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| flash SSD news
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NVELO launches notebook SSD
ASAP
Editor:- August 17, 2010 - NVELO launched
Dataplex - a software product
aimed at PC oems - which provides
SSD ASAP
functionality inside a
notebook.
"Consumers love the idea of SSD performance, but there is still a
huge (price) gap
between HDDs at $0.20/GB and SSDs at $2.00/GB; as an HDD replacement, the
economics simply don't work for all but a very small percentage of the market,"
said David Lin, VP of product management at NVELO. "With Dataplex, we are
making SSD performance economically feasible for a much larger market by using
the strengths of SSD and HDD technology together. And we're not talking about
simply installing the OS and whatever applications can fit onto a small SSD.
Dataplex learns user behavior, and intelligently caches all important data and
applications in an SSD device while maintaining the full capacity of the HDD for
storage."
Dataplex will begin shipping from select Tier 1 PC OEMs
in 2011. NVELO is currently in discussions with leading
HDD and
SSD vendors to enable
aftermarket sales and bundling options for Dataplex, and has begun development
of an enterprise version of Dataplex for server systems.
Editor's
comments:- if successful - NVELO's product will render obsolete most
hybrid drives
aimed at the notebook market. In the server ASAP market - it's a direct
competitor to the unloved
MaxIQ
SSD Cache Performance Kit created by
Microsoft, taken to
market by
Adaptec - and now owned
by PMC-Sierra.
How can SSDs change your life? - the movie
Editor:-
July 19, 2010 - as an alternative to
SSD market research
- which is hard to digest, and those long powerpoints and complicated
spreadsheets can send you to sleep - Kingston's SSD
marketers have launched a
competition to learn how users might really benefit from using their SSDs.
It
involves uploading a video with the theme "How Can a Kingston® SSDNow
Drive Change Your Life?". 1st prize is $7,500. If your video wins - they
might use it promotions (but you won't get any royalties. See also:-
SSD videos -
StorageSearch.com's pick of the best on the web.
return to - Are MLC SSDs Ever Safe in Enterprise Apps?
Editor:-
July 13, 2010 - I still get a lot of questions about my classic article (June
2008) -
Are MLC SSDs Ever
Safe in Enterprise Apps?
The original article was aimed at
readers with an electronics background - and was (I thought) clear and
unambiguous in its presentation of the risks and benefits for different types of
flash in differing types of enterprise app.
But as more users in the
enterprise server space are now looking at these issues - the article has caused
confusion - because some SSD
jargon terms like "endurance" are getting more widely known -
whereas other electronics terms used in the article - which are equally
important to understanding the issues - are not understood.
Why
should users need more than a degree in electronics to make safe choices in
today's SSD market?
I've discussed with some of the SSD industry's
leading thinkers and company founders. But sadly - we are agreed - users do
need to understand deep matters (physics, electronics and computer architecture)
when buying SSDs today - because not all SSD vendors understand the
underlying physics and architectural implications of what they are doing.
Your
SSD is only as good as the people who designed it. SSD Architecture is not
an established computer science and is not taught at universities. Until it is
- maybe in 2016 - most SSD design teams are still learning what is important
as they go along. And the rules - of what is possible and sensible- are still
evolving.
Going back to where I started with this note... I've updated
my "Are MLC SSDs Safe" article - with answers to 2 recent reader
questions - asking if better
SSD controller technology
and enterprise MLC flash have changed the views I originally expressed. ...read the article
upgrading old PCs with SSDs
Editor:- July 9, 2010 -
Upgrading
Old PCs with SSDs is a cautionary tale published on Denali Software's blog.
I've often told readers who asked me about this subject - that they
could be wasting their time trying to upgrade old notebooks with
PATA or
SATA SSDs - because
most of the speedup benefits - if any - will be lost by the latency damping
effects of cheap and slow bridge
chips on the motherboard - and that - unlike in a server - notebooks have
precious little CPU headroom. It's nice to see these views are shared by the
author of this article who works for an
SSD IP vendor. ...read
the article
the Top 10 SSD oems in the 2nd quarter of 2010
Editor:-
July 6, 2010 - StorageSearch.com
today published the 13th quarterly edition of the
Top 10 SSD OEMs -
with new commentaries and analysis - and a 1st time appearance in the top 10
list by OCZ.
Tracking the search volume of millions of SSD readers - the series is designed
to alert you to emerging market trends and simplify your process of
shortlisting potential partners and suppliers. ...read the article
a reader asked me about notebook SSD encryption
Editor:-
June 29, 2010 - a reader asked me some good questions about
notebook SSD encryption.
Did encryption impact performance and endurance? Had I already written about
this in another article he had missed? ...see what I said
SSDs - the big picture (for non-techies)
Editor:-
June 21, 2010 -
StorageSearch.com today
published a new article -
What's the big
picture message re SSDs?
If you often find yourself explaining
to your VC, lawyer or non technical BBQ guests why you spend so much time
immersed in SSD web pages - this may be the link they need.
Anobit aims at SandForce SSD SoCs slots
Editor:-
June 15, 2010 - Anobit
announced it is sampling
SSDs based on its patented Memory
Signal Processing technology which provide 20x improvement in operational
life for MLC SSDs in high IOPS server environments.
Based on
proprietary algorithms that compensate for the physical limitations of NAND
flash, Anobit's MSP technology extends standard MLC
endurance
from approximately 3K read/write cycles to over 50K cycles - to make MLC
technology suitable for high-duty cycle applications. This guarantees drive
write endurance of 10 full disk writes per day, for 5 years, or 7,300TBs
for a 400GB drive, with fully random data (worst-case conditions).
First-generation Anobit Genesis SSDs deliver 20,000 IOPS random
write and 30,000 IOPS random read, with 180MB/s sustained write and 220MB/s
sustained read.
Anobit says that some of the world's largest NAND
manufacturers, consumer electronics vendors and storage solution providers
currently utilize Anobit's MSP technology in their products.
"For too long, the high prices of SLC SSDs and
concerns about
MLC SSD endurance have slowed the adoption of
flash memory storage in
the enterprise. Anobit Genesis SSDs effectively neutralize both of these
concerns," said Prof. Ehud Weinstein, Anobit CEO. "By delivering true
enterprise-class SSD
reliability at affordable MLC SSD prices, Anobit Genesis SSDs unlock the
full promise of solid-state enterprise storage."
Editor's comments:- superficially the endurance delivered by
Anobit's SSD controller
is better than that obtainable from
SandForce - whereas
the performance lead is the other way around. For most oems what will be more
important is that they do not need to be locked into a single technology
supplier to get adequate metrics for their MLC SSD product lines.
will it work any better this time? - consumer bybrids
Editor:-
June 3, 2010 - Denali
Software is named as a possible savior of the hybrid drive concept in a
new white paper by Objective Analysis
-
Flash
Cache is Back (pdf) - which predicts that soon all computing platforms
will employ a cache layer between the
HDD and the
DRAM.
Author
Jim Handy says projections from
notebook SSD
makers that SSDs would already have replaced tens of millions of HDDs were over
optimistic and may "never happen". Instead he says a flash cache,
supported by a properly designed
SSD ASAP controller "will
provide near-SSD
performance at near-HDD
prices".
Early implementations of such flash cache schemes -
cited in the article - didn't work properly because... ...read
the article (pdf), ...read editor's
comments
OCZ's latest PCIe SSD
Editor:- June 1, 2010 - OCZ today unveiled the
RevoDrive a bootable
PCIe SSD with R/W
speeds up to 540MB/s and 530MB/s respectively and 75,000
IOPS.
Editor's comments:- OCZ has been announcing successively
faster PCIe SSDs since
March 2009.
From
my viewpoint it has looked a lot like watching a serialized version of the
mythical race between
the tortoise
and the hare - in which OCZ has been playing the part of the tortoise -
starting with pitifully slow products compared to industry leaders - in a
segment whose sole reason for being is speed - and then in successive episodes
seeing OCZ inching upwards in R/W speeds and IOPS through many press releases
over many quarters - until by a cunning genetic twist in the plot the tortoise
today is starting to resemble the hare we saw back in episode #1.
I'm
unclear as to whether OCZ's earlier PCIe SSD "products" were genuine
attempts to fill market needs - or merely "web marketing"
placeholders - designed to put an RSS stake in the ground for a consumer market
which isn't ready to buy this type of product in volume yet - but is
anticipating tasty crumbs from the enterprise SSD accelerator banquet
currently being hosted by Fusion-io
and Texas Memory Systems
- and being packaged for take-out in a fat pizza box designed by
NextIO. Whatever the
past thinking has been - the new scriptwriters are making the OCZ tortoise
appear like a more serious character than it was in the pilot episode.
What's the best / cheapest - PC SSD?
Editor:- May
14, 2010 - I often get emails from readers which ask the above question.
A
long overdue new article published today on
StorageSearch.com - called
What's the best
/ cheapest PC SSD? - is my attempt to create a simple FAQs page - which
answers the question - of why I can't answer your question - and follows
on to pose some probing questions which you can ask yourself. ...read the article
Mushkin's 2.5" SandForce SoC SSD
Editor:- May
12, 2010 - Mushkin
has joined the throng of SSD
companies marketing SandForce (inside)
2.5" SSDs.
Mushkin's
new Callisto
range includes a 240GB SATA
model with R/W speeds upto 285MB/s and 275MB/s respectively, and shopping cart
price of $666.49.
60GB SandForce inside SSDs - $220 from OWC
Editor:-
May 11, 2010 - OWC
launched
the
Mercury
Pro SSD family - which are
2.5" SSDs with
SandForce
designed SSD
controllers inside.
R/W speeds are upto 285MB/s . At the time of
launch prices and capacities were as follows:- 60GB - $219.99, 120GB -
$379.99, 240GB $699.99 and 480GB $1,579.99.
Fusion-io's growth lubed by another $45 million
Editor:-
April 19, 2010 - Fusion-io
has got another $45 million in series C
funding led by new
investor, Meritech Capital Partners.
"In only a couple of years Fusion-io has clearly demonstrated
the disruptive, innovative nature of its technology. It is causing organizations
around the globe to rethink the way they architect their data centers,"
said George Bischof,
Managing Director at Meritech Capital. "This round of funding will allow
Fusion-io to maintain the rapid pace of innovation it has established."
the Top 10 SSD oems - Q1 2010
Editor:- April 8, 2010
- StorageSearch.com today
published the 12th quarterly edition of
the top 10 SSD oems
- which includes rankings for the period January 1 to March 31, 2010.
Newcomers
to the list in this quarter include
Micron and
PhotoFast. See who
else is in and why - ...read
the article
TDK launches SLC half slim SSDs
Editor:- March 30,
2010 - TDK
launched the
SHG2A series of half slim, encrypted industrial
SATA SLC SSD modules.
The new SSDs, which have a maximum capacity of 32GB, are about 1/2 the size of a
1.8" drive and have
R/W speeds of 95MB/s and of 55MB/s respectively.
ECC is 8 bit/sector
(512 byte) correction (15 bit/sector correction). Endurance is 100,000 write
cycles per block address (6.3 billion writes for a 16GB model). TDK has a life
span assessment tool which enables customers to monitor the life span of these
SSDs in their systems.
Editor's comments:- that brings the
number of oems in the 1"
approx SSD module size up to 32.
Super Talent's Cryptic USB3 SSD
Editor:- March 2,
2010 - Super
Talent Technology today
announced
imminent availability of a new
encrypted
USB 3
flash SSD - with
upto 256GB capacity.
When I asked for more technical details I was
told the datasheet isn't ready yet. The USB 3.0 SuperCrypt is a true SSD (with
wear-leveling).
Internally the module (95 x 34 x 15.4 mm) is a
SATA SSD with a USB
bridge chip. |
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Flash
based SSDs use non volatile semiconductor technology to store data, and do
not need any batteries to retain data when they are unpowered. Because they
have no moving parts they are inherently more
reliable than
hard disks and use less
operating power. Flash SSDs can operate in hostile environments including
industrial, military and even outer space applications.
Flash SSDs
are physically smaller than RAM
based SSDs. The densest flash SSD products available today offer nearly the same
storage capacity in 2.5 inch form factors as hard drives.
The fastest
flash SSDs can offer random IOPs which are 10 to 50 times as fast as 15k RPM
hard disks, and this makes them also suitable for enterprise server speedup
applications.
Unlike
raw flash storage devices
(and most USB flash
modules) F-SSDs incorporate internal media management controllers which overcome
the limitations of intrinsic flash technology and vastly increase
reliability.
| |
| . |
| flash SSD Jargon Explained |
typical
news flash:- dd/mm/yy -
Fast symmetric R/W IOPS high endurance, MLC SSD, with 3 levels of
wear-leveling, massive over-provisioning, write attenuation and fast garbage
collection provides competitive alternative to RAM SSDs.
Do you
understand the list of ingredients in all the solid state drive
headlines? |
 |
Understanding what goes on
inside flash SSDs - can be as important as knowing what you can do with them.
See the article
flash SSD Jargon
Explained. | | |
| . |
| SSD Myths and
Legends - "write endurance" |
| Does
the fatal gene of "write endurance" built into
flash
solid state
disks prevent their deployment in intensive server acceleration
applications - such as RAID
systems? |
It
was certainly true as little as a few years ago.
What's the risk with
today's devices?
This article looks at the current generation of
products and calculates how much (or how little) you should be worried. |
 | |
| RAM based SSDs have been
used alongside RAID for years - but
flash SSDs are
physically smaller and have bigger capacity (upto 412G in 2.5", 512G in
3.5") and are lower cost than RAM-SSDs and could actually be configured
in standard RAID boxes. F-SSDs aren't as fast as RAM based products but a single
flash SSD can deliver 20,000 IOPs - which when scaled up in an array - starts to
look interesting.
...read the
article,
storage reliability
solid state disks | |
| . |
| Z's Laws - Predicting
Future Flash SSD Performance |
A reader asked me a
very good question.
"Is there an industry roadmap for future
flash SSD
performance?"
That prompted other questions like...
- How fast are flash SSDs going to be in 2009?, 2010? or 2012?
- What are the technology factors which relate to flash SSD throughput and
IOPS?
- How close will flash SSDs get to
RAM SSD performance?
There wasn't a simple answer I could give at the time. Clues lay
scattered all across this web site
and in my many one on one discussions with readers about the market... |
 |
But I agreed there should be
a single place on the web where these answers could be found.
Forget
Moore's
Law. That gives you the wrong answer, and this article explains why. ...read the article | | |
| . |
| Are MLC SSDs Safe
in Enterprise Apps? |
This is a follow up
article to the popular
SSD Myths and
Legends which, a year earlier demolished the myth that flash memory
wear-out (a comfort blanket beloved by many
RAM SSD makers)
precluded the use of flash in heavy duty datacenters.
This follow up
article looks at the risks posed by MLC Nand Flash SSDs which have recently
hatched from their breeeding ground as chip modules in cellphones and morphed
into
hard disk form
factors. |
 |
It starts down a familiar
lane but an unexpected technology twist (which arrived in my email while
writing this article) takes you to a startling new world of possibilities.
...read the
article | | |
| |
