Apparatus and Methods Using Invalidity Indicators for Buffered Memory

Abstract

A computing system includes a buffer memory configured to temporarily store data intended for storage in an external storage device and a processing unit configured to selectively invalidate data stored in the buffer memory and to control transfer of data from the buffer memory to the external storage device responsive to the selective invalidation. In some embodiments, for example, the processing unit may be configured to manage write state information of the temporarily stored data and to update the write state information according to information related to the temporarily stored data. The processing unit may be configured to control the buffer memory and the external storage according to the write state information so that at least a part of the temporarily stored data is not written in the external storage.

1 . A computing system comprising: 
 a buffer memory configured to temporarily store data intended for storage in an external storage device; and    a processing unit configured to selectively invalidate data stored in the buffer memory and to control transfer of data from the buffer memory to the external storage device responsive to the selective invalidation.    
   
   
       2 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to manage write state information of the temporarily stored data.  
   
   
       3 . The computing system of  claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is configured to control the buffer memory and the external storage device according to the write state information so that at least some of the temporarily stored data is not written in the external storage device.  
   
   
       4 . The computing system of  claim 3 , wherein the write state information indicates whether the temporarily stored data is valid.  
   
   
       5 . The computing system of  claim 4 , wherein processor is configured to store the write state information in a table in a system memory of the computing system.  
   
   
       6 . The computing system of  claim 5 , the system memory is configured to store a device driver configured to manage the buffer memory.  
   
   
       7 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the buffer memory comprises a volatile semiconductor memory including SRAM or DRAM and a non-volatile semiconductor memory including a NAND flash memory, a NOR flash memory, MRAM, FRAM, or PRAM, and the external storage device comprises a magnetic disk and/or a non-volatile semiconductor memory.  
   
   
       8 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the buffer memory is configured as a read cache memory and/or a write cache memory.  
   
   
       9 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the buffer memory is configured to store software for improving system performance.  
   
   
       10 . A computing system comprising: 
 a buffer memory configured to temporarily store data intended for storage in an external storage device;    a system memory configured to provide a device driver configured to manage the buffer memory; and    a processing unit configured to control the buffer memory responsive to the device driver and to manage write state information of data stored in the buffer memory.    
   
   
       11 . The computing system of  claim 10 , wherein the write state information indicates whether the temporarily stored data is valid.  
   
   
       12 . The computing system of  claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is configured to prevent writing of invalid data from the buffer memory to the external storage device.  
   
   
       13 . The computing system of  claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is configured to update the write state information.  
   
   
       14 . The computing system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing unit is configured to store the write state information in a table in the system memory.  
   
   
       15 . The computing system of  claim 10 , wherein the buffer memory is configured as a read cache memory and/or a write cache memory.  
   
   
       16 . The computing system of  claim 10 , wherein the buffer memory is configured to store software for improving system performance.  
   
   
       17 . A data management method of a computing system which comprises a buffer memory for temporarily storing data intended for storage in an external storage device and a processing unit operatively associated with the buffer memory, the data management method comprising: 
 selectively identifying data temporarily stored in a buffer memory as invalid; and    selectively transferring data from the buffer memory to an external storage device based on the selective identification of data.    
   
   
       18 . The data management method of  claim 17 , wherein when the temporarily stored data is invalidated, the temporarily stored data is not written in the external storage device.  
   
   
       19 . The data management method of  claim 17 , wherein selectively identifying comprises updating write state information for the temporarily stored data.  
   
   
       20 . A computing system comprising: 
 a buffer memory configured to temporarily store data intended for storage in an external storage device; and    a processing unit configured to selectively control data transfer from the buffer memory according to invalidation information for data stored in the buffer memory.    
   
   
       21 . The computing system of  claim 20 , wherein the processing unit is configured to invalidate the temporarily stored data in the buffer memory according to the invalidation information so that at least a part of the stored data in the buffer memory is not written in the external storage device.  
   
   
       22 . The computing system of  claim 21 , wherein the processing unit is configured to prevent transfer of temporarily stored data that is invalidated.  
   
   
       23 . The computing system of  claim 20 , wherein the processing unit is configured to manage write state information of the temporarily stored data.  
   
   
       24 . The computing system of  claim 23 , further comprising a system memory configured to store the write state information in a table.  
   
   
       25 . The computing system  24 , wherein the system memory is configured to store a device driver configured to manage the buffer memory.  
   
   
       26 . The computing system  20 , wherein the buffer memory comprises a volatile semiconductor memory including SRAM or DRAM and a non-volatile semiconductor memory including a NAND flash memory, a NOR flash memory, MRAM, FRAM, or PRAM, and the external storage device comprises a magnetic disk and/or a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.  
   
   
       27 . The computing system of  claim 20 , wherein the buffer memory is configured as a read cache memory and/or a write cache memory.  
   
   
       28 . The computing system of  claim 20 , wherein the buffer memory is configured to store software for improving system performance.  
   
   
       29 . The computing system of  claim 20 , wherein the buffer memory is configured to communicate with the processing unit via a PCI-E bus.  
   
   
       30 . The computing system of  claim 20 , wherein the buffer memory and the processing unit are integrated in a common circuit board assembly.