WHAT IS Slim SATA? INDUSTRIAL GRADE STORAGE SOLUTIONS Embedded SSD Features

WHAT IS Slim SATA?
INDUSTRIAL GRADE STORAGE SOLUTIONS
Slim SATA is an embedded Solid State Drive standard ratified by JEDEC under
specification number MO-297A -- available online at: www.jedec.org/standardsdocuments/docs/mo-297. The MO-297A specification includes the Small Form
Factor Committee mechanical specification SFF-8156 and the Serial ATA
International Organization (SATA-IO) SATA electrical and protocol specifications.
The Slim SATA specification was designed as a lower cost solid state drive
alternative to rotating hard disk drives in embedded applications. Measuring
just 39mm (L) x 54mm (W) x 4.5mm (H) or 9,477 mm3, the Slim SATA is 80%
smaller than a standard 2.5” hard disk drive but still includes the same standard
22-pin SATA connector. This allows system designers to leverage standard
SATA cabling or host connections for embedded applications.
Embedded SSD Features
• JEDEC and SATA-IO Compliant for greatest compatibility
• Industry standard formats with multi-channel flash support
• Industrial Grade controllers designed for highest reliability
• Built-in Wear Leveling and Block Management for ultra-high endurance
• Data integrity assured via independent ECC engines
• Compact designs with low power consumption
• Commercial and Industrial Operating Temperature Range
• Full RoHS 6/6 compliance
Size Comparison
©2010 STEC, Inc. The STEC name, logo, and design are trademarks of STEC,Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Throughput and IOPS of a 5400rpm 2.5” SATA HDD: 107 IOPS and 0.44MB/sec throughput
In addition to the smaller size, the Slim SATA design also includes the
traditional benefits that solid state technology enjoys over rotating media
including higher performance (e.g. higher data throughput, higher IOPS,
and lower latency) and lower power consumption. The figures to the right
illustrate results from a typical random write application and measures
data throughput, IOPS, and power consumption. This demonstration
compares the performance of a 5400rpm HDD vs. an STEC Slim SATA.
The multi-meter attached to each system is measuring the milliamps that
the HDD and SSD are each drawing; thus it is measuring the amount of
power consumed.
Throughput and IOPS of an STEC V4 Slim SATA: 8,199 IOPS and 33.58MB/sec throughput
The demonstration is running a SQL database script with the following
data pattern:
• 100% random read
• 4K sector size
• Queue Depth of 8
Allowing Greater Productivity at a Lower Cost
The net result is an 80X higher IOPS and a 73X higher throughput
advantage for Slim SATA versus the 2.5” HDD.
WD 5400 RPM 2.5” SATA HDD: 550mA
Power Consumption
Digital multi-meter readings measuring milliamps of power consumed
during demonstration for both the Slim SATA and 2.5” 5400rpm hard
disk drive is shown below (a lower reading is better) is better.
Note that the STEC Slim SATA consumes 80% less power than the 2.5”
HDD (104mA compared to 550mA).
A summary of demonstration results and key metrics is listed below:
Speci ca on
Throughput 3
IOPS 8
Avg. boot me 7
Power consump on 1
Size 9
Weight 7
STEC Slim SATA
3.58MB/sec
,199 1
secs
04mA 5
,477 mm3 4
grams 7
2.5” 5400rpm HDD
0.44MB/sec S
07 S
14 secs
58mA S
8,992 mm3 S
0 grams
Advantage
TEC (73X faster)
TEC (80X greater)
STEC (2X faster)
TEC (80% lower)
TEC (80% smaller)
STEC (90% lighter)
Translating these results into monetary terms nets a lower cost-perperformance (e.g. lower cost per MB transferred and lower cost per IO
transaction), which allows greater productivity at a lower total cost.
©2010 STEC, Inc. The STEC name, logo, and design are trademarks of STEC,Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
STEC V4 Slim SATA: 104mA
COST ADVANTAGES
WITH STEC’S SOLID STATE TECHNOLOGY
This productivity gain compared to the net relative cost leads to a
greater return-on-investment. The figure below highlights an example
analysis between a 16GB Slim SATA versus a 160GB 2.5” 5400 RPM
hard disk drive.
In addition to Slim SATA, other small form-factors suitable for embedded
system designs also exist including CFast and mSATA, both of which are
also compliant to their own relevant industry standards.
Slim SATA/CFast/mSATA Comparisons
©2010 STEC, Inc. The STEC name, logo, and design are trademarks of STEC,Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Slim SATA
(16GB)
2.5” HDD
(160GB)
Cost per GB
$10
$ 0.28
Cost per IOPs
$0.02
$ 0.44
Cost per MB/s
$4.85
$19.33
Assuming $0.10/GB in productivity (revenue):
Time to READ 10 GB
5.05 mins
6.17 hrs
(random data)
GB/s READ in 1 hour
118.8
1.6
Productivity
$11.88
$0.16
ROI (cost/return)
7.4%
0.37%