Turbo Boot Driver Non-Volatile Memory Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Increasing complexity and size of operating systems lead to longer boot up times due to the growing number of software drivers, services, and associated code/data, which existing technologies fail to efficiently address.

Innovation Solution

A computer system incorporating a hard disk drive and non-volatile semiconductor memory, where a turbo boot driver module captures and stores boot up data during the first boot, transferring it to non-volatile semiconductor memory for subsequent boots, reducing boot time by accessing and updating data between the two storage types.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If operating system size and complexity increase to include more software drivers, services, and applications, then functionality and capability are improved, but boot up time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoidboot up time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the storage system into two distinct components: a hard disk drive storing the complete operating system, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory device storing a boot image. This segmentation allows the boot process to use only the essential boot image from the faster memory device, while the full OS remains on the HDD, thus reducing boot time without sacrificing functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing the operating system into a boot image that contains only the essential data and instructions needed for system startup. This boot image is stored in advance in the non-volatile semiconductor memory, eliminating the need to load the entire OS during boot, thereby reducing boot time while maintaining full OS functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If boot up data is stored entirely on hard disk drive, then storage capacity is sufficient, but data access speed during boot up is slow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage capacityVSAvoiddata access speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential boot up data from the complete operating system and places it in a separate boot image in the non-volatile semiconductor memory. This extraction allows the critical boot data to be accessed from the faster memory device, while the remaining OS data stays on the HDD, thus improving data access speed during boot without reducing storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The non-volatile semiconductor memory acts as an intermediary between the HDD and the system memory during boot. It provides a high-speed access path for boot image data, bridging the speed gap between the slow HDD and the fast system memory, thereby improving overall boot performance while maintaining the HDD as the primary storage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2329365B1Turbo boot systems and methods
Publication Date: 2018.03.14 MARVELL WORLD TRADE LTD
  • EP2329365B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2329365B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2329365B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A computer system includes a hard disk drive and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The hard disk drive stores a first set of data that includes boot up data. The non-volatile semiconductor memory is distinct from semiconductor memory of the hard disk drive and semiconductor memory of a host of the computer system. A turbo boot driver module stores the boot up data in the non-volatile semiconductor memory and transfers the boot up data from the non-volatile semiconductor memory to a file system of the host during a boot up mode of the host.