RAID Memory Protection With CRC and ECC for Residual Errors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing RAID schemes in memory systems may not adequately protect data when errors are present on multiple constituent chips, leading to incomplete data recovery and potential single points of failure.
Innovation Solution
Implementing additional error correction and detection capabilities alongside RAID operations to correct residual errors and ensure data integrity, including cyclic redundancy check (CRC), error correction code (ECC), and redundant array of independent disks (RAID) schemes to enhance data protection and recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional error correction and detection capabilities (CRC, ECC) are implemented alongside RAID operations, then data protection and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple error correction and detection mechanisms (RAID, CRC, ECC) into a unified data protection system. The memory controller integrates these different schemes to work together, where RAID provides initial data distribution and protection, CRC detects errors in transmitted data, and ECC corrects residual errors, creating a layered defense that improves reliability while managing complexity through systematic integration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the error correction process into distinct stages: RAID operations first distribute and protect data across multiple chips, then CRC checks detect errors in the received data, and finally ECC corrects any remaining errors. This segmentation allows each mechanism to operate independently at its optimal level, improving overall reliability while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular processing
2Reliability
If RAID operations are performed on multiple constituent chips, then data recovery capability is improved, but the risk of single points of failure increases when errors occur on multiple chips
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by implementing CRC error detection and ECC error correction as preventive measures before data recovery operations complete. When RAID operations encounter errors on multiple chips, the CRC mechanism first detects these errors, and the ECC mechanism provides a cushion by correcting residual errors, preventing complete data loss and enabling successful recovery even when multiple chips are affected
3Device complexity
If residual errors are not corrected after RAID operations, then device complexity is reduced, but data integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where CRC error detection results feed into the ECC correction process. After RAID operations complete, CRC checks provide feedback about errors present in the data, and this feedback triggers ECC correction operations to fix residual errors. This feedback loop ensures data integrity is maintained without requiring overly complex preprocessing, as the system only activates additional correction mechanisms when errors are actually detected
Data Source
AI summary
A redundant array of independent disks (RAID) protection can be provided along with other types of error correction code (ECC) schemes that can correct residual bit errors. The bit errors correctable by the ECC schemes not only include those errors that have been existing in input data used for the RAID process, but also those bit errors may have been propagated due to the existing errors.