System and methods for accelerated data storage and retrieval

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing accelerated data storage and retrieval utilizing lossless and/or lossy data compression and decompression. A data storage accelerator includes one or a plurality of high speed data compression encoders that are configured to simultaneously or sequentially losslessly or lossy compress data at a rate equivalent to or faster than the transmission rate of an input data stream. The compressed data is subsequently stored in a target memory or other storage device whose input data storage bandwidth is lower than the original input data stream bandwidth. Similarly, a data retrieval accelerator includes one or a plurality of high speed data decompression decoders that are configured to simultaneously or sequentially losslessly or lossy decompress data at a rate equivalent to or faster than the input data stream from the target memory or storage device. The decompressed data is then output at rate data that is greater than the output rate from the target memory or data storage device. The data storage and retrieval accelerator method and system may employed: in a disk storage adapter to reduce the time required to store and retrieve data from computer to disk; in conjunction with random access memory to reduce the time required to store and retrieve data from random access memory; in a display controller to reduce the time required to send display data to the display controller or processor; and/or in an input/output controller to reduce the time required to store, retrieve, or transmit data.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for providing accelerated data storage, said method comprising:
 receiving a digital data stream at an input data transmission rate which is greater than a data storage rate of a target storage device, the digital data stream comprising a plurality of data blocks;   compressing the plurality of data blocks with a number of encoders to provide a plurality of compressed data blocks;   determining a compression ratio associated with each of the plurality of compressed data blocks and selecting, based, at least in part, on the determined compression ratios, at least one of the compressed data blocks to provide as a compressed digital data stream; and   storing the compressed digital data stream in the target storage device at a compression rate, wherein the combined length of time required for performing said compressing and said storing the compressed digital data stream in the target storage device is less than a length of time required for storing the digital data stream in the target storage device.   
     
     
         32 . The program storage device of  claim 31 , wherein the compression rate is at least equal to the ratio of the input data transmission rate to the data storage rate so as to provide continuous storage of the input digital data stream at the input data transmission rate. 
     
     
         33 . The program storage device of  claim 31 , wherein the instructions for compressing comprise instructions for performing lossy data compression. 
     
     
         34 . The program storage device of  claim 31 , wherein the instructions for compressing comprise instructions for performing lossless and lossy data compression. 
     
     
         35 . The program storage device of  claim 31 , wherein the instructions for compressing comprise instructions for:
 reading a first parameter that is indicative of a compression type to be applied to the input digital data stream; and   selecting at least one allowable encoder based on the first parameter.   
     
     
         36 . The program storage device of  claim 35 , wherein the compression type is one of lossless data compression, lossy data compression, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         37 . The program storage device of  claim 35 , wherein each data block in the plurality has a first parameter associated therewith indicative of a compression type to be applied to the data block. 
     
     
         38 . The program storage device of  claim 35 , further comprising instructions for reading a second data parameter that is indicative of an amount of information loss that is permissible, if lossy data compression is selected. 
     
     
         39 . The program storage device of  claim 38 , wherein the first and second data parameters are located within a header of a data block. 
     
     
         40 . A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for providing accelerated retrieval of stored data, said method comprising:
 retrieving a compressed digital data stream from a target storage device at a rate equal to a data access rate of the target storage device;   reading, from the compressed digital data stream, a first parameter that is indicative of a decompression type to be applied to the compressed digital data stream;   selecting a subset of decoders from a plurality of decoders based, at least in part, on the first parameter, and enabling the selected subset of decoders; and   decompressing the compressed digital data stream, using the enabled subset of decoders, at a decompression rate to produce decompressed data, wherein the combined length of time required for performing said retrieving the compressed digital data stream from the target storage device and said decompressing the compressed digital data stream is less than a length of time required for retrieving the decompressed data from the target storage device.   
     
     
         41 . The program storage device of  claim 40 , wherein the instructions for decompressing comprise instructions for performing lossy data decompression. 
     
     
         42 . The program storage device of  claim 40 , wherein the instructions for decompressing comprise instructions for performing a combination of lossless and lossy data decompression. 
     
     
         43 . (canceled) 
     
     
         44 . The program storage device of  claim 40 , wherein the decompression type is one of lossless and lossy data decompression. 
     
     
         45 . The program storage device of  claim 40 , further comprising instructions for reading a second parameter that is indicative of an amount of information loss that is permissible, if lossy data decompression is selected. 
     
     
         46 . A method for providing accelerated data storage comprising:
 receiving a digital data stream at an input data transmission rate which is greater than a data storage rate of a target storage device, the digital data stream comprising a plurality of data blocks;   compressing the plurality of data blocks with a number of encoders to provide a plurality of compressed data blocks;   determining a compression ratio associated with each of the compressed data blocks and selecting, based, at least in part, on the determined compression ratios, at least one of the compressed data blocks to provide as a compressed digital data stream; and   storing the compressed digital data stream in the target storage device at a compression rate, wherein the combined length of time required for performing said compressing and said storing the compressed digital data stream in the target storage device is less than a length of time required for storing the digital data stream in the target storage device.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the compression rate is at least equal to the ratio of the input data transmission rate to the data storage rate so as to provide continuous storage of the input digital data stream at the input data transmission rate. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the compressing is performed using lossy data compression. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the compressing is performed using lossless and lossy data compression. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the compressing comprises:
 reading a first parameter that is indicative of a compression type to be applied to the input digital data stream; and   selecting at least one allowable encoder based on the first parameter.   
     
     
         51 . A method for providing accelerated data storage comprising:
 receiving a digital data stream at an input data transmission rate which is greater than a data storage rate of a target storage device, the digital data stream comprising a plurality of data blocks;   losslessly compressing the the plurality of data blocks with a number of encoders to provide a plurality of compressed data blocks;   determining a compression ratio associated with each of the plurality of compressed data blocks and selecting, based, at least in part, on the determined compression ratios, at least one of the compressed data blocks to provide as a compressed digital data stream; and   storing the compressed digital data stream in the target storage device at a compression rate, wherein the combined length of time required for performing said losslessly compressing and said storing the compressed digital data stream in the target storage device is less than a length of time required for storing the digital data stream in the target storage device.   
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 51 , further comprising:
 reading a first parameter that is indicative of a decompression type to be applied to the compressed digital data stream; and   selecting at least one allowable decoder based on the first parameter.   
     
     
         53 . A method for providing accelerated retrieval of stored data comprising:
 retrieving a compressed digital data stream from a target storage device at a rate equal to a data access rate of the target storage device   reading, from the compressed digital data stream, a first parameter that is indicative of a decompression type to be applied to the compressed digital data stream;   selecting a subset of decoders from a plurality of decoders based, at least in part, on the first parameter, and enabling the selected subset of decoders; and   decompressing the compressed digital data stream, using the enabled subset of decoders, at a decompression rate to produce decompressed data, wherein the combined length of time required for performing said retrieving the compressed digital data stream from the target storage device and said decompressing the compressed digital data stream is less than a length of time required for retrieving the decompressed data from the target storage device.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the decompressing comprises performing lossy data decompression. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the decompressing comprises performing a combination of lossless and lossy data decompression. 
     
     
         56 . (canceled) 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the decompression type is one of lossless and lossy data decompression. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising reading a second parameter that is indicative of an amount of information loss that is permissible, if lossy data decompression is selected.