Storage controller providing status information of zone region, method of operating the same, and method of operating electronic device having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12260122-B2
Application number	US-202318369524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2023
Priority date	Mar 23, 2023
Publication date	Mar 25, 2025
Grant date	Mar 25, 2025

Abstract

A method of operating a storage controller which communicates with a host device and a non-volatile memory device is provided. The method includes: receiving a first command from the host device indicating a read operation of first status information of a first zone random write area (ZRWA) in a first zone region, wherein the first command complies with a zoned namespace (ZNS) standard; obtaining the first status information from a zone status table in the storage controller based on the first command, wherein the first status information indicates at least a portion of a first physical region of the non-volatile memory device corresponding to the first ZRWA in which first data are stored; and providing the first status information to the host device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a storage controller which communicates with a host device and a non-volatile memory device, the method comprising:
receiving a first command from the host device indicating a read operation of first status information of a first zone random write area (ZRWA) in a first zone region, wherein the first command complies with a zoned namespace (ZNS) standard;
obtaining the first status information from a zone status table in the storage controller based on the first command, wherein the first status information indicates at least a portion of a first physical region of the non-volatile memory device corresponding to the first ZRWA in which first data are stored; and
providing the first status information to the host device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first zone region supports a sequential write operation and a random write operation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first zone region includes a sequentially written region, the first ZRWA, and an implicit ZRWA flush region (IZFR),
wherein a write pointer of the first zone region points to a start logical block address (LBA) of the first ZRWA, and
wherein the first zone region has a ZSIO state, a ZSEO state, or a ZSC state which complies with the ZNS standard.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before receiving the first command, receiving a second command from the host device indicating a random write operation of the first data;
performing the random write operation of the first data on the first physical region of the non-volatile memory device, based on the second command; and
updating the first status information of the zone status table based on the random write operation of the first data.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
before receiving the second command, receiving a third command from the host device for setting the first ZRWA in the first zone region; and
setting the first ZRWA in the first zone region, based on the third command.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the host device includes a first core managing the first zone region and a second core managing a second zone region, and
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a fourth command from the second core of the host device indicating a read operation of second status information of a second ZRWA in the second zone region, wherein the fourth command complies with the ZNS standard;
obtaining the second status information from the zone status table based on the fourth command, wherein the second status information indicates at least a portion of a second physical region of the non-volatile memory device corresponding to the second ZRWA in which second data are stored; and
providing the second status information to the second core of the host device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
before receiving the fourth command, receiving a fifth command from the second core of the host device indicating a random write operation of the second data;
performing the random write operation of the second data on the second physical region of the non-volatile memory device, based on the fifth command; and
updating the first status information of the zone status table based on the random write operation of the second data.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
before receiving the fifth command, receiving a sixth command from the second core of the host device for setting the second ZRWA in the second zone region; and
setting the second ZRWA in the second zone region, based on the sixth command.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first status information includes bitmap data indicating the portion of the first physical region where the first data are stored, and
wherein each of a series of bits of the bitmap data is set to:
a first bit value to indicate a corresponding physical block of the non-volatile memory device stores a piece of the first data; or
a second bit value to indicate the corresponding physical block of the non-volatile memory device does not store a piece of the first data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first status information of the zone status table includes index information of the first zone region, range information of the first ZRWA, and a set of the bitmap data.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first status information includes random address range data indicating the portion of the first physical region where the first data are stored,
wherein the random address range data includes:
a first address range corresponding to first sequential pieces of the first data; and
a second address range corresponding to second sequential pieces of the first data, and

wherein the first sequential pieces are not continuous to the second sequential pieces.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first status information of the zone status table includes index information of the first zone region, range information of the first ZRWA, and a set of the random address range data.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after providing the first status information to the host device, based on a power supply from the host device being interrupted and then resumed, receiving a seventh command from the host device indicating a subsequent operation based on the first status information; and
performing the subsequent operation, based on the seventh command.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the subsequent operation comprises a read operation of the first data stored in the first physical region corresponding to the first ZRWA.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the subsequent operation comprises a random write operation of third data on remaining regions of the first physical region other than regions where the first data are stored.

16. A method of operating an electronic device which includes a host device, a storage controller, and a non-volatile memory device, the method comprising:
providing, by the host device, a first command to the storage controller, wherein the first command indicates a read operation of status information of a zone random write area (ZRWA) in a target zone region, and complies with a zoned namespace (ZNS) standard;
obtaining, by the storage controller, the status information from a zone status table in the storage controller based on the first command, wherein the status information indicates at least a portion of a physical region of the non-volatile memory device corresponding to the ZRWA in which data are stored; and
providing, by the storage controller, the status information to the host device.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
providing, by the host device, a second command to the storage controller, wherein the second command is for setting the ZRWA in the target zone region;
setting, by the storage controller, the ZRWA in the target zone region, based on the second command;
providing, by the host device, a third command to the storage controller, wherein the third command indicates a random write operation of the data;
performing, by the storage controller, the random write operation of the data on the physical region of the non-volatile memory device, based on the third command; and
updating the status information of the zone status table based on the random write operation of the data.

18. A storage controller comprising:
at least one processor configured to control:
a zone manager to manage a plurality of zone regions in a non-volatile memory device;
status information of a target zone region among t

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Minkyeong
• Kim Jaesub
• Kim Junho
• Roh Yangwoo
• Shin Youkun
• Lee Donghee

Classifications

• G06F3/0604 Primary

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management · CPC title

• G06F3/0679

  Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP] · CPC title

• G06F2212/1032

  Reliability improvement, data loss prevention, degraded operation etc · CPC title

• G06F2212/1016

  Performance improvement · CPC title

• G06F3/0658

  Controller construction arrangements · CPC title