Brutkey

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇺🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸🇪🇸
@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca

@scott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca @alberniweather@socialbc.ca I don't understand why solid state isn't as reliable as magnetic disk? Is there something I can refer to for that knowledge? I don't doubt it. Just curious. It's so nice to have such a small form factor for storage as flash though!

Edwin G. :mapleleafroundel:
@EdwinG@mstdn.moimeme.ca

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca @scott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca @alberniweather@socialbc.ca

Here’s a quick explainer :-)

https://raventechmd.com/index.php/2023/11/02/understanding-the-limited-write-cycles-of-solid-state-drives/

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇺🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸🇪🇸
@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca

@EdwinG@mstdn.moimeme.ca @scott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca @alberniweather@socialbc.ca

This jives with my memory of the issue. Is write cycles the only or biggest issue? I am thinking about using these flash drives as essentially "write once and archive" so I am hoping that means they should be pretty indefinite in terms of age.?

Scott VE3QBZ
@scott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca @EdwinG@mstdn.moimeme.ca @alberniweather@socialbc.ca Nooooo, it's much worse lol.

SSD's work essentially by "trapping" tiny bits of charge in a semiconducting structure - each bit of data is literally a bunch of electrons trapped in a semiconductor.

The problem is when they are left unpowered, those electrons can start to escape their holding cells, not unlike helium escaping the balloon it is contained in.

How long? Could be six months, could be years. But it's not a suitable archival media as a result.

Edwin G. :mapleleafroundel:
@EdwinG@mstdn.moimeme.ca

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca @scott@mastodon.clitheroe.ca @alberniweather@socialbc.ca
It’s the biggest issue. However, electrical retention is the second issue.

For the drive to still be able to read its data, the electrical charge in a cell needs to be refreshed from time to time.
I had a 512GB SSD from my 2010 MacBook Pro stop working after a few years outside a computer (it was wiped clean after its final use).