see also: -
Microsemi
(or WEDC) - editor mentions in StorageSearch.com
. |
|
Editor's comments:- May 2013 - there are some
segments in the SSD market where customers don't want the suppliers to be
changing their values and obsoleting their product lines every few quarters.
In the embedded industrial markets, and in the military market in
particular - customers want reliable SSD suppliers who are at the forefront of
SSD architecture - that's for sure - but it works better for the customer if
those suppliers are in control of their destinies to the degree that they
understand upcoming technology changes, own most of their controller IP and
firmware and if they can demomstrate that they are able to manage the spikey
effects of chip market dynamics by roadmaps and by consistently improving
new products while having a track record of long term consistent product
availability.
That's one of the reasons I don't have to rewrite a new
SSD profile for Microsemi every few quarters - just because of something we may
have talked about recently. It seems to me - their products change - but the
company remains the same. |
|
Who's
who in SSD? - by
Zsolt Kerekes,
editor - January 20, 2011
Microsemi is 1 of 35 companies in
the
1" SSD guide, 1
of more than 50 companies in the
military SSD market,
1 of more than 100 companies in the
2.5" SSD market
and is also listed in these directories:-
fast purge SSDs,
SATA SSDs and
PATA SSDs.
Microsemi's
SSD technology business was initially based on technology developed by a company
it acquired in 2010 called
White Electronic Designs
Corp (WEDC) - which was 1st listed in StorageSearch.com's SSD buyers
guides in
2005.
Everything the company does is related to the defense market.
SSDs
and the Big Bang....
Now I don't know if you've ever seen the
comedy sitcom -
the Big Bang Theory?
It's about a bunch of physicist (guys) whose social skills - when it comes to
encounters with other humans (in particular - girls) - are nowhere near as
highly developed as you might expect from brainiacs with a deep understanding
of the make up of the cosmos.
My favorite character in Big Bang is
Sheldon Cooper (played by Emmy award winning actor Jim
Parsons). When someone accidentally ignites Sheldon with a flippant
technical comment or question - his response is a lecture - which goes on
and on and on and on...
He takes physics and technology very seriously
- and in some ways I'm reminded this is exactly what I do when I get invited
to offer a "simple quick reply" about SSDs by some unsuspecting
reader in an email. The way such questions are phrased can signal to me
that the questioner may not know enough to ask the right question. Some people
might call Sheldon's responses (in Big Bang) and mine (re SSDs) as somewhat
obsessive when it comes to the detail.
But sometimes an obsessive
compulsion to details (my positive definition of OCD) can
be a good thing. And this is where we return to Microsemi's SSD products. Do you
remember? we started off talking about those earlier on.
back to
Microsemi's SSDs
I've been tracking the company's SSD products
since 2005 - but even before they launched their 1st SSD - I anticipated they
would enter the SSD market because it was a natural extension of their memory
technology and the needs of their defense customers.
Last year I had
some enjoyable discussions with Jack Bogdanski
- Microsemi's Director of New Product Development about a range of detailed
SSD technology design issues.
Even though Jack didn't answer all my
detailed questions (some of the ways they've solved design problems they prefer
to keep secret) I was impressed by the lengths they have gone to in some of
their new SSD designs to ensure that they operate reliably under all likely
operating conditions, that the data stays secure even if the SSD falls into the
wrong hands, and that with customer supply cycles often extending over many
years - Microsemi minimizes the risk of forced requalifications.
They
design the controller software, they make their own microprocessors - which
incidentally made it easier for them to ensure end-to-end data integrity - and
they have more than a decade of experience with memories in "hard"
defense (as opposed to "soft" industrial) applications.
One
detail gives you an idea of how far the obsession with getting it right goes.
When it came to the design of the architecture to
manage sudden
SSD power loss - realizing the importance of getting this right they applied
more engineers to this than most companies deploy to entire an entire 2.5"
SSD.
So - if you're in the defense market and - in particular need
SSDs to fit into the tight spaces and environmental constraints of aerospace
projects - and if you're looking for a long serious conversation about
some minute aspect of the SSD design - which no-one else seems to take
seriously - but which is a deeply sensitive issue for you - then the SSD
people in Microsemi might be good to talk to.
But make sure you set
aside enough time for the follow up reply. It may not be a quick one.
For
more info about Microsemi take a look at the links above and
Microsemi
editor mentions in StorageSearch.com.
I currently talk to more
than 300 makers of SSDs and another 100 or so companies which are
closely enmeshed around the SSD ecosphere - which are all profiled here on
the mouse site.
I learn about new SSD companies every day, including
many in stealth mode. If you're interested in the growing
big picture of
the SSD market canvass - StorageSearch will help you along the way. Many
SSD company CEOs read our site too - and say they value our thought leading SSD
content - even when we say something that's not always comfortable to hear. I
hope you'll find it it useful too. |
| . |
|
|
In May 2010 -
Microsemi
announced
it had completed the acquisition of
White Electronic Designs.
In
August 2010 - Microsemi
announced it now offers a 16GB SLC NAND version of its
PBGA SSDs - which
are designed specifically for use in the rugged and demanding environments of
defense and aerospace
applications.
In March 2011 -
Microsemi
announced
initial production and availability of its
TRRUST-Stor a rugged
2.5" SATA SSD designed for mission critical applications in the
aerospace, defense, and military markets. Security features in the new SSD
include:- AES encryption with a 256-bit key with XTS, a
fast purge feature
called SnapPurge which destroys key in less than 30mS and hardware-based fast
clear of the entire drive which takes less than 4 seconds. Uncorrectable bit
error rate is one sector per 1030 bits read. Other reliability
oriented features include:- Built-In-Self-Test (BIST) and
power
interruption protection with over and under voltage detection and protection
which does not rely on super caps or batteries.
In May 2011 -
Microsemi announced
that its TRRUST-STOR
(2.5" rugged SSDs) are the industry's first SSDs to pass zero-failure
testing at vibration
levels that are consistent with the industry's most severe environments.
In September 2011 -
Microsemi
announced it's
shipping secure rugged SATA SSD chips for embedded defense applications with
upto 75GB SLC capacity in a single 32mm x 28mm PBGA (plastic ball grid array).
In April 2012 - Microsemi
announced it is
offering a new type of ruggedized
SATA connector option
for its its TRRUST-Stor
SSDs which provides a complete vibration-resistant solution which
eliminates pin fretting and intermittent disconnects to assure long-term
dependability.
In August 2012 -
Microsemi
announced it has
achieved
NIST
certification for the AES (encryption ) algorithm on its ultra-secure
rugged TRRUST-Stor
SSD. |
| . |
|
|
| |
| Microsemi's
new SSD for vetronics can erase 256GB in < 8S |
Editor:- May 23, 2013 - Microsemi today
announced that it has
secured multiple design-wins for its new Series 200 TRRUST-Stor (rugged self
encrypting, 2.5" SATA SSD with 256GB SLC capacity and
fast purge).
The
company says a full hardware-based erase takes less than 8 seconds. The 200
model has R/W throughput which is twice as fast as the company's earlier
TRRUST-Stor due to a new generation of the company's Armor processor.
Developed to endure harsh environments the new SSD - which has
hardware-implemented AES 256 encryption - can withstand up to 3,000G shock and
30G rms of vibration. | | |
| . |
| Microsemi' speeds up fast
SSD erase |
Editor:- October 23, 2012 -
Microsemi
today announced a new
faster erasing 2.5" industrial SSD. The SECURRE-Stor (upto 128GB)
can perform a first level software fast-erase in 0.1S followed by a fully
destructive hardware erase in less than 10 seconds.
The company says
applications include secure laptops, automated teller machines and other systems
currently using hard disk drives that may need to be physically destroyed to
prevent data from getting into the wrong hands. | | |
| . |
| Microsemi eliminates
weakest link in high capacity SATA SSDs |
Editor:- April 9, 2012 -
Microsemi
today announced it is
offering a new type of ruggedized SATA connector option for its its
TRRUST-Stor SSDs which
provides a complete vibration-resistant solution which eliminates pin fretting
and intermittent disconnects to assure long-term dependability.
"The
weakest link in many embedded applications is the connector, which can sabotage
the operation of critical hardware," said B J Heggli, VP
of Strategic Development for Microsemi. |
 |
"Our new connector
family protects against the effects of severe shock and vibration, which
safeguards the flow of data. As a result, we can now offer customers what is
perhaps the most secure and rugged SSD available on the market."
| | | |
| . |
 |
| . |
| Microsemi
packs MIL SATA 75GB SLC SSD into PBGA |
Editor:- September 29, 2011 - Microsemi
announced it's
shipping secure rugged SATA SSD chips for embedded defense applications with
upto 75GB SLC capacity in a single 32mm x 28mm PBGA (plastic ball grid array).
Advanced security features include AES-128 encryption, self-destruct
capability and whole-module
erase with "push-button"
trigger option, which are essential for mission-critical defense and aerospace
applications, ruggedized mobile systems, surveillance, avionics, navigation and
ruggedized portable storage solutions.
"Our ability to miniaturize microelectronics systems has proven
to be a key advantage in defense applications where SWaP solutions are critical,"
said Jack
Bogdanski, director of marketing for Microsemi. "Offering a
complete solid state storage system in a compact module allows designers to add
more features to their systems, while supporting key security features that are
increasingly important to our defense and aerospace customers."
|
|
| | |
| . |
|
|
| . |
| how fast can your
SSD run backwards? |
SSDs are complex devices and there's a
lot of mysterious behavior which isn't fully revealed by
benchmarks and
vendor's product datasheets and whitepapers. Underlying all the important
aspects of SSD behavior are
asymmetries
which arise from the intrinsic technologies and architecture inside the SSD.
Which symmetries are most important in an SSD?
That
depends on your application. But knowing that these symmetries exist, what they
are, and judging how your selected SSD compares will give you new insights
into SSD
performance,
cost and
reliability.
There's
no such thing as - the perfect SSD - existing in the market today - but
the SSD symmetry list helps you to understand where any SSD in any memory
technology stands relative to the ideal. |
|
| | | |
