Storage Controller Error Tracking for Faster ECC Decoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data storage systems face latency issues during data retrieval due to the need for large error correction overheads, which can be costly and resource-intensive, especially in content servers that serve frequently accessed data like videos and audio, where direct access from archival storage devices leads to delays.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a storage controller that retrieves initial encoded data segments, computes error locations, and stores them in a cache to augment the decoding process for subsequent reads, reducing the need for large RAM caches and enabling faster data retrieval by using error location indices or extra parity bits to enhance error correction efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large error correction overheads are used to ensure reliable data storage, then data integrity is improved, but decoding latency increases and computing resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-computes error location information during the initial decoding of encoded data segments and stores this information in a cache. When subsequent read operations access the same data, the stored error location information is retrieved and used to augment the decoding process, skipping redundant error location computation steps and reducing decoding latency while maintaining data integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of error location information from the initial decoding process and stores it in a cache for reuse. This copied information is then applied to subsequent decoding operations of the same data segment, eliminating the need to re-compute error locations and significantly reducing decoding time without compromising error correction capability
2Speed
If large RAM caches are used to reduce decoding latency for frequently accessed data, then data access speed is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential error location information from the full decoded data and stores this compact representation in a cache. This extracted information is sufficient to augment subsequent decoding operations without requiring caching of the entire data set, thereby reducing memory requirements while maintaining fast access speeds for frequently accessed data
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies error correction enhancement locally by retrieving stored error location information only for specific data segments that are being accessed. Rather than using a large uniform cache for all data, the system selectively augments decoding only where needed based on the accessed data segment, optimizing memory usage while providing speed improvements where they are most beneficial
Data Source
AI summary
Enhanced error correction for data stored in storage devices are presented herein. A storage controller retrieves an initial encoded data segment stored on a storage media, computes information relating to errors resultant from decoding the initial encoded data segment, and stores the information in a cache. The storage controller retrieves subsequent encoded data segments stored on the storage media, augments a decoder using at least the information retrieved from the cache, and decodes the subsequent encoded data with the decoder to produce resultant data.