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SSD Storage

An SSD uses flash memory instead of a spinning disk to store data. It has several key components including a controller, flash memory, DRAM cache, and sometimes a battery or capacitor. The controller manages the reading and writing of data to flash memory at either the page or block level depending on if data is being overwritten or erased. It is important to leave some free space on an SSD and allow TRIM operations to optimize performance over time, but defragmentation should be avoided as it can reduce lifespan through unnecessary writes.

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104 views7 pages

SSD Storage

An SSD uses flash memory instead of a spinning disk to store data. It has several key components including a controller, flash memory, DRAM cache, and sometimes a battery or capacitor. The controller manages the reading and writing of data to flash memory at either the page or block level depending on if data is being overwritten or erased. It is important to leave some free space on an SSD and allow TRIM operations to optimize performance over time, but defragmentation should be avoided as it can reduce lifespan through unnecessary writes.

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Player Tamvan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Mass-Storage SSD

Overview of SSD Technology


• An SSD, or solid state drive, is a type of storage
device used in computers. This non-volatile
storage media stores persistent data on solid-
state flash memory. SSDs replace traditional hard
disk drives (HDDs) in computers and perform the
same basic functions as a hard drive. But SSDs
are significantly faster in comparison. With an
SSD, the device's operating system will boot up
more rapidly, programs will load quicker and files
can be saved faster.
SSD Structure
SSD Diagram Block
The Function of Each Component

Controller
The controller is an embedded processor that runs the firmware code so that it becomes the most
important component that affects the performance of the SSD itself.

Flash Memory-Based
Non-volatile NAND flash memory is used by large manufacturers for SSD materials because compared to
DRAM materials, these materials are cheaper. The advantages of this component are that it can maintain
data without a continuous power supply and ensures that the data remains persistent when the power
suddenly turns off.

DRAM-Based
This material is usually used in SSDs which will use an internal battery or AC/DC adapter and a
back-up storage system to maintain data persistence during the absence of electrical power flowing
to the SSD.

Buffer
Flash memory-based SSDs use small capacity DRAM as cache just like HDDs. Frequently used data
will remain in the cache as long as the drive is operating, but when it is not operating it will be lost.

Battery (Super Capacitor)
Batteries or capacitors are other components that increase the performance of this storage
hardware. This is used to maintain data integrity so cached data can be copied to the drive during a
power failure.
Method to Read on SSD

One of the functional limitations of SSDs is while they can


read and write data very quickly to an empty drive, overwriting
data is much slower. This is because while SSDs read data at
the page level (meaning from individual rows within the
NAND memory grid) and can write at the page level, assuming
surrounding cells are empty, they can only erase data at the
block level. This is because the act of erasing NAND flash
requires a high amount of voltage. While you can theoretically
erase NAND at the page level, the amount of voltage required
stresses the individual cells around the cells that are being re-
written. Erasing data at the block level helps mitigate this
problem.
SSD MANAGEMENT

Keep some space free


SSDs slow down as you fill them up because the drive will have a lot of partially filled
blocks, which are slower to write to than empty blocks. It’s tempting to fill up an SSD to the
brim, but you should leave some free space on your SSD—plan on using a maximum of 75
percent of the drive’s capacity for the best performance.

DON’T defrag your SSD!


You shouldn’t defragment an SSD. Period. Shuffling all those bits around on an SSD won’t
improve performance like it will on a mechanical hard disk, but it will generate many extra
writes that will reduce the lifespan of the drive. Modern defragmentation tools and operating
systems should refuse to defragment a solid-state drive. However, old defragmentation
programs may not know the difference and may happily defragment an SSD. Don’t let them!

DO let TRIM run wild


TRIM, however, is essential for keeping your SSD in tip-top shape.
When writing data, the SSD can write only to empty sectors. This means if an SSD needs to
modify a filled sector, it has to read it, note the contents, modify them, erase the sector, and
write the modified contents. If we wanted to overwrite a sector, we’d have to erase the sector
and write the new contents to the now-empty sector. The extra steps take time.

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