Factory, technology interview and transcriptions of terms fr om video.
Instead of the cancelled annual Computex exhibition, wh ere we visited the stands of all our partners every summer, IPC2U decided to visit their factories. The first was InnoDisk, one of the leading manufacturers of industrial solid state drives and DRAM as well as peripheral modules.
In the first part of the video we walked through the factory and learned all the nuances of production of one of the best industrial memory developers in the world. The second part is an interview about Innodisk's products, plans and the latest world trends in Flash and DRAM.
Given the large number of professional terms in the interview, we have prepared a glossary of the main ones. It will help you understand every nuance down to the last detail.
Glossary
GENERAL TERMS:
Surface mounting: today's most common technology for the manufacture of electronic products on printed circuit boards, as well as methods associated with this technology design printing units. Unlike the outdated Through-Hole-Technology (THT) the components are soldered to the surface of the circuit board, which makes production easy, fast, cheap and highly automatable.
Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT): A combination of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure to achieve more efficient operations, improved human-machine interaction, data management and analysis.
AES encryption: AES is a symmetric block encryption algorithm with a 256-bit key. It excludes decryption by password recovery. The encryption key is generated randomly and is unknown to both, the user and the equipment manufacturer. The key can be instantly destroyed, making all stored data permanently encrypted.
TCG OPAL (Trusted Computing Group Opal Storage Specification): An encryption algorithm specification that installs special software on the drive that identifies the user and unlocks the device each time it is turned on. Access is password protected and data remains hidden until unlocked. The OPAL specification also includes requirements for secure conversion of data stored on the drive.
ATA Security: Built-in drive lock/unlock using a user-defined password transmitted through the ATA interface commands. This protection method is not tied in any way to the hardware data conversion in the SSD..
XR-DIMM: DDR3 XR DIMM is a new memory module form factor with DDR3 interface for embedded systems. The XR-DIMM memory modules have a 240-pin connector and meet the specifications developed by the SFF-SIG group. Compared to the 204-pin SO-DIMMs, the new memory offers higher power, stable signal and connection reliability.
Rugged DIMM: The term "Protected" includes a set of measures and technological solutions used in the production of memory modules to ensure reliable operation under extreme temperatures, vibration and other external factors. Innodisk Rugged memory modules are designed for military, aerospace and transportation applications.
NAND elements: Flash memory cells of the NAND architecture, which is named after the special data markup (NOT AND) and is widely used in the manufacture of SSDs.
Garbage data: Objects or other areas of memory on a storage device that will never be used by a system or program for computing, but will occupy free disk space. “Garbage collection”in order to free these areas is a special procedure for SSDs.
NVMe: NVM Express is a logical interface or specification for access protocols to solid state drives (SSDs) connected via PCI Express bus. NVM Express can be an M.2 expansion card or a 2.5" form factor drive that uses two or four PCI Express lines via the U.2 connector.
Form Factor M.2: formerly known as Next Generation Form Factor or NGFF is a specification for compact computer expansion cards and their connectors. It was created as a replacement for mSATA and Mini PCI-E. The M.2 standard allows for more varied module sizes, both in width and length.
CFexpress: This removable drive standard offered by the CompactFlash Association is based on the PCIe 3.0 bus. 1 to 8 lanes can be used simultaneously with data rates of 1 Gigabyte per second on each line. The NVMe protocol is used for data transfer, which provides low latency and low overhead costs.
Form Factor U.2: U.2 (SFF-8639) is a 2.5" 15mm high form factor for drives with SFF-8639 connector. They are used mainly in server solutions.
Microsoft Azure Sphere: is a secure, high-level application platform with built-in collaboration and security features designed for devices connected to the Internet. It consists of a Secure Connected Cross-Enabled Microcontroller (MCU), a dedicated Linux-based high-level operating system and a cloud-based security service.
The connected device with the Azure Sphere microcontroller provides enhanced security, performance and advanced features:
- Secure application environment
- Automatic software update
- Collecting data on the use of the product and sending it through a secure channel to the developer
- Data Recovery
OOBM – Out-of-Band Management: With Off-Band Management you can control any device that has access to network connection and power source. IT professionals can access devices regardless of status, physical location, or location relative to the corporate firewall.
AI accelerators: A specialized class of microprocessors and coprocessors used to accelerate artificial neural network algorithms.
Intel Movidius: Movidius Vision Processing Unit (VPU) Myriad 2 is a type of VPU (machine vision processor) designed for hardware acceleration of machine vision algorithms, in-depth training and deployment of neural networks.
INNODISK TECHNOLOGIES:
series: record data from video surveillance systems without frame loss. RECLine technology meets the strict requirements for recording data from CCTV cameras. This proprietary firmware optimizes the recording algorithm on SSD drives, ensuring smooth operation with minimal frame loss.
Each SSD performs background operations to maintain efficiency, however, this may interfere with the current recording process. RECLine technology solves this problem by intelligently allocating resources to ensure that no interference occurs during recording.
The series: meets all modern requirements for devices for demanding applications. This series is fully compatible with aerospace and defense standards, including MIL-STD-810F/ G and MIL-I-46058C. The InnoRobust SSD series is fully protected from dust, shock, vibration and extreme temperatures.
Quick Erase: Fast data erase function. Quick Erase technology erases data on your SSD within seconds. The Quick Erase command can be activated either by closing a contact or by sending an ATA command.
Security Erase: Secure Erase feature deletes data safely. Security Erase effectively erases data on any storage device. Erase can be performed either by closing a Security Erase contact or by sending an ATA command. Security Erase technology is compatible with international military erase standards.
Destroy: Complete Erase command. This protocol not only destroys stored data, but also information and SSD firmware that is completely erased and cannot be restored, making the device unusable.
: saves data in the flash memory in case of power failure. InnoDisk's iCell technology ensures that critical information is protected and data is not lost in the event of an unexpected power failure by quickly saving cache data to the SSD flash memory.
Innodisk was able to modify the SSD without loss of performance by placing additional buffer capacitors on the controller board that provide emergency power to the system. In conventional SSDs without iCell technology, a residual charge provides 2 milliseconds of operation after a power failure. In such a short period of time, the SSD does not have time to transfer information from the cache to the flash memory, resulting in data loss. The remaining charge of the iCell SSD provides operation for 60ms after the power outage, which is 30 times more, and is enough for secure data storage.
