Mirrored cache protection
AssigneePMC-Sierra, Inc.
InventorsJonathan Flower, Nadesan Narenthiran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods of protecting cache data are provided. For example, various methods are described that assist in handling dirty write data cached in memory by duplication into other locations to protect against data loss. One method includes caching a data item from a data source in a first cache device. The data item cached in the first cache device is designated with a first designation. In response to the data item being modified by a data consumer, the designation of the data item in the first cache device is re-assigned from the first designation to a second designation, and the data item with the second designation is copied to a second cache device.
Claims20
A method of cache data redundancy, comprising:
- copying a data item from a data source to a first allocated area in a cache device, the first allocated area storing the data item in an unmodified form;
- in response to the data item being modified by a data consumer,
- (a) logically removing the data item from the first allocated area in the cache device;
- and
- (b) copying the data item to a second allocated area in one of a plurality of cache devices, the second allocated area storing the data item in a modified form;
- and
- transferring the data item in the modified form from the second allocated area of one of the plurality of cache devices to the data source.
A method of protecting cache data, comprising:
- caching a data item from a data source in a first cache device;
- designating the data item in the first cache device with a first designation;
- in response to the data item being modified by a data consumer,
- re-assigning the designation of the data item in the first cache device from the first designation to a second designation;
- and
- copying the data item with the second designation to a second cache device.
A system for protecting cache data comprising:
- a data source operable to store a data item;
- a data consumer operable to request the data item stored in the data source, the data consumer further operable to modify the data item;
- and
- a plurality of cache devices, the plurality of cache devices including,
- a first cache device operable to copy the data item stored in the data source and designate the data item in an unmodified state with a first designation, the first cache device further operable to modify the designation of the data item in a modified state to a second designation in response to the data item being modified by the data consumer;
- and
- a second cache device operable to store the copy of the data item with the second designation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.