Apparatus and method to share host system RAM with mass storage memory RAM

摘要

A method includes, in one non-limiting embodiment, sending a request from a mass memory storage device to a host device, the request being one to allocate memory in the host device; writing data from the mass memory storage device to allocated memory of the host device; and subsequently reading the data from the allocated memory to the mass memory storage device. The memory may be embodied as flash memory, and the data may be related to a file system stored in the flash memory. The method enables the mass memory storage device to extend its internal volatile RAM to include RAM of the host device, enabling the internal RAM to be powered off while preserving data and context stored in the internal RAM.

主权项

1. A memory storage device, comprising:
a controller; a random access memory that is readable and writable by the controller; a non-volatile memory that is readable and writable by the controller; and an interface for connecting the memory storage device to a host device; the controller operable to:
in response to receiving, from the host device, allocation information associated with read/write memory in the host device that is allocated for use by the memory storage device, create an extended random access memory that includes the read/write memory in the host device;write data to the extended random access memory; andread the data from the extended random access memory.