Tagging in a storage device

Abstract

In an embodiment, a command issued by an entity may be acquired by a controller contained in a storage device. The command may be issued by the entity to access a block in the storage device. The entity may be associated with a tag that may identify the entity. The tag may be associated with the block. Information about the association between the tag and the block may be stored in the storage device.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a controller for a storage device, a command to store data at one or more block addresses for one or more memory devices maintained at the storage device, the command issued by an entity associated with a tag, the tag including a first field and a second field, the first field including an identifier indicating the entity's association with the tag, the second field indicating a relationship between the entity and the one or more block addresses;   maintaining information that associates the tag with the one or more block addresses; and   causing the data to be stored at the one or more block addresses.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , the second field indicating the relationship between the entity and the one or more block addresses comprises the relationship being access privileges for the entity to access the one or more block addresses. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , comprising the access privileges including one or more of a permission to read data from the one or more block addresses, a permission to write data to the one or more block addresses, a permission to modify data stored at the one or more block addresses or a permission to delete at least a portion of data stored at the one or more block addresses. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , the second field also indicating an encryption technique for encrypting the data, and the data to be stored at the one or more block addresses further comprises:
 encrypting the data in accordance with the encryption technique; and   causing the encrypted data to be stored at the one or more block addresses.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 acquiring the tag from the entity.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , the entity comprises an application that executes in a computing device. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , comprising the storage device contained at a remote site coupled with the computing device via a communication network. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , maintaining information that associates the tag with the one or more block addresses comprises the controller having a local storage and storing the information at the local storage. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , comprising the information stored in an index maintained by the controller. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , maintaining information that associates the tag with the one or more block addresses comprises causing the information to be stored at the one or more block addresses. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21 , the one or more block addresses comprise one or more logical block addresses. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , the information associating the tag with the one or more block addresses includes information to translate the one or more logical block addresses to one or more physical block addresses for the one or more memory devices. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising the identifier includes a username associated with the entity. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising the one or more memory devices including one or more volatile memory devices or one or more non-volatile memory devices. 
     
     
         35 . A storage device comprising:
 one or more memory devices having one or more block addresses for storing data; and   processing logic to:
 receive a command to store data at the one or more block addresses, the command issued by an entity associated with a tag, the tag to include a first field and a second field, the first field to include an identifier to indicate the entity's association with the tag, the second field to indicate a relationship between the entity and the one or more block addresses; 
 maintain information that associates the tag with the one or more block addresses; and 
 cause the data to be stored at the one or more block addresses. 
   
     
     
         36 . The storage device of  claim 35 , the second field to indicate the relationship between the entity and the one or more block addresses comprises the relationship being access privileges for the entity to access the one or more block addresses. 
     
     
         37 . The storage device of  claim 35 , comprising the access privileges to include one or more of a permission to read data from the one or more block addresses, a permission to write data to the one or more block addresses, a permission to modify data stored at the one or more block addresses or a permission to delete at least a portion of data stored at the one or more block addresses. 
     
     
         38 . The storage device of  claim 35 , the second field to also indicate an encryption technique for encrypting the data, and the data to be stored at the one or more block addresses further comprises the processing logic to:
 encrypt the data in accordance with the encryption technique; and   cause the encrypted data to be stored at the one or more block addresses.   
     
     
         39 . The storage device of  claim 35 , further comprising the processing logic to:
 acquire the tag from the entity.   
     
     
         40 . The storage device of  claim 35 , the entity comprises an application that executes in a computing device. 
     
     
         41 . The storage device of  claim 40 , comprising the storage device contained at a remote site coupled with the computing device via a communication network. 
     
     
         42 . The storage device of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 a local storage that is separate from the one or more memory devices; and   the processing logic to maintain information that associates the tag with the one or more block addresses includes the processing logic to store the information at the local storage.   
     
     
         43 . The storage device of  claim 42 , comprising the information stored in an index maintained by the processing logic. 
     
     
         44 . The storage device of  claim 35 , the processing logic to maintain information that associates the tag with the one or more block addresses comprises the processing logic to cause the information to be stored at the one or more block addresses. 
     
     
         45 . The storage device of  claim 35 , the one or more block addresses comprise one or more logical block addresses. 
     
     
         46 . The storage device of  claim 45 , the information associating the tag with the one or more block addresses includes information to translate the one or more logical block addresses to one or more physical block addresses for the one or more memory devices. 
     
     
         47 . The storage device of  claim 35 , comprising the identifier includes a username associated with the entity. 
     
     
         48 . The storage device of  claim 35 , comprising the one or more memory devices includes one or more volatile memory devices or one or more non-volatile memory devices.