OOB Path Garbage Collection for Non-Volatile Memory Continuity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional Garbage Collection (GC) processes in non-volatile memory management are initiated only at urgent thresholds, leading to degradation in performance due to blocking of the Input/Output (I/O) path, causing interruptions in memory operations.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a preemptive GC process using an Out Of Band (OOB) path to monitor available spare memory percentage and initiate the GC process before urgent thresholds are reached, thereby avoiding I/O path blocking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional GC process is initiated only at urgent thresholds, then memory blocks can be re-used, but I/O path operations are blocked causing performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory block availabilityVSAvoidI/O path operation performance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the memory management functionality into two independent paths: the I/O path for data operations and the OOB path for garbage collection operations. This segmentation allows GC to be performed independently without blocking I/O operations, resolving the contradiction between maintaining memory block availability and preserving I/O performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an Out Of Band (OOB) path as an intermediary communication channel between the host device and storage device. This intermediary path enables GC commands to be transmitted and executed without interfering with the primary I/O path, thus maintaining both memory management functionality and I/O performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If preemptive GC process is initiated before urgent thresholds, then I/O path blocking is avoided, but additional monitoring and control mechanisms are required

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveI/O path operation continuityVSAvoidmonitoring and control mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by initiating garbage collection processes before urgent thresholds are reached. The host device monitors spare memory blocks and triggers GC proactively through the OOB path, preventing I/O path blocking before it occurs while maintaining simple monitoring based on spare block thresholds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the host device continuously monitors the count of spare memory blocks in the storage device. Based on this feedback, the host device dynamically determines when to initiate GC processes through the OOB path, achieving proactive memory management with relatively simple control logic

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20260017193A1Method and apparatus for non-volatile memory management using out of band (OOB) path

Publication Date: 2026.01.15 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

Various example embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to methods for non-volatile memory management using Out Of Band (OOB) path. The method may include monitoring, by processing circuitry associated with a host device, an available spare memory percentage of a non-volatile memory included in a storage device, the storage device communicatively connected to the host device, via the OOB path between the host device and the storage device, determining, by the processing circuitry, a trigger point to initiate a preemptive Garbage Collection (GC) process in the non-volatile memory based on the available spare memory percentage, and transmitting, by the processing circuitry, via the OOB path to the storage device, a command to initiate the preemptive GC process based on the determined trigger point.