Operating System Flash Drive Management for Write Latency

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional storage systems face inefficiencies in data management and storage operations, particularly in handling flash drives without integrated controllers, leading to unnecessary write operations and reduced reliability.

Innovation Solution

A storage system architecture where the operating system directly manages data blocks within flash drives, eliminating the need for lower-level processes and controllers, and utilizes non-volatile RAM as a buffer to improve write latency and reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional storage systems use integrated controllers to manage flash drives, then data management is simplified, but write operations become redundant and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata storage reliabilityVSAvoidstorage system architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the controller functionality from the flash drive hardware and relocates it to the operating system software layer. This eliminates the integrated controller that caused redundant write operations, allowing the OS to directly manage data blocks on the flash drive without intermediate controller interference, thereby improving reliability while accepting increased software complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces non-volatile RAM as an intermediary buffer between the host system and flash drive storage. This mediator layer absorbs write operations and manages data block placement, reducing redundant writes to the flash drive while maintaining system reliability and improving write performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of time

If non-volatile RAM is used as a buffer, then write latency is reduced and reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewrite latencyVSAvoidstorage system architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by using non-volatile RAM to pre-buffer write operations before they are committed to the flash drive. This allows write operations to be queued and managed in advance, reducing actual write latency while maintaining data integrity through the intermediary buffer layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the operating system directly manages data blocks, then redundant write operations are minimized, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage operation efficiencyVSAvoidsoftware architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables self-service by allowing the operating system to directly manage data blocks on the flash drive without requiring a separate controller layer. The OS handles data placement, wear leveling, and write optimization itself, eliminating redundant operations and improving storage efficiency while accepting increased software complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11016824B1Event identification with out-of-order reporting in a cloud-based environment

Publication Date: 2021.05.25 PURE STORAGE INC

AI summary

A stream of events is received, where individual events within the stream of events are received out-of-order. The events from the stream of events are ordered. Whether a predetermined collection of events have occurred within a predetermined period of time is determined. Responsive to determining that the predetermined collection of events have occurred within the predetermined period of time, an action associated with the predetermined sequence of events is initiated.