Information processing apparatus and method for controlling storage device

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus stores first data to be written to one destination block of a nonvolatile memory in a write buffer on a memory of the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus transmits, to a storage device, a write request including a first identifier associated with the one write destination block and storage location information indicating a location in the write buffer in which the first data is stored. The information processing apparatus transfers the first data from the write buffer to the storage device every time a transfer request including the storage location information is received from the storage device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An information processing apparatus connectable to a storage device including a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory including a plurality of blocks, the information processing apparatus comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor connected to the memory, wherein   the processor is configured to:
 store, into a write buffer on the memory, first data to be written to one write destination block of the storage device; 
 transmit, to the storage device, a write request including a first identifier associated with the one write destination block and storage location information indicating a location in the write buffer where the first data is stored; 
 in response to receiving, from the storage device, a first transfer request including the storage location information, transfer the first data from the write buffer to the storage device; 
 transmit, to the storage device, a read request to read the first data; and 
 in a case where a second transfer request is received from the storage device, the second transfer request requesting to read the first data from the write buffer, read the first data from the write buffer. 
   
     
     
         2 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the storage device is configured to write the first data to the one write destination block by a multi-step program operation including transferring the first data to the nonvolatile memory a plurality of times, and   the processor is configured to receive the first transfer request including the storage location information from the storage device a plurality of times, and transfer the first data from the write buffer to the storage device each time the first transfer request is received.   
     
     
         3 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the write buffer includes a plurality of write buffer regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of write destination blocks of the storage device, and   the processor is further configured to release a write buffer region associated with the one write destination block in response to receiving, from the storage device, a notification indicating that data stored in the write buffer region associated with the one write destination block is unnecessary.   
     
     
         4 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first identifier is a block identifier identifying the one write destination block.   
     
     
         5 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the write buffer includes a plurality of write buffer regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of write destination blocks of the storage device, and   the first transfer request includes the first identifier and the storage location information.   
     
     
         6 . An information processing apparatus connectable to a storage device including a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory including a plurality of blocks, the information processing apparatus comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor connected to the memory, wherein   the processor is configured to:
 store, into a write buffer on the memory, first data to be written to one write destination block of the storage device; 
 transmit, to the storage device, a write request including a first identifier associated with the one write destination block and storage location information indicating a location in the write buffer where the first data is stored; 
 in response to receiving, from the storage device, a first transfer request including the storage location information, transfer the first data from the write buffer to the storage device; and 
 in a case where the first data is to be read from the storage device before receiving, from the storage device, a notification indicating that writing of the first data to the one destination block is completed, not transmit, to the storage device, a read request to read the first data, and read the first data from the write buffer. 
   
     
     
         7 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein
 the storage device is configured to write the first data to the one write destination block by a multi-step program operation including transferring the first data to the nonvolatile memory a plurality of times, and   the processor is configured to receive the first transfer request including the storage location information from the storage device a plurality of times, and transfer the first data from the write buffer to the storage device each time the first transfer request is received.   
     
     
         8 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein
 the write buffer includes a plurality of write buffer regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of write destination blocks of the storage device, and   the processor is further configured to release a write buffer region associated with the one write destination block in response to receiving, from the storage device, a notification indicating that data stored in the write buffer region associated with the one write destination block is unnecessary.   
     
     
         9 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein
 the first identifier is a block identifier identifying the one write destination block.   
     
     
         10 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein
 the write buffer includes a plurality of write buffer regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of write destination blocks of the storage device, and   the first transfer request includes the first identifier and the storage location information.   
     
     
         11 . A method performed by an information processing apparatus connectable to a storage device including a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory including a plurality of blocks, the method comprising:
 storing, into a write buffer on a memory of the information processing apparatus, first data to be written to one write destination block of the storage device;   transmitting, to the storage device, a write request including a first identifier associated with the one write destination block and storage location information indicating a location in the write buffer where the first data is stored;   in response to receiving, from the storage device, a first transfer request including the storage location information, transferring the first data from the write buffer to the storage device;   transmitting, to the storage device, a read request to read the first data; and   in a case where a second transfer request is received from the storage device, the second transfer request requesting to read the first data from the write buffer, reading the first data from the write buffer.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein
 the storage device is configured to write the first data to the one write destination block by a multi-step program operation including transferring the first data to the nonvolatile memory a plurality of times, and   the transferring of the first data from the write buffer to the storage device is performed each time the first transfer request is received from the storage device.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein
 the write buffer includes a plurality of write buffer regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of write destination blocks of the storage device, and   the method further comprises releasing a write buffer region associated with the one write destination block in response to receiving, from the storage device, a notification indicating that data stored in the write buffer region associated with the one write destination block is unnecessary.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein
 the first identifier is a block identifier identifying the one write destination block.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein
 the write buffer includes a plurality of write buffer regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of write destination blocks of the storage device, and   the first transfer request includes the first identifier and the storage location information.