4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

Home

FAQ

Mailing Lists / IRC

Source

Documentation

Misc
General

Archive
GIT

Memory Technology Devices

Fellows
NAND

OneNAND

JFFS2

UBI

UBIFS

Logfs

NAND data
Please, find here the table describing different characteristics of various NAND flashes.

NAND vs. NOR

Beside the different silicon cell design, the most important difference between NAND and NOR Flash is the bus
interface. NOR Flash is connected to a address / data bus direct like other memory devices as SRAM etc. NAND
Flash uses a multiplexed I/O Interface with some additional control pins. NAND flash is a sequential access device
appropriate for mass storage applications, while NOR flash is a random access device appropriate for code
storage application. NOR Flash can be used for code storage and code execution. Code stored on NAND Flash
can't be executed from there. It must be loaded into RAM memory and executed from there.
NOR

NAND

Interface

Bus

I/O

Cell Size

Large

Small

Cell Cost

High

Low

Read Time

Fast

Slow

Program Time single

Byte

Fast

Slow

Program Time multi Byte Slow

Fast

Erase Time

Slow

Fast

Power consumption

High

Low, but requires additional RAM

Can execute code

Yes

No, but newer chips can execute a small loader out of the first
page

http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

1/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

Bit twiddling

nearly
unrestricted

1-3 times, also known as "partial page program restriction"

Bad blocks at ship time

No

Allowed

Some facts about write speed.

NAND is typically faster than NOR for large writes. A typical NOR write is 10uS per word, which results in 1280uS
per 512 bytes on a 32-bit bus. A typical NAND write is 50nS per byte + 10uS page seek + 200uS program which
results in 236uS per 512 bytes on a 8 bit bus.
As NAND Flash is cheaper than NOR Flash and has a very slim interface it was selected as the optimum solution
for large nonvolatile storage applications such as solid state file storage, digital audio/voice recorder, digital still
camera and portable applications requiring non-volatility.

NAND Types
There are various types of NAND Flash available. Bare NAND chips, SmartMediaCards, DiskOnChip.
SmartMediaCards are bare NAND chips covered by thin plastic. They are very common in digital cameras and
MP3 players. The card itself contains nothing smart at all. It gets smart by software.
DiskOnChip is NAND Flash with additional glue logic as a drop in replacement for NOR Flash chips. The glue logic
provides direct memory access to a small address window, which contains a boot loader stub, which loads the real
boot code from the NAND device. The logic contains also control registers for the static NAND chip control lines
and a hardware ECC generator.

NAND technical view

The memory is arranged as an array of pages. A page consists of 256 / 512 Byte data and 8 / 16 Byte spare (out
of band) area. Newer chips have 2048 Bytes data and and 64 Bytes spare area sizes. The spare area is used to
store ECC (error correction code), bad block information and filesystem-dependent data. n pages build one block.
The read / write access to data is on a per page basis. Erase is done on a per block basis. The commands to
read / write / erase the chip is given by writing to the chip with the Command Latch Enable pin high. Address is
given by writing with the Address Latch Enable pin high.
There are only a few lines necessary to access NAND Flashmemory.
16 bit buswidth chips are supported.
Pin(s)

Function

http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

2/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

I/O 0-7(15) Data Inputs/Outputs

/CE

Chip Enable

CLE

Command Latch Enable

ALE

Address Latch Enable

/RE

Read Enable

/WE

Write Enable

/WP

Write Protect

/SE

Spare area Enable

R/B

Ready / Busy Output

As it is necessary to use the spare area, the /SE (Spare area Enable) pin should be tied to GND. /CE, CLE and
ALE should be GPIO pins or latched signals. It's possible to use address lines for ALE and CLE, but you have to
take care about the timing restrictions of the chip !
/RE and /WE can be tied to the corresponding lines of the CPU. Make sure, that they are logicaly combined with
the corresponding chipselect. You can also use two different chipselects for /RE and /WE, but be aware of data
hold time constraints of your NAND chip. Data hold time after rising edge of /WE is different to data hold time after
rising edge of chipselect lines!
I/O 0-7(15) are connected to the databus D0-D7(D15). The /WP pin can be used for write protection or connected
to VCC to enable writes unconditionally. As NAND flash uses a command driven programming and erasing, an
accidental write or erase is not likely to happen. The Ready / Busy output is not necessary for operation, but it
can be tied to a GPIO or an interrupt line.

Filesystems supporting NAND

One major problem for using NAND Flash is, that you cannot write as often as you want to a page. The
consecutive writes to a page, before erasing it again, are restricted to 1-3 writes, depending on the manufacturers
specifications. This applies similar to the spare area. This makes it necessary for the filesystem to handle a
writebuffer, which contains data, that is less than a page
At the moment there are only a few filesystems which support NAND:
JFFS2 and YAFFS for bare NAND Flash and SmartMediaCards
NTFL for DiskOnChip devices
TRUEFFS from M-Systems for DiskOnChip devices
SmartMedia DOS-FAT as defined by the SSFDC Forum
UBIFS for bare NAND flash
http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

3/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

JFFS2, NTFL, and UBIFS are Open Source, while TRUEFFS is a proprietary solution. SmartMedia DOS-Fat is a
specification from SSFDC forum. It is somewhat open under a non disclosure agreement with Toshiba, who owns
all rights on this specifications. NTFL is designed for the usage of DiskOnChip devices. JFFS2 supports raw NAND
chips and SmartMediaCards at the moment. A JFFS2 support for DiskOnChip devices, based on the NAND code,
is planned. There are some other Open Source projects for NAND filesystem support, but there's no other working
solution than JFFS, YAFFS, and UBIFS at the moment of this writing. YAFFS is available from YAFFS-Homepage.
YAFFS is faster than JFFS2 and consumes less RAM, JFFS2 provides on the fly file compression and
decompression, which is very helpful for small FLASHs. UBIFS provides compression similar to JFFS2, but is
usually a better choice for large NAND flash chips (see here for more information on UBIFS, including some notes
about how it compares to JFFS2).
There is currently no support for the wide spread SmartMedia DOS-FAT filesystem, mainly because it's not a
reliable filesystem for industrial usage. It's ok for multimedia applications. The hardware support layer is designed
to support an implementation of SmartMedia DOS-FAT. There are some efforts to implement it, but it's in an early
stage. There are a couple of SmartMedia Card adaptors for USB, PCMCIA, FireWire ... with Linux drivers
available, which support the SmartMedia DOS-FAT.
JFFS2, YAFFS, and UBIFS include bad block management, wear leveling, error correction and provide reliable
filesystems for industrial use on top of NAND Flash.

JFFS2 specific information

JFFS2 Out of Band usage
JFFS2 uses the default autoplacement scheme. The only JFFS2 specific usage of the oob area is the storage of
the cleanmarker
Nand chips with 256 byte pagesize and 8 byte OOB size
Offset Content Comment
0x06

Clean
marker
byte 0

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x85. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x07

Clean
marker
byte 1

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x19. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

Nand chips with 512 byte pagesize and 16 byte OOB size
http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

4/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

Offset Content Comment

0x08

Clean
marker
byte 0

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x85. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x09

Clean
marker
byte 1

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x19. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x0a

Clean
marker
byte 2

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x03. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x0b

Clean
marker
byte 3

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x20. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x0c

Clean
marker
byte 4

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x08. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x0d

Clean
marker
byte 5

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x00. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x0e

Clean
marker
byte 6

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x00. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x0f

Clean
marker
byte 7

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x00. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

Nand chips with 2048 byte pagesize and 64 byte OOB size
Offset Content Comment
0x10

Clean
marker
byte 0

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x85. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x11

Clean
marker
byte 1

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x19. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x12

Clean
marker
byte 2

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x03. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

5/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

0x13

Clean
marker
byte 3

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x20. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x14

Clean
marker
byte 4

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x08. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x15

Clean
marker
byte 5

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x00. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x16

Clean
marker
byte 6

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x00. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

0x17

Clean
marker
byte 7

This byte indicates that a block was erased under JFFS2 control. If the page was successfully
erased this byte in the first page of a block is programmed to 0x00. In the remaining pages this
byte is reserved

HOWTO implement NAND support

Where can you get the code ?
NAND support is now present in the upstream kernel code, including JFFS2 and UBIFS. The latest code is also
available from GIT and daily snapshots.
If using JFFS2, there are four layers of software:
1. JFFS2: filesystem driver
2. MTD: Memory Technology Devices driver
3. NAND: generic NAND driver
4. Hardware specific driver
The MTD driver just provides a mount point for JFFS2. The generic NAND driver provides all functions, which are
necessary to identify, read, write and erase NAND Flash. The hardware dependent functions are provided by the
hardware driver. They provide mainly the hardware access information and functions for the generic NAND driver.
The same applies for YAFFS.

API Documentation
A complete API documentation is available as DocBook template in the Documentation/DocBook directory of the
MTD source tree.
http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

6/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

Read the API documentation online

Supported chips
Most NAND chips actually available should be supported by the current code. If you have a chip, which is not
supported, you can easily add it by extending the chiplist in drivers/mtd/nand/nand_ids.c. The chip name does not
longer contain cryptic part numbers, as the device ID is just an information about size, erase block size, pagesize
and operating voltage. Add an entry, which contains following information:
{ name, id, pagesize, chipsize, erasesize, options }
ref

comment

name

string: "NAND 'size' 'voltage' 'bus-width'"

id

chip device code. This code is read during nand_scan. Check datasheet for the code of your chip

pagesize Page size (0,256,512). 0 indicates that the pagesize can be read out from the chip in the extended ID
chipsize

The total size of the chip in MiB

erasesize the erasesize of your chip in bytes. 0 for chips with extended ID
options

Options. Bitfield to enable chip specific options. See nand.h

Please contact NAND driver maintainer to include it in the public source tree.
Manufacturer codes are scanned during nand_scan too. If the code is one of the known codes in the
manufacturer ID table, the name of the manufacturer is printed out, else "Unknown" is printed. This happens when
your hardware driver is loaded and calls nand_scan. Add codes, which are new and contact NAND driver
maintainer to include it

Config settings
The following config switches have to be set. JFFS2 on NAND does not work, if one of these settings is missing.
CONFIG_MTD=y
CONFIG_MTD_CHAR=y
CONFIG_MTD_BLOCK=y
CONFIG_MTD_NAND=y
CONFIG_MTD_NAND_YOURBOARD=y
CONFIG_JFFS2_FS=y
CONFIG_JFFS2_FS_DEBUG=0
CONFIG_JFFS2_FS_NAND=y

http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

7/8

4/19/2016

Memory Technology Device (MTD) Subsystem for Linux.

FAQ
Please see the NAND section in MTD FAQs

References:
Open Source
JFFS2, NTFL, and UBIFS are located on this website.
YAFFS is located at YAFFS-Homepage.

Hardware
Toshiba
Samsung
SSFDC Forum
M-Systems

Maintainers
JFFS2 is maintained by David Woodhouse
The generic NAND driver is maintained by Thomas Gleixner
UBIFS is maintained by Artem Bityutskiy
Please don't contact them directly. Ask your questions on the linux-mtd mailinglist.
Any suggestions, improvements, bug-reports and bug-fixes are welcome

http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/doc/nand.html

8/8