A flash down memory lane

A solid-state drive (SSD), also called a flash drive, is a type of storage device that is revolutionizing how consumers use computers. These storage devices are transforming businesses globally. SSDs use a special kind of memory chip with erasable, writeable sections that can hold data even when powered off. Think of them as a much larger relative of the trusted memory stick. Similar to standard hard drives, an SSD uses a special area on its chips for cache memory. Cache memory can increase processing speeds by holding data that is needed repeatedly and frequently. With the data close at hand in the cache, it does not need to be retrieved from the main storage area each time it is needed.

SSDs either use cache that is volatile, which is referred to as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), or they use non-volatile cache. Similar to computer RAM, SDRAM needs a power source to retain data whereas non-volatile cache retains data even without power. Most flash storage systems are comprised of a memory unit and an access controller where the memory unit is used to store data and the access controller manages and controls the storage space on the memory unit.

An SSD has many benefits and advantages over a hard disk drive. For one, since there are no electromechanical parts, seek time doesn’t exist, making the drive very fast. In fact, they are incredibly fast and highly reliable when properly engineered. SSDs characteristically consume about 1/5 of the power and read more than 100x faster than traditional mechanical hard disk drives.

Data center managers who are looking for ways to address the energy drain represented by hard drives are examining flash storage as a way to achieve green computing objectives. Businesses with I/O-intensive applications have also found flash storage to be effective and economical. As a result, enterprise storage providers, chip-makers, and server manufacturers have all entered the flash storage market.

Secondly, being sold-state, moving parts do not exist and, as a result, SSDs run much cooler than hard disk drives, and therefore cooling costs automatically decrease. Thirdly, SSDs are lighter than a hard disk drive, and they are completely silent. Silence is golden, isn’t it? Finally, an SSD is more durable. If dropped or pounded, it isn’t as likely to be damaged. Sounds like a win-win-win, right?

Many people in the industry believe that flash SSDs will eventually replace traditional hard drives. Even today, an SSD can extend the life of a laptop battery, reduce the weight of the system, make it quieter, and increase read performance.
When properly and optimally engineered, SSDs are now at least as reliable as traditional spinning hard drives. SSDs allow your computer to start up in seconds versus minutes. Even the slowest current SSD gives you much improved real-world performance than does the fastest conventional hard drive, perhaps even 100x as fast. This allows for better user productivity, allowing for more work to get done in a fraction of the time. Furthermore, using flash in enterprise storage servers means you can support more users, do more work, and use less power, so it’s no wonder that SSDs have become an important technology for business transactions.

Flash memory is changing the computer business. The changes that are occurring at the consumer level may move upstream faster than many predicted. Furthermore, the improvements in software that make flash easier to manage and protect are proliferating this transformation to gain even more support from forward-looking IT professionals. As flash technology continues to improve in maturity, cost and reliability, it’s likely to show up in more and more places and as a result, the world will be moving a lot faster.

Flash is here, flash is there, flash is everywhere. The conveniences and tools that enhance our lives, such as taking photos and erasing them or playing digital music on mobile devices, are the direct result of the use of flash storage. Flash-based SSDs have secured an important role in high-performance desktop computers, servers and enterprise-scale storage systems. At this time, the cost of SSDs is still higher than that of hard disks, but those costs are decreasing fast. My life is forever changed (& better) due to the availability and use of flash and there are many that share this sentiment.

The author, Gilda Foss, serves on the SNIA Solid State Storage Initiative [SSSI] Governing Board. This SNIA initiative was formed in September 2008 and its mission is to foster the growth and success of the market for solid-state storage in both enterprise and client environments. Our goals are to be the recognized authority for storage made from solid-state devices, to determine and document the characteristics of storage made from solid-state devices, and to determine and document the impact of storage made from solid state devices on system architectures. Additionally, the SSSI collects solid-state technical requirements of storage system vendors and communicate to SSD manufacturers for common features, behavior, and robustness. The initiative collaborates with academia and the research labs of member companies to understand how advances in solid state memory will impact storage made from solid state memory as well as to educate the vendor and user communities about storage made from solid state devices.

The SNIA SSSI also coordinates education activities with the Education Committee, performs benchmark testing to highlight the performance advantages of solid state storage, create peer reviewed vendor neutral SNIA Tutorials, and create vendor-neutral demonstrations. The SSI also leverages SNIA and partner conferences, collaborate with industry analysts, perform market outreach that highlights the virtues of storage made from solid-state devices. The initiative determines what technical work should be performed within SNIA technical working groups to further the acceptance of storage made from solid-state devices. Furthermore and very importantly, the SSSI determines the standards that will be necessary to support the industry usage of SSDs by performing interoperability plug fests as necessary in support of standards development.

Collaboration between other SNIA organizations is also key. The SSSI works with the Storage Management Initiative (SMI) to understand how SMI-S can be used to manage storage made from solid-state devices. We also work with the Green Storage Initiative (GSI) to understand how storage made from solid-state devices will impact energy use in computer systems. The work that the SSI does with the Technical Council helps create the desired technical working groups and provides external advocacy and support of these technical working groups.

Finally, the SSSI collaborates with other industry associations via SNIA’s Strategic Alliances Committee (SAC) on SSD-related technical work in which they are involved as well as coordinates with SNIA Regional Affiliates to ensure that the impact of the SSS Initiative is
felt worldwide. For more information, please visit:
www.snia.org/forums/sssi