Abstract: An invention is provided for handling target disk access requests during disk defragmentation in a solid state drive caching environment. The invention includes detecting a request to access a target storage device. In response, data associated with the request is written to the target storage device without writing the data to the caching device, with the proviso that the request is a write request. In addition, the invention includes reading data associated with the request and marking the data associated with the request stored in the caching device for discard, with the proviso that the request is a read request and the data associated with the request is stored on the caching device. Data marked for discard is discarded from the caching device when time permits, for example, upon completion of disk defragmentation.

Abstract: A computing system includes: a host processor configured to: determine a compression possibility based on a data type; compress data based on the compression possibility; determine a caching possibility based on the data; execute a batch write request including multiple instances of a write request based on the caching possibility, a store capacity meeting or exceeding a store threshold, or a combination thereof; and a nonvolatile memory, coupled to the host processor, configured to store the data based on the batch write request.

Abstract: Provided is a method of writing data of a storage system. The method includes causing a host to issue a first writing command; causing the host, when a queue depth of the first writing command is a first value, to store the first writing command in an entry which is assigned in advance and is included in a cache; causing the host to generate a writing completion signal for the first writing command; and causing the host to issue a second writing command.

Abstract: Inventive aspects include an input/output (I/O) interceptor logic section having an I/O interface coupled with a storage stack. The I/O interface can intercept write I/Os, read I/Os, and flush requests from an application. A temporary write holding buffer can store the write I/Os. A re-order logic section can change an order of the write I/Os, and combine the re-ordered write I/Os into a combined write I/O. An intelligent flush control logic section can receive the flush requests from the I/O interface, communicate write I/O completion of the write I/Os to the application without the write I/Os having been written to a non-volatile storage device, and cause the combined write I/O to be written to the non-volatile storage device responsive to at least one of a predefined Nth flush request from among the plurality flush requests, a threshold amount of data being accumulated, or an expiration of a predefined time period.

Abstract: Loading and executing a device-less and system agnostic Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) driver configured to filter inputs/outputs (I/O) to storage devices without requiring dependency on a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) type device and/or modifying a system UEFI Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), thereby enabling a software only product supporting booting of an Operating System (OS).

Abstract: An electronic system includes: a management server providing a management mechanism with an address structure having a unified address space; a communication block, coupled to the management server, configured to implement a communication transaction based on the management mechanism with the address structure having the unified address space; and a server, coupled to the communication block, providing the communication transaction with a storage device based on the management mechanism with the address structure having the unified address space.

Abstract: An invention is provided for handling target disk access requests during disk defragmentation in a solid state drive caching environment. The invention includes detecting a request to access a target storage device. In response, data associated with the request is written to the target storage device without writing the data to the caching device, with the proviso that the request is a write request. In addition, the invention includes reading data associated with the request and marking the data associated with the request stored in the caching device for discard, with the proviso that the request is a read request and the data associated with the request is stored on the caching device. Data marked for discard is discarded from the caching device when time permits, for example, upon completion of disk defragmentation.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, filtering cached input/output (I/O) data includes receiving a current I/O transfer that is part of an ongoing data stream, and evaluating whether to filter ongoing data streams once the data stream reaches are particular size threshold. The transfer rate for the ongoing data stream may be calculated and a determination is made as to whether the transfer rate is greater than a throughput associated with a target storage device. The current I/O transfer is cached if the transfer rate is greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device, or is not cached if the transfer rate is not greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device. The current I/O transfer may be also cached if the transfer rate is less than or equal to the throughput associated with the target storage device and the I/O transfer is a write I/O transfer.

Abstract: An invention is provided for dynamic cache allocation in a solid state drive environment. The invention includes partitioning a cache memory into a reserved partition and a caching partition, wherein the reserved partition begins at a beginning of the cache memory and the caching partition begins after an end of the reserved partition. Data is cached starting at a beginning of the caching partition. Then, when the caching partition is fully utilized, data is cached the reserved partition. After receiving an indication of a power state change, such as when entering a sleep power state, marking data is written to the reserve partition. The marking data is examined after resuming the normal power state to determine whether a deep sleep power state was entered. When returning from a deep sleep power state, the beginning address of valid cache data within the reserve partition is determined after resuming a normal power state.

Abstract: Inventive aspects include an input/output (I/O) interceptor logic section having an I/O interface coupled with a storage stack. The I/O interface can intercept write I/Os, read I/Os, and flush requests from an application. A temporary write holding buffer can store the write I/Os. A re-order logic section can change an order of the write I/Os, and combine the re-ordered write I/Os into a combined write I/O. An intelligent flush control logic section can receive the flush requests from the I/O interface, communicate write I/O completion of the write I/Os to the application without the write I/Os having been written to a non-volatile storage device, and cause the combined write I/O to be written to the non-volatile storage device responsive to at least one of a predefined Nth flush request from among the plurality flush requests, a threshold amount of data being accumulated, or an expiration of a predefined time period.

Abstract: An invention is provided for handling target disk access requests during disk defragmentation in a solid state drive caching environment. The invention includes detecting a request to access a target storage device. In response, data associated with the request is written to the target storage device without writing the data to the caching device, with the proviso that the request is a write request. In addition, the invention includes reading data associated with the request and marking the data associated with the request stored in the caching device for discard, with the proviso that the request is a read request and the data associated with the request is stored on the caching device. Data marked for discard is discarded from the caching device when time permits, for example, upon completion of disk defragmentation.

Abstract: Data-integrity protection of a cached storage device is provided in an alternate operating system (OS) environment by replacing an actual partition table for a disk with a dummy partition table and scrambling a predetermined amount of data on the cached storage device. The dummy partition table is designed to render data on the disk inaccessible when the dummy partition table is used by an OS to access the data. During operation, the data on the disk can be accessed using information based on the actual partition table. In response to receiving a request to disable caching, the dummy partition table on the disk is replaced with the actual partition table and any scrambled data is unscrambled, thus rendering the data on the formally cached disk accessible in an alternate OS environment where appropriate caching software is not present.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, filtering cached input/output (I/O) data includes receiving a current I/O transfer that is part of an ongoing data stream, and evaluating whether to filter ongoing data streams once the data stream reaches are particular size threshold. The transfer rate for the ongoing data stream may be calculated and a determination is made as to whether the transfer rate is greater than a throughput associated with a target storage device. The current I/O transfer is cached if the transfer rate is greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device, or is not cached if the transfer rate is not greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device. The current I/O transfer may be also cached if the transfer rate is less than or equal to the throughput associated with the target storage device and the I/O transfer is a write I/O transfer.

Abstract: An invention is provided for filtering cached input/output (I/O) data. The invention includes receiving a current I/O transfer. Embodiments of the present invention evaluate whether to filter ongoing data streams once the data stream reaches are particular size threshold. The current I/O transfer is part of an ongoing sequential data stream and the total data transferred as part of the ongoing sequential data stream is greater than the predetermined threshold. The transfer rate for the ongoing sequential data stream then is calculated and a determination is made as to whether the transfer rate is greater than a throughput associated with a target storage device. The current I/O transfer is cached when the transfer rate is greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device, or is not cached when the transfer rate is not greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device.

Abstract: Provided is a method of writing data of a storage system. The method includes causing a host to issue a first writing command; causing the host, when a queue depth of the first writing command is a first value, to store the first writing command in an entry which is assigned in advance and is included in a cache; causing the host to generate a writing completion signal for the first writing command; and causing the host to issue a second writing command.

Abstract: Loading and executing a device-less and system agnostic Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) driver configured to filter inputs/outputs (I/O) to storage devices without requiring dependency on a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) type device and/or modifying a system UEFI Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), thereby enabling a software only product supporting booting of an Operating System (OS).

Abstract: An invention is provided for filtering cached input/output (I/O) data. The invention includes receiving a current I/O transfer. Embodiments of the present invention evaluate whether to filter ongoing data streams once the data stream reaches are particular size threshold. The current I/O transfer is part of an ongoing sequential data stream and the total data transferred as part of the ongoing sequential data stream is greater than the predetermined threshold. The transfer rate for the ongoing sequential data stream then is calculated and a determination is made as to whether the transfer rate is greater than a throughput associated with a target storage device. The current I/O transfer is cached when the transfer rate is greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device, or is not cached when the transfer rate is not greater than the throughput associated with a target storage device.

Abstract: An invention is provided for recovering from an unexpected shutdown in a write-back caching environment. The invention includes storing a logical block address (LBA) mapping table on a caching device. The LBA mapping table maps logical block addresses of a target storage device to logical block addresses of the caching device. In addition, a LBA mapping table change log is maintained on the caching device. The LBA mapping table change log includes changes to the LBA mapping table since the LBA mapping table was last written to the caching device. During startup after an unexpected shutdown, the unexpected shutdown is detected using a header stored on a caching device. Among other data, the header includes an indicia indicating whether or not a clean shutdown occurred. When the unexpected shutdown is detected, a recovered LBA mapping table is generated based on the LBA mapping table, which is stored on the caching device, and the LBA mapping table change log.

Abstract: An invention is provided for handling target disk access requests during disk defragmentation in a solid state drive caching environment. The invention includes detecting a request to access a target storage device. In response, data associated with the request is written to the target storage device without writing the data to the caching device, with the proviso that the request is a write request. In addition, the invention includes reading data associated with the request and marking the data associated with the request stored in the caching device for discard, with the proviso that the request is a read request and the data associated with the request is stored on the caching device. Data marked for discard is discarded from the caching device when time permits, for example, upon completion of disk defragmentation.

Abstract: An invention is provided for dynamic cache allocation in a solid state drive environment. The invention includes partitioning a cache memory into a reserved partition and a caching partition, wherein the reserved partition begins at a beginning of the cache memory and the caching partition begins after an end of the reserved partition. Data is cached starting at a beginning of the caching partition. Then, when the caching partition is fully utilized, data is cached the reserved partition. After receiving an indication of a power state change, such as when entering a sleep power state, marking data is written to the reserve partition. The marking data is examined after resuming the normal power state to determine whether a deep sleep power state was entered. When returning from a deep sleep power state, the beginning address of valid cache data within the reserve partition is determined after resuming a normal power state.