Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Aristos Logic Corporation

Adaptec, Inc.

Western Digital Corporation

Virgil V Wilkins

Robert L Horn

Tsun Y Ng

Ralph H Castro

Mei-Man L Syu

William Bernard Boyle

Alan T Meyer

Robert Morelli Fallone

Quoc Dang

Marc E Acosta

Sanjay S Mathur

Curtis Edgar Stevens

William C Cain

Dominic S Suryabudi

Danny O Ybarra

Asif F Gosla

Jin H Hwang

Hoover K Jung

Patrick D Conley

Mark D Myran

David S Walls

Gnanashanmugam Elumalai

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). Access commands are received from a host including disk read commands. When a high workload of disk access commands is detected, data of at least one disk read command is migrated to the NVSM.

Hybrid drive migrating high workload data from disk to non-volatile semiconductor memory

Disclosed herein is a data storage device comprising data storage media comprising a plurality of data sectors and control circuitry programmed to: receive a command from a host to cryptographically erase at least a portion of data stored on the data storage media; execute a cryptographic erase; receive a read command from the host to read a data sector in the data storage media; determine if the data sector has been cryptographically erased; and return configurable return data to the host in response to determining that the data sector has been cryptographically erased.

Data storage device detecting read-before-write conditions and returning configurable return data

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). When booting the hybrid drive in a first boot mode, the disk remains spun down, and when booting in a second boot mode, the disk is spun up. In one embodiment the hybrid drive receives a host command that configures the boot mode, and in another embodiment the hybrid drive determines the boot mode based on a state of the NVSM, such as an amount of free space or life remaining of the NVSM.

Hybrid drive selectively spinning up disk when powered on

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). An access command is received from a host, the access command identifying at least one target logical block address (LBA). When the target LBA is mapped to a target data track on the disk, the head is positioned over the target data track and an accumulated access time is updated for the target LBA. The accumulated access time is compared to a first threshold, and the target LBA is migrated to the NVSM in response to the comparison.

Hybrid drive migrating data from disk to non-volatile semiconductor memory based on accumulated access time

A flash memory device is disclosed comprising a flash controller for accessing a first flash memory over a first channel and a second flash memory over a second channel. A multi-command descriptor block is received from a host, wherein the multi-command descriptor block comprises identifiers for identifying a plurality of access commands that the host is preparing to request. A first group of the access commands are selected to execute concurrently and a second group of the access commands are selected to execute concurrently. The first group of access commands are received from the host and executed concurrently by accessing at least the first and second flash memories concurrently. The second group of access commands are received from the host and executed concurrently by accessing at least the first and second flash memories concurrently.

Flash memory device comprising host interface for processing a multi-command descriptor block in order to exploit concurrency

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). When a write command is received from a host that is mapped to the NVSM, the write command is serviced by writing data to the NVSM, and when a life remaining of the NVSM falls below a threshold, by also writing a copy of the data to the disk.

Hybrid drive writing copy of data to disk when non-volatile semiconductor memory nears end of life

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). A first execution time needed to execute commands in a NVSM command queue is estimated, and a second execution time needed to execute commands in a disk command queue is estimated. An access command is inserted into a selected one of the NVSM command queue and the disk command queue in response to the first and second execution times, and one of the first and second execution times is updated in response to an estimated execution time of the access command.

Hybrid drive balancing execution times for non-volatile semiconductor memory and disk

Embodiments of the invention include systems and methods for reducing bus transfers for a storage device. In particular, these systems and methods reduce bus transfers by modifying an interface transfer protocol which designates the size of a multiple block read or write command is transmitted in a separate block transfer size command. Separate block transfer size commands can be omitted where the storage device maintains a record of a previously used block transfer size and reuses the size for subsequent multiple block read or write commands.

Storage system bus transfer optimization

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). A write command is received from a host, the write command comprising data. First and second error correction code (ECC) symbols are generated over the data, wherein the second ECC symbols are different than the first ECC symbols. The data and first ECC symbols are written to the NVSM, and the second ECC symbols are written to the disk.

Hybrid drive writing extended error correction code symbols to disk for data sectors stored in non-volatile semiconductor memory

A hybrid drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of data sectors, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVSM). A read frequency of a first logical block address (LBA) is maintained, and when the read frequency of the first LBA exceeds a threshold and a corresponding PBA is assigned to a data sector of the disk, first data stored in the data sector is copied to a memory segment of the NVSM. When the read frequency of the first LBA exceeds a threshold and the PBA is assigned to a memory segment of the NVSM, first data stored in the memory segment is copied to a data sector of the disk. When a read command is received to read the first LBA, a decision is made to read the first data from one of the NVSM and the disk.

Hybrid drive storing redundant copies of data on disk and in non-volatile semiconductor memory based on read frequency

A method of managing bad blocks in a RAID storage system. The system restores physical storage media and stripe redundancy by reassigning sectors and creating a bad block tracking structure. The bad block tracking structure consists of a volume map, a redundancy group table, and a bad block table that stores a bad block list. Redundancy is achieved through RAID 1 or RAID 10 mirroring rather than through the parity restoration required by conventional systems. The tracking structure returns media error status data to the originating host on volume read commands. The structure accepts volume write data from the originating host and then deletes the bad block tracking structure.

Method of managing raid level bad blocks in a networked storage system

A system for mapping between logical addresses and storage units of a plurality of storage volumes which comprise a storage system. For each volume, logical addresses are mapped to storage units using a volume mapping table. Each volume mapping table is comprised of a plurality of segments. Each segment need not be contiguously allocated to another segment of the same table. Thus, each volume mapping table can be independently expanded or reduced without affecting other volume mapping tables. A hash function, a hash table, a segment table, and a redundancy group descriptor table may also be used to help manage the segments of the volume mapping tables.

Segmented storage system mapping

An I/O controller having separate command and data paths, thereby eliminating the bandwidth used by the commands and thus increasing bandwidth available to the data buses. Additionally, the I/O controller uses multiple dedicated data paths, for example, dedicated distributed buses, and provides increased speed due to improved hardware integration. The I/O controller employs distributed processing methods that decouple the external microprocessor from much of the decision-making, thereby providing improved operating efficiency and thus more useable bandwidth at any given clock frequency. Accordingly, the I/O controller is capable of maximizing I/O operations (IOPS) on all I/O ports by functioning at the rate of I/O connections to hosts and storage elements without becoming a bottleneck.

High-speed I/O controller having separate control and data paths

An integrated I/O controller in an integrated circuit is provided for centralized data management. The integrated circuit includes a host interface, a disk interface, and a mapping controller implemented in hardware to speed data processing and provide fault tolerance as exemplified with RAID configurations. The mapping controller provides block mapping across a plurality of peripherals or disk drives in a disk array. The integrated I/O controller can be utilized in storage area network systems and network area storage systems as well as other networking systems or devices.

Integrated input/output controller

A method of predictive baseline volume profile creation for new volumes in a networked storage system and a system for dynamically reevaluating system performance and needs to create an optimized and efficient use of system resources by changing volume profiles as necessary. The system gathers statistical data and analyzes the information through algorithms to arrive at an optimal configuration for volume clusters. Clusters are then reallocated and reassigned to match the ideal system configuration for that point in time. The system continually reevaluates and readjusts its performance to meet throughput requirements specified in the quality of service agreement.

Growing community of inventors

Perris, CA, United States of America

Virgil V Wilkins