Seagate Technology Incorporated

Jonathan Williams Haines

Timothy Richard Feldman

Brett Alan Cook

Wayne Howard Vinson

Edwin Scott Olds

Mark A Gaertner

Steven Scott Williams

Brian John Higley

Ryan James Goss

Michael H Miller

Martin Ragnar Furuhjelm

Kevin Arthur Gomez

James Joseph Touchton

Luke William Friendshuh

Gregory Paul Moller

Paul Michael Wiggins

Craig William Miller

Bruce D Emo

Frank William Bernett

David Scott Seekins

Peter Igorevich Vasiliev

Daniel Joseph Coonen

Thomas Richardson Lenny

James Arthur Herbst

Tong Shirh Stone

James Carl Hatfield, Jr

EweChye Tan

Gabriel Ibarra

Hedley Combs Davis

Dan Joseph Coonen

William B Raspotnik

JyeKai K Chang

An example method includes providing at least two data storage areas in a memory, providing a first amount of over-provisioning for a first of the at least two data storage areas and a second amount of over-provisioning for a second of the at least two data storage areas, categorizing data based on a characteristic of the data, and storing the data in one of the at least two data storage areas based on the categorization.

Data segregation in a storage device

The disclosure is related to systems and methods of managing a memory. In a particular embodiment, a memory channel is disclosed that includes multiple memory units, with each memory unit comprising multiple garbage collection units. The memory channel also includes a controller that is communicatively coupled to the multiple memory units. The controller selects a memory unit of the multiple memory units for garbage collection based on a calculated number of memory units, of the multiple memory units, to garbage collect.

Garbage collection management in memories

A storage device controller may segregate data units that are typically accessed together to a common storage unit. In one example, a storage device includes a control unit configured to receive a plurality of logical blocks to be stored in the storage device, wherein a first set of addresses comprises logical block addresses (LBAs) of the plurality of logical blocks, and a non-volatile memory configured to store logical blocks in a plurality of storage units, wherein one of the plurality of storage units includes logical blocks corresponding to a second set of addresses. The control unit may determine an intersection of the first set of addresses with the second set of addresses and to store each of the logical blocks having LBAs in the determined intersection of addresses in a common storage unit of the storage device, wherein the common storage unit comprises one of the plurality of storage units.

Storing corresponding data units in a common storage unit

A variety of data storage devices, methods and systems are implemented for control of memory associated with backup functionality. One such data storage device includes a power circuit that provides main power. The data storage device has a first solid-state memory circuit that maintains data in the absence of electrical power. A second memory circuit is subject to data loss in the absence of electrical power. A storage circuit stores energy and provides the stored energy to the second memory circuit in response to a loss of main power. A test circuit discharges a portion of the stored energy to provide output data indicative of power-providing capabilities of the storage circuit. A memory controller controls data transfers to the data storage device by temporarily storing data destined for the first solid-state memory circuit and setting the amount of memory available for temporary storage in response to the output data.

Systems, methods and devices for control of the operation of data storage devices using solid-state memory

This disclosure is related to distributed media cache for data storage systems, such as disc drives, flash devices, or hybrid devices. In one example, a data storage device comprises a data storage medium and a controller adapted to selectively divide a media cache into a plurality of physically separate media cache portions on the data storage medium based on a physical attribute of the data storage medium and to store data received from a host system into the media cache portions.

Distributed media cache for data storage systems

Implementations described and claimed herein provide a method and system for managing execution of commands for a storage device, the method comprising determining a plurality of commands to be executed for the storage device and while a storage device is executing at least one command, determining an execution order for at least two of the plurality of commands. Alternate implementation described and claimed herein provide a computer readable memory for storing a data structure, the data structure comprising a cost table comprising a number of cells, each cell containing one or more cost values related to one of a plurality of traversals between two locations on a storage device wherein each of the plurality of traversals is related to completion of one of a plurality of commands and a benefit array comprising a number of cells, each cell containing a benefit value related to completion of one of the plurality of commands.

Generalized positional ordering

The disclosure is related to systems and methods of controlling wear of a memory. In a particular embodiment, a system is disclosed that comprises a memory and a performance governor circuit coupled to the memory. The performance governor circuit is adapted to control a wear of the memory as a function of time.

Memory wear control

A method or system comprising iteratively updating a value of an operating parameter of a storage region of a storage device based on dynamic characterization of the storage region during operation of the storage device and using the updated value of the operating parameter during access to the storage region.

Dynamic tracking of storage region operating parameters

This disclosure is related to systems and methods for selective metadata storage in a system having multiple memories. In one example, a device may include a control circuit configured to selectively store a metadata base map in a first memory or a second memory. The metadata base map may include information to determine a physical memory address from a logical block address. The control circuit may also be configured to store metadata updates separately from the metadata base map. The metadata updates may comprise changes to the metadata base map. The control circuit may also be configured to selectively store the metadata updates in the first memory or the second memory based on characteristics of the device.

Selective storage of address mapping metadata in a system having multiple memories

Method and apparatus for securely erasing data from a non-volatile memory, such as but not limited to a flash memory array. In accordance with various embodiments, an extended data set to be sanitized from the memory is identified. The extended data set includes multiple copies of data having a common logical address and different physical addresses within the memory. The extended data set is sanitized in relation to a characterization of the data set. The data sanitizing operation results in the extended data set being purged from the memory and other previously stored data in the memory being retained.

Secure erasure of data from a non-volatile memory

A fixed data region on a storage medium may be allocated with one of a variety of allocation schemes (e.g., a randomly writable allocation scheme, a non-randomly writeable allocation scheme with a first data isolator spacing, a non-randomly writeable allocation scheme with a second data isolator spacing, and a non-randomly writeable allocation scheme with no dynamic isolators). Dynamic sub-region spacing refers at least to the number of data tracks in a data region of a magnetic disc between dynamic isolators and the number of bits in a data region in flash memory between dynamic isolators. The presently disclosed technology adapts isolators on the storage medium to create dynamic sub-regions based on characteristics of the storage medium, characteristics of the data, and/or expected access patterns of data to be written to the storage medium.

Dynamic guarding of a storage media

The present disclosure describes various techniques resolving block boundary issues and reconstructing logical blocks in a block access storage device when there are resulting mismatches between logical and physical block sizes or alignments, such that logical blocks span multiple physical block boundaries in irregular ways. In one example, a method comprises the following features: receiving logical block addresses that are associated with a sequence of logical blocks; and locating a first portion of a logical block within a first physical block that is stored in a block access storage device based upon a logical block address of the logical block, wherein the logical block is part of the sequence of logical blocks, and wherein at least two logical blocks within the sequence of logical blocks have different sizes.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Jonathan Williams Haines