Memory appliance for accessing memory

A memory appliance system comprising:

• a processor operable to be coupled to one or more communication channels with a command interface, said processor for communicating commands over said one or more communication channels;
• and
• a plurality of memory units coupled to said processor through said one or more communication channels, wherein each memory unit comprises:
• a plurality of memory devices;
• and
• a controller configured to be programmed to perform one of multiple functions based on a configuration indication;
• wherein said controller is configured to respond to commands from said command interface and the configuration indication to access content stored in one or more of said plurality of memory devices and to perform data operations on content accessed from said plurality of memory devices.

A memory appliance system comprising:

• a processor operable to be coupled to one or more communication channels with a command interface, said processor for communicating commands over said one or more communication channels;
• and
• a plurality of memory units coupled to said processor through said one or more communication channels, wherein each memory unit comprises:
• a plurality of memory devices;
• a controller configured to be programmed to perform a first function of multiple functions based on a first configuration indication;
• and
• said controller configured to be programmed to perform a second function of said multiple functions based on a second configuration indication;
• wherein said controller is configured to respond to commands from said command interface and a corresponding configuration indication to access content stored in one or more of said plurality of memory devices and to perform data operations on content accessed from said plurality of memory devices.