Fine grained, direct access file system support for storage class memory

摘要

New storage class memory (SCM) technologies, such as phase change memory (PCM) and memristors, are not only byte-addressable like DRAM but also non-volatile like traditional hard disk drives. SCM modules can be placed side-by-side with DRAM on the memory bus, available to memory instructions issued by the CPU. This shift thus engenders a new "DRAM-SCM" storage architecture, which promises near-DRAM secondary storage access speed at several orders of magnitude faster than magnetic disk or flash memory. Utilizing SCM as a secondary storage device will have a profound impact on memory hierarchy design, requiring new architectural and operating system support.