Fusion-io, Inc.

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Longitude Enterprise Flash S.a.r.l.

Unification Technologies, LLC

Intelligent Intellectual Property Holdings 2 LLC

Fusion-10, Inc

Fio Semiconductor Technologies Limited

Fusion Multisystems, Inc.

Fusion-i0, Inc.

Jonathan Thatcher

David Flynn

John Strasser

Michael Zappe

Joshua Aune

Jeremy David Fillingim

Kevin Vigor

Bert Lagerstedt

Bill Inskeep

David Atkisson

Robert Barry Wood

John Walker

Lance L Smith

James G Peterson

Vince S Warner

Ethan Barnes

Alan Hayes

Stephan Uphoff

Edward Shober

Kevin B Vigor

Lance Smith

A method for managing data in a NAND flash storage system is provided. The method includes one or more of receiving an empty data segment directive at a storage controller, returning a data string including data of a predetermined logic level in response to a read command requesting to read data associated with a logical identifier included in the empty data segment directive, maintaining an index of mapping between the logical identifier and a physical storage location, updating the index to indicate data at the physical storage location does not need to be preserved, monitoring one or more physical storage locations, including the physical storage location, to determine a percentage of the one or more physical storage locations that do not need to be preserved, and initiating garbage collection on the one or more physical storage locations in response to the percentage reaching a threshold. The empty data segment directive includes a logical identifier associated with the physical storage location.

Systems and methods for identifying storage resources that are not in use

A system is provided. The system includes a solid state storage including a plurality of banks, a first controller that directs one or more commands to a queue of a set of a plurality of queues, and a second controller configured to receive the one or more commands from the plurality of queues. The one or more commands are separated into the set of the plurality of queues based on a command type of each command of the one or more commands, and each set of the plurality of queues includes a first queue configured to store management commands and a second queue configured to store other commands. Each bank of the plurality of banks corresponds to a different set of the plurality of queues. The second controller is configured to generate subcommands based on the commands and direct the subcommands to a bank of the solid state storage.

Apparatus, system, and method for managing commands of solid-state storage using bank interleave

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing a non-volatile storage medium. A storage controller receives a message that identifies data that no longer needs to be retained on the non-volatile storage medium. The data may be identified using a logical identifier. The message may comprise a hint, directive, or other indication that the data has been erased and/or deleted. In response to the message, the storage controller records an indication that the contents of a physical storage location and/or physical address associated with the logical identifier do not need to be preserved on the non-volatile storage medium.

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficiently managing commands in a solid-state storage device that includes a solid-state storage arranged in two or more banks. Each bank is separately accessible and includes two or more solid-state storage elements accessed in parallel by a storage input/output bus. The solid-state storage includes solid-state, non-volatile memory. The solid-state storage device includes a bank interleave that directs one or more commands to two or more queues, where the one or more commands are separated by command type into the queues. Each bank includes a set of queues in the bank interleave controller. Each set of queues includes a queue for each command type. The bank interleave controller coordinates among the banks execution of the commands stored in the queues, where a command of a first type executes on one bank while a command of a second type executes on a second bank.

In various embodiments, an apparatus, system, and method may increase data integrity in a redundant storage system. In one embodiment, a request is received for data stored at a storage system having a plurality of storage elements, where one or more of the plurality of storage elements include parity information. A determination is made that one of the plurality of storage elements is unavailable, the unavailable storage element being a functional storage element and including at least a portion of the data. Responsive to the determination, the data is reconstructed based on at least a portion of the parity information and data from one or more of the plurality of storage elements other than the unavailable storage element; a response is provided to the request such that the response includes the reconstructed data.

Apparatus, system, and method to increase data integrity in a redundant storage system

One apparatus includes a storage division selection module configured to select a storage division of a solid-state storage medium for recovery. The solid-state storage medium includes a plurality of storage divisions. Each storage division includes a plurality of storage locations. The apparatus also includes an erase module configured to erase the selected storage division. The apparatus includes a storage division recovery module configured to store a sequence indicator in the erased storage division. The sequence indicator is indicative of an ordered sequence of the plurality of storage divisions, and the sequence indicator is determined by reading information stored with data on the plurality of storage divisions.

Systems and methods for storage space recovery

An apparatus and system are disclosed for a storage area network ('SAN'). In one embodiment, a computer system includes an internal storage device and an internal storage controller. In this embodiment, the internal storage controller is configured to implement a SAN that includes at least the internal storage device and a storage device external to the computer system. In this embodiment, the internal storage controller is further configured to service a storage request received from a client that involves data stored by the internal storage device. In this embodiment, the internal storage controller is configured to communicate with the external storage device via a network.

Apparatus, system, and method for a storage area network

The invention includes a proxy request receiver module and a proxy request command module. The proxy request receiver module executes on a designated command proxy host and receives a proxy request from a requesting host. The requesting host is one of two or more hosts. Each of the hosts executes an operating system independent from the other hosts and a shared device. One of the hosts is designated as the command proxy host. A system bus connects the hosts and shared device. The proxy request includes a control request to be executed by the shared device sufficient to configure the shared device for a data transfer between the requesting host and shared device independent of the command proxy host. The control request is free of data. The proxy request command module transmits the control request to the shared device.

Apparatus, system, and method for a device shared between multiple independent hosts

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for allocating non-volatile storage. The storage device may present a logical address, which may exceed a physical storage capacity of the device. The storage device may allocate logical capacity in the logical address space. An allocation request may be allowed when there is sufficient unassigned and/or unallocated logical capacity to satisfy the request. Data may be stored on the non-volatile storage device by requesting physical storage capacity. A physical storage request, such as a storage request or physical storage reservation, when there is sufficient available physical storage capacity to satisfy the request. The device may maintain an index to associate logical identifiers (LIDs) in the logical address space with storage locations on the storage device. This index may be used to make logical capacity allocations and/or to manage physical storage space.

Apparatus, system, and method for allocating storage

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.

Growing community of inventors

Liberty Lake, WA, United States of America

Jonathan Thatcher