Patents by Inventor Michael Zappe
Michael Zappe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20120324311Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing data in a solid-state storage device. A solid-state storage and solid-state controller are included. The solid-state storage controller includes a write data pipeline and a read data pipeline The write data pipeline includes a packetizer and an ECC generator. The packetizer receives a data segment and creates one or more data packets sized for the solid-state storage. The ECC generator generates one or more error-correcting codes (“ECC”) for the data packets received from the packetizer. The read data pipeline includes an ECC correction module, a depacketizer, and an alignment module. The ECC correction module reads a data packet from solid-state storage, determines if a data error exists using corresponding ECC and corrects errors. The depacketizer checks and removes one or more packet headers. The alignment module removes unwanted data, and re-formats the data as data segments of an object.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IO, INC.Inventors: David Flynn, Bert Lagerstedt, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Publication number: 20120297258Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2012Publication date: November 22, 2012Applicant: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, David Atkisson, Michael Zappe, Joshua Aune, Kevin Vigor
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Patent number: 8296337Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing data with an empty data segment directive at the requesting device. The apparatus, system, and method include a token directive generation module and a token directive transmission module. The token directive generation module generates a storage request with a token directive. The token directive includes a request to store on the storage device a data segment token. The token directive substitutes for a series of repeated, identical characters or a series of repeated, identical character strings to be stored as a data segment. The token directive includes at least a data segment identifier and a data segment length. The data segment token and the token directive are substantially free from data of the data segment. The token directive transmission module transmits the token directive to the storage device.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2007Date of Patent: October 23, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Publication number: 20120266046Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storing information in a storage device that includes multi-level memory cells. The method involves storing data that is written to the storage device in the LSBs of the multi-level memory cells, and storing audit data in the MSBs of the multi-level memory cells. The audit data can be read separately from the data and used to determine whether or not there has been any unintended drift between states in the multi-level cells. The audit data may be used to correct data when the errors in the data are too numerous to be corrected using error correction code (ECC). The audit data may also be used to monitor the general health of the storage device. The monitoring process may run as a background process on the storage device. The storage device may transition the multi-level memory cells to operate as single-level memory cells.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2012Publication date: October 18, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IOInventors: Jonathan Thatcher, David Flynn, Ethan Barnes, John Strasser, Robert Wood, Michael Zappe
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Patent number: 8285927Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for solid-state storage as cache for high-capacity, non-volatile storage. The apparatus, system, and method are provided with a plurality of modules including a cache front-end module and a cache back-end module. The cache front-end module manages data transfers associated with a storage request. The data transfers between a requesting device and solid-state storage function as cache for one or more HCNV storage devices, and the data transfers may include one or more of data, metadata, and metadata indexes. The solid-state storage may include an array of non-volatile, solid-state data storage elements. The cache back-end module manages data transfers between the solid-state storage and the one or more HCNV storage devices.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2011Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Publication number: 20120239860Abstract: Data is stored on a non-volatile storage media in a sequential, log-based format. The formatted data defines an ordered sequence of storage operations performed on the non-volatile storage media. A virtual storage layer maintains volatile metadata, which may include a forward index associating logical identifiers with respective physical storage units on the non-volatile storage media. The volatile metadata may be reconstructed from the ordered sequence of storage operations. Persistent notes may be used to maintain consistency between the volatile metadata and the contents of the non-volatile storage media. Persistent notes may identify data that does not need to be retained on the non-volatile storage media and/or is no longer valid.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2011Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IO, INC.Inventors: David Atkisson, David Flynn, Michael Zappe, Stephan Uphoff, David Nellans
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Publication number: 20120233396Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficiently mapping virtual and physical addresses. A forward mapping module uses a forward map to identify physical addresses of data of a data segment from a virtual address. The data segment is identified in a storage request. The virtual addresses include discrete addresses within a virtual address space where the virtual addresses sparsely populate the virtual address space. A reverse mapping module uses a reverse map to determine a virtual address of a data segment from a physical address. The reverse map maps the data storage device into erase regions such that a portion of the reverse map spans an erase region of the data storage device erased together during a storage space recovery operation. A storage space recovery module uses the reverse map to identify valid data in an erase region prior to an operation to recover the erase region.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2012Publication date: September 13, 2012Applicant: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, Michael Zappe, John Strasser, David Atkisson, Jonathan Thatcher
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Patent number: 8266496Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing data in a solid-state storage device. A solid-state storage and solid-state controller are included. The solid-state storage controller includes a write data pipeline and a read data pipeline The write data pipeline includes a packetizer and an ECC generator. The packetizer receives a data segment and creates one or more data packets sized for the solid-state storage. The ECC generator generates one or more error-correcting codes (“ECC”) for the data packets received from the packetizer. The read data pipeline includes an ECC correction module, a depacketizer, and an alignment module. The ECC correction module reads a data packet from solid-state storage, determines if a data error exists using corresponding ECC and corrects errors. The depacketizer checks and removes one or more packet headers. The alignment module removes unwanted data, and re-formats the data as data segments of an object.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2007Date of Patent: September 11, 2012Assignee: Fusion-10, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, Bert Lagerstedt, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Patent number: 8261005Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing data with an empty data segment directive at the storage device. The apparatus, system, and method for managing data include a write request receiver module and a data segment token storage module. The write request receiver module receives a storage request from a requesting device. The storage request includes a request to store a data segment in a storage device. The data segment includes a series of repeated, identical characters or a series of repeated, identical character strings. The data segment token storage module stores a data segment token in the storage device. The data segment token includes at least a data segment identifier and a data segment length. The data segment token is substantially free of data from the data segment.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2007Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Patent number: 8261158Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storing information in a storage device that includes multi-level memory cells. The method involves storing data that is written to the storage device in the LSBs of the multi-level memory cells, and storing audit data in the MSBs of the multi-level memory cells. The audit data can be read separately from the data and used to determine whether or not there has been any unintended drift between states in the multi-level cells. The audit data may be used to correct data when the errors in the data are too numerous to be corrected using error correction code (ECC). The audit data may also be used to monitor the general health of the storage device. The monitoring process may run as a background process on the storage device. The storage device may transition the multi-level memory cells to operate as single-level memory cells.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2010Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: Jonathan Thatcher, David Flynn, Ethan Barnes, John Strasser, Robert Wood, Michael Zappe
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Publication number: 20120210021Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for coordinating storage requests in a multi-processor/multi-thread environment. An append/invalidate module generates a first append data storage command from a first storage request and a second append data storage command from a second storage request. The storage requests overwrite existing data with first and second data including where the first and second data have at least a portion of overlapping data. The second storage request is received after the first storage request. The append/invalidate module updates an index by marking data being overwritten as invalid. A restructure module updates the index based on the first data and updates the index based on the second data. The updated index is organized to indicate that the second data is more current than the first data regardless of processing order. The modules prevent access to the index until the modules have completed updating the index.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2012Publication date: August 16, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IO, INC.Inventors: David Flynn, Michael Zappe, Jonathan Thatcher
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Patent number: 8239714Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2011Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, John Strasser, John Thatcher, David Atkisson, Michael Zappe, Joshua Aune, Kevin Vigor
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Publication number: 20120179869Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for data storage with progressive redundant array of independent drives (“RAID”). A storage request receiver module, a striping module, a parity-mirror module, and a parity progression module are included. The storage request receiver module receives a request to store data of a file or of an object. The striping module calculates a stripe pattern for the data. The stripe pattern includes one or more stripes, and each stripe includes a set of N data segments. The striping module writes the N data segments to N storage devices. Each data segment is written to a separate storage device within a set of storage devices assigned to the stripe. The parity-mirror module writes a set of N data segments to one or more parity-mirror storage devices within the set of storage devices. The parity progression module calculates a parity data segment on each parity-mirror device in response to a storage consolidation operation, and stores the parity data segments.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2011Publication date: July 12, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IO, INC.Inventors: David Flynn, David Atkisson, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Patent number: 8214591Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a front-end, distributed redundant array of independent drives (“RAID”). A storage request receiver module receives a storage request to store object or file data in a set of autonomous storage devices forming a RAID group. The storage devices independently receive storage requests from a client over a network, and one or more of the storage devices are designated as parity-mirror storage devices for a stripe. The striping association module calculates a stripe pattern for the data. Each stripe includes N data segments, each associated with N storage devices. The parity-mirror association module associates a set of the N data segments with one or more parity-mirror storage devices. The storage request transmitter module transmits storage requests to each storage device. Each storage request is sufficient to store onto the storage device the associated data segments. The storage requests are substantially free of data.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2011Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
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Patent number: 8205015Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for coordinating storage requests in a multi-processor/multi-thread environment. An append/invalidate module generates a first append data storage command from a first storage request and a second append data storage command from a second storage request. The storage requests overwrite existing data with first and second data including where the first and second data have at least a portion of overlapping data. The second storage request is received after the first storage request. The append/invalidate module updates an index by marking data being overwritten as invalid. A restructure module updates the index based on the first data and updates the index based on the second data. The updated index is organized to indicate that the second data is more current than the first data regardless of processing order. The modules prevent access to the index until the modules have completed updating the index.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2011Date of Patent: June 19, 2012Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, Michael Zappe, Jonathan Thatcher
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Patent number: 8195912Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficiently mapping virtual and physical addresses. A forward mapping module uses a forward map to identify physical addresses of data of a data segment from a virtual address. The data segment is identified in a storage request. The virtual addresses include discrete addresses within a virtual address space where the virtual addresses sparsely populate the virtual address space. A reverse mapping module uses a reverse map to determine a virtual address of a data segment from a physical address. The reverse map maps the data storage device into erase regions such that a portion of the reverse map spans an erase region of the data storage device erased together during a storage space recovery operation. A storage space recovery module uses the reverse map to identify valid data in an erase region prior to an operation to recover the erase region.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2008Date of Patent: June 5, 2012Assignee: Fusion-IO, IncInventors: David Flynn, Michael Zappe, John Strasser, David Atkisson, Jonathan Thatcher
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Patent number: 8156392Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2009Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Fusion-IO, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, David Atkisson, Michael Zappe, Joshua Aune, Kevin Vigor
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Publication number: 20120084611Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bad block remapping. A bad block identifier module identifies one or more data blocks on a solid-state storage element as bad blocks. A log update module writes at least a location of each bad block identified by the bad block identifier module into each of two or more redundant bad block logs. A bad block mapping module accesses at least one bad block log during a start-up operation to create in memory a bad block map. The bad block map includes a mapping between the bad block locations in the bad block log and a corresponding location of a replacement block for each bad block location. Data is stored in each replacement block instead of the corresponding bad block. The bad block mapping module creates the bad block map using one of a replacement block location and a bad block mapping algorithm.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2011Publication date: April 5, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IO, INC.Inventors: David Flynn, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, David Atkisson, Michael Zappe, Joshua Aune, Kevin Vigor
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Patent number: 8151082Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for converting a storage request to an append data storage command. A storage request receiver module receives a storage request from a requesting device. The storage request is to store a data segment onto a data storage device. The storage request includes source parameters for the data segment. The source parameters include a virtual address. A translation module translates the storage request to storage commands. At least one storage command includes an append data storage command that directs the data storage device to store data of the data segment and the one or more source parameters with the data, including a virtual address, at one or more append points. A mapping module maps source parameters of the data segment to locations where the data storage device appended the data packets of the data segment and source parameters.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2008Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: Fusion-IO, Inc.Inventors: David Flynn, Michael Zappe, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher
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Publication number: 20120059981Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storage space recovery. A storage division selection module selects a first storage division for recovery. The first storage division comprises a portion of solid-state storage in a solid-state storage device. A data recovery module reads valid data from the first storage division in response to selecting the first storage division for recovery. The data recovery module stores the valid data in a second storage division of the solid-state storage device. The data recovery module passes the valid data through at least a portion of a write data pipeline for the solid-state storage device without passing the valid data to a host device and/or without routing the valid data outside of a solid-state storage controller for the solid-state storage device.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2011Publication date: March 8, 2012Applicant: FUSION-IO, INC.Inventors: David Flynn, Bert Lagerstedt, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, John Walker, Michael Zappe, Stephan Uphoff, Joshua Aune, Kevin Vigor