Abstract: Providing constant fixed commands to memory dies within a data storage device may result in hardware and firmware overheads impacting the performance at a flash interface module (FIM) because the FIM has to handle both the constant fixed commands and the overheads associated with the constant fixed commands. To avoid the impact on performance at the FIM, multiple fixed commands may be combined into individual multi-commands that may be provided to the memory dies. The use of multi-commands reduces hardware and firmware overheads at the FIM relative to the constant fixed commands, which improves performance of the data storage device because the saturation of the FIM is decreased.

Abstract: Data blocks may be optimized and managed in a mixed mode that utilizes a single-level cell (SLC) mode in combination with higher-density memory modes to promote full block utilization and to increase overall cycles of the data blocks. A data block cycling process in the mixed mode can place a data block in a higher-density memory mode that includes a multi-level cell (MLC) mode, a triple-level cell (TLC) mode, or a quad-level cell (QLC) mode, if the SLC cycle count of the data block is relatively higher as compared to other data blocks. Similarly, in the mixed mode, a data block may be placed in the SLC mode to store parity data or intermediate data if the corresponding TLC cycle count is relatively higher than other data blocks. Data clocks cycles may also be evenly distributed in the mixed mode, thereby balancing the mixed mode usage across all data blocks.

Abstract: Storage devices and systems are capable of dynamically managing QoS requirements associated with host applications via a management interface. The management interface may the enable storage devices to: (i) decide which data needs to be transferred back to the hosts, (ii) choose to skip portions of the data transferred back to the hosts to improve throughput and maintain low cost, and (iii) operate contention resolutions with host applications. Furthermore, storage devices and systems may achieve a virtual throughput that may be greater than its actual physical throughput. The management interface may also be operated at an application level, which advantageously allows the devices and systems the capabilities of managing contention resolutions of host applications, and managing (changing, observing, fetching, etc.) one or more QoS requirements for each host application.

Abstract: Aspects directed towards configuring new storage devices in a storage device pool are provided. In one aspect, a storage management device receives optimization information that includes at least one optimization learned by at least one source data storage device while part of a data storage system. A new data storage device for the data storage system is then configured with the at least one device optimization. In another aspect, a data storage device receives optimization information from a storage management device coupled to a plurality of pooled data storage devices, which includes the data storage device and at least one source data storage device. For this aspect, the optimization information includes at least one optimization learned by the at least one source data storage device while coupled to the storage management device. The data storage device is then configured to include the at least one device optimization.

Abstract: Aspects directed towards data storage management are provided. In one aspect, a data storage system receives fragmentation level information from data storage devices, and host data from a host device to be stored in the data storage devices. Based on the received fragmentation level information, a target data storage device is selected from the data storage devices, and the host data is sent to the target data storage device. In another aspect, a data storage device determines threshold conditions that trigger a defragmentation process. For this aspect, a fragmentation level metric indicating a proximity of the data storage device to initiating the defragmentation process is calculated based on the threshold conditions and a current amount of data stored in a non-volatile memory (NVM). The fragmentation level metric is then sent to a storage management device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for storage device pool management based on storage device logical to physical (L2P) table information are provided. One such data storage system includes data storage devices each including a non-volatile memory; and a storage management device configured to receive L2P table information from at least two of the data storage devices; receive host data from a host device to be stored in one or more of the data storage devices; select, based on the L2P table information from the at plurality of data storage devices and the size of the host data, a target data storage device from the plurality of data storage devices; and send the host data to the target data storage device.

Abstract: A data storage device and method are provided for host multi-command queue grouping based on write-size alignment in a multi-queue-depth environment. In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a memory and a controller. The controller is configured to provide a host with an indication of a required amount of data needed to program a set of multi-level cell blocks in the memory; receive an assurance from the host that the host will be providing the data storage device with the required amount of data; and based on the assurance received from the host, program the set of multi-level cell blocks as data is received from the host but before the required amount of data is received from the host. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.

Abstract: Providing constant fixed commands to memory dies within a data storage device may result in hardware and firmware overheads impacting the performance at a flash interface module (FIM) because the FIM has to handle both the constant fixed commands and the overheads associated with the constant fixed commands. To avoid the impact on performance at the FIM, multiple fixed commands may be combined into individual multi-commands that may be provided to the memory dies. The use of multi-commands reduces hardware and firmware overheads at the FIM relative to the constant fixed commands, which improves performance of the data storage device because the saturation of the FIM is decreased.

Abstract: Various devices, such as storage devices or systems are configured to efficiently process and update logical mappings within control table sets. Control table sets are often groupings of logical mapping corresponding to the logical locations of data requested by a host-computing device and the physical locations of the data within the memory array. As data is written and erased, these mappings must be updated within the control table set. Received changes to these mappings are typically stored and updated in two locations: a cache memory and a control table update list. By tracking and marking various control table sets as dirty or having undergone multiple changes, additional received updates can be stored and updated in only the cache memory, bypassing the second control table change list. By only utilizing one method of updating control table sets, processing overhead is reduced and various read or write activities are more efficiently done.

Abstract: Non-volatile memory (NVM) dies of a data storage device, wherein on-chip latches of the dies are made available to a host device for use as volatile memory. In some examples, a data storage controller dynamically determines when the latches of a particular NVM die of an NVM array are available for use as volatile memory and exports those particular latches to the host device for use as random access memory (RAM). In other examples, the data storage controller dynamically determines when particular dies of the NVM array of dies are available and exports all latches of those dies to the host device for use as RAM. The data storage controller may rotate NVM die usage so that, over time, different dies are used for latch-based volatile memory while other dies are used for NVM storage. Usage profiles are described that allow the host device to select particular latch usage configurations.

Abstract: Storage devices can be configured to desirably reduce the number of times a zone reset or erasure occur via the use of one or more paired overwrite memory blocks. These storage devices can include a plurality of memory devices with some of these memory devices designated as overwrite memory devices. A controller within the storage device can be configured to direct the storage device to generate one or more subsets within the memory devices such as zones, pair each of subsets with at least one or more overwrite memory devices, store data sequentially within the subset of memory devices, and store any received overwrite data in the overwrite memory devices in chronological order. Data stored within the subsets of memory devices are not erased and instead of being overwritten directly, are instead pointed via a control table to a location in the overwrite memory devices storing the corresponding overwrite data.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing utilization of device resources based on host assisted grouping of applications. In certain embodiments, a data storage device includes a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, and a controller configured to: receive application group information associated with applications from a host, wherein the application group information indicates corresponding application groups for the applications on the host; receive a plurality of write requests associated with a plurality of applications from the host, wherein the plurality of applications is included in the same application group; write data for each write request of the plurality of write requests in parallel across a plurality of channels associated with a plurality of dies in the non-volatile memory such that the data for the plurality of write requests share a parity buffer; and generate parity data for the data for the plurality of write requests.

Abstract: Example storage systems, storage devices, and methods provide dynamic redundant array of independent disks (RAID) stripe allocation based on memory device health conditions. A device health condition is assigned to each data chunk of a RAID stripe before the data chunk is sent to the target storage device. The write command indicates the device health condition and the receiving storage device selects the storage location for the data chunk corresponding to the device health condition.

Abstract: Storage devices are capable of identifying zones for sharing parity blocks across zones. Active zones may be segregated across multiple active zones having similar zone properties, and grouped so that parity buffers can be shared. By identifying zones for optimal parity sharing, storage devices and systems can: (i) maintain independent parity for all zones during initial zone writes (i.e. during an erased state when data is written directly to pages and not to the zones), (ii) track zone write pointers and frequency of writes in the zones, (iii) segregate zones with higher correlation and group them together, (iv) utilize these groupings placed across various channels so that zones with high correlations, comprising of the zones that are written together and at the same rate, share the parity buffers, and (v) load and XOR individual parity buffers for optimal parity sharing across all zones.

Abstract: A data storage device including, in one implementation, a non-volatile memory device including a memory block that includes a plurality of memory dies and a controller that is coupled to the non-volatile memory device and that allocates power to non-memory components based on a determined usage of the memory dies. The controller is configured to monitor a utilization of the plurality of memory dies, determine a utilization state of the plurality of memory dies, and calculate an amount of available power allocated to the plurality of memory dies in response to determining that the plurality of memory dies are in a low utilization state. The controller is also configured to determine whether the amount of available power is above a predetermined threshold, and reallocate the available power to one or more components within the data storage device in response to determining that the amount of available power is above the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A data storage device and method for host-initiated transactional handling for large data set atomicity across multiple memory commands are provided. In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a memory and a controller. The controller is configured to commence performance of a plurality of atomic operations; and prior to successful completion of the plurality of atomic operations: determine an available capacity of the memory, wherein memory locations storing data written by the plurality of atomic operations are considered unavailable even though the data is not yet committed to the memory locations; and inform the host of the determined available capacity of the memory. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.

Abstract: Storage devices can be configured to desirably reduce the number of times a zone reset or erasure occur via the use of one or more paired overwrite memory blocks. These storage devices can include a plurality of memory devices with some of these memory devices designated as overwrite memory devices. A controller within the storage device can be configured to direct the storage device to generate one or more subsets within the memory devices such as zones, pair each of subsets with at least one or more overwrite memory devices, store data sequentially within the subset of memory devices, and store any received overwrite data in the overwrite memory devices in chronological order. Data stored within the subsets of memory devices are not erased and instead of being overwritten directly, are instead pointed via a control table to a location in the overwrite memory devices storing the corresponding overwrite data.

Abstract: A data storage device and method for memory-die-state-aware host command submission are provided. In one embodiment, a data storage device comprises a memory comprising a plurality of memory dies and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a query from a host for a status of a memory die that will be accessed by a command; determine the status of the memory die; and respond to the query by providing the status of the memory die to the host. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.

Abstract: A data storage device and method for low-latency power state transitions by having power islanding in a host memory buffer are provided. In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive information from a host about which area, if any, in a host memory buffer will be powered on during a low-power state; and in response to the information indicating that a first area of the host memory buffer will be powered on during the low-power state, flush data from a second area of the host memory buffer that will not be powered on during the low-power state to the first area of the host memory buffer prior to entering the low-power state. Other embodiments are provided.

Abstract: Systems and method for providing tier selection for data based on a weighted flash fragmentation factor. A weighted flash fragmentation factor is determined indicating a severity of fragmentation in a non-volatile storage based on a logical block address range in a logical-to-physical mapping table for data from a host device to be stored in the tiered data storage system. The factor is shared with the host device to determine a tier selection. The data is stored according to the tier selection based on the factor.