Method of controlling clean-up of a solid state memory disk storing floating sector data

A method of initiating and controlling foreground clean-up of a solid state memory disk, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) enabling a first clean-up state machine if sufficient memory within the solid state memory disk cannot be allocated in response to a write command, the first clean-up state machine having a multiplicity of first clean-up state machine states, each of the first clean-up state machine states controlling the execution of a portion of clean-up of a first block, each of the first clean-up state machine states resetting a first next state pointer to point to a next first clean-up state machine state;
• b) enabling a second clean-up state machine if sufficient memory within the solid state memory disk cannot be allocated in response to a write command, the second clean-up state machine having a multiplicity of second clean-up state machine states, each of the second clean-up state machine states controlling the execution of a portion of clean-up of a second block, each of the second clean-up state machine states resetting a second next state pointer to point to a next second clean-up state machine state;
• c) setting the first next state pointer to an initial first clean-up state machine state for choosing the first block within the solid state memory disk to clean-up;
• d) setting the second next state pointer to an initial second clean-up state machine state for choosing the second block within the solid state memory disk to clean-up;
• e) executing each state pointed to by the first next state pointer until erasure of the first block begins;
• f) executing each state pointed to by the second next state pointer until erasure of the second block begins;
• and
• g) executing each state pointed to by the first next state pointer until clean-up of the first block is complete.

A method of forcing and controlling clean-up of a solid state memory disk, the solid state memory disk including a processing unit, the processing unit allocating execution time for clean-up, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) enabling a clean-up state machine in response to a force clean-up command, the clean-up state machine having a multiplicity of states, each state controlling the execution of a portion of clean-up, each state resetting a next state pointer to point to a next state;
• b) setting the next state pointer to an initial state for choosing a first block to clean-up;
• c) executing a state pointed to by the next state pointer when the processing unit allocates execution time for clean-up, execution of each state taking no more than a selected maximum amount of execution time;
• and
• d) repeating step c) until all states have been executed.

A method of forcing and controlling clean-up of a solid state memory disk, the solid state memory disk including a processing unit, the processing unit allocating execution time for clean-up, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) enabling a first clean-up state machine in response to a force clean-up command, the first clean-up state machine having a multiplicity of first clean-up state machine states, each of the first clean-up state machine states controlling the execution of a portion of clean-up of a first block, each of the first clean-up state machine states resetting a first next state pointer to point to a next first clean-up state machine state;
• b) enabling a second clean-up state machine in response to the force clean-up command, the second clean-up state machine having a multiplicity of second clean-up state machine states, each of the second clean-up state machine states controlling the execution of a portion of clean-up of a second block, each of the second clean-up state machine states resetting a second next state pointer to point to a next second clean-up state machine state;
• c) setting the first next state pointer to an initial first clean-up state machine state for choosing the first block within the solid state memory disk to clean-up;
• d) setting the second next state pointer to an initial second clean-up state machine state for choosing the second block within the solid state memory disk to clean-up;
• e) executing each of the first clean-up state machine states as it is pointed to by the first clean-up state machine next state pointer until a first erase state is reached;
• f) executing each of the second clean-up state machine states as it is pointed to by the second clean-up state machine next state pointer until a second erase state is reached;
• and
• g) executing each of the first clean-up state machine states as it is pointed to by the first clean-Up state machine next state pointer until the first block is cleaned up.