Fast full system memory checkpointing with SSD-aware memory controller

Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel memory system checkpointing method that very efficiently stores the complete memory state at a given instant in time to a SSD. Our design relies on a modified memory controller that can issue commands directly to the SSD without relying on system software support and SSD controller firmware that is aware of the checkpoint operation. The checkpoint process occurs in the background while foreground operation is allowed to continue. This efficiency enables our checkpointing mechanism to provide value in various applications including supercomputing, cloud computing, and security.