PRESS RELEASE

Blunk Announces Third Generation NOR FTL

San Jose, CA (May 17, 2012) Today Blunk announced availability of its third-generation Flash Translation Layer (FTL) software for NOR flash. Blunk’s flash file systems are in use around the world--in routers, set top boxes, industrial control equipment, millions of cell phones--and beyond--in satellites launched by JPL and others. An FTL is the software that makes flash memory appear like a hard drive to the file system layer above it.

Functions performed by TargetFTL-NOR™ include i) virtual to physical mapping, since flash cannot be updated in-place the FTL must copy updates to new sectors and maintain a sector map database, ii) program-erase wear leveling, since uneven use causes early device failure, iii) read wear leveling, since repetitively reading data without refreshing it leads to bit errors, and iv) garbage collection, since flash memory can only be erased in large blocks, the FTL recovers ‘dirty’ sectors by selecting blocks to erase after copying in-use sectors to other locations.

Blunk’s new NOR FTL is unique in that it combines two existing FTL algorithms, developed by Blunk and used in millions of end products, with a new algorithm that targets very small volumes. Each of the three algorithms is optimal for a different range of volume sizes. The new FTL adaptively selects the mapping algorithm according to the volume size, applying in each case the algorithm that gives the best performance and minimizes the RAM footprint. The result is one FTL that supports volumes ranging from KBs to GBs in size.

About Blunk Microsystems

Blunk Microsystems has provided high-performance embedded software for 32-bit processors since 1995. Products include kernels, advanced file systems, a graphics library, IPv4 and IPv6 certified TCP/IP stacks, USB host stack, web server, high-level source debugger, and an integrated GNU-based development environment.

Contact

Blunk Microsystems, LLC
3626 Fair Oaks Blvd. Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95864
T: +1 (408) 323-1758
E: info@blunkmicro.com
W: www.blunkmicro.com