BiTMICRO Articles and White Papers

Business As Usual for SSD in 2009

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 16:56:17 +0800

SSD Trends and Forecasts
Businesses worldwide have been blunt in their not so positive outlook for 2009. In fact, the global economic crisis has pushed forecasts down to very conservative figures for most industries including the Solid State Drive Market. In its Worldwide 2008–2012 Solid State Drive Forecast Update, IDC included adjustments to factor in the effects of the financial crisis that hit major economies in 2008 while predicting continued slowdown of more economies in 2009. Not only is IT spending expected to thin down but business road maps are also likely to extend as the world feels the weight of this global recession.

Why BiTMICRO is Number One

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:20:49 +0800

STORAGEsearch.com, considered in the IT industry as a major source of information for anything and everything related to data storage, recently released the results of its quarterly report ranking the top 10 solid-state disk OEMs worldwide in terms of reader page views. According to the website’s publisher, search volume data, aka page view, is a good barometer for gauging market trends as it offers insights on the popularity of new and emerging technologies and disruptions in the storage market.

SSDs: Carving a Niche in the Consumer and Enterprise Markets

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:18:51 +0800

The release of Apple’s MacBook Air, Lenovo Thinkpad and Dell Latitude Notebooks that are all equipped with solid state disks have created a strong buzz in the computing industry. Debates of whether or not the era of SSDs has finally arrived have stimulated activity in quite a number of forums. The advantages of solid state disks over conventional hard drives have been highlighted with the stream of products being introduced to both consumer and enterprise markets.

Solid State Disks: Continuously Defying the Limits of Altitude for Data Storage

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:54:01 +0800

Flash SSDs' burgeoning role in data storage is continuously expanding possibilities in military operations as well as scientific research.

Debunking Misconceptions in SSD Longevity

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:16:07 +0800

Aside from flash memory prices, the write endurance limitation of flash memory is probably one of the remaining impediments to the widespread application of non-volatile solid-state storage in the enterprise. Flash SSD critics have long harped on this apparent "weakness" that remains a thorn on the side of SSD manufacturers despite the development of advanced error correcting codes and wear leveling techniques utilized in their products.

SSDs as a Response to IT Obsolescence

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:40:48 +0800

Information technology (IT) obsolescence predominantly results in the need to upgrade computers and downsize devices. It's a hassling obligatory investment to stay on and ahead of the game. But when dealing with national defense and protection, once things fall into the wrong hands, it becomes obsolete - worse, a threat. Developing, upgrading and destroying (i.e., retiring) technology becomes critical to safety.

When Size Matters

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:40:33 +0800

Next to price, capacity has been among the top issues that level out solid-state flash disk with magnetic hard drives. If not for those two factors, solid-state disks would be the runaway winner offering ruggedness, speed and small footprints. However, recent developments are starting to change the conditions.

Halfway Through

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:39:56 +0800

The launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest OS, in the last quarter of this year may change the computing landscape. One of its intriguing features called ReadyDrive requires the use of hybrid drives. Strictly speaking, this technology centaur is half hard disk drive (HDD), and half solid state disk (SSD) drive. Aiming to exploit the best of both worlds, hybrid drives consist of a rotating magnetic platter for storage, and a non-volatile flash memory chip for caching.

Beyond the Battlefield

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:39:29 +0800

Flash solid state disks (SSDs) have undoubtedly gained a strong foothold in the military and enterprise markets. Its capacity to withstand extreme conditions made it fit for on and off ground military operations while speed has been its passport to the enterprise market. Right now, SSDs are moving past these two markets to capture a slice of the consumer electronics market.

Mass Body Data Collection System

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:38:49 +0800

In designing a new system for a modern fighter aircraft, our team was tasked with characterizing the vibration environment in the nose of the fighter. This system would have to be small, light, and have as little interaction with the aircraft as possible. Time constraints necessitated using a collection of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) systems that still had to operate in a fighter aircraft environment.

Flash Solid State Disks: A New Breed of Enterprise-Class Storage

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:37:33 +0800

The advent of Internet technology has revolutionized the way enterprises do business. Operations have become more innovative, while more efficient and effective ways of storing and sharing information are introduced and implemented. Since then, the Information Age witnessed the evolution of networking technology into a significant medium for data transfer and communication. Networks within and among enterprises and organizations are quite common all over the world, leading the development of the computing and data storage industries.

Another One Bites the Dust

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:34:06 +0800

Several years ago, system developers struggled with the problem of performance discrepancies between microprocessors and hard disk drives. Technological advances have resulted in exponential increases in processor speeds, while storage access times have only improved marginally. As a result, fast processors are forced to slow down and wait on mechanical storage devices to deliver its data.

Getting More Bang for the Storage Buck

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:33:26 +0800

The objective of this article is to examine the benefits of utilizing flash SSD-enabled storage system as cache storage in an enterprise environment. A comparison will be made between conventional storage systems (featuring HDDs) and solid-state disk-based network storage in terms of performance and overall cost per IOPS.

War of the Disks: A Close-in Analysis of the Hard Disk Drive vs. the Solid State Disk

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:29:28 +0800

The purpose of this article is to give readers a clearer picture of what an SSD is, its usage as well as its difference when pitted against the predominant data storage device at present - the hard disk drive (HDD). More than its non-volatility, this article will reveal how much potential SSDs have in optimizing the performance of the computing system.

Flexing SSD Strengths for High-Reliability Data Recorders

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:28:37 +0800

Flash SSDs are lightweight, rugged and able to survive high altitudes and varying temperatures. These characteristics, plus their ability to achieve faster sustained writes with no gap between reloads, makes them highly desirable for military data acquisition and recording.

Flash Solid State Disk Write Endurance in Database Environments

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:27:36 +0800

The purpose of this document is to provide the reader valuable insights into the write endurance aspects of using Flash memory-based solid state disks within typically encountered database applications in an enterprise environment. The same principles used in this paper will also apply to applications that are flat file based as opposed to relational databases.

Using Solid State Flash Disks as Cure-All for Medical Storage Systems

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:26:56 +0800

Medical equipment are mission critical devices that must not fail under any circumstance despite being deployed in pretty harsh conditions such as ambulances and mobile transportation units. In addition, advances in imaging and data processing have automated diagnostic evaluation, reflecting the need for a storage device that can ensure the high-performance and reliability of such systems.

Are Flash Solid State Disk Drives Ready for the Enterprise?

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:26:12 +0800

Solid state disks (SSDs) were originally designed in the 1980s for use as cache in real-time performance hungry applications, as well as mass storage in industrial and military systems, where immunity against shock, vibration, and extreme temperatures was required. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, SSDs remained a relatively expensive niche product - a high-cost technology only justified for mission-critical applications such as those found in the avionics and defense industries, with few and far-in-between deployments in the IT arena.

Solid-State Disks: Pushing the Envelope in Blade Server Design

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:25:42 +0800

Blade server computing is fast transforming the server industry with a host of advantages in terms of design, functionality and total cost of ownership. By separating CPU and memory from other components such as cabling, power supply, network connectivity and cooling systems, blade servers significantly reduce massive enterprise server architectures into highly compact and dense form factor.

Flash SSDs - Inferior Technology or Closet Superstar?

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:24:08 +0800

There's been a lot of talk in the storage industry recently about solid-state disks (SSDs) and their ability to dramatically speed up a computing environment's performance. One thing that is rarely discussed is the difference between different types of solid-state technology. This paper explains the differences in effort to help determine which technology is best suited for one's IT environment.

Solid-State Disks: Moving from Luxury to Necessity

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:20:10 +0800

Even if you've managed to avoid all of the storage trade publications for the past decade, you've probably heard of solid-state disks. Chances are though, you haven't given them much more than a passing thought. Sure, they have a high "cool" factor, being that they're made of chips instead of spinning platters. They've always been so expensive though- everyone's got a budget, and these days it's probably a lot less than it used to be. It just wouldn't make sense to spend a big part of it on whiz-bang disks, or would it? Naturally, to justify the purchase a legitimate need for solid-state disks must be shown. To begin, let's first recap the changes in computing and storage over the years.