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Pick the right SSD drive for the application
Teresa Worth, Seagate
4/2/2012 11:37 AM EDT
Match endurance requirements for the application
Recently, however, vendors have begun using technologies within the SSD interface, such as end-to-end data management protection and advanced media management techniques, to improve reliability and endurance, making MLC-based SSDs suitable for enterprise applications.
Because qualification processes can be extensive and costly, organizations should ensure that the SSD they select matches the endurance requirements for their application. New endurance standards—JEDEC JESD218A and JESD219 from the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association—enable enterprises to confirm that SSDs meet enterprise endurance standards.
While SSDs are available using either SLC or MLC NAND flash, adoption of enterprise-class MLC is growing quickly because of its far lower cost. SLC flash generally runs three times the cost of enterprise-class MLC.
Device interoperability
All types of SSDs are still more expensive than HDDs. As a result, many enterprise data centers are employing SSDs in a tiered environment to complement existing HDDs. Tiering automatically places data on the storage medium that is best suited for current access patterns—that is, matching the speed and cost of the storage device with the immediate relevancy of the data. To simplify the management of a tiered environment that incorporates both HDDs and SSDs, organizations should select SSD devices that follow industry standards and offer identical features to those found on HDDs. For example, by standardizing on SSDs with a 2.5-inch form factor, SAS interface, and the same self-encrypting drive technology, data centers can reduce complexity and cost.
In the past, many SSD vendors have had little experience with enterprise-class applications. Therefore, organizations looking to adopt SSD technology for enterprise applications need to identify vendors who understand the needs of large enterprises and are equipped to serve them. Vendors should have extensive experience in enterprise storage and the technical resources necessary to support the complex and expensive product certification process, along with a global support and distribution infrastructure.
Selecting the right type of SSD is critical for both client and enterprise applications. Organizations looking for SSDs for client systems should make sure they find SSDs that deliver blazing performance at a price they can afford. For enterprises, the right SSD will furnish the appropriate level of performance, reliability/endurance, and interoperability to deploy expensive SSD strategically. At the same time, they need to consider a vendor with experience delivering and supporting SSD solutions in the enterprise.
In part two, we take a look at how to determine the right storage solution for each aspect of a cloud architecture.
References
1. “Are costly SSDs worth the money?” By Lucas Mearian, Computerworld, September 6, 2011
About the author
Teresa Worth brings over 20 years IT product strategy, marketing, and sales experience to her role as senior product marketing manager for Enterprise Products at Seagate. Teresa is responsible for messaging and positioning the Pulsar, Savvio, and Cheetah enterprise product families, as well as Seagate’s Self-Encrypting Drive security technology. Prior to joining Seagate, Teresa enjoyed work at industry leaders such as Platinum Technologies and Sterling Commerce. Teresa received her MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and her BBA in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University.
Did you find this article of interest? Then visit the Memory DesignLine, where we update daily with design, technology, product, and news articles tailored to fit your world. Too busy to go every day? Sign up for our newsletter to get the week's best items delivered to your inbox. Just click here and choose the "Manage Newsletters" tab.
Recently, however, vendors have begun using technologies within the SSD interface, such as end-to-end data management protection and advanced media management techniques, to improve reliability and endurance, making MLC-based SSDs suitable for enterprise applications.
Because qualification processes can be extensive and costly, organizations should ensure that the SSD they select matches the endurance requirements for their application. New endurance standards—JEDEC JESD218A and JESD219 from the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association—enable enterprises to confirm that SSDs meet enterprise endurance standards.
While SSDs are available using either SLC or MLC NAND flash, adoption of enterprise-class MLC is growing quickly because of its far lower cost. SLC flash generally runs three times the cost of enterprise-class MLC.
Device interoperability
All types of SSDs are still more expensive than HDDs. As a result, many enterprise data centers are employing SSDs in a tiered environment to complement existing HDDs. Tiering automatically places data on the storage medium that is best suited for current access patterns—that is, matching the speed and cost of the storage device with the immediate relevancy of the data. To simplify the management of a tiered environment that incorporates both HDDs and SSDs, organizations should select SSD devices that follow industry standards and offer identical features to those found on HDDs. For example, by standardizing on SSDs with a 2.5-inch form factor, SAS interface, and the same self-encrypting drive technology, data centers can reduce complexity and cost.
In the past, many SSD vendors have had little experience with enterprise-class applications. Therefore, organizations looking to adopt SSD technology for enterprise applications need to identify vendors who understand the needs of large enterprises and are equipped to serve them. Vendors should have extensive experience in enterprise storage and the technical resources necessary to support the complex and expensive product certification process, along with a global support and distribution infrastructure.
Selecting the right type of SSD is critical for both client and enterprise applications. Organizations looking for SSDs for client systems should make sure they find SSDs that deliver blazing performance at a price they can afford. For enterprises, the right SSD will furnish the appropriate level of performance, reliability/endurance, and interoperability to deploy expensive SSD strategically. At the same time, they need to consider a vendor with experience delivering and supporting SSD solutions in the enterprise.
In part two, we take a look at how to determine the right storage solution for each aspect of a cloud architecture.
References
1. “Are costly SSDs worth the money?” By Lucas Mearian, Computerworld, September 6, 2011
About the author
Teresa Worth brings over 20 years IT product strategy, marketing, and sales experience to her role as senior product marketing manager for Enterprise Products at Seagate. Teresa is responsible for messaging and positioning the Pulsar, Savvio, and Cheetah enterprise product families, as well as Seagate’s Self-Encrypting Drive security technology. Prior to joining Seagate, Teresa enjoyed work at industry leaders such as Platinum Technologies and Sterling Commerce. Teresa received her MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and her BBA in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University.___________________________
Did you find this article of interest? Then visit the Memory DesignLine, where we update daily with design, technology, product, and news articles tailored to fit your world. Too busy to go every day? Sign up for our newsletter to get the week's best items delivered to your inbox. Just click here and choose the "Manage Newsletters" tab.
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