Addressing Physical Block Of Locations, E.g., Base Addressing, Module Addressing, Memory Dedication, Etc. (epo) Patents (Class 711/E12.078)
  • Patent number: 8671265
    Abstract: An access request including a client address for data is received. A metadata server determines a mapping between the client address and storage unit identifiers for the data. Each of the one or more storage unit identifiers uniquely identifies content of a storage unit and the metadata server stores mappings on storage unit identifiers that are referenced by client addresses. The one or more storage unit identifiers are sent to one or more block servers. The one or more block servers service the request using the one or more storage unit identifiers where the one or more block servers store information on where a storage unit is stored on a block server for a storage unit identifier. Also, multiple client addresses associated with a storage unit with a same storage unit identifier are mapped to a single storage unit stored in a storage medium for a block server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: SolidFire, Inc.
    Inventor: David D. Wright
  • Patent number: 8671254
    Abstract: A wireless communications device has two or more multiple port memory units operable to perform encryption/decryption shuffling and processing. Other circuits and methods of manufacture and operation are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tonmoy Shingal, Chakravarthy Srinivasan, Shankaranarayana Karantha
  • Publication number: 20140047208
    Abstract: A method of controlling the capacity of a virtual storage system provided on a physical storage system, the method including: providing a control program on the physical storage system; coupling additional virtual storage to the virtual storage system on the physical storage system; providing control data on the additional virtual storage; with the control program, reading the control data and configuring the virtual storage system accordingly. A corresponding virtual storage system is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: XYRATEX TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventor: James S.M. Morse
  • Publication number: 20140047214
    Abstract: An aspect includes accessing a vector register in a vector register file. The vector register file includes a plurality of vector registers and each vector register includes a plurality of elements. A read command is received at a read port of the vector register file. The read command specifies a vector register address. The vector register address is decoded by an address decoder to determine a selected vector register of the vector register file. An element address is determined for one of the plurality of elements associated with the selected vector register based on a read element counter of the selected vector register. A word is selected in a memory array of the selected vector register as read data based on the element address. The read data is output from the selected vector register based on the decoding of the vector register address by the address decoder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bruce M. Fleischer, Thomas W. Fox, Hans M. Jacobson, Ravi Nair
  • Patent number: 8645620
    Abstract: An interfacing apparatus and related method is provided for configuring to couple a plurality of memory devices being addressable by means of an address space to a processing unit. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a first memory access unit being adapted for receiving a memory address from said processing unit and for accessing said memory devices accordingly based on the address provided. It also comprises a second memory access unit being adapted for receiving content data from the processing unit and for controlling a search or update function accordingly for the received content data in one or more of the memory devices. In addition, an allocation unit is also provided for allocating a first part of the address space of the memory devices to said first memory access unit and allocating a second part of the address space of said memory devices to the second memory access unit, each of the memory access units being assigned to corresponding memory devices of the plurality of memory devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Buchmann, Martin Leo Schmatz, Jan Van Lunteren
  • Publication number: 20140032872
    Abstract: Systems, computer readable media, and methods are provided. An example method can include classifying a plurality of storage mapping systems as a plurality of storage tiers in a datacenter, assigning a chargeback level to each of the plurality of storage tiers, analyzing a plurality of storage volumes of a plurality of servers in the datacenter to obtain characteristics of each of the plurality of storage volumes where the characteristics include one of the plurality of storage mapping systems, assigning the chargeback level to each of the plurality of storage volumes based on the storage mapping system for each of the plurality of storage volumes, and determining a storage recommendation for a number of configuration item (CIs) based on a criticality of the number of CIs where the criticality corresponds to at least one of the chargeback levels assigned to each of the plurality of storage tiers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Inventors: Sagi Vasavi, Rajashekar Dasari
  • Publication number: 20130332694
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are described for configuring a logical data storage container. In one embodiment, an instruction to perform an operation to modify an attribute of the logical data storage container that is an abstraction of a plurality of pertinent storage containers is received. A translated instruction to perform a sub-operation associated with the operation is transmitted to each of a number of the plurality of pertinent storage containers. A level of success of the performing of the operation on the logical data storage container is detected based on a comparison of a threshold value to a level of success of the performing of the sub-operation on each of the number of the plurality of pertinent storage containers. A report of the detected level of success is communicated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Reissner
  • Patent number: 8606991
    Abstract: A method and system for refreshing DRAM having a plurality of banks, each of the banks including a plurality of rows includes dividing all banks in DRAM into a plurality of groups of banks, each of the groups having n banks, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1. A threshold of available retention time for each group of banks is determined. Each row of banks in each group of banks is refreshed. Refreshing one row of a bank in one group of banks includes determining whether a refresh operation for the row of the bank conflicts with an access operation for the bank where the row of the bank is located. If there is a conflict, then it is determined whether to perform the refresh operation or the access operation for the current row of the bank. If it is determined to perform the access operation, the access operation is continued. If it is determined to perform the recess operation, the current row of the bank is refreshed. DRAM access performance is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xu Guang Sun, Hong Wei Wang, Hou Gang Li, Kai Zhang
  • Publication number: 20130318322
    Abstract: A memory management apparatus includes a first controller adapted to receive an input data sequence including one or more data frames and operative: to separate each of the data frames into a payload data portion and a header portion; to store the payload data portion in at least one available memory location in a physical storage space; and to store in a logical storage space the header portion along with at least one associated index indicating where in the physical storage space the corresponding payload data portion resides. The apparatus further includes a second controller operative, as a function of a data read request, to access the physical storage space using the header portion and associated index from the logical storage space to retrieve the corresponding payload data portion and to combine the header portion with the payload data portion to generate a response to the data read request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: LSI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Varun Shetty, Dipankar Das, Debjit Roy Choudhury, Ashank Reddy
  • Patent number: 8595414
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for selectively combining commands for a system having non-volatile memory (“NVM”). In some embodiments, a command dispatcher of a system can receive multiple commands to access a NVM for a period of time. After receiving the multiple commands, the command dispatcher can determine a set of commands that are naturally combinable. In some embodiments, the command dispatcher can select commands that are fairly distributed across different chip enables (“CEs”) and/or buses. After selecting the set of commands, the command dispatcher can combine the set of commands into a multi-access command. Finally, the command dispatcher can dispatch the multi-access command to the NVM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Post, Nir J. Wakrat, Vadim Khmelnitsky
  • Publication number: 20130282974
    Abstract: A shiftable memory that supports array merging employs built-in shifting capability to produce a merged array from a first array of data and a second array of data. The shiftable memory includes a memory to store data. The memory provides the built-in shifting capability to shift a contiguous subset of the data from a first location to a second location within the memory. The shiftable memory further includes an array-merging operator to produce the merged array using the built-in shifting capability. The contiguous subset of the data includes the first array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventor: Pramod G. Joisha
  • Publication number: 20130282969
    Abstract: A method and controller for implementing storage adapter performance optimization with chained hardware operations completion coalescence, and a design structure on which the subject controller circuit resides are provided. The controller includes a plurality of hardware engines, and a processor. A plurality of the command blocks are selectively arranged by firmware in a predefined chain including a plurality of simultaneous command blocks. All of the simultaneous command blocks are completed in any order by respective hardware engines, then the next command block in the predefined chain is started under hardware control without any hardware-firmware (HW-FW) interlocking with the simultaneous command block completion coalescence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2012
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Adrian C. Gerhard, Lyle E. Grosbach, Daniel F. Moertl
  • Patent number: 8566562
    Abstract: An operation method of a memory includes the steps of calculating an offset of sequential write commands and the beginning of pages of a block of a non-volatile memory; shifting the block by the offset; and directly writing data from a host to the pages except the first and last pages of the block by the sequential write commands. In an embodiment, the pages are logical pages providing optimal writing efficiency and are determined before calculating the offset. The step of shifting the block by the offset is to increase corresponding logical block addresses (LBA) in the pages by the offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Skymedi Corporation
    Inventors: Yu Mao Kao, Yung Li Ji, Chih Nan Yen, Fuja Shone
  • Publication number: 20130268715
    Abstract: One embodiment sets forth a technique for dynamically mapping addresses to banks of a multi-bank memory based on a bank mode. Application programs may be configured to perform read and write a memory accessing different numbers of bits per bank, e.g., 32-bits per bank, 64-bits per bank, or 128-bits per bank. On each clock cycle an access request may be received from one of the application programs and per processing thread addresses of the access request are dynamically mapped based on the bank mode to produce a set of bank addresses. The bank addresses are then used to access the multi-bank memory. Allowing different bank mappings enables each application program to avoid bank conflicts when the memory is accesses compared with using a single bank mapping for all accesses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Inventors: Michael FETTERMAN, Stewart Glenn Carlton, Douglas J. Hahn, Rajeshwaran Selvanesan, Shirish Gadre, Steven James Heinrich
  • Patent number: 8554986
    Abstract: Disclosed is a flash memory controlling method and controlling device. The flash memory controlling method including calculating a cost for each of available block recycling schemes based on a multi-block erase function when the multi-block erase function is supported, the multi-block erase function being a function that simultaneously erases data stored in a plurality of blocks of a flash memory and selecting at least one scheme from among the available block recycling schemes based on the calculated cost, and managing at least one block using the at least one method selected from among the available block recycling schemes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: OCZ Technology Group Inc.
    Inventors: Jongmin Lee, Donghee Lee, Hanmook Park
  • Publication number: 20130246732
    Abstract: A method of programming memory cells for a rewritable non-volatile memory module is provided. The method includes: receiving a command which indicates performing an update operation to a logical page; and identifying valid logical access addresses and invalid logical access addresses in the logical page according to the command. The method also includes: selecting a physical page; setting flags corresponding to the valid logical access addresses in a valid state, setting flags corresponding to the invalid logical access in an invalid state; programming the flags and data belonging to the valid logical access addresses to the selected physical page based on the update operation; and mapping the selected physical page to the logical page. Accordingly, the method can effectively increase the speed of programming the memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: PHISON ELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Kian-Fui Seng, Ming-Hui Tseng, Ching-Hsien Wang
  • Patent number: 8539142
    Abstract: Logical-physical translation information comprises information denoting the corresponding relationships between multiple logical pages and multiple logical chunks forming a logical address space of a nonvolatile semiconductor storage medium, and information denoting the corresponding relationships between the multiple logical chunks and multiple physical storage areas. Each logical page is a logical storage area conforming to a logical address range. Each logical chunk is allocated to two or more logical pages of multiple logical pages. Two or more physical storage areas of multiple physical storage areas are allocated to each logical chunk. A controller adjusts the number of physical storage areas to be allocated to each logical chunk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Ogawa, Atsushi Kawamura
  • Patent number: 8533422
    Abstract: An apparatus of an aspect includes a prefetch cache line address predictor to receive a cache line address and to predict a next cache line address to be prefetched. The next cache line address may indicate a cache line having at least 64-bytes of instructions. The prefetch cache line address predictor may have a cache line target history storage to store a cache line target history for each of multiple most recent corresponding cache lines. Each cache line target history may indicate whether the corresponding cache line had a sequential cache line target or a non-sequential cache line target. The cache line address predictor may also have a cache line target history predictor. The cache line target history predictor may predict whether the next cache line address is a sequential cache line address or a non-sequential cache line address, based on the cache line target history for the most recent cache lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Samantika Subramaniam, Aamer Jaleel, Simon C. Steely, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8527737
    Abstract: The described embodiments determine if two addressed memory regions overlap. First, a first address for a first memory region and a second address for a second memory region are received. Then a composite address is generated from the first and second addresses. Next, an upper subset and a lower subset of the bits in the addresses are determined. Then, using the upper and lower subsets of the addresses, a determination is made whether the addresses meet a condition from a set of conditions. If so, a determination is made whether the lower subset of the bits in the addresses meet a criteria from a set of criteria. Based on the determination whether the lower subset of the bits in the addresses meet a criteria, a determination is made whether the memory regions overlap or do not overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffry E. Gonion
  • Patent number: 8503258
    Abstract: Various embodiments include apparatus, systems, and methods having multiple dice arranged in a stack in which a defective cell may be replaced by a spare cell on the same die or a different die. Other embodiments are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Keeth, Chris G. Martin, Troy A. Manning, Joe M. Jeddeloh, Timothy B. Cowles, Jim Rehmeyer, Paul A. LaBerge
  • Patent number: 8499115
    Abstract: A control method for a memory is provided. The memory includes a plurality of storage units, each storing a plurality of bits. In a read mode, a read command is provided to the memory. The value of a most significant bit (MSB) of each storage unit is obtained and recorded. The value of the most significant bits is output. The value of a neighboring bit of each storage unit is obtained and recorded. The neighboring bit neighbors the most significant bit. The value of the neighboring bits is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ming-Xing Gao
  • Patent number: 8495292
    Abstract: An apparatus and system are disclosed for an in-server storage area network (“SAN”). A first storage controller is included within a first server. The first storage controller controls at least one storage device. The first server includes a network interface shared by the first server and the first storage controller. A storage communication module is included that facilitates communication between the first storage controller and at least one device external to the first server, where the communication between the first storage controller and the external device is independent from the first server. An in-server SAN module is included that services a storage request using at least one of a network protocol and a bus protocol. The in-server SAN module services the storage request independent from the first server, the service request received from a client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Fusion-io, Inc.
    Inventors: David Flynn, David Atkisson, Bert Lagerstedt, John Strasser, Jonathan Thatcher, Michael Zappe
  • Publication number: 20130185495
    Abstract: Information on strides configured in the second cache includes information indicating a number of valid tracks in the strides, wherein a stride has at least one of valid tracks and free tracks not including valid data. A determination is made of tracks to demote from the first cache. A first stride is formed including the determined tracks to demote. The tracks from the first stride are added to a second stride in the second cache that has no valid tracks. A target stride in the second cache is selected based on a stride most recently used to consolidate strides from at least two strides into one stride. Data from the valid tracks is copied from at least two source strides in the second cache to the target stride.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta
  • Publication number: 20130185494
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for managing data in a cache system comprising a first cache, a second cache, and a storage system. A determination is made of tracks stored in the storage system to demote from the first cache. A first stride is formed including the determined tracks to demote. A determination is made of a second stride in the second cache in which to include the tracks in the first stride. The tracks from the first stride are added to the second stride in the second cache. A determination is made of tracks in strides in the second cache to demote from the second cache. The determined tracks to demote from the second cache are demoted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ash, Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Matthew J. Kalos, Karl A. Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20130185493
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for managing caching of extents of tracks in a first cache, second cache and storage device. A determination is made of an eligible track in a first cache eligible for demotion to a second cache, wherein the tracks are stored in extents configured in a storage device, wherein each extent is comprised of a plurality of tracks. A determination is made of an extent including the eligible track and whether second cache caching for the determined extent is enabled or disabled. The eligible track is demoted from the first cache to the second cache in response to determining that the second cache caching for the determined extent is enabled. Selection is made not to demote the eligible track in response to determining that the second cache caching for the determined extent is disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Lokesh M. Gupta, Paul H. Muench, Cheng-Chung Song
  • Patent number: 8489855
    Abstract: A solid state drive that uses over-provisioning of NAND flash memory blocks as part of housekeeping functionality, including deduplication and coalescence of data for efficient usage of NAND flash memory devices and maintaining sufficient numbers of erased blocks to promote write performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: OCZ Technology Group Inc.
    Inventor: Franz Michael Schuette
  • Publication number: 20130166822
    Abstract: Solid-state storage management for a system that includes a main board and a solid-state storage board separate from the main board is provided. The sold-state storage board includes a solid-state memory device and solid-state storage devices. The system is configured to perform a method that includes a correspondence being established, by a software module located on the main board, between a first logical address and a first physical address on the solid-state storage devices. The correspondence between the first logical address and the first physical address is stored in a location on the solid-state memory device. The method also includes translating the first logical address into the first physical address. The translating is performed by an address translator module located on the solid-state storage board and is based on the previously established correspondence between the first logical address and the first physical address.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michele M. Franceschini, Ashish Jagmohan
  • Publication number: 20130151803
    Abstract: Example apparatus and methods associated with frequency and migration based re-parsing are provided. One example data de-duplication apparatus includes a migration logic and a parsing logic. The migration logic may be configured to perform a data transfer according to an access frequency to the data. The parsing logic may be configured to re-parse the data based on the access frequency to the data. In different examples, parsing the data may be performed in response to migrating the data. In one example, parsing the data may be performed during or after the migration. Additional examples illustrate parsing the data to balance performance against reduction in light of access frequency to the data block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: Quantum Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey Tofano
  • Publication number: 20130151766
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to CPU and/or digital memory architecture. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to various approaches for adapting current designs to provide connection of a storage unit to a CPU via a memory unit through the use of controllers. This allows for system data to flow from the CPU to the memory unit to the storage unit. Such a configuration is enabled by the use of an extended memory access scheme that comprises a plurality of row address strobes (RAS) and a column address strobe (CAS) (and, optionally, one or more data bit line DQs).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Inventor: Moon J. Kim
  • Publication number: 20130145075
    Abstract: A system, and computer program product for managing the lifespan of a memory using a hybrid storage configuration are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A throttling rate is set to a first value for processing memory operations in the memory device. The first value is set using a health data of the memory device for determining the first value. A determination is made whether a memory operation can be performed on the memory device within the first value of the throttling rate, the first value of the throttling rate allowing a first number of memory operations using the memory device per time period. In response to the determining being negative, the memory operation is performed using a secondary storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Wei Huang, Anthony Nelson Hylick
  • Publication number: 20130138916
    Abstract: A controller for the storage apparatus: creates a second logical volume in a storage area provided by one or more storage devices; stores management information of a snapshot of a first logical volume, which is to be provided to a host computer, in the second logical volume; and reads the management information of a necessary snapshot from the second logical volume to a memory when needed, executes processing using the read management information, and returns the management information, which becomes no longer necessary, from the memory to the second logical volume. When reading the management information of the necessary snapshot from the second logical volume to the memory when needed, the controller changes the number of generations and address range of the snapshot of the management information to be read to the memory according to a generation and address of the snapshot whose management information is required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2011
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Masayoshi Ohara, Koji Nagata, Kosuke Sakai
  • Patent number: 8452920
    Abstract: A method of controlling a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a DRAM memory controller is provided. An example DRAM memory controller includes a content addressable memory (CAM) based decision control module. The CAM based decision control module includes a CAM access storage module, a next access table module, and a decision logic module. Further, the DRAM memory controller includes a DRAM access control interface. The method includes detecting a request for a read-modify-write operation. The method also includes creating a read access request and a write access request based on the detecting. Further, the method includes prioritizing the read access request and the write access request. Moreover, the method includes executing the read access request and the write access request based on the prioritizing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Synopsys Inc.
    Inventors: Raghavan Menon, Raj Mahajan
  • Patent number: 8443168
    Abstract: A microcontroller includes a plurality of primary registers, a secondary register and a central processing unit (CPU). The primary registers store a plurality of primary data respectively. Each primary data has a first width. The secondary register includes the plurality of primary registers and stores a secondary data having a second width. The secondary data includes a combination of the plurality of primary data. The CPU executes a first instruction in a first mode in which a primary data is fetched for operation and executes a second instruction in a second mode in which the secondary data is fetched for operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: O2Micro Inc.
    Inventor: Xiaojun Zeng
  • Publication number: 20130111103
    Abstract: A memory configured to provide a write requestor with a direct write programming interface to a disk device. A first persistent memory is configured for designating at least a portion its memory locations as central processing unit (CPU) load storable memory. The first persistent memory is also configured for receiving write data from the write requestor, for storing the write data in the CPU load storable memory, and for returning a write completion message to the write requestor in response to the storing completing. The memory also includes a second persistent memory that includes the disk device, and a controller in communication with the first and second persistent memories. The controller is configured for detecting the storing of the write data to the CPU load storable memory and for copying the write data to the second persistent memory in response to detecting the storing of the write data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CORPORATION
    Inventors: John S. Dodson, Randal C. Swanberg
  • Publication number: 20130111107
    Abstract: A tier identification (TID) is to indicate a characteristic of a memory region associated with a virtual address in a tiered memory system. A thread may be serviced according to a first path based on the TID indicating a first characteristic. The thread may be serviced according to a second path based on the TID indicating a second characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Inventors: Jichuan Chang, Kevin T. Lim, Parthasarathy Ranganathan
  • Publication number: 20130103922
    Abstract: Responding to IO requests made by an application to an operating system within a computing device implements IO performance acceleration that interfaces with the logical and physical disk management components of the operating system and within that pathway provides a system memory based disk block cache. The logical disk management component of the operating system identifies logical disk addresses for IO requests sent from the application to the operating system. These addresses are translated to physical disk addresses that correspond to disk blocks available on a physical storage resource. The disk block cache stores cached disk blocks that correspond to the disk blocks available on the physical storage resource, such that IO requests may be fulfilled from the disk block cache.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Inventors: Ziya Aral, Roni J. Putra
  • Publication number: 20130086322
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to support multitenant data in an EclipseLink environment. EclipseLink supports shared multitenant tables using tenant discriminator columns, allowing an application to be re-used for multiple tenants and have all their data co-located. Tenants can share the same schema transparently, without affecting one another and can use non-multitenant entity types as per usual. This functionality is flexible enough to allow for its usage at an Entity Manager Factory level or with individual Entity Manager's based on the application's needs. Support for multitenant entities can be done though the usage of a multitenant annotation or <multitenant> xml element configured in an eclipselink-orm.xml mapping file. The multitenant annotation can be used on an entity or mapped superclass and is used in conjunction with a tenant discriminator column or <tenant-discriminator-column> xml element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guy Pelletier, Douglas Clarke
  • Publication number: 20130080694
    Abstract: Dynamic memory systems require each memory cell to be continually refreshed. During a memory refresh operation, the refreshed memory cells cannot be accessed by a memory read or write operation. In multi-bank dynamic memory systems, concurrent refresh systems allow memory refresh circuitry to refresh memory banks that are not currently involved in memory access operations. To efficiently refresh memory banks and advanced round robin refresh system refreshes memory banks in a nominal round robin manner but skips memory banks blocked by memory access operations. Skipped memory banks are prioritized and then refreshed when they are no longer blocked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: MEMOIR SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Sundar IYER, Shang-Tse CHUANG
  • Publication number: 20130080685
    Abstract: A storage device includes a data storage having first and second storage areas corresponding to different physical addresses. First data are stored in the first storage area. The storage device further includes a first memory that stores a reference count associated with the first data, and a controller that rearranges the first data from the first storage area to the second storage area in response to a change in the reference count of the first data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Inventors: Hyun-Chul PARK, Kyung-Ho Kim, Sang-Mok Kim, O-Tae Bae, Dong-Gi Lee, Jeong-Hoon Jeong
  • Publication number: 20130080680
    Abstract: A temperature management method suitable for a memory storage device having a rewritable non-volatile memory module and a memory controller used for controlling the rewritable non-volatile memory module are provided. The temperature management method includes detecting and determining whether the hot-spot temperature of the memory storage device is higher than a predetermined temperature; and when affirmative, making the memory controller execute a cooling process, so as to reduce the hot-spot temperature of the memory storage device. Accordingly, the problem of heat buildup of the (rewritable non-volatile) memory storage device can be mitigated, as well as the problems of data loss and device aging of the (rewritable non-volatile) memory storage device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: PHISON ELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventor: Chien-Hua Chu
  • Patent number: 8407407
    Abstract: A drive control module of a solid-state drive (SSD) includes a first module that receives host commands from one of a host command buffer and a drive interface of the SSD, converts the host commands to stage commands, and determines whether to store the stage commands in a stage slot of a staging memory or leave the stage slot empty. A second module transfers data between a buffer and a flash memory based on the stage commands. The flash memory comprises flash arrays. A third module detects a first empty stage of one of the flash arrays and based on an empty stage timer value triggers at least one of an end of the first empty stage, a start of an at least partially full stage of the one of the flash arrays, or a start of a second empty stage of the one of the flash arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Jason Adler, Lau Nguyen, Perry Neos
  • Patent number: 8397049
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a memory management unit (MMU) is configured to retain a block of data that includes multiple page table entries. The MMU is configured to check the block in response to TLB misses, and to supply a translation from the block if the translation is found in the block without generating a memory read for the translation. In some embodiments, the MMU may also maintain a history of the TLB misses that have used translations from the block, and may generate a prefetch of a second block based on the history. For example, the history may be a list of the most recently used Q page table entries, and the history may show a pattern of access that are nearing an end of the block. In another embodiment, the history may comprise a count of the number of page table entries in the block that have been used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: James Wang, Zongjian Chen
  • Publication number: 20130060996
    Abstract: In accordance with the present disclosure, a system and method for controller independent faulty memory replacement is described. The system includes a system memory component with a system memory component architecture. The system also includes a memory buffer coupled to the system memory component. The memory buffer may include at least one spare memory location corresponding to a faulty memory location of the system memory component. Additionally, the system memory component architecture may receive a read command directed to an address of the system memory component containing the faulty memory location and output, in response to the read command, data corresponding to the address from both the system memory component and the at least one spare memory component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventor: Stuart Allen Berke
  • Publication number: 20130061020
    Abstract: A method includes selectively routing a physical address to an originating device instead of to a shared memory at controller that manages conversion of device virtual addresses to physical addresses. The physical address corresponds to a data access from a virtual device. The method may provide local coherency at a computing system that implements virtualized input/output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher Edward Koob, Lucian Codrescu, Erich James Plondke, Bryan C. Bayerdorffer
  • Patent number: 8392691
    Abstract: A data management method, a memory controller and a memory storage apparatus are provided. The method includes grouping physical units of a rewritable non-volatile memory module into at least a data area and a free area. The method also includes configuring logical units for mapping to the physical units of the data area and writing update data belonging to the logical pages of the logical units orderly into the physical pages of physical units gotten from the free area. The method further includes configuring root units for the logical pages, configuring an entry chain for each of the root units and building entries on the entry chains for recording update information of the updated logical pages, wherein each of the logical pages corresponds to a root unit. Accordingly, the table size for storing the update information is effectively reduced and the time for searching valid data is effectively shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Phison Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Chih-Kang Yeh
  • Publication number: 20130054884
    Abstract: A memory controller and a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) interface are disclosed. The memory controller implements signals for the DRAM interface. The DRAM interface includes a differential clock signal, an uncalibrated parallel command bus, and a high-speed, serial address bus. The command bus may be used to initiate communication with the memory device upon power-up and to initiate calibration of the address bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventors: Alok GUPTA, Barry A. Wagner
  • Publication number: 20130054887
    Abstract: When using virtually stored data sets, such as virtual storage access method (VSAM) data sets, while the data set is open (referred to as an open time) static data set characteristics and/or job parameters have been defined for the VSAM data set. In one approach, even after a data set is opened, a virtually stored control block structure for the data set may be modified, such as by providing a dynamic address space associated with the data set in order to interact with the data set in an environment which allows for a service block request to modify the control block structure, such that data set characteristics and/or job parameters for the data set may be modified during the open time of the data set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kam H. Ho, Maya P. Pandya
  • Publication number: 20130054932
    Abstract: The storage system exports logical storage volumes that are provisioned as storage objects. These storage objects are accessed on demand by connected computer systems using standard protocols, such as SCSI and NFS, through logical endpoints for the protocol traffic that are configured in the storage system. Logical storage volumes are created from a logical storage container having an address space that maps to storage locations of the physical data storage units. Each of the logical storage volumes so created has an address space that maps to the address space of the logical storage container. A logical storage container may span more than one storage system and logical storage volumes of different customers can be provisioned from the same logical storage container with appropriate security settings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Sanjay ACHARYA, Rajesh BHAT, Satyam B. VAGHANI, Ilia SOKOLINSKI, Chiao-Chuan SHIH, Komal DESAI
  • Patent number: 8380926
    Abstract: A method is used in handling sector edges. Input/output (I/O) requests to a storage device are handled. The I/O requests use a different sector size format than that of the storage device. An I/O request is received for a write operation at a logical address of a virtual device. The write operation specifies new data to be written to the virtual device. A logical sector associated with the logical address is determined. The logical sector is mapped to a portion of a physical sector of the storage device. The sector edge of the physical sector is read into a RAID-protected memory. The read sector edge is written together with the new data to the storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Foley, Ronald D. Proulx, Adi Ofer
  • Publication number: 20130036263
    Abstract: A solid state storage device using volatile memory comprises a first transmission interface, a memory controller, a memory module and a backup memory module. The memory module is comprised of a plurality of volatile memories. The backup memory module is comprised of a plurality of non-volatile memories. A plurality of volatile memories and a plurality of non-volatile memories are electrically coupled with the memory controller via memory connecting sockets. Before power failure, the memory controller controls the memory module to save internal data backup to the backup memory module. In addition, the memory controller controls memory module to save internal backup data back to the backup memory module when required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Inventor: Shu-Min LIU