Managing Flash Memory in Embedded Systems

October 2008
7 pages

Managing Flash Memory in Embedded Systems

This paper explores how to choose the most appropriate file system for your embedded design. For example, should your design use a FAT file system or a transaction-based file system? Does it need to run reliably on low-cost NAND flash or recover quickly from file errors? This paper addresses these issues and examines the importance of dynamic wear leveling, static wear leveling, read-degradation monitoring, write buffering, background defragmentation, and other techniques.

Contents

Introduction — Shedding the "FAT" — Reliability Through Transactions — Fast Recovery After Power Failures — Maximizing Flash Life — Bringing Reliability Downmarket [+]

Download

Author
Paul Leroux
paull@qnx.com

Paul Leroux

Paul Leroux is an award-winning writer, technology analyst, and public relations manager. He has been with QNX Software Systems for more than 20 years, where he is particularly valued for his knowledge of the embedded industry and for his ability to explain complex technical issues to both specialists and non-specialists.

Leroux maintains the blog On Q, which he describes as "a personal mashup of QNX, cars, embedded systems, M2M, and photography."

When he is not writing whitepapers or blogging, Leroux is an avid snowshoer and wildlife photographer. He holds a B.A. and an M.A., both from Concordia University in Montreal.