Patent Publication Number: US-11036427-B2

Title: Using content addressable memory to perform read-modify-write operations in non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM)

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to data storage systems, and more particularly, this invention relates to performing read-modify-write (RMW) operations in NVRAM. 
     NVRAM is a type of random-access memory which retains information stored thereon even after the power supply is turned off, and includes a number of different forms. Using Flash memory as an example, the performance characteristics of conventional NAND Flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) are fundamentally different from those of traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). Data in conventional SSDs is typically organized in pages of 4, 8, or 16 kilobyte (KB) sizes. Moreover, page read operations in SSDs are typically one order of magnitude faster than write operations and latency neither depends on the current nor the previous location of operations. 
     However, in Flash-based SSDs, memory locations are erased in blocks prior to being written to. The size of an erase block unit is typically 256 pages and the erase operations take approximately one order of magnitude more time than a page program operation. Due to the intrinsic properties of NAND Flash, Flash-based SSDs write data out-of-place whereby a mapping table maps logical addresses of the written data to physical ones. This mapping table is typically referred to as the Logical-to-Physical Table (LPT). 
     As Flash-based memory cells exhibit read errors and/or failures due to wear or other reasons, additional redundancy may be used within memory pages as well as across memory chips (e.g., RAID-5 and RAID-6 like schemes). The additional redundancy within memory pages may include error correction code (ECC) which, for example, may include BCH codes. While the addition of ECC in pages is relatively straightforward, the organization of memory blocks into RAID-like stripes is more complex. For instance, individual blocks are retired over time which requires either reorganization of the stripes, or capacity reduction of the stripe. As the organization of stripes together with the LPT defines the placement of data, SSDs typically utilize a Log-Structured Array (LSA) architecture, which combines these two methods. 
     The LSA architecture relies on out-of-place writes. In this approach, a memory page overwrite will result in writing the memory page data to a new location in memory, marking the old copy of the memory page data as invalid, and then updating the mapping information. Due to the limitations of current NAND memory technology, an invalidated data location cannot be reused until the entire block it belongs to has been erased. Before erasing, though, the block undergoes garbage collection, whereby any valid data in the block is relocated to a new block. Garbage collection of a block is typically deferred for as long as possible to maximize the amount of invalidated data in block, and thus reduce the number of valid pages that are relocated, as relocating data causes additional write operations, and thereby increases write amplification. 
     SUMMARY 
     A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a data access command which corresponds to data stored on NVRAM at a logical block address, and using content-addressable memory (CAM) to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation. In response to determining that the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied using a first procedure. However, in response to determining that the logical block address does not correspond to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied using a second procedure. Moreover, using the CAM to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation is completed in a single clock cycle of the CAM. 
     A computer program product, according to another embodiment, includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are readable and/or executable by a processor to cause the processor to: perform the foregoing method. 
     A system, according to yet another embodiment, includes: a plurality of NVRAM blocks configured to store data, and a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to: receive, by the processor, a data access command which corresponds to data stored on NVRAM at a logical block address; and use, by the processor, CAM to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation by determining whether the logical block address is currently stored in the CAM. In response to determining that the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied, by the processor, using a first procedure. However, in response to determining that the logical block address does not correspond to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied, by the processor, using a second procedure. Moreover, using the CAM to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation is completed in a single clock cycle of the CAM irrespective of a size of the CAM. 
     Other aspects and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a non-volatile memory card, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of a data storage system architecture, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a system diagram, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a conceptual diagram which includes a block-stripe and page-stripe, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a method, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 6A  is a partial schematic view of a handler module, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 6B  is a partial representational view of a sub-Lpage state table, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 6C  is a partial schematic view of a CAM module, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a network architecture, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a representative hardware environment that may be associated with the servers and/or clients of  FIG. 7 , in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a tiered data storage system in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present invention and is not meant to limit the inventive concepts claimed herein. Further, particular features described herein can be used in combination with other described features in each of the various possible combinations and permutations. 
     Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms are to be given their broadest possible interpretation including meanings implied from the specification as well as meanings understood by those skilled in the art and/or as defined in dictionaries, treatises, etc. 
     It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless otherwise specified. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The following description discloses several preferred embodiments of data storage systems, as well as operation and/or component parts thereof. It should be appreciated that various embodiments herein can be implemented with a wide range of memory mediums, including for example NVRAM technologies such as NAND Flash memory, NOR Flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and resistive RAM (RRAM). To provide a context, and solely to assist the reader, various embodiments may be described with reference to a type of non-volatile memory. This has been done by way of example only, and should not be deemed limiting on the invention defined in the claims. 
     In one general embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes: receiving a data access command which corresponds to data stored on NVRAM at a logical block address, and using content-addressable memory (CAM) to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation. In response to determining that the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied using a first procedure. However, in response to determining that the logical block address does not correspond to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied using a second procedure. Moreover, using the CAM to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation is completed in a single clock cycle of the CAM. 
     In another general embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions are readable and/or executable by a processor to cause the processor to: perform the foregoing method. 
     In yet another general embodiment, a system includes: a plurality of NVRAM blocks configured to store data, and a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to: receive, by the processor, a data access command which corresponds to data stored on NVRAM at a logical block address; and use, by the processor, CAM to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation by determining whether the logical block address is currently stored in the CAM. In response to determining that the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied, by the processor, using a first procedure. However, in response to determining that the logical block address does not correspond to an active read modify write operation, the data access command is satisfied, by the processor, using a second procedure. Moreover, using the CAM to determine whether the logical block address corresponds to an active read modify write operation is completed in a single clock cycle of the CAM irrespective of a size of the CAM. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a memory card  100 , in accordance with one embodiment. It should be noted that although memory card  100  is depicted as an exemplary non-volatile data storage card in the present embodiment, various other types of non-volatile data storage cards may be used in a data storage system according to alternate embodiments. It follows that the architecture and/or components of memory card  100  are in no way intended to limit the invention, but rather have been presented as a non-limiting example. 
     Moreover, as an option, the present memory card  100  may be implemented in conjunction with features from any other embodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to the other FIGS. However, such memory card  100  and others presented herein may be used in various applications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specifically described in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the memory card  100  presented herein may be used in any desired environment. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 1 , memory card  100  includes a gateway  102 , a general purpose processor (GPP)  112  (such as an ASIC, FPGA, CPU, etc.) connected to a GPP memory  114  (which may comprise RAM, ROM, battery-backed DRAM, phase-change memory PC-RAM, MRAM, STT-MRAM, etc., or a combination thereof), and a number of memory controllers  108 , which include Flash controllers in the present example. Each memory controller  108  is connected to a plurality of NVRAM memory modules  104  (which may comprise NAND Flash or other non-volatile memory type(s) such as those listed above) via channels  106 . 
     According to various embodiments, one or more of the controllers  108  may be or include one or more processors, and/or any logic for controlling any subsystem of the memory card  100 . For example, the controllers  108  typically control the functions of NVRAM memory modules  104  such as, data writing, data recirculation, data reading, etc. The controllers  108  may operate using logic known in the art, as well as any logic disclosed herein, and thus may be considered as a processor for any of the descriptions of non-volatile memory included herein, in various embodiments. 
     Moreover, the controller  108  may be configured and/or programmable to perform or control some or all of the methodology presented herein. Thus, the controller  108  may be considered to be configured to perform various operations by way of logic programmed into one or more chips, modules, and/or blocks; software, firmware, and/or other instructions being available to one or more processors; etc., and combinations thereof. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 1 , each memory controller  108  is also connected to a controller memory  110  which preferably includes a cache which replicates a non-volatile memory structure according to the various embodiments described herein. However, depending on the desired embodiment, the controller memory  110  may be battery-backed DRAM, phase-change memory PC-RAM, MRAM, STT-MRAM, etc., or a combination thereof. 
     As previously mentioned, memory card  100  may be implemented in various types of data storage systems, depending on the desired embodiment.  FIG. 2  illustrates a data storage system architecture  200  according to an exemplary embodiment which is in no way intended to limit the invention. Moreover, it should be noted that the data storage system  220  of  FIG. 2  may include various components found in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
     Looking to  FIG. 2 , the data storage system  220  comprises a number of interface cards  202  configured to communicate via I/O interconnections  204  to one or more processor systems  201 . The data storage system  220  may also comprise one or more RAID controllers  206  configured to control data storage in a plurality of non-volatile data storage cards  208 . The non-volatile data storage cards  208  may comprise NVRAM, Flash memory cards, RAM, ROM, and/or some other known type of non-volatile memory. 
     The I/O interconnections  204  may include any known communication protocols, such as Fiber Channel (FC), FC over Ethernet (FCoE), Infiniband, Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), etc., and/or any combination thereof. 
     The RAID controller(s)  206  in the data storage system  220  may perform a parity scheme similar to that employed by RAID-5, RAID-10, or some other suitable parity scheme, as would be understood by one of skill in the art upon reading the present descriptions. 
     Each processor system  201  comprises one or more processors  210  (such as CPUs, microprocessors, etc.), local data storage  211  (e.g., such as RAM  814  of  FIG. 8 , ROM  816  of  FIG. 8 , etc.), and an I/O adapter  218  configured to communicate with the data storage system  220 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , memory controllers  108  and/or other controllers described herein (e.g., RAID controllers  206  of  FIG. 2 ) may be able to perform various functions on stored data, depending on the desired embodiment. Specifically, memory controllers may include logic configured to perform any one or more of the following functions, which are in no way intended to be an exclusive list. In other words, depending on the desired embodiment, logic of a storage system may be configured to perform additional or alternative functions, as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art upon reading the present description. 
     Garbage Collection 
     Garbage collection in the context of SSD memory controllers of the present description may include the process of identifying blocks of data to be reclaimed for future usage and relocating all pages that are still valid therein. Moreover, depending on the specific controller and/or the respective garbage collection unit of operation, LEBs may be identified for being reclaimed and/or relocated. Typically, one LEB corresponds to one block stripe, but alternative implementations may consider a fixed number of block stripes building a LEB as well. 
     A physical “block” represents a minimal unit that may be erased on non-volatile memory, e.g., such as NAND Flash memory, and thereby prepared for writing data thereto. However, a typical garbage collection unit of operation is often a multiple of the physical blocks of non-volatile memory, and is also referred to herein as a LEB. This is due to the fact that typically RAID-like parity information is added in LEBs. Therefore, in case of a page or block failure data can only be rebuilt when all blocks in the LEB are still holding data. Accordingly, the individual blocks from the garbage collection unit can only be erased either individually or in a single unit once all still valid data from all blocks in the LEB has been relocated successfully to new locations. Hence, the full garbage collection units are garbage-collected as a single unit. Moreover, the size of the LEB directly affects the garbage collection induced write amplification. The larger the LEB, the more likely it becomes that unrelated data are stored together in the LEB, and therefore more of the LEB data may have to be relocated upon garbage collection selection. 
     Frequently, blocks from different dies and/or flash channels are grouped together, such that blocks from the same group can be read or written in parallel, thereby increasing overall bandwidth. It is also possible to combine the previous two methods, and to compose RAID stripes using blocks from different flash channels that can be accessed in parallel. 
     It should also be noted that an LEB may include any multiple of the physical memory block, which is a unit of physical erasure. Moreover, the organization of memory blocks into LEBs not only allows for adding RAID-like parity protection schemes among memory blocks from different memory chips, memory planes and/or channels but also allows for significantly enhancing performance through higher parallelism. For instance, multiple non-volatile memory blocks may be grouped together in a RAID stripe. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art upon reading the present description, RAID schemes generally improve reliability and reduce the probability of data loss. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment, which is in no way intended to limit the invention, memory controllers (e.g., see  108  of  FIG. 1 ) may internally perform a garbage collection. As previously mentioned, the garbage collection may include selecting a LEB to be relocated, after which all data that is still valid on the selected LEB may be relocated (e.g., moved). After the still valid data has been relocated, the LEB may be erased and thereafter, used for storing new data. The amount of data relocated from the garbage collected LEB determines the write amplification. Moreover, an efficient way to reduce the write amplification includes implementing heat segregation. 
     Heat Segregation 
     In the present context, the “write heat” of data refers to the rate (e.g., frequency) at which the data is updated (e.g., rewritten with new data). Memory blocks that are considered “hot” tend to have a frequent updated rate, while memory blocks that are considered “cold” have an update rate slower than hot blocks. 
     Tracking the write heat of a logical page may involve, for instance, allocating a certain number of bits in the LPT mapping entry for the page to keep track of how many write operations the page has seen in a certain time period or window. Typically, host write operations increase the write heat whereas internal relocation writes decrease the write heat. The actual increments and/or decrements to the write heat may be deterministic or probabilistic. 
     Similarly, read heat may be tracked with a certain number of additional bits in the LPT for each logical page. To reduce meta-data, read heat can also be tracked at a physical block level where separate counters per block for straddling and non-straddling reads can be maintained. However, it should be noted that the number of read requests to and/or read operations performed on a memory block may not come into play for heat segregation when determining the heat of the memory block for some embodiments. For example, if data is frequently read from a particular memory block, the high read frequency does not necessarily mean that memory block will also have a high update rate. Rather, a high frequency of read operations performed on a given memory block may denote an importance, value, etc. of the data stored in the memory block. 
     By grouping memory blocks of the same and/or similar write heat values, heat segregation may be achieved. In particular, heat segregating methods may group hot memory pages together in certain memory blocks while cold memory pages are grouped together in separate memory blocks. Thus, a heat segregated LEB tends to be occupied by either hot or cold data. 
     The merit of heat segregation is two-fold. First, performing a garbage collection process on a hot memory block will prevent triggering the relocation of cold data as well. In the absence of heat segregation, updates to hot data, which are performed frequently, also results in the undesirable relocations of all cold data collocated on the same LEB as the hot data being relocated. Therefore, the write amplification incurred by performing garbage collection is much lower for embodiments implementing heat segregation. 
     Secondly, the relative heat of data can be utilized for wear leveling purposes. For example, hot data may be placed in healthier (e.g., younger) memory blocks, while cold data may be placed on less healthy (e.g., older) memory blocks relative to those healthier memory blocks. Thus, the rate at which relatively older blocks are exposed to wear is effectively slowed, thereby improving the overall endurance of a given data storage system implementing heat segregation. 
     Write Allocation 
     Write allocation includes placing data of write operations into free locations of open LEBs. As soon as all pages in a LEB have been written, the LEB is closed and placed in a pool holding occupied LEBs. Typically, LEBs in the occupied pool become eligible for garbage collection. The number of open LEBs is normally limited and any LEB being closed may be replaced, either immediately or after some delay, with a fresh LEB that is being opened. 
     During performance, garbage collection may take place concurrently with user write operations. For example, as a user (e.g., a host) writes data to a device, the device controller may continuously perform garbage collection on LEBs with invalid data to make space for the new incoming data pages. As mentioned above, the LEBs having the garbage collection being performed thereon will often have some pages that are still valid at the time of the garbage collection operation; thus, these pages are preferably relocated (e.g., written) to a new LEB. 
     Again, the foregoing functions are in no way intended to limit the capabilities of any of the storage systems described and/or suggested herein. Rather, the aforementioned functions are presented by way of example, and depending on the desired embodiment, logic of a storage system may be configured to perform additional or alternative functions, as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art upon reading the present description. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a system  300  is illustrated in accordance with one embodiment. As an option, the present system  300  may be implemented in conjunction with features from any other embodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to the other FIGS. However, such system  300  and others presented herein may be used in various applications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specifically described in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the system  300  presented herein may be used in any desired environment, e.g., in combination with a controller. 
     As illustrated, system  300  includes a write cache  302  which is coupled to several other components, including garbage collector  304 . As previously mentioned, garbage collector  304  may be used to free LEB units by relocating valid data and providing non-volatile memory blocks to be erased for later reuse. Thus, the garbage collector  304  may reclaim blocks of consecutive physical space, depending on the desired embodiment. According to an exemplary embodiment, block erase units may be used to keep track of and/or complete the erase of non-volatile memory blocks handed over by the garbage collector  304 . 
     Write cache  302  is also coupled to free block manager  306  which may keep track of free non-volatile memory blocks after they have been erased. Moreover, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the present description, the free block manager  306  may build free stripes of non-volatile memory blocks from different lanes (e.g., block-stripes) using the erased free non-volatile memory blocks. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 3 , write cache  302  is coupled to LPT manager  308  and memory I/O unit  310 . The LPT manager  308  maintains the logical-to-physical mappings of logical addresses to physical pages in memory. According to an example, which is in no way intended to limit the invention, the LPT manager  308  may maintain the logical-to-physical mappings of 4KiB logical addresses. The memory I/O unit  310  communicates with the memory chips in order to perform low level operations, e.g., such as reading one or more non-volatile memory pages, writing a non-volatile memory page, erasing a non-volatile memory block, etc. 
     To better understand the distinction between block-stripes and page-stripes as used herein,  FIG. 4  is a conceptual diagram  400 , in accordance with one embodiment. LEBs are built from block stripes and typically a single block stripe is used to build a LEB. However, alternative embodiments may use multiple block stripes to form an LEB. As an option, the present conceptual diagram  400  may be implemented in conjunction with features from any other embodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to the other FIGS. However, such conceptual diagram  400  and others presented herein may be used in various applications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specifically described in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the controller conceptual diagram  400  presented herein may be used in any desired environment. Thus, the exemplary non-volatile memory controller conceptual diagram  400  of  FIG. 4  may be implemented in a cache architecture. However, depending on the desired embodiment, the conceptual diagram  400  of  FIG. 4  may be implemented in defining the organization of data stored in non-volatile memory. Accordingly, both implementations are described in turn below. 
     Non-Volatile Memory 
     Looking now to  FIG. 4 , the conceptual diagram  400  includes a set of M+1 aggregated planes labeled “Plane  0 ” through “Plane M”. An aggregated plane consists of all physical planes with the same plane index on different channels. It should be noted that aggregated planes are also referred to herein simply as planes. 
     When implemented with data stored in non-volatile memory, each physical plane on a channel may include a large set of blocks, e.g., typically in the order of 1024, 2048 or more. Moreover, one or more physical planes may also include several additional blocks which may be used as replacement blocks for bad blocks (e.g., blocks performing poorly, blocks having undesirable characteristics, etc.). 
     In each plane of non-volatile memory, a single block from each channel may form a respective block-stripe. It follows that a number of block-stripes supported by a given embodiment of non-volatile memory may be determined by the number of blocks per plane and the number of planes. 
     In the exploded view of Plane  0 , the conceptual diagram  400  further illustrates a single block-stripe (Block-stripe  0 ) out of the set of block-stripes supported in the remainder of the planes. Block-stripe  0  of plane  0  is shown as including 11 blocks, one block from each channel labeled “Channel  0 ” through “Channel  10 ”. It should be noted that the association of blocks to block-stripe can change over time as block-stripes are typically dissolved after they have been garbage collected. Erased blocks may be placed in free block pools, whereby new block-stripes are assembled from blocks in the free block pools when write allocation requests fresh block-stripes. For example, looking to conceptual diagram  400 , Block  10  from Channel  0  and Block  41  from Channel  4  are currently associated with the illustrated Block-stripe  0  of Plane  0 . Furthermore, the illustrated Block-stripe  0  holds N+1 page-stripes and each block therefore holds N+1 pages labeled “Page  0 ” through “Page N”. 
     Cache Architecture 
     Referring still to  FIG. 4 , each block of pages illustrated in the exploded view of aggregated Plane  0  may constitute a unique block from one channel when implemented in a cache architecture. Similarly, each channel contributes a single, individual block which form a block-stripe. For example, looking to conceptual diagram  400 , Block  10  from Channel  0  includes all pages (Page  0  through Page N) therein, while Block  41  from Channel  4  corresponds to all pages therein, and so on. 
     In the context of a memory controller, e.g., which may be capable of implementing RAID at the channel level, a block-stripe is made up of multiple blocks which amount to a stripe of blocks. Looking still to  FIG. 4 , the multiple blocks of aggregated Plane  0  constitute Block-stripe  0 . While all blocks in a block-stripe typically belong to the same aggregated plane, in some embodiments one or more blocks of a block-stripe may belong to different physical planes. It follows that each aggregated plane may include one or more block-stripe. Thus, according to an illustrative embodiment, Block  0  through Block  10  from different physical planes may constitute a block-stripe. 
     Regardless of whether the conceptual diagram  400  of  FIG. 4  is implemented with non-volatile memory and/or a cache architecture, in different embodiments, the number of pages in each block and/or the number of channels in each plane may vary depending on the desired embodiment. According to an exemplary embodiment, which is in no way intended to limit the invention, a block may include 256 pages, but could include more or less in various embodiments. Analogously, the number of channels per plane and/or the number of planes may vary depending on the desired embodiment. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 4 , all pages in a block-stripe with the same page index denote a page-stripe. For example, Page-stripe  0  includes the first page (Page  0 ) of each channel in Block-stripe  0  of Plane  0 . Similarly, Page-stripe N includes the last page (Page N) of each channel in Block-stripe  0  of Plane  0 . 
     As performance capabilities of memory continue to improve, new issues are introduced to the field of data storage. For instance, multi-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC) NAND Flash memory devices provide a low-cost and high-performance non-volatile storage medium due to the high data storage density achieved. However, logical to physical translations have been unable to progress at a similar rate and therefore have been unable to effectively support these advances in data storage densities. This limiting factor has driven conventional systems to resort to implementing larger logical page sizes. For example, an 8 KB or 16 KB logical page size has allowed for conventional systems to double or quadruple Flash density without also affecting the size standards of the logical to physical translations. 
     Implementing a larger logical page size such as 8 KB or 16 KB involves a fairly straightforward hardware design migration, but mitigating the unintended effects of reduced overall system performance due to an increased number read-modify-write (RMW) operations has presented greater challenges. For instance, most storage devices advertise a 512 byte (B) block size to the system, meaning that the storage devices can be accessed on 512B alignment boundaries and written in minimum sized 512B blocks. On the other hand, most existing Flash drives are designed to implement a 4 KB logical page size. Therefore, most existing Flash drives are only accessible on 4 KB alignment boundaries and written to in minimum sized 4 KB chunks. 
     This discrepancy in access alignment and block size is handled in a software layer within the storage system. For example, an application which attempts a sub-4 KB write operation (i.e., a “partial” write operation which is less than 8 different 512B blocks) in Flash causes software to perform a series of RMW operations. With respect to the present description, the ‘R’ portion of the RMW operation issues a read request to the Flash drive in order to access pertinent background sectors. These background sectors are thereafter merged with foreground application data in the ‘M’ portion of the RMW operation. Once the modify operation is complete, the ‘W’ portion of the RMW operation is able to finally store the data in memory. It follows that a read operation is issued prior to every sub-4 KB write operation, and as a result, write performance is substantially lower when compared to 4 KB aligned block writes (also referred to as a “full” write operation). Furthermore, additional processing overhead involved with searching and maintaining sub-4 KB logical block address (LBA) tables adds even more write latency delays to the process of performing the sub-4 KB write operation. 
     Once an RMW operation begins for a given LBA, the LBA is retained in a table such that any subsequent block writes to the same LBA can either be blocked until current context is finished or coalesced (i.e., added to the existing foreground data set), depending upon a progress level of the initial partial write operation. Accordingly, the list of LBAs which correspond to active RMW operations is searched prior to performing a new write operation, regardless of whether the write operation is a partial write operation. as the new write operation cannot be issued if there are any existing RMW operations for a same LBA which are already in progress. 
     However, the process of searching the list of LBAs which correspond to active RMW operations is significantly inefficient in conventional systems. Specifically, conventional systems experience time delays which are directly proportionate to the number of entries in the LBA table. The size of the LBA table is therefore system dependent and involves trade-offs in search time and blocking when full. It should be noted that this added latency incurred as a result of searching the LBA table applies to all write operations, including those having aligned block sizes, as even a full write operation cannot be issued to the drive if there are any existing RMW operations for that same LBA already in progress. Accordingly, as the ratio between logical page size and system block size increase, partial write operation performance issues are magnified. 
     However, in sharp contrast to the foregoing issues experienced in conventional implementations, various ones of the embodiments included herein are able to improve partial write operation performance by executing the corresponding RMW operations on NVRAM drives in hardware rather than relying on software. Accordingly, a RMW engine can be implemented in the command/data path which will be responsible for ensuring that only full write operation commands and data associated therewith are passed to downstream logic. Moreover, implementing CAM in hardware allows for search operations performed in a LBA table to be completed in a single clock cycle, thereby drastically reducing time delays. As a result, some of the embodiments included herein are able to ensure that read and/or write coherency is maintained for RMW operations while also significantly improving overall efficiency of the storage system, e.g., as will be described in further detail below. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a flowchart of a method  500  for processing data access commands which correspond to data stored on NVRAM is shown according to one embodiment. The method  500  may be performed in accordance with the present invention in any of the environments depicted in  FIGS. 1-4  and  FIGS. 6-7 , among others, in various embodiments. Of course, more or less operations than those specifically described in  FIG. 5  may be included in method  500 , as would be understood by one of skill in the art upon reading the present descriptions. 
     Each of the steps of the method  500  may be performed by any suitable component of the operating environment. For example, in some embodiments one or more of the processes included in method  500  may be performed by a RMW handler module and/or a controller included therein (e.g., see  FIG. 6A  below). In various other embodiments, the method  500  may be partially or entirely performed by a controller, a processor, a computer, etc., or some other device having one or more processors therein. Thus, in some embodiments, method  500  may be a computer-implemented method. Moreover, the terms computer, processor and controller may be used interchangeably with regards to any of the embodiments herein, such components being considered equivalents in the many various permutations of the present invention. 
     Moreover, for those embodiments having a processor, the processor, e.g., processing circuit(s), chip(s), and/or module(s) implemented in hardware and/or software, and preferably having at least one hardware component may be utilized in any device to perform one or more steps of the method  500 . Illustrative processors include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., combinations thereof, or any other suitable computing device known in the art. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , operation  502  of method  500  includes receiving a data access command which corresponds to data stored on NVRAM at a LBA. As mentioned above, the LBA represents the logical address which corresponds to the particular data. The LBA further corresponds to a physical block address (PBA) which represents the physical location in memory (e.g., a specific location in a die and/or chip) at which the particular data is stored. The relationship between logical and PBAs is managed in a LPT in preferred approaches, which is updated accordingly in order to maintain an accurate representation of the data stored in the NVRAM. 
     The data access command received in operation  502  differs depending on the particular approach. For example, in some approaches the data access command received is a data read operation, while in other approaches the received data access command is a data write operation. Furthermore, a data write operation includes a partial write operation in some situations, while in other situations a data write operation includes a full write operation. 
     Referring still to method  500 , decision  504  includes determining the type of data access command which was received in operation  502 . Depending on the type of data access command received, the flowchart follows one of three possible paths. As shown, one of the paths corresponds to read commands, while another one of the paths corresponds to partial write commands (also referred to as “sub-Lpage write commands”), and another of the paths corresponds to full write commands (also referred to as “full-Lpage write commands”). However, it should be noted that these paths are in no way intended to limit the invention. Rather, any number of alternate data access commands may be received and satisfied accordingly. Method  500  may therefore have additional or fewer paths depending on the desired approach. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 5 , despite splitting into three possible paths, one of the decisions  506   a ,  506   b ,  506   c  is performed for each of the different types of data access commands received. Specifically, decisions  506   a ,  506   b ,  506   c  each include using CAM to determine whether the LBA corresponds to an active RMW operation. As described above, performing NVRAM read and write operations involves searching a LBA table for in-progress (e.g., active) RMW contexts before determining how a command data pair is to be performed. Conventional implementations experience time delays which are dependent on the size of the LBA table, thereby negatively affecting performance. For example, a 256 entry table introduces 256 clock cycles of delay to the performance of every command performed in conventional systems. 
     In sharp contrast, by replacing this conventional search control logic with physical CAM, the previously experienced latency can be reduced to a single clock cycle. In fact, this performance delay is reduced to a single clock cycle regardless of the size of the CAM design, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. Accordingly, decisions  506   a ,  506   b ,  506   c  are able to use the LBA associated with the received data command to search the CAM for a matching entry and determine whether such a matching entry exists in a single clock cycle irrespective of a size of the CAM. In other words, decisions  506   a ,  506   b , and  506   c  involve determining whether the LBA associated with the received data command is already currently stored in the CAM. As mentioned above, this effectively eliminates the performance delays experienced by conventional systems, thereby also drastically improving efficiency. 
     Looking specifically to the path of method  500  which corresponds to receiving a read command, the flowchart proceeds from decision  506   a  to operation  508  in response to determining that the LBA corresponds to an active RMW operation. In other words, the flowchart proceeds from decision  506   a  to operation  508  in response to determining that the LBA which corresponds to the read command received in operation  502  was identified in the LBA table, thereby indicating that the LBA is already subject to an active RMW operation. Determining whether the LBA corresponds to an active RMW operation involves searching a sub-Lpage state table (SLST) for an entry which corresponds to the same LBA in some approaches. Moreover, during the searching, a “read pending” bit is set in the table for the respective entry such that once any existing operations (e.g., RMW operations) are completed, the received read command may be satisfied. 
     As shown, operation  508  includes holding (e.g., delaying) the read command. In some approaches the read command is held in a queue. Moreover, the read command is preferably held until the active RMW operation is completed. Accordingly, operation  508  may include holding the read command for a predetermined amount of time before determining whether the active RMW operation has completed in decision  510 . In response to determining that the active RMW operation has not completed, method  500  returns to operation  508 , e.g., such that the read command is held again for a predetermined amount of time. Depending on the approach, the amount of time may be predetermined by a user, based on a current stage of the active RMW operation, based on industry standards, based on the type of NVRAM (e.g., NAND Flash), etc. 
     However, in response to determining that the active RMW operation has been completed, method  500  proceeds from decision  510  to operation  512 . There, operation  512  includes issuing the read command to the NVRAM, e.g., such that it is satisfied. In some approaches the read command is issued to a storage controller of the NVRAM which is capable of performing the read command. In other approaches, one or more instructions are sent to an I/O module coupled to the NVRAM which is capable of extracting the requested data therefrom. 
     It should also be noted that method  500  jumps directly to operation  512  from decision  506   a  in response to determining that the LBA does not correspond to an active RMW operation. In other words, the flowchart proceeds directly from decision  506   a  to operation  512  in response to determining that the LBA which corresponds to the read command received in operation  502  was not identified in the LBA table, thereby indicating that the LBA is not already subject to an active RMW operation. 
     Looking now to the path of method  500  which corresponds to receiving a full-Lpage write command (e.g., a “full write command”), the flowchart proceeds from decision  506   b  to operation  514  in response to determining that the LBA corresponds to an active RMW operation. In other words, the flowchart proceeds from decision  506   b  to operation  514  in response to determining that the LBA which corresponds to the full-Lpage write command received in operation  502  was identified in the LBA table, thereby indicating that the LBA is already subject to an active RMW operation. 
     As shown, operation  514  includes terminating the active RMW operation by disregarding any data returned by the RMW operation and dismissing a remainder of the RMW operation. In other words, because the entire logical page at the LBA will be rewritten as a result of the full-Lpage write command received in operation  502 , any data returned by the active RMW operation will effectively be rendered obsolete as soon as the full-Lpage write command is initiated thereafter. Data returned by the RMW operation is disregarded in some approaches by simply deleting the data, marking the data for garbage collection, indicating the data is unusable, etc. In some approaches, a “drop” bit is set, indicating that any received information is to be dropped (e.g., deleted). Moreover, a remainder of the RMW operation can be dismissed by sending one or more instructions to a command queue, or using any processes which would be apparent to one skilled in the art after reading the present description. 
     From operation  514 , method  500  proceeds to operation  516  which includes issuing the full-Lpage write command to the NVRAM, e.g., such that full-Lpage write command is satisfied. In some approaches the full-Lpage write command is issued to a storage controller of the NVRAM which is capable of writing the data (e.g., storing the data in memory). In other approaches, one or more instructions are sent to an I/O module coupled to the NVRAM which is capable of writing the requested data at the PBA which corresponds to the LBA associated with the received full-Lpage write command, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. 
     It should also be noted that method  500  jumps directly to operation  516  from decision  506   b  in response to determining that the LBA does not correspond to an active RMW operation. In other words, the flowchart proceeds directly from decision  506   b  to operation  516  in response to determining that the LBA which corresponds to the full-Lpage write command received in operation  502  was not identified in the LBA table, thereby indicating that the LBA is not already subject to an active RMW operation. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 5 , the path of method  500  which corresponds to receiving a sub-Lpage write command (e.g., a “partial write command”) involves proceeding from decision  506   c  to operation  518  in response to determining that the LBA corresponds to an active RMW operation. In other words, the flowchart proceeds from decision  506   c  to operation  518  in response to determining that the LBA which corresponds to the sub-Lpage write command received in operation  502  was identified in the LBA table, thereby indicating that the LBA is already subject to an active RMW operation. 
     As shown, operation  518  includes holding (e.g., delaying) the sub-Lpage write command. As described above, in some approaches the sub-Lpage write command is held in a queue. Moreover, the sub-Lpage write command is preferably held until the active RMW operation is completed. Because a sub-Lpage write command does not involve writing all data in a given logical page, an active RMW operation may involve making changes to other portions of data that are in the same logical page. Therefore, it is desirable to delay performance of the sub-Lpage write command until the active RMW operation is completed. Accordingly, operation  518  may include holding the sub-Lpage write command for a predetermined amount of time before determining whether the active RMW operation has completed in decision  520 . 
     In response to determining that the active RMW operation has not completed, method  500  returns to operation  518 , e.g., such that the sub-Lpage write command is held again for a predetermined amount of time. Depending on the approach, the amount of time may be predetermined by a user, based on a current stage of the active RMW operation, based on industry standards, based on the type of NVRAM (e.g., NAND Flash), etc. 
     However, in response to determining that the active RMW operation has been completed, method  500  proceeds from decision  520  to operation  522 . There, operation  522  includes assigning the sub-Lpage write command to a buffer. The sub-Lpage write command is preferably assigned to a buffer which is in sub-Lpage data memory (SLDM). In some approaches, the sub-Lpage write command is assigned to a SLST in the SLDM. The SLDM is used in some approaches to coalesce the data included in the sub-Lpage write command with a remainder of the data which is also included in the logical page at the LBA. As noted above, logical page represents a minimal unit that may be erased and written to on NVRAM (e.g., such as NAND Flash memory). Thus, the SLDM provides a designated portion of memory which may be used to form a full-Lpage write command, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. 
     Proceeding to operation  524 , method  500  also includes issuing a read command to the NVRAM for the LBA. In other words, operation  524  involves reading the data and/or any other information (e.g., metadata) which is currently stored in the logical page which corresponds to the LBA specified by the sub-Lpage write command. In some approaches, issuing the read command involves accessing a LPT which identifies the PBA at which the data in the LBA is physically stored. However, the process of issuing a read command to the NVRAM may incorporate any one or more of the approaches described above. 
     Operation  526  further includes receiving the data read from the PBA which is correlated to the LBA, while operation  528  includes coalescing the data read from the PBA with data included in the sub-Lpage write command. As mentioned above, this process of coalescing the data allows for a full-Lpage write command to be formed and implemented accordingly. In some approaches, the data is coalesced in the SLDM by a processor included therein and/or coupled thereto using known data coalescing techniques. 
     From operation  528 , method  500  proceeds to operation  530  which includes actually issuing the received sub-Lpage write command to the NVRAM. However, it should be noted that the sub-Lpage write command is issued along with the data coalesced therewith in operation  528 . In other words, operation  530  actually includes issuing a full-Lpage write command which includes the originally received sub-Lpage write command therein. Accordingly, any one or more of the approaches described above with respect to operation  516  may be implemented in order to perform operation  530 , e.g., depending on the desired approach. 
     It follows that the various processes included in method  500  are able to ensure that read and/or write coherency is maintained for RMW operations while also significantly improving overall efficiency of the storage system. This is accomplished, at least in part, by executing RMW operations on NVRAM drives in hardware rather than relying on software. Accordingly, a RMW engine can be implemented in the command/data path which will be responsible for ensuring that only full write operation commands and data associated therewith are passed to downstream logic. Moreover, implementing CAM in hardware allows for search operations performed in a LBA table to be completed in a single clock cycle, thereby drastically reducing time delays. 
     As mentioned above, one or more of the processes included in method  500  may be performed by a RMW handler module and/or a controller included therein. Looking specifically to  FIG. 6A , a handler module  600  is illustrated in accordance with one embodiment. As an option, the present handler module  600  may be implemented in conjunction with features from any other embodiment listed herein, such as those described with reference to the other FIGS., such as  FIG. 5 . However, such handler module  600  and others presented herein may be used in various applications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specifically described in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, the handler module  600  presented herein may be used in any desired environment. Thus  FIG. 6A  (and the other FIGS.) may be deemed to include any possible permutation. 
     The specific handler module  600  depicted in  FIG. 6A  is an exemplary sub-Lpage RMW handler module which has CAM assist capabilities, e.g., as will soon become apparent. As shown, the handler module  600  includes a number of components which process information based on data access commands which are received. These data access commands may be received from a user, a central storage controller, a remote storage location over a network connection, etc., depending on the approach. The actual data access commands which are received also vary depending on the given approach. 
     Specifically, a controller  602  receives the data access command(s) and processes them accordingly, e.g., by performing any one or more of the processes described above with respect to method  500 . Accordingly, the controller  602  may include any desired types and/or amount of control logic. The controller  602  is also coupled to a CAM module  604 , SLDM  606 , and a RMW engine  608  which is in turn coupled to a SLST  610 . 
     Looking specifically to the different types of information exchanged between the various components included in the handler module  600 , the controller  602  receives a data access command and provides the LBA associated with the data access command (here “LBA [31:1]”) to the CAM module  604 . As described above, the CAM module  604  is able to determine whether any active RMW operations correspond to the LBA associated with the received data access command in a single clock cycle. Accordingly, the handler module  600  is able to significantly improve partial write operation performance by executing the corresponding RMW operations on NVRAM drives in hardware rather than relying on software. 
     The specific design (e.g., size) and/or configuration of the CAM module  604  may vary depending on the desired approach. According to an example, which is in no way intended to limit the invention, the CAM module  604  may have a design of 256×32. In another example, the CAM module  604  may have a design of 64×32 (e.g., see  FIG. 6C  below). 
     Again, the CAM module  604  determines whether any active RMW operations correspond to the LBA associated with the received data access command in a single clock cycle, and provide a result of such determination to the RMW engine  608 . Accordingly, the RMW engine  608  can be implemented in the command/data path which is responsible for ensuring that only full write operation commands and data associated therewith are passed to downstream logic and/or components. 
     The RMW engine  608  also has indirect access to the SLDM  606  through the controller  602 . Accordingly, the RMW engine  608  is able to utilize the SLDM  606  in order to stage sub-Lpage system write data blocks until either the handler module  600  (or overarching storage system) follows up with the remaining blocks of the given Lpage or an active RMW operation returns with any associated background data. However, full-Lpage write commands (and the corresponding data) are issued to the NVRAM without consulting the SLDM  606 . 
     The SLST  610  is also used to maintain state over, and store command information for, all in-progress RMW operations. Thus, as read and/or write commands are received at the handler module  600 , the SLST  610  is searched based on the LBA which corresponds to a respective active entry. New entries are also added to the SLST  610  each time a sub-Lpage write command is received and processed. Moreover, when the read portion of a RMW operation is completed, the corresponding location in the SLST  610  is looked up based on the LBA which is also returned with data read. The LBA address is presented to the CAM as the search pattern in order to obtain the address in the SLST where the pertinent data for this RMW context is stored. In some approaches, SLST  610  is looked up based on indexing information which may be stored in another TAG Index memory (not shown). 
     Referring momentarily to  FIG. 6B , an illustrative implementation of the SLST  610  in  FIG. 6A  is depicted in accordance with one embodiment, which is in no way intended to limit the invention. As shown, the SLST  610  includes a number of rows which each correspond to a different SLST Address as indicated in the Addr column. According to exemplary approaches, these SLST Addresses are used to index into an associated SLDM buffer memory, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. 
     The Valid [1] (42) column is used to indicate whether a valid active RMW context is running for each of the associated LBA entries. Moreover, the Read Comp Drop [1] (41) column is used to signal whether the data received as a result of the read portion of the respective RMW operation, should be dropped (e.g., ignored). This occurs in situations which involve a sub-Lpage write operation which has been fully coalesced, or another full-Lpage write operation corresponding to the same LBA is received. The Read Pending [1] (40) column indicates the corresponding head of line blocking indicator which is read for in-progress coalescing purposes, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. Further still, the Buff_State [8] (39:31) column provides a per bit indicator of valid foreground sectors received from the system, which can include 8B, 16B, 32B, etc. logical page (Lpage) sizes. Finally, the LBA [31] (31:0) column lists the LBA associated with each of the respective entries. 
     Returning back to  FIG. 6A , the CAM module  604  is a unique type of memory storage device which is used in significantly high-speed searching applications. The CAM module  604  operates by comparing an input search pattern (or string) against a table of stored data, and returns the address of matching data when found. Alternatively, an indication that the pattern does not exist in the table is returned when a match is not found. When the search pattern is found, it is referred to as a “CAM hit”. For write operations, the CAM module  604  essentially behaves like RAM, where a specific address is used to change the contents of an associated memory location. However, for read operations the data/pattern is provided to the CAM module  604  and the memory address of that data/pattern is returned if it exists in the CAM module  604 . For RMW operations as described herein, the address returned by the CAM module  604  is used to index directly into the SLST  610  to obtain state information for an RMW context, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. 
     The controller  602  is further coupled to the downstream NVRAM  612 . Specifically, the controller  602  is coupled to a storage controller  614  in the NVRAM  612 , which in turn communicates with the physical data storage modules  616 . The handler module  600  is thereby able to send specific data access commands and/or data to the NVRAM  612  as well as receive data read from the NVRAM  612 , e.g., as part of a RMW operation. It should be noted that the NVRAM  612  may include any desired type of memory, e.g., depending on the desired approach. For example, in some approaches the NVRAM  612  includes Flash memory. In further approaches, the NVRAM  612  includes NAND Flash memory. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6C , an illustrative implementation of the CAM module  604  in  FIG. 6A  is depicted in accordance with one embodiment, which is in no way intended to limit the invention. As shown, the CAM module  604  has a 64×32 design (e.g., size) and is therefore capable of storing up to 64, 32 bit patterns. The CAM module  604  is also able to provide a fixed single cycle search latency for any pattern in the CAM, e.g., as described herein. 
     The CAM controller  632  receives various data access command prompts wr, add, lkup, and processes them accordingly, e.g., as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art after reading the present description. For instance, each of the four 256×64 bit BRAMs (BRAM- 0 , BRAM- 1 , BRAM- 2 , BRAM- 3 ) in the CAM module  604  provide 8 bits of pattern search and 64 storage locations. The 8 bits of pattern search correspond to the input address of the respective BRAM, while each of the 64 storage locations correspond to a respective one of the 64 bit-lanes of the output data bus q[63:0]. According to an example, which is in no way intended to limit the invention, when a write operation is performed on the CAM module  604 , a single bit is set for that unique address in one of the 64 memory location bit-lanes across all four BRAMs (e.g., the same bit-lane for each BRAM). Thus, when a “Look-Up” operation is performed on the CAM module  604 , the match logic module  634  searches for a logic “one” across all four BRAMS in the same bit-lane. When a given bit-lane within the data bus of all four BRAMs is active, there is a match or CAM “hit”. 
     The CAM pointer manager  636  includes a finite state machine in preferred approaches which is able to load up a small internal 64×6 FIFO with available CAM addresses. The FIFO may alternatively be implemented in the CAM pointer manager memory  638  in some approaches. Upon initialization of the CAM module  604  and/or the overarching storage system, all addresses in the CAM are available, and therefore the FIFO in the CAM pointer manager  636  is full. However, as items are added to the CAM module  604 , pointers are incrementally used. Similarly, as items are removed from the CAM module  604  the pointers are returned into the pointer FIFO of the CAM pointer manager  636  and thereby made available again. It follows that an empty CAM pointer FIFO in the CAM pointer manager  636  indicates that the CAM module  604  is full and cannot take any more entries. In such situations, operation may be halted and/or remedial operations may be performed in order to maintain operation. 
     The CAM module  604  outputs a variety of information depending on whether a match was identified. According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6C , which is in no way intended to limit the invention, match signifies whether a match was actually identified, valid identifies whether the identified match is actually valid, and match addr [x:y] identifies the address at which the match is located. While match addr [x:y] identifies an address in hexadecimal form in some approaches, the address can be referenced using any desired type of identification scheme. Furthermore, empty and full identify whether the CAM module includes any entries stored therein. 
     Again, various ones of the embodiments included herein are able to ensure that read and/or write coherency is maintained for RMW operations while also significantly improving overall efficiency of the storage system. This is accomplished, at least in part, by executing RMW operations on NVRAM drives in hardware rather than relying on software. Accordingly, a RMW engine can be implemented in the command/data path which will be responsible for ensuring that only full write operation commands and data associated therewith are passed to downstream logic. Moreover, implementing CAMs in hardware allows for search operations performed in LBA tables to be completed in a single clock cycle, thereby drastically reducing time delays experienced while satisfying data access commands. Operating efficiency of the overall storage system is thereby significantly improved. 
     The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention. 
     The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire. 
     Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device. 
     Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention. 
     Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions. 
     These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     Moreover, a system according to various embodiments may include a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to perform one or more of the process steps recited herein. By integrated with, what is meant is that the processor has logic embedded therewith as hardware logic, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. By executable by the processor, what is meant is that the logic is hardware logic; software logic such as firmware, part of an operating system, part of an application program; etc., or some combination of hardware and software logic that is accessible by the processor and configured to cause the processor to perform some functionality upon execution by the processor. Software logic may be stored on local and/or remote memory of any memory type, as known in the art. Any processor known in the art may be used, such as a software processor module and/or a hardware processor such as an ASIC, a FPGA, a central processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit (IC), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. 
     It will be clear that the various features of the foregoing systems and/or methodologies may be combined in any way, creating a plurality of combinations from the descriptions presented above. 
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a network architecture  700 , in accordance with one embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a plurality of remote networks  702  are provided including a first remote network  704  and a second remote network  706 . A gateway  701  may be coupled between the remote networks  702  and a proximate network  708 . In the context of the present network architecture  700 , the networks  704 ,  706  may each take any form including, but not limited to a LAN, a WAN such as the Internet, public switched telephone network (PSTN), internal telephone network, etc. 
     In use, the gateway  701  serves as an entrance point from the remote networks  702  to the proximate network  708 . As such, the gateway  701  may function as a router, which is capable of directing a given packet of data that arrives at the gateway  701 , and a switch, which furnishes the actual path in and out of the gateway  701  for a given packet. 
     Further included is at least one data server  714  coupled to the proximate network  708 , and which is accessible from the remote networks  702  via the gateway  701 . It should be noted that the data server(s)  714  may include any type of computing device/groupware. Coupled to each data server  714  is a plurality of user devices  716 . Such user devices  716  may include a desktop computer, laptop computer, handheld computer, printer, and/or any other type of logic-containing device. It should be noted that a user device  711  may also be directly coupled to any of the networks, in some embodiments. 
     A peripheral  720  or series of peripherals  720 , e.g., facsimile machines, printers, scanners, hard disk drives, networked and/or local data storage units or systems, etc., may be coupled to one or more of the networks  704 ,  706 ,  708 . It should be noted that databases and/or additional components may be utilized with, or integrated into, any type of network element coupled to the networks  704 ,  706 ,  708 . In the context of the present description, a network element may refer to any component of a network. 
     According to some embodiments, methods and systems described herein may be implemented with and/or on virtual systems and/or systems which emulate one or more other systems, such as a UNIX system which virtually hosts a MICROSOFT WINDOWS environment, etc. This virtualization and/or emulation may be enhanced through the use of VMWARE software, in some embodiments. 
     In other embodiments, one or more networks  704 ,  706 ,  708 , may represent a cluster of systems commonly referred to as a “cloud.” In cloud computing, shared resources, such as processing power, peripherals, software, data, servers, etc., are provided to any system in the cloud in an on-demand relationship, thereby allowing access and distribution of services across many computing systems. Cloud computing typically involves an Internet connection between the systems operating in the cloud, but other techniques of connecting the systems may also be used, as known in the art. 
       FIG. 8  shows a representative hardware environment associated with a user device  716  and/or server  714  of  FIG. 7 , in accordance with one embodiment.  FIG. 8  illustrates a typical hardware configuration of a processor system  800  having a central processing unit  810 , such as a microprocessor, and a number of other units interconnected via a system bus  812 , according to one embodiment. In some embodiments, central processing unit  810  may include any of the approaches described above with reference to the one or more processors  210  of  FIG. 2 . 
     The processor system  800  shown in  FIG. 8  includes a Random Access Memory (RAM)  814 , Read Only Memory (ROM)  816 , and an I/O adapter  818 . According to some embodiments, which are in no way intended to limit the invention, I/O adapter  818  may include any of the approaches described above with reference to I/O adapter  218  of  FIG. 2 . Referring still to processor system  800  of  FIG. 8 , the aforementioned components  814 ,  816 ,  818  may be used for connecting peripheral devices such as storage subsystem  820  to the bus  812 . In some embodiments, storage subsystem  820  may include a similar and/or the same configuration as data storage system  220  of  FIG. 2 . According to an example, which is in no way intended to limit the invention, storage subsystem  820  may include non-volatile data storage cards, e.g., having NVRAM memory cards, RAM, ROM, and/or some other known type of non-volatile memory, in addition to RAID controllers as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 8 , a user interface adapter  822  for connecting a keyboard  824 , a mouse  826 , a speaker  828 , a microphone  832 , and/or other user interface devices such as a touch screen, a digital camera (not shown), etc., to the bus  812 . 
     Processor system  800  further includes a communication adapter  834  which connects the processor system  800  to a communication network  835  (e.g., a data processing network) and a display adapter  836  which connects the bus  812  to a display device  838 . 
     The processor system  800  may have resident thereon an operating system such as the MICROSOFT WINDOWS Operating System (OS), a MAC OS, a UNIX OS, etc. It will be appreciated that a preferred embodiment may also be implemented on platforms and operating systems other than those mentioned. A preferred embodiment may be written using JAVA, XML, C, and/or C++ language, or other programming languages, along with an object oriented programming methodology. Object oriented programming (OOP), which has become increasingly used to develop complex applications, may be used. 
     Moreover,  FIG. 9  illustrates a storage system  900  which implements high level (e.g., SSD) storage tiers in combination with lower level (e.g., magnetic tape) storage tiers, according to one embodiment. Note that some of the elements shown in  FIG. 9  may be implemented as hardware and/or software, according to various embodiments. The storage system  900  may include a storage system manager  912  for communicating with a plurality of media on at least one higher storage tier  902  and at least one lower storage tier  906 . However, in other approaches, a storage system manager  912  may communicate with a plurality of media on at least one higher storage tier  902 , but no lower storage tier. The higher storage tier(s)  902  preferably may include one or more random access and/or direct access media  904 , such as hard disks, nonvolatile memory (NVM), NVRAM), solid state memory in SSDs, flash memory, SSD arrays, flash memory arrays, etc., and/or others noted herein or known in the art. According to illustrative examples,  FIGS. 3-4  show exemplary architectures of SSD systems which may be used as a higher storage tier  902  depending on the desired embodiment. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 9 , the lower storage tier(s)  906  preferably includes one or more lower performing storage media  908 , including sequential access media such as magnetic tape in tape drives and/or optical media, slower accessing HDDs, slower accessing SSDs, etc., and/or others noted herein or known in the art. One or more additional storage tiers  916  may include any combination of storage memory media as desired by a designer of the system  900 . Thus, the one or more additional storage tiers  916  may, in some approaches, include a SSD system architecture similar or the same as those illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2 . Also, any of the higher storage tiers  902  and/or the lower storage tiers  906  may include any combination of storage devices and/or storage media. 
     The storage system manager  912  may communicate with the storage media  904 ,  908  on the higher storage tier(s)  902  and lower storage tier(s)  906  through a network  910 , such as a storage area network (SAN), as shown in  FIG. 9 , or some other suitable network type. The storage system manager  912  may also communicate with one or more host systems (not shown) through a host interface  914 , which may or may not be a part of the storage system manager  912 . The storage system manager  912  and/or any other component of the storage system  900  may be implemented in hardware and/or software, and may make use of a processor (not shown) for executing commands of a type known in the art, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. Of course, any arrangement of a storage system may be used, as will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the present description. 
     In more embodiments, the storage system  900  may include any number of data storage tiers, and may include the same or different storage memory media within each storage tier. For example, each data storage tier may include the same type of storage memory media, such as HDDs, SSDs, sequential access media (tape in tape drives, optical disk in optical disk drives, etc.), direct access media (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), or any combination of media storage types. In one such configuration, a higher storage tier  902 , may include a majority of SSD storage media for storing data in a higher performing storage environment, and remaining storage tiers, including lower storage tier  906  and additional storage tiers  916  may include any combination of SSDs, HDDs, tape drives, etc., for storing data in a lower performing storage environment. In this way, more frequently accessed data, data having a higher priority, data needing to be accessed more quickly, etc., may be stored to the higher storage tier  902 , while data not having one of these attributes may be stored to the additional storage tiers  916 , including lower storage tier  906 . Of course, one of skill in the art, upon reading the present descriptions, may devise many other combinations of storage media types to implement into different storage schemes, according to the embodiments presented herein. 
     According to some embodiments, the storage system (such as  900 ) may include logic configured to receive a request to open a data set, logic configured to determine if the requested data set is stored to a lower storage tier  906  of a tiered data storage system  900  in multiple associated portions, logic configured to move each associated portion of the requested data set to a higher storage tier  902  of the tiered data storage system  900 , and logic configured to assemble the requested data set on the higher storage tier  902  of the tiered data storage system  900  from the associated portions. 
     Of course, this logic may be implemented as a method on any device and/or system or as a computer program product, according to various embodiments.