SNIA SSSI Solid State Storage Performance Test Specification Available for Public Review

In July, the SNIA’s Solid State Storage Initiative (SSSI) announced the availability of the Solid State Storage (SSS) Performance Test Specification (PTS) (version 0.9) for public review. This new performance specification takes a big step forward in enabling purchasers of solid state storage devices to compare the performance of solid state storage products from different manufacturers in an “apples-to-apples” comparison.

Defining a suite of tests and test methodologies, SNIA SSS PTS enables comparative testing of individual SSS device performance to facilitate broader market adoption of SSS technology within both the client and enterprise computing environments.

Upon completion of the 60-day public review phase, the SNIA Solid State Storage Technical Work Group (SSS TWG) will remove the SSS PTS from the web site, consider all submitted feedback, make modifications, and ultimately publish the version 1.0 of the ratified SSS Performance Test Specification.

About the SSS PTS
A typical SSS device, taken "fresh out of the box" and exposed to a workload, experiences a brief period of elevated performance, followed by a period of transition to an eventual performance Steady State. The SSS PTS prescribes preparation methodologies and defines "Steady State," so performance measurements can be taken in the Steady State performance region, which should be representative of the device's performance during its normal working life.

When executed in a specific hardware/software environment, the SSS PTS will provide measurements of performance that can then be fairly compared to those of other SSS products (measured in the same way in the same environment).

The SSS PTS specification itself is test hardware and software agnostic, and includes a Reference Test Platform (RTP) that describes the test hardware, software, and tools used by the Technical Work Group to do the bulk of the research and validation of the Specification. The RTP is not required to run the SSS PTS tests; it is merely an example of a platform that has been confirmed to meet the SSS PTS platform requirements.

The 56 member SSS TWG has been working on the SSS PTS since early 2009. These companies represent leading SSS manufacturers, SSS controller makers, test houses, and computer system OEMs. All interested parties are encouraged to download the work-in-progress SSS PTS draft at http://www.snia.org/publicreview/and provide feedback at http://www.snia.org/feedback/. Comments resulting from the public review will be used to improve the specification.

Status on updates to the specification and related white papers can be found at http://www.snia.org/forums/sssi.