Data management in a storage system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10049037-B2
Application number	US-201314105002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2013
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A storage system, and a method of data management in the storage system, with non-volatile memory device characteristics determined during an inspection of non-volatile memory devices before a runtime operation of a storage device in the storage system including: a controller in the storage system: a drive-level control unit configured for an update of operational capabilities based on the non-volatile memory device characteristics during the runtime operation of the storage device and for a group of the non-volatile memory devices based on the operational capabilities; and a memory control unit, coupled to the drive-level control unit, the memory control unit configured to receive the operational capabilities for control of the non-volatile memory devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of data management in a data storage system comprising:
during runtime operation of the data storage system:
directing runtime operations for a first application to a first grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of a plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system;
directing runtime operations for a second application to a second grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system, wherein:
the second application is distinct from the first application and the second grouping is distinct from the first grouping,
groupings, including the first grouping and the second grouping, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices are based on device characteristics of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system,
the device characteristics are indicated by information in a device characteristics table,
each of the groupings of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system corresponds to a respective class of a set of classes of non-volatile memory usage, wherein the set of classes includes at least two of write mostly accesses, read mostly accesses, large sequential accesses, and highly random accesses,
each of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices includes erase blocks that each have multiple pages, and
initial information in the device characteristics table is based on non-volatile memory device characteristics determined during an inspection of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices before the runtime operation of the data storage system;

updating the information in the device characteristics table to indicate updated device characteristics of respective individual non-volatile memory devices in the plurality of non-volatile memory devices determined during the runtime operation of the data storage system;
updating the groupings of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system based on the updated device characteristics indicated by the updated information in the device characteristics table; and
subsequent to updating the groupings, directing runtime operations for the first application to a first updated grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system, and directing runtime operations for the second application to a second updated grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system, wherein the second updated grouping is distinct from the second grouping and the first updated grouping.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising, before the runtime operation on the data storage system, grouping the plurality of non-volatile memory devices, including the first grouping and the second grouping, based on the device characteristics of the non-volatile memory devices indicated by the information in the device characteristics table,
wherein grouping the plurality of non-volatile memory devices includes grouping non-volatile memory devices that have substantially similar device characteristics.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
updating the information in the device characteristics table to indicate updated device characteristics includes determining the average bit error rate for each of the non-volatile memory devices in the plurality of non-volatile memory devices, and
grouping, including the first grouping and the second grouping, the plurality of non-volatile memory devices into said groupings is based at least in part on the determined average bit error rates for the plurality of non-volatile memory devices.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein grouping the plurality of non-volatile memory devices includes dynamically grouping the non-volatile memory devices based at least in part on one of erase time, write time, and latency.

5. A data storage system, comprising:
a plurality of non-volatile memory devices; and
a controller, having one or more processors and one or more modules, configured to, during runtime operation of the data storage system:
direct runtime operations for a first application to a first grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system;
direct runtime operations for a second application to a second grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system, wherein:
the second application is distinct from the first application and the second grouping is distinct from the first grouping,
groupings, including the first grouping and the second grouping, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices are based on device characteristics of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system,
the device characteristics are indicated by information in a device characteristics table,
each of the groupings of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system corresponds to a respective class of a set of classes of non-volatile memory usage, wherein the set of classes includes at least two of write mostly accesses, read mostly accesses, large sequential accesses, and highly random accesses,
each of the non-volatile memory devices includes erase blocks that each have multiple pages, and
initial information in the device characteristics table is based on non-volatile memory device characteristics determined during an inspection of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices before the runtime operation of the data storage system;

update the information in the device characteristics table to indicate updated device characteristics of respective individual non-volatile memory devices in the plurality of non-volatile memory devices determined during the runtime operation of the data storage system;
update the groupings of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system based on the updated device characteristics indicated by the updated information in the device characteristics table; and
subsequent to updating the groupings, direct runtime operations for the first application to a first updated grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system, and directing runtime operations for the second application to a second updated grouping of non-volatile memory devices, of the plurality of non-volatile memory devices in the data storage system, wherein the second updated grouping is distinct from the second grouping and the first updated grouping.

6. The data storage system as claimed in claim 5 , further configured to, before the runtime operation on the data storage system, group the plurality of non-volatile memory devices, including the first grouping and the second grouping, based on the device characteristics of the non-volatile memory devices indicated by the information in the device characteristics table,
wherein grouping the plurality of non-volatile memory devices includes grouping non-volatile memory devices that have substantially similar device characteristics.

7. The data storage system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein:
updating the information in the device characteristics table to indicate updated device characteristics includes determining the average bit error rate for each of the non-volatile memory devices in the plurality of non-volatile memory devices, and
grouping, including the first grouping and the second grouping, the plurality of the non-volatile memory devices into said groupings is based at least in part on the determined average bit error rates for the plurality of non-volatile memory devices.

Assignees

• Sandisk Entpr Ip Llc

Inventors

• Scaramuzzo John
• Rub Bernardo
• Ellis Robert W
• Fitzpatrick James

Classifications

• G06F2212/7208

  Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices · CPC title

• G06F12/0246 Primary

  in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory · CPC title