Systems and methods for persistent memory timing characterization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9710179-B2
Application number	US-201514829314-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a processor and a management controller communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to, during boot of the information handling system determine a first amount of energy required by the information handling system to perform a save operation to transfer data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory of a persistent memory in response to a loss of power for supplying electrical energy to the information handling system, determine whether a second amount of energy available for providing electrical energy for the save operation in response to the loss of power exceeds the first amount of energy, and responsive to determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy, determine whether to support the persistent memory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system comprising:
a processor;
a management controller communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to, during boot of the information handling system:
determine a first amount of energy required by the information handling system to perform a save operation to transfer data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory of a persistent memory in response to a loss of power for supplying electrical energy to the information handling system, wherein determining the first amount of energy comprises:
emulating the loss of power; and
during emulation of the loss of power:
emulating the save operation to measure a time required to complete the save operation, wherein emulating the save operation includes taking at least a portion of steps necessary to accomplish the save operation to at least a portion of the non-volatile memory;
measuring an amount of power delivered by the one or more power supplies during emulation of the save operation; and
calculating the first amount of energy based on the time and the amount of power;

determine whether a second amount of energy available for providing electrical energy for the save operation in response to the loss of power exceeds the first amount of energy; and
responsive to determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy, determine whether to support the persistent memory.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the first amount of energy comprises at least an amount of energy required to transfer data from the volatile memory to the persistent memory.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein determining whether to support the persistent memory comprises enabling the persistent memory responsive to determining the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein determining whether to support the persistent memory comprises disabling the persistent memory responsive to determining the first amount of energy exceeds the second amount of energy.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the management controller is further configured to, responsive to determining the first amount of energy exceeds the second amount of energy:
reconfigure the information handling system to a new configuration to reduce energy needed to perform save operations;
re-determine the first amount of energy under the new configuration;
determine whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy under the new configuration; and
responsive to determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy under the new configuration, determine whether to support the persistent memory.

6. A method comprising, during boot of an information handling system:
determining a first amount of energy required by the information handling system to perform a save operation to transfer data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory of a persistent memory in response to a loss of power of one or more power supplies for supplying electrical energy to the information handling system, wherein determining the first amount of energy comprises:
emulating the loss of power; and
during emulation of the loss of power:
emulating the save operation to measure a time required to complete the save operation, wherein emulating the save operation includes taking at least a portion of steps necessary to accomplish the save operation to at least a portion of the non-volatile memory;
measuring an amount of power delivered by the one or more power supplies during emulation of the save operation; and
calculating the first amount of energy based on the time and the amount of power;

determining whether a second amount of energy available for providing electrical energy for the save operation in response to the loss of power exceeds the first amount of energy; and
responsive to determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy, determining whether to support the persistent memory.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first amount of energy comprises at least an amount of energy required to transfer data from the volatile memory to the persistent memory.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining whether to support the persistent memory comprises enabling the persistent memory responsive to determining the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining whether to support the persistent memory comprises disabling the persistent memory responsive to determining the first amount of energy exceeds the second amount of energy.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, responsive to determining the first amount of energy exceeds the second amount of energy:
reconfiguring the information handling system to a new configuration to reduce energy needed to perform save operations;
re-determining the first amount of energy under the new configuration;
determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy under the new configuration; and
responsive to determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy under the new configuration, determining whether to support the persistent memory.

11. An article of manufacture comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
computer-executable instructions carried on the computer-readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to, during boot of an information handling system:
determine a first amount of energy required by the information handling system to perform a save operation to transfer data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory of a persistent memory in response to a loss of power of one or more power supplies for supplying electrical energy to the information handling system, wherein determining the first amount of energy comprises:
emulating the loss of power; and
during emulation of the loss of power:
emulating the save operation to measure a time required to complete the save operation, wherein emulating the save operation includes taking at least a portion of steps necessary to accomplish the save operation to at least a portion of the non-volatile memory;
measuring an amount of power delivered by the one or more power supplies during emulation of the save operation; and

calculating the first amount of energy based on the time and the amount of power;
determine whether a second amount of energy available for providing electrical energy for the save operation in response to the loss of power exceeds the first amount of energy; and
responsive to determining whether the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy, determine whether to support the persistent memory.

12. The article of claim 11 , wherein the first amount of energy comprises at least an amount of energy required to transfer data from the volatile memory to the persistent memory.

13. The article of claim 11 , wherein determining whether to support the persistent memory comprises enabling the persistent memory responsive to determining the second amount of energy exceeds the first amount of energy.

14. The article of claim 11 , wherein determining whether to support the persistent memory comprises disabling the persistent memory responsive to determining the first amount of energy exceeds the second amount of energy.

15. The article of claim 11 , the instructions for further

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Jenne John Erven
• Berke Stuart

Classifications

• G06F1/30 Primary

  Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) · CPC title

• G06F3/0647

  Migration mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/0604

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

• G06F3/0619 Primary

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title

• G06F3/0685

  Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays · CPC title