Intel Corporation

David A Edwards

Robert N Hasbun

Andrew H Gafken

Hormuzd M Khosravi

Christopher J Spiegel

Yasser Rasheed

Venkat R Gokulrangan

David M Durham

Men Long

Eng Hun Ooi

Chai Huat Gan

Divya Naidu Kolar Sunder

Josephe E Clark

A method and device for providing a secure scan of a data storage device from a remote server are disclosed. In some embodiments, a computing device may include an in-band processor configured to execute an operating system and at least one host driver, communication circuitry configured to communicate with a remote server, and an out-of-band (OOB) processor capable of communicating with the remote server using the communication circuitry irrespective of the state of the operating system. The OOB processor may be configured to receive a block read request from the remote server, instruct the at least one host driver to send a storage command to a data storage device, receive data retrieved from the data storage device and authentication metadata generated by the data storage device, and transmit the data and the authentication metadata to the remote server.

Method and apparatus for secure scan of data storage device from remote server

A method and device allowing a scan of a data storage device from a remote server are disclosed. In some embodiments, a computing device may include an out-of-band (OOB) configured to compute a first hash value for data stored in one or more sectors of a data storage device at a first time; receive, using communication circuitry, a request to transmit a portion of the data stored in the one or more sectors of the data storage device at a second time, the second time being subsequent to the first time; compute a second hash value for the data stored in the one or more sectors of the data storage device at the second time; and transmit, using the communication circuitry, the requested portion of the data, only if the second hash value does not match the first hash value.

Method and apparatus allowing scan of data storage device from remote server

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and computing devices configured to establish secure out-of-band storage control. In various embodiments, a management module in a client device may be used to communicate with a server device independent of an operating system of the client device, to facilitate remote storage services. Other embodiments may be disclosed and claimed.

Secure out-of-band storage control

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for enabling out-of-band access to storage devices through port-sharing hardware. Providing out-of-band access to storage devices enables system management functions to be performed when an operating system is non-functional as well as when the operating system is active. Storage commands originating with a management service can be interleaved with storage commands issued by the host operating system. The host operating system maintains ownership and control over its storage devices, but management activities can be performed while the host operating system is operational.

Out-of-band access to storage devices through port-sharing hardware

Methods of allocating, writing, reading, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclaiming space within a nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture are described. A method of reliably re-allocating a first object includes the step of storing a location of a first object in a first data structure. A location of the first data structure is stored in a second data structure. A duplicate of the first object is formed by initiating a copy of the first object. An erase of the first object is initiated. A write of a second object to the location of the first object is then initiated. The duplicate object is invalidated. The status of copying, erasing, and writing is tracked. The copy status, erase status, write status, and a restoration status are used to determine a recovery state upon initialization of the nonvolatile memory. The duplicate object is invalidated, if the writing status indicates that the writing of the second object has been completed. The first object is erased, if a restoration status indicates copying of the duplicate object was initiated but not completed. The erasing of the first object is completed, if the erase status indicates that erasure of the first object is not completed. A restoration of the duplicate object to the location of the first object is initiated, if the copying status indicates that copying of the first object was completed. The copying of the duplicate object is tracked as a restoration status.

Method of performing reliable updates in a symmetrically blocked nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture

A memory module including a flash EEPROM memory array designed to be joined to a memory bus of a computer, BIOS processes including system status test processes stored in the array, diagnostic processes stored in the array to provide data indicating malfunctions in the computer, accessing processes stored in the array for calling the system status test processes and the diagnostic processes even though the computer fails to boot, and communication processes stored in the array for transferring results produced by the system status test processes and the diagnostic processes for use in servicing the computer.

Method and apparatus for providing improved diagnostic functions in a computer system

Methods of allocating, writing, reading, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclaiming space within a nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture are described. In one embodiment, a method of reliably re-allocating a first object stored within a block erasable nonvolatile memory includes the step of allocating space for a second object. A write of the second object is initiated and the writing of the second object is tracked. In another embodiment, a method of re-allocating a first object stored within a block erasable nonvolatile memory includes the step of invalidating the first object, if the first object has an unreliable type of recovery level. Space is allocated for the second object. A write of the second object is initiated and the writing of the second object is tracked. In another embodiment, a method of reliably re-allocating a first object stored within the block erasable nonvolatile memory includes the step of allocating space for the second object. A write of the second object is initiated and the writing of the second object is tracked. The first object is invalidated after completion of writing the second object, if the first object has a reliable type of recovery. In one embodiment, the first object resides within a first portion of nonvolatile memory and the instructions for performing the described methods reside in a second portion of nonvolatile memory. The first and second portions can reside within a same nonvolatile memory such as a symmetrically blocked flash electrically erasable programmable read only memory.

Methods of reliably allocating, writing, reading, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclaiming space within a nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture are described. Allocation, writing, reading, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclamation are handled by a memory manager. The memory manager tracks the progress of each process during execution in order to detect whether a selected process was interrupted for purposes of recovery. The nonvolatile memory is recovered to a known state during initialization. Initialization includes the step of determining a recovery state from a recovery state lookup table. A selected recovery process is selected in accordance with the recovery state lookup table. A restart level for the selected process is determined from a corresponding restart state lookup table. The selected process is then restarted at the restart level. In one embodiment, a method of managing a nonvolatile memory includes the step of identifying an interrupted process from at least one of an allocation, a reclamation, a configuration header reclaim, and a re-allocation process initiated on the nonvolatile memory. A recovery process is selected for the interrupted process. An entry point into the recovery process is determined. The selected recovery process is then restarted at the entry point.

Methods of reliably allocating, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclaiming objects in a symmetrically blocked nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture

A method of executing a program includes the step of initiating execution of the program stored contiguously without code fragmentation in a nonvolatile memory. Execution of the program is halted if the program attempts to modify a page of the nonvolatile memory. The page of nonvolatile memory is then copied to a modifiable memory. The page of nonvolatile memory is then remapped to the modifiable memory. Execution of the program is then resumed. A computer system for execution of a program includes a nonvolatile memory storing a program contiguously without code fragmentation. The computer system includes a processor for executing the program. A memory management unit generates an interrupt in response to a request to modify a page of the nonvolatile memory. Execution of the program is halted and the processor copies the page of nonvolatile memory to a modifiable memory in response to the interrupt. The processor resumes execution of the program after updating an address translation table of the memory management unit to refer to the modifiable memory for subsequent program access requests to the page of nonvolatile memory.

Method and apparatus for executing a program stored in nonvolatile memory

Methods of allocating, writing, reading, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclaiming space within a nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture are described. A method of reliably re-allocating a first object includes the step of storing a location of a first object in a first data structure. A location of the first data structure is stored in a second data structure. A duplicate of the first object is formed by initiating a copy of the first object. An erase of the first object is initiated. A write of a second object to the location of the first object is then initiated. The duplicate object is invalidated. The status of copying, erasing, and writing is tracked. The copy status, erase status, write status, and a restoration status are used to determine a recovery state upon initialization of the nonvolatile memory. The duplicate object is invalidated , if the writing status indicates that the writing of the second object has been completed. The first object is erased, if a restoration status indicates copying of the duplicate object was initiated but not completed. The erasing of the first object is completed, if the erase status indicates that erasure of the first object is not completed. A restoration of the duplicate object to the location of the first object is initiated, if the copying status indicates that copying of the first object was completed. The copying of the duplicate object is tracked as a restoration status.

Method of performing reliable updates in a symmetrically blocked

Methods of allocating, writing, reading, de-allocating, re-allocating, and reclaiming space within a nonvolatile memory having a bifurcated storage architecture are described. A method of storing an object within a managed object space of the nonvolatile memory includes the step of determining an object class for the object. Objects of a first class are stored contiguously proceeding from a first end towards a second end of the managed object space to form a first class of space. Objects of a second class are stored contiguously proceeding from the second end towards the first end of managed object space to form a second class of space. A header identifying the object is stored at a bottom of the first class of space. The object is stored at a selected one of the bottom of the first class of space and a bottom of the second class of space in accordance with the object class.

Growing community of inventors

Granite Bay, CA, United States of America

David A Edwards