Patent ID: 11868652
Assignee: SK HYNIX INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 12:
13. A data storage system, comprising:
a data storage device including a plurality of data storage zones configured to store data;
a buffer memory configured to be shared by the plurality of data storage zones to temporarily store the data before the data is written to the data storage device; and
a processor in communication with the data storage device and the buffer memory to:
receive a request for allocation of at least part of the buffer memory to hold data to be fed to a plurality of first data storage zones among the plurality of data storage zones;
identify an existing free space size of the buffer memory that is not allocated to the plurality of data storage zones and an occupied space size of the buffer memory that is allocated to at least one of the plurality of data storage zones;
compare the free space size to a reallocation threshold size that is re-allocable at a reallocation cycle;
deallocate, upon a determination that the free space size is smaller than the reallocation threshold size and upon a determination that a first threshold utilization index for deallocating a currently allocated buffer memory space is lower than the first threshold utilization index, at least a portion of the occupied space size of the buffer memory to create a new free space on the buffer memory based on a history of buffer memory utilization of the occupied space; and
allocate, upon a determination that the utilization index of the plurality of first data storage zones is higher than a second threshold utilization index for allocating a deallocated buffer memory space, the existing free space and the new free space of the buffer memory to the plurality of first data storage zones based on history of buffer memory utilizations corresponding to the plurality of first data storage zones,

wherein the first and second threshold utilization indices have different values from each other.