Hardware method for verifying that an area of memory has only zero values
US5867732A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 15, 1996 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 15, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/1076
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for verifying that an area of memory is zero utilizing only hardware facilitates use of an integrated buffer controller and data function circuit in RAID applications. In this method, a logic zero value is loaded in a storage element. A unit of data is retrieved from the area of memory being tested for a logic zero value. The logic zero value and retrieved unit of data are applied as input signals to a logic hardware circuit that has a unique output signal for two logic zero input signals. If the output signal from the logic hardware circuit is not equal to the unique output signal, a status flag is set. So long as the output signal from the logic hardware circuit is the unique value, the retrieving, applying and setting operations are repeated until all data in the area of memory has been processed. If other than the unique output signal is detected, the method can be stopped and the address to the non-zero value determined, or alternatively, the number of units of data processed before the error was detected can be determined.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.