes circuitry that generates a first compression unit that is calculated based on first namespace setting information indicating setting of a write-destination namespace, and corresponds to the write-destination namespace. The first compression unit has a size satisfying a constraint that an encryption key for encrypting data to be written into the write-destination namespace is not switched in the first compression unit.