Storage Controller Testing Using Host Memory Scenarios
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage devices face limitations in testing due to resource constraints, as their own resources are typically allocated for original functions, limiting the availability for testing purposes.
Innovation Solution
A storage device that includes a controller configured to access an external memory and execute test scenarios using commands from an external host device, leveraging host memory for testing operations, and generating human-readable results without direct involvement of the host processor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the storage device uses its own internal resources for testing, then testing can be performed autonomously, but the resources are limited because they are allocated for original functions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from using internal storage resources to utilizing external host memory resources for test code and data storage. This dimensional shift from device-internal to host-external resources resolves the resource limitation by accessing memory space beyond the storage device's own capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The host device acts as an intermediary, providing memory resources and test scenarios to the storage device. The storage device executes tests using host-provided test codes stored in host memory, with the host coordinating the testing process through command interfaces.
2Reliability
If the host processor is directly involved in testing operations, then comprehensive control can be achieved, but it delays the host processor's other tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The storage device performs testing autonomously by executing test codes independently once received from the host. The device self-manages the test execution process, data storage operations, and result generation without requiring continuous host processor intervention, thereby freeing the host for other tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The host processor prepares test scenarios and provides test codes to the storage device before the actual testing begins. This preliminary setup allows the storage device to execute tests independently afterward, reducing the need for real-time host involvement during test execution.
3Reliability
If complex test scenarios are executed to improve coverage, then testing thoroughness increases, but the complexity of test management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts complex test scenario management from the storage device and places it in the host device. The host prepares, stores, and manages comprehensive test scenarios in its memory, while the storage device simply executes the provided test codes, reducing the management burden on the storage device.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage device including: a nonvolatile memory; and a controller configured to control the nonvolatile memory, wherein the controller is configured to: obtain authority to access an external memory, wherein the external memory is allocated by an external host device; receive a test scenario, which includes a plurality of commands, from the external host device; read a first test code corresponding to a first test check point from the external memory when the first test check point arrives while the test scenario is executed; and execute the first test code.