Selective Volatile Memory Backup Using Touched Address Ranges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory backup solutions for volatile RAM are time-consuming and power-intensive due to the need to copy the entire memory content during power loss, requiring backup energy sources designed for worst-case scenarios.
Innovation Solution
Implement a detection circuit to identify accessed memory ranges and use a touched map to selectively backup only these ranges to persistent memory, reducing the time and power required for backup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire volatile memory is backed up to persistent memory during power loss, then data protection is ensured, but the backup time and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the volatile memory into multiple ranges and uses a touched map to track which ranges have been accessed. During backup, only the accessed ranges are copied to persistent memory, rather than backing up the entire memory space. This segmentation approach maintains data protection for accessed data while significantly reducing backup time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial backup by copying only the necessary portion of volatile memory (accessed ranges) to persistent memory, rather than performing a complete backup of all memory. The touched map enables identification of which memory ranges require backup, allowing the system to perform partial action sufficient for data protection without the overhead of complete memory copying.
2Reliability
If the entire volatile memory is backed up to persistent memory during power loss, then data protection is ensured, but the power consumption during backup increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the volatile memory into multiple ranges and uses a touched map to identify which ranges contain accessed data. During backup operations, only these identified ranges are copied to persistent memory, reducing the total data transfer volume and consequently lowering power consumption while maintaining data protection for accessed data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial backup of only the accessed memory ranges rather than complete memory backup. This partial action reduces the energy required for data copying operations while ensuring that all accessed data is protected, achieving data protection with reduced power consumption.
3Productivity
If a touched map is implemented to track accessed memory ranges, then backup efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a touched map as an intermediary data structure that tracks accessed memory ranges. This touched map serves as a mediator between the memory access operations and the backup operation, enabling efficient identification of which memory ranges need to be backed up without requiring complex analysis of memory access patterns during the backup process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a touched map that stores copied information about accessed memory ranges. Rather than analyzing memory access patterns in real-time during backup, the system maintains a simplified copy of access information in the touched map, which can be quickly processed to determine which ranges require backup, improving efficiency while keeping the added complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for selective backup to persistent memory from volatile memory are disclosed. In one aspect, a memory controller includes a detection circuit that detects an address for a memory access and determines a range into which that address falls. The memory controller also includes a touched map that is configured to store an indication as to what areas (or ranges) of memory have been accessed, as determined by the detection circuit. In the event of a command or power interruption, a backup routine initially consults the touched map and only backs up those ranges which have been touched. Such selective backup may reduce the amount of time and power required to make a backup, reducing the demands placed on a backup energy source.