Shared Memory Data Transfer Between Host and Drive Controllers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In network-connected storage devices, the separate operating systems of host and drive controllers lead to increased latency due to the need for data to be copied twice when transferring commands and data objects between them, as they do not share a memory address space.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a shared memory system where data can be transferred directly between the host and drive controller memory regions within the memory system, eliminating the need for data to be copied in and out of memory, and using industry-standard interfaces like SATA, SCSI, or SAS for coordination between controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate operating systems are used for host controller and drive controller, then system independence and modularity are improved, but data transfer latency increases due to double copying requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a shared memory region as an intermediary between the host controller and drive controller. This shared memory acts as a common data space that both controllers can access without requiring double copying. The host controller writes data to the shared memory, and the drive controller reads from the same shared memory, eliminating the intermediate bus copying step and reducing latency while maintaining separate OS independence.
2Reliability
If data is copied twice through host controller memory and drive controller memory, then data safety and validation are improved, but transfer speed and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data storage function into a shared memory region that is accessible by both the host controller and drive controller. Instead of copying data through separate memory spaces, both controllers access the same data location in shared memory. This consolidation maintains data integrity through shared access mechanisms while eliminating redundant copying operations, thereby improving transfer speed without sacrificing validation reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Herein are data storage devices to transfer a data object between memory regions during a storage operation. These data storage devices include a host controller configured to identify an object stored in a host region of a memory system for writing to a storage media controlled by a drive controller. The host controller initiates a memory transfer operation to transfer an object from the host region of the memory system to a drive region of the memory system. The host controller transfers a storage command to the drive controller to write the object to the storage media. The drive controller may be configured to transfer an object from the drive region to the host region when reading the object.