[xubuntu-users] Hard drives and backup - Was: Am I the only one who still uses floppies?

[Petter Adsen]

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:14:42 +0200
Antoine Pitrou <solipsis at pitrou.net> wrote:

> On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:02:20 +0200
> Ralf Mardorf <ralf.mardorf at rocketmail.com>
> wrote:
> > 
> > Are SSDs ok as backup media?
> 
> Not sure (there are some issues with data retention when not powered on
> for a long time, apparently (*)), and besides they are overkill
> price-wise. For backups the performance of a HDD should be ok.
> 
> (*)
> http://www.anandtech.com/show/9248/the-truth-about-ssd-data-retention

I'd second this. SSDs would be a waste for backups in most scenarios.
Also, personally I've been using rotating drives for decades and have a
fairly good idea of their limitations and strong sides. There is a lot
of information available on the subject. I haven't been using SSDs for
long enough to have any real experience when it comes to longevity,
especially for drives that haven't been connected for an extended
period of time.

From what I've read, newer SSDs that are regularly connected to a
power source can outlast conventional drives, or at least equal them for
normal use cases. The jury seems to still be out on whether/how fast
data degrades when the cells don't receive a charge. There are also
different technologies being used that behave differently (MLC/TLC) and
temperature also has an effect.

That said, I've owned two identical Kingston SSDs that both failed
completely and suddenly for no apparent reason within 6 months - I now
avoid Kingston like the plague and my Samsung replacements have been
fine.

TL;DR: For system files that can easily be replaced/restored, they are
excellent. My home dir is on a separate, larger SSD that is frequently
backed up to rotational media.

Petter

-- 
"I'm ionized"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 213 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/xubuntu-users/attachments/20150730/a2472cae/attachment.sig>