Month: June 2012

Updated Client Solid State Performance Test Specification Now Available

Marty Foltyn

SNIA’s Solid State Storage Initiative has just released a revised Client SSS Performance Test Specification (PTS-Client) which adds a new write saturation test and refines existing tests.

The Solid State Storage Performance Test Specification (PTS) is a device-level performance test suite for benchmarking and comparing performance among SAS, SATA and PCI Express SSDs

Revision 1.1 of the PTS-Client updates tests for IOPS, throughput and latency to more accurately reflect the workload conditions under which Client SSDs are used.  The PTS-Client v1.1 also adds a Write Saturation test that measures the initial Fresh-Out-of-Box state of SSDs and their performance evolution as data is randomly written to the device.

Eden Kim, Chair of SNIA’s SSS Technical Working Group, describes the primary updates to PTS-Client v1.1 as adjustments to preconditioning ranges and test boundaries.   Taken together, these parameters create a repeatable test stimulus that more accurately reflects the workload characteristics of SSDs used in a single user environment The PTS-Client v1.1 also adds an easily understandable description of each test, which helps the user to understand the purpose of the test, the test flow, and guidance on how to interpret the test results.

Sample test results using the PTS-Client v1.1 have been posted to the SNIA SSSI Understanding PTS Performance webpage.

 

Full Steam Ahead for SNIA SSSI PCIe Task Force – It’s Not Too Late to Participate!

Marty Foltyn

SSSI’s PCIe SSD Task Force has covered a lot of ground since the inaugural call April 9.  Sixty-five organizations are now participating with 125 members on the email reflector.  The first four calls identified issues, with speakers from the SSSI, Agilent, Calypso, HP, LeCroy, Marvell, Micron, Seagate, Stec, Toshiba, and Virident taking a closer look at standards; discussing a PCIe test hardware RTP refresh; presenting results of a survey on how many IOPS are enough; discussing PCIe test methodology and system integration issues; presenting on 2.5” PCIe form factor; and reviewing SCSI Express, the PCI SIG, and PCIe system and form factor concerns.   All call notes are at http://snia.org/forums/sssi/pcie.

The open meeting roadmap now ramps with calls on the following topics – Big Picture – What Does It All Mean? (June 4); Deployment Strategies/Market Development (June 18); Where Do We Go From Here? (July 2); and Roadmaps and Milestones 2012 (July 16).  All SSSI members are invited to attend – calls are 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm PT and details are at http://snia.org/forums/sssi/pcie.

PCIe SSD Task Force activities will culminate in a PCIe Task Force Face-to-Face Meeting August 20 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara CA (www.flashmemorysummit.com). Contact SSSI at pciechair@snia.org if you would like to attend.

Membership is complimentary in the PCIe SSD Task Force and all current SSSI members are welcome to participate.   After July, the Task Force will change format to a SSSI Committee and companies not already SSSI members will need to join the SNIA and SSSI to participate. For additional information, or to join, please contact the PCIe Taskforce Chair at pciechair@snia.org.

Full Steam Ahead for SNIA SSSI PCIe Task Force – It’s Not Too Late to Participate!

Marty Foltyn

SSSI’s PCIe SSD Task Force has covered a lot of ground since the inaugural call April 9.  Sixty-five organizations are now participating with 125 members on the email reflector.  The first four calls identified issues, with speakers from the SSSI, Agilent, Calypso, HP, LeCroy, Marvell, Micron, Seagate, Stec, Toshiba, and Virident taking a closer look at standards; discussing a PCIe test hardware RTP refresh; presenting results of a survey on how many IOPS are enough; discussing PCIe test methodology and system integration issues; presenting on 2.5” PCIe form factor; and reviewing SCSI Express, the PCI SIG, and PCIe system and form factor concerns.   All call notes are at http://snia.org/forums/sssi/pcie.

The open meeting roadmap now ramps with calls on the following topics – Big Picture – What Does It All Mean? (June 4); Deployment Strategies/Market Development (June 18); Where Do We Go From Here? (July 2); and Roadmaps and Milestones 2012 (July 16).  All SSSI members are invited to attend – calls are 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm PT and details are at http://snia.org/forums/sssi/pcie.

PCIe SSD Task Force activities will culminate in a PCIe Task Force Face-to-Face Meeting August 20 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara CA (www.flashmemorysummit.com). Contact SSSI at pciechair@snia.org if you would like to attend.

Membership is complimentary in the PCIe SSD Task Force and all current SSSI members are welcome to participate.   After July, the Task Force will change format to a SSSI Committee and companies not already SSSI members will need to join the SNIA and SSSI to participate. For additional information, or to join, please contact the PCIe Taskforce Chair at pciechair@snia.org.