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US 7,549,021 B2Granted
Enhanced data integrity using parallel volatile and non-volatile transfer buffers
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorRobert W. Warren, Jr.
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorRobert W. Warren, Jr.
Estimating the term…
Method and apparatus for transferring data. The apparatus preferably includes a first volatile memory block, a second volatile memory block coupled to a non-volatile circular buffer, and a controller configured to direct first data to the first volatile memory block for subsequent transfer to a downstream block, such as a data storage array. The controller is further configured to direct second data to the second volatile memory block for subsequent transfer to the non-volatile circular buffer. Preferably, the second volatile memory block forms a portion of a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) and the circular buffer is formed from a flash memory device. An intelligence block preferably controls said subsequent transfer of the second data from the second volatile memory block to the circular buffer. The second data are preferably transferred from the circular buffer to the downstream block in conjunction with the transfer of the first data.
An apparatus comprising a first volatile memory block, a second volatile memory block coupled to a non-volatile circular buffer, and a controller configured to direct first data to the first volatile memory block for subsequent transfer to a downstream block, to direct second data to the second volatile memory block for subsequent transfer to the non-volatile circular buffer, and to check for a cache hit from the first volatile memory block and from the circular buffer responsive to a data retrieval request for a set of selected data.
A method comprising:
An apparatus comprising a first volatile memory block, a second volatile memory block coupled to a non-volatile circular buffer, and a controller configured to direct writing of first data to the first volatile memory block at a first data transfer rate for subsequent transfer to a downstream block, and to direct writing of second data to the second volatile memory block at a second data transfer rate greater than the first data transfer rate for subsequent transfer to the non-volatile circular buffer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.