[Talk Proposal] UFS WriteBooster Buffer Management: Exception event Flush and Partial Flush

[Pavithra C R]

Hello BLR Kernel Meetup Team,

We would like to submit a talk proposal for the upcoming Linux Kernel Meetup scheduled on 11th April 2026.

Talk Title: UFS WriteBooster Buffer Management - Exception event Flush and Partial Flush

Abstract:

UFS WriteBooster is a critical performance feature in UFS 3.0+ storage devices that temporarily converts TLC/QLC NAND cells to operate in SLC mode, delivering 2-3x faster write performance.

While the Linux kernel has supported basic WriteBooster functionality, advanced buffer management capabilities remain underutilized.

This talk presents two key enhancements to the UFS WriteBooster subsystem in the Linux kernel:

1. Exception event Flush: Host-initiated buffer flush mechanism allowing precise control over when SLC buffer data migrates to TLC storage, essential for power management and data persistence guarantees.

2. Partial Flush: Incremental flush support enabling concurrent I/O operations during buffer migration, supporting both FIFO and Pinned flush modes for different workload patterns.

The presentation covers the design decisions, implementation challenges, and integration with existing UFS infrastructure. We will also demonstrate the KSelfTest framework developed for validating these features.

Talk Outline:

1. Introduction (3 min)

• UFS WriteBooster overview
• Why buffer management matters
• Current limitations in mainline kernel

2. Concept (5 min)

•  SLC buffer as write cache
• Flush strategies: Full vs Partial
• FIFO Mode vs Pinned Mode flush ordering

3. Design (8 min)

• Attribute-based control interface (sysfs)
• Handling concurrent I/O during flush 
• Error handling and recovery paths
• Sequence and Flow diagrams

4. Key Features Implemented (5 min)

• Exception event flush via fWriteBoosterBufferFlushEn
• Partial flush with threshold-based triggers
• Integration with ufshcd driver

5. Test Plan - KSelfTest (4 min)

• KSelfTest framework for UFS WriteBooster
• Test case categories: Basic, Concurrency, Edge Cases

Preferred Duration:

Regular Talk (25+5 minutes): 25 minutes presentation + 5 minutes Q&A

Speaker Bios:

1. Pavithra C R

Linux kernel developer at AMD with 1+ years of experience in C and Linux kernel development. Specializes in storage subsystems including UFS (Universal Flash Storage), SCSI infrastructure, and storage performance optimization.

2. Purushotham Donthula

Linux kernel developer at AMD with 11+ years of experience in C and Linux kernel development. Works on storage subsystems with expertise in UFS driver development, and kernel testing frameworks. Passionate about improving storage stack reliability and implementing robust testing methodologies for kernel subsystems.

 

Best regards,  

Pavithra C R & Purushotham Donthula  

AMD India Private Ltd

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[U Das]

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