In-line non volatile memory disk read cache and write buffer
US7620773B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 15, 2005 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2220/2516
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus to improve the read/write performance of a hard drive is presented. A device having solid state, non-volatile (NV) memory is added in-line to the conventional hard drive and acts as a read/write cache. Data specified by the operating system is stored in the NV memory. The operating system provides a list of data to be put in NV memory. The data includes data to be pinned in NV memory and data that is dynamic. Pinned data persists in NV memory until the operating system commands it to be flushed. Dynamic data can be flushed by the hard drive controller. Data sent by an application for storage is temporarily stored in NV memory in data blocks until the operating system commits it to the disk.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.