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US 6,725,342 B1Granted
Non-volatile mass storage cache coherency apparatus
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorRichard L. Coulson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and methods relating to a cache coherency administrator. The cache coherency administrator can include a display to indicate a cache coherency status of a non-volatile cache.
Claims16
An apparatus to administer coherency in a system with a mass-storage device and a cache, the apparatus comprising:
- a controller to determine if there is coherency between the mass-storage device and the cache, wherein the controller is to flush the cache and operate the cache in a write-through mode based on receipt of an indication that the mass-storage device or the cache is to be physically disconnected from the system, and wherein the controller is to change the cache from write-through mode to write-back mode based on the cache having been physically reconnected to a mass-storage device;
- and
- a display coupled to the controller to provide an indication to a user whether it is safe from a data-coherency standpoint to physically disconnect the mass-storage device or the cache from the system.
A system comprising:
- a mass-storage device;
- a non-volatile cache;
- a controller to determine if there is coherency between the mass-storage device and the cache, wherein the controller is to flush the cache and operate the cache in a write-through mode based on receipt of an indication that the mass-storage device or the cache is to be physically disconnected from the system, and wherein the controller is to change the cache from write-through mode to write-back mode based on the cache having been physically reconnected to a mass-storage device;
- and
- a display coupled to the controller to provide an indication to a user whether it is safe from a data-coherency standpoint to physically disconnect the mass-storage device or the cache from the system.
2 more elements
A method of administering coherency in a system with a mass-storage device and a cache, the method comprising:
- receiving an indication from a user that the system should be made safe from a data-coherency standpoint to physically disconnect the mass-storage device or the cache from the system;
- flushing the cache and changing the cache to a write-through mode based on receipt of said indication that the system should be made safe from a data-coherency standpoint to physically disconnect the mass-storage device or the cache from the system;
- displaying an indication that it is safe from a data-coherency standpoint to physically disconnect the mass-storage device or the cache from the system;
- determining that the cache has been physically reconnected to a mass-storage device;
- and
- changing the cache from write-through mode to write-back mode based on the cache having been physically reconnected to the mass-storage device.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.