Nested File Structure for Bootloader Data Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing bootloader technologies require a substantial number of accesses to the non-volatile storage medium during the booting process, especially when dealing with unaligned or non-contiguous data segments, which significantly increases boot time due to the time-consuming nature of each access.
Innovation Solution
The method involves reading an outer file metadata portion and data portion from a non-volatile storage medium into RAM, where the data portion can include an inner file with its own metadata and data portions, allowing for fewer accesses to the storage medium by utilizing the metadata to locate and transfer the inner file data segments within RAM, thereby reducing the number of storage medium accesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the bootloader reads each data segment from non-volatile storage medium separately, then the bootloader can load unaligned or non-contiguous data segments into RAM, but the number of storage medium accesses increases substantially, increasing boot time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the software image into multiple data segments that can be unaligned or non-contiguous in the file structure. Each segment is independently identified and loaded into RAM, allowing flexible handling of scattered data segments without requiring sequential storage on the boot medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-organizes the data segments in a structured file format with metadata that describes the location and characteristics of each segment. This preliminary organization allows the bootloader to efficiently locate and load only the necessary segments without scanning the entire storage medium, reducing access time while maintaining adaptability to unaligned segments.
2Loss of time
If the bootloader minimizes the number of accesses to the non-volatile storage medium, then boot time is reduced, but the complexity of managing data segment loading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a file structure with metadata that acts as an intermediary between the bootloader and the data segments. This metadata layer contains information about segment locations, sizes, and offsets, allowing the bootloader to efficiently manage segment loading without directly complex interactions with the raw storage medium, thus reducing boot time while managing complexity through the metadata abstraction.
3Productivity
If the data segments are stored contiguously on the non-volatile storage medium, then the number of storage medium accesses is reduced, but the flexibility to handle unaligned or non-contiguous segments is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by operating in two dimensions: the file structure dimension and the memory dimension. In the file structure dimension, segments can be unaligned or non-contiguous with metadata tracking their positions. During loading, the bootloader uses this metadata to efficiently access and load segments into contiguous or appropriately arranged locations in RAM, thus maintaining both flexibility and loading efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Data may be loaded in a computing device from a non-volatile storage medium using files having a nested structure. An outer file metadata portion may be read from an outer file on the storage medium into RAM. The outer file may include the outer file metadata portion and an outer file data portion. The outer file data portion may then be read from the outer file on the storage medium into the RAM based on the outer file metadata portion. The outer file data portion may be an inner file. The inner file may include an inner file metadata portion and an inner file data portion. Then, the inner file metadata portion may be read from the inner file in the RAM. The inner file data portion may be read from the inner file in the RAM based on the inner file metadata portion.