Solid-state drives (SSDs) have revolutionized data storage, offering superior performance and reliability compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). However, with the rapid advancements in SSD technology, making informed buying decisions can be challenging. To ensure you’re making the best choices for your storage needs, it’s crucial to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in SSD form factors, management strategies, security features, and innovations like NVMe.
By staying informed about these critical aspects of SSD technology, you can confidently make decisions that will boost your storage performance, reliability, and efficiency. Don’t let knowledge gaps hold you back – take our quiz now to assess your SSD storage acumen and identify areas where you can expand your expertise. Empower yourself to make the best choices for your organization’s storage needs.
Table of Contents
Question 1
Which of the following are SSD form factors?
A. 5-inch SATA
B. mSATA
C. M.2
D. All of the above
Answer
D. All of the above
Explanation
An SSD’s form factor refers to the drive’s size and shape. It also determines how the drive connects to a computer and how data is passed between the motherboard and drive.
The 2.5-inch SATA form factor uses a SATA cable to connect to the computer’s motherboard and the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) bus protocol to transfer data between the computer and drive. SSD vendors adopted the 2.5-inch SATA standard to make it easier to move from HDD to SSD storage.
The mSATA form factor enabled a smaller version of the SATA SSD that maps SATA signals to a card plugged into a socket on the motherboard. SATA drives are about one-eighth the size of a 2.5-inch SATA drive but support the same throughput. They use less power, support boot and shutdown capabilities, and are more resistant to shock and vibration.
The M.2 form factor also enables a smaller SSD that outperforms and stores more data than the mSATA drive. M.2 drives accommodate the SATA and PCIe interface connectors and USB 3.0. They can be used with either the AHCI or NVMe protocols.
Question 2
What is the purpose of SSD garbage collection?
A. To remove files that are no longer needed
B. To erase storage blocks, making them available for use
C. To eliminate junk files that build up over time
D. To let the SSD know what files can be overwritten
Answer
B. To erase storage blocks, making them available for use
Explanation
SSD garbage collection is an automated process designed to improve a drive’s performance. It has nothing to do with removing files or eliminating junk files.
When a file is deleted from SSD storage, the OS typically doesn’t erase the storage blocks used by the file but instead marks the blocks as available. With HDDs, a drive can write new data on top of old in the blocks that are marked available. SSDs can’t do that; storage blocks must be erased before they can be overwritten. It’s the garbage collection process that erases storage blocks and makes them available for use.
Question 3
Which is not a reason why manufacturers overprovision their SSDs?
A. To reserve a certain amount of space on the drive for the disk controller
B. To improve the performance of write operations
C. To increase the amount of usable space on the drive
D. To extend the life of the drive
Answer
C. To increase the amount of usable space on the drive
Explanation
SSD manufacturers overprovision SSDs to reserve space on a drive for the disk controller to use. Disk controllers can temporarily hold new data, similar to a write cache, until the garbage collection process erases data and frees up storage blocks. This approach improves the SSD’s write performance and extends its life by reducing the number of writes. Overprovisioning actually decreases the amount of usable space on an SSD.
Question 4
Which is not an advantage of SSDs compared with HDDs?
A. SSDs have an unlimited lifespan.
B. They’re easier to manage.
C. They have a lower failure rate and more predictable point of failure.
D. They use less energy.
Answer
A. SSDs have an unlimited lifespan.
Explanation
SSDs are easier to manage than HDDs. They have a lower failure rate and more predictable point of failure. And they use less energy than HDDs. However, SSDs don’t have an unlimited lifespan and do wear out over time. Their lifespans are linked to the number of write cycles the drive supports.
Question 5
How can IT teams ensure the SSDs they use and decommission are secure?
A. Make sure firmware is up to date.
B. Send used drives to an IT asset disposition vendor to erase the data.
C. When decommissioning drives, erase all files, and reformat the drive.
D. None of the above
Answer
A. Make sure firmware is up to date.
Explanation
SSDs can be home to a number of vulnerabilities. Drive manufacturers have addressed many of the hardware-related concerns; however, firmware problems can crop up. This type of software should always be kept up to date, following the manufacturer’s instructions and using vendor-provided tools for updating firmware.
Sending used SSDs off to a third party without checking into exactly how that organization actually decommissions the drives can lead to trouble. Just deleting files and reformatting the SSD may not be sufficient to remove all data on a drive. An SSD-compatible, multipass overwrite program may be needed to ensure that all data is no longer accessible.
Question 6
Which of the following is an advantage of using flash SSDs for unstructured data?
A. All SSDs and arrays that contain them are the same, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time vetting the options.
B. They are the cheaper alternative.
C. SSDs have the performance needed to deal with unstructured data.
D. SSDs have the built-in capacity management capabilities needed for unstructured data.
Answer
C. SSDs have the performance needed to deal with unstructured data.
Explanation
There are many types of flash-based SSDs, as well as various all-flash and hybrid arrays. It’s important to understand your organization’s needs and then assess how different products might meet them.
And while SSD prices have been falling recently, that doesn’t mean they will necessarily be the cheaper alternative for your organization’s requirements. SSD storage offers the performance that’s needed to handle unstructured data, but SSDs don’t all come with the built-in management capabilities — such as compression, deduplication and automated tiering — that are needed to control data volume.
Question 7
Which of the following is true?
A. NVMe is only useful for PCIe SSDs.
B. NVMe is limited to functioning as a high-performance host controller interface for directly attached SSDs.
C. NVMe SSDs are still quite expensive.
D. NVMe encompasses everything from small client SSDs to cloud-scale remote pools of SSDs.
Answer
D. NVMe encompasses everything from small client SSDs to cloud-scale remote pools of SSDs.
Explanation
NVMe is much more than functioning as a high-performance host controller interface for directly attached PCIe-based SSDs. It’s a storage architecture and command set that encompasses everything from small client SSDs to cloud-scale remote pools of SSDs. NVMe flash storage prices continue to fall, and as of early 2019, NVMe SSDs were comparable in price to SATA SSDs, making them a viable alternative for SATA flash storage.