Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for IBI handling are provided. The apparatus includes at least one processing unit, a host controller configured to communicate with at least one slave via an I3C link and configured to enter into a low-power mode. The I3C link includes a serial clock (SCL) line and a serial data (SDA) line. The apparatus further includes an IBI detection module configured to detect while the host controller is in the low-power mode, on the SDA line, an in-band interrupt (IBI) request from the at least one slave and a processing unit interrupt control module configured to signal a processing unit interrupt to the at least one processing unit based on information of the IBI request, in the case the host controller is in the low-power mode, in response to the IBI detection module detecting the IBI request.

Abstract: A system is proposed to enable a hardware based host controller to perform operations related to Host-aware Performance booster (HPB). The host controller may retrieve a command packet from a host memory targeting a logical address of a storage location of the storage device, may retrieve a physical address of the storage device mapped to the logical address from the address map, and may send the command packet to the storage device. The sent command packet may have the physical address incorporated therein.

Abstract: In conventional systems with a plurality of UFS devices daisy-chained to a UFS host, a UFS device driver must be able to differentiate among the links, and send either link control messages or data/management (D/M) messages to a UFS host controller. This can make force the UFS device driver to be complicated and error prone. To address this issue, a host controller can provide a uniform view of a plurality of daisy-chained devices to a device driver of a host. For example, the host controller can be such that from the perspective of the device driver, each device can appear to be a point-to-point connected device. This can allow the device driver to use a same set of link control messages to control the links. In this way, the device driver can be simplified and thus less error prone.

Abstract: Systems and method are directed to a Universal Flash Storage (UFS) host capable of interfacing one or more UFS devices. The UFS host includes a plurality of mobile-physical-layers (M-PHYs) for supporting one or more lanes of traffic between the UFS host and the one or more UFS devices. A Reference M-PHY MODULE Interface (RMMI) router is coupled between a Unified Protocol link layer (Unipro) and the plurality of M-PHYs. The RMMI router is configurable in a transparent mode to pass traffic, without routing, between the UFS host and a 2-lane embedded UFS device through the two M-PHYs. The RMMI router is configurable in a routing mode, to route traffic to a first M-PHY interfacing a 1-lane embedded UFS device or to a second M-PHY interfacing a 1-lane removable UFS card. The RMMI router is configurable based on metal strap or read only memory (ROM) setting.

Abstract: In a conventional system with a UFS device connected to a UFS host implementing HPB features, a UFS driver software generates commands, e.g., read and write commands, for the UFS device to perform. The commands include both physical and logical addresses of the UFS device. Typically, the UFS driver software is software based. Therefore, there is much overhead associated with implementing the HPB. To address this issue, it is proposed to enable a hardware based host controller to perform operations related to the HPB. In this way, the performance of a system may be improved.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are described that enable a serial bus to be operated in one or more modes that employ additional wires for communicating data. An apparatus has a bus including a first lane and a second lane, a plurality of devices coupled to the bus and, in a first mode of operation, the plurality of devices is configured to exchange data in a signal transmitted on the first lane in accordance with timing provided by a clock signal transmitted on the second lane. The apparatus may include one or more additional lanes connecting two or more devices in the plurality of devices, the two or more devices being configured to use the first lane and at least one of the additional lanes for data transmissions in a second mode of operation.

Abstract: In conventional systems with a plurality of UFS devices daisy-chained to a UFS host, a UFS device driver must be able to differentiate among the links, and send either link control messages or data/management (D/M) messages to a UFS host controller. This can make force the UFS device driver to be complicated and error prone. To address this issue, a host controller can provide a uniform view of a plurality of daisy-chained devices to a device driver of a host. For example, the host controller can be such that from the perspective of the device driver, each device can appear to be a point-to-point connected device. This can allow the device driver to use a same set of link control messages to control the links. In this way, the device driver can be simplified and thus less error prone.

Abstract: Systems and method are directed to a Universal Flash Storage (UFS) host capable of interfacing one or more UFS devices. The UFS host includes a plurality of mobile-physical-layers (M-PHYs) for supporting one or more lanes of traffic between the UFS host and the one or more UFS devices. A Reference M-PHY MODULE Interface (RMMI) router is coupled between a Unified Protocol link layer (Unipro) and the plurality of M-PHYs. The RMMI router is configurable in a transparent mode to pass traffic, without routing, between the UFS host and a 2-lane embedded UFS device through the two M-PHYs. The RMMI router is configurable in a routing mode, to route traffic to a first M-PHY interfacing a 1-lane embedded UFS device or to a second M-PHY interfacing a 1-lane removable UFS card. The RMMI router is configurable based on metal strap or read only memory (ROM) setting.

Abstract: Storage resource management in virtualized environments is provided. In this regard, when receiving a request for accessing a target general purpose partition (GPP) in a storage device, partition switching circuitry is configured to determine whether the target GPP equals a current GPP that is accessed by a list of existing requests. The partition switching circuitry adds the request into the list of existing requests if the target GPP equals the current GPP. Otherwise, the partition switching circuitry waits for the list of existing requests to be executed on the current GPP before switching to the target GPP to execute the request received from a client. By switching to the target GPP after executing the list of existing commands on the current GPP, it is possible to share a plurality of GPPs among multiple clients in a virtualized environment while maintaining data integrity and security in the storage device.

Abstract: A multi-host power controller (MHPC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, the MHPC receives power mode change requests from each of multiple input/output (I/O) clients. The MHPC extracts and stores a “vote,” or a requested power mode, from the power mode change requests, and then applies a voting logic to the stored votes to determine whether to transition the flash-memory-based storage device between power modes. If the flash-memory-based storage device is not currently operating in the power mode determined by the MHPC, the MHPC is configured to issue a power mode change command to the flash-memory-based storage device to transition to the determined power mode. In this manner, the MHPC is able to control the power mode of the flash-memory-based storage device while receiving direct power mode change requests from multiple I/O clients.

Abstract: Storage resource management in virtualized environments is provided. In this regard, when receiving a request for accessing a target general purpose partition (GPP) in a storage device, partition switching circuitry is configured to determine whether the target GPP equals a current GPP that is accessed by a list of existing requests. The partition switching circuitry adds the request into the list of existing requests if the target GPP equals the current GPP. Otherwise, the partition switching circuitry waits for the list of existing requests to be executed on the current GPP before switching to the target GPP to execute the request received from a client. By switching to the target GPP after executing the list of existing commands on the current GPP, it is possible to share a plurality of GPPs among multiple clients in a virtualized environment while maintaining data integrity and security in the storage device.

Abstract: Command trapping in an input/output virtualization (IOV) host controller (HC) (IOV-HC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, an IOV-HC is configured to receive a request from a client register interface (CRI) of one of multiple input/output (I/O) clients. The IOV-HC inspects a content of the request prior to the request being passed to a transport protocol engine. Based on the content, the IOV-HC determines whether the request should be further processed or should be trapped. If the IOV-HC determines that the request should be trapped, the IOV-HC traps the request using a request trap. In some aspects, the IOV-HC generates an interrupt to a virtual machine manager (VMM) to notify the VMM that the request was trapped. In some aspects, the IOV-HC provides a response generation circuit to receive instructions from the VMM to generate a response to the CRI from which the trapped request originated.

Abstract: An input/output virtualization (IOY) host controller (HC) (IOV-HC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, an IOV-HC is coupled to input/output (I/O) clients via corresponding client register interfaces (CRIs), and is also coupled to a flash-memory-based storage device. The IOV-HC comprises transfer request list (TRL) slot offset registers indicating slots of a shared TRL that are assigned as base slots to each of the CRIs. The IOV-HC further comprises TRL slot count registers indicating how many slots of the shared TRL are assigned to each of the CRIs. When a transfer request (TR) directed to the flash-memory-based storage device is received from a CRI, the IOV-HC is configured to map the TR to a slot of the shared TRL based on a TRL slot offset register and a TRL slot count register of the plurality of TRL slot count registers corresponding to the CRI.

Abstract: An input/output virtualization (IOY) host controller (HC) (IOV-HC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, an IOV-HC is coupled to input/output (I/O) clients via corresponding client register interfaces (CRIs), and is also coupled to a flash-memory-based storage device. The IOV-HC comprises transfer request list (TRL) slot offset registers indicating slots of a shared TRL that are assigned as base slots to each of the CRIs. The IOV-HC further comprises TRL slot count registers indicating how many slots of the shared TRL are assigned to each of the CRIs. When a transfer request (TR) directed to the flash-memory-based storage device is received from a CRI, the IOV-HC is configured to map the TR to a slot of the shared TRL based on a TRL slot offset register and a TRL slot count register of the plurality of TRL slot count registers corresponding to the CRI.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer-readable media for dynamically improving performance of a host memory controller and a hosted memory device are presented. According to one or more aspects, a memory controller may establish a data connection with a memory device. The memory controller may perform a first write operation of a plurality of write operations to the memory device using a first block size. Subsequently, the memory controller may perform a second write operation of the plurality of write operations to the memory device using a second block size different from the first block size. The memory controller then may determine an optimal value for a block size parameter based at least in part on the plurality of write operations. Thereafter, the memory controller may use the optimal value for the block size parameter in performing one or more regular tasks involving the memory device.

Abstract: Command trapping in an input/output virtualization (IOV) host controller (HC) (IOV-HC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, an IOV-HC is configured to receive a request from a client register interface (CRI) of one of multiple input/output (I/O) clients. The IOV-HC inspects a content of the request prior to the request being passed to a transport protocol engine. Based on the content, the IOV-HC determines whether the request should be further processed or should be trapped. If the IOV-HC determines that the request should be trapped, the IOV-HC traps the request using a request trap. In some aspects, the IOV-HC generates an interrupt to a virtual machine manager (VMM) to notify the VMM that the request was trapped. In some aspects, the IOV-HC provides a response generation circuit to receive instructions from the VMM to generate a response to the CRI from which the trapped request originated.

Abstract: An input/output virtualization (IOY) host controller (HC) (IOV-HC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, an IOV-HC is coupled to input/output (I/O) clients via corresponding client register interfaces (CRIs), and is also coupled to a flash-memory-based storage device. The IOV-HC comprises transfer request list (TRL) slot offset registers indicating slots of a shared TRL that are assigned as base slots to each of the CRIs. The IOV-HC further comprises TRL slot count registers indicating how many slots of the shared TRL are assigned to each of the CRIs. When a transfer request (TR) directed to the flash-memory-based storage device is received from a CRI, the IOV-HC is configured to map the TR to a slot of the shared TRL based on a TRL slot offset register and a TRL slot count register of the plurality of TRL slot count registers corresponding to the CRI.

Abstract: A multi-host power controller (MHPC) of a flash-memory-based storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, the MHPC receives power mode change requests from each of multiple input/output (I/O) clients. The MHPC extracts and stores a “vote,” or a requested power mode, from the power mode change requests, and then applies a voting logic to the stored votes to determine whether to transition the flash-memory-based storage device between power modes. If the flash-memory-based storage device is not currently operating in the power mode determined by the MHPC, the MHPC is configured to issue a power mode change command to the flash-memory-based storage device to transition to the determined power mode. In this manner, the MHPC is able to control the power mode of the flash-memory-based storage device while receiving direct power mode change requests from multiple I/O clients.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer-readable media for dynamically improving performance of a host memory controller and a hosted memory device are presented. According to one or more aspects, a memory controller may establish a data connection with a memory device. The memory controller may perform a first write operation of a plurality of write operations to the memory device using a first block size. Subsequently, the memory controller may perform a second write operation of the plurality of write operations to the memory device using a second block size different from the first block size. The memory controller then may determine an optimal value for a block size parameter based at least in part on the plurality of write operations. Thereafter, the memory controller may use the optimal value for the block size parameter in performing one or more regular tasks involving the memory device.