Pointer Buffer Management for Flash Memory Data Transfer

The storage device preliminarily acquires and stores pointers in a pointer buffer before command execution is actually needed. This allows the device to have pointers ready when commands arrive, improving execution capability without requiring all pointers to be simultaneously available in host memory. The buffer pre-stores pointers that may be needed, enabling faster command processing while using manageable memory capacity.

A pointer buffer is introduced as an intermediary component between the host device memory and the command execution logic. Instead of directly accessing all pointers in host memory when a command needs to be executed, the storage device uses this intermediate buffer to store and manage pointers. This mediator allows efficient command execution by providing quick access to needed pointers while avoiding the need to maintain large amounts of pointer storage capacity.

The pointer management function is extracted from the main command execution path and placed in a dedicated pointer buffer. This separation allows the data transfer capability to be enhanced by processing larger data regions without proportionally increasing the overhead of pointer management. The extracted pointer buffer handles the increased number of pointers efficiently, allowing large data transfers while keeping the system's memory requirements manageable.

Instead of directly managing all pointers for large data regions in host memory, the storage device creates a copy of necessary pointers in its local pointer buffer. This copying mechanism allows the device to work with a subset of pointers locally, enabling efficient handling of large data transfers without requiring the full set of pointers to be simultaneously accessible, thus reducing the effective memory capacity needed for pointer management.