May 2016
29
I
ndustrial
C
omputing
This article describes the requirements for
mass storage devices used in industrial envi-
ronments like Industry 4.0 and the emerging
Internet of Things.
Through the recently launched SATA III
series (2.5” SSD, M.2, mSATA, SlimSATA and
CFast), ATP initiates the concept of Synergy
1+1 > 2 to bring out the Preventing, Report-
ing and Analyzing mechanism by integrat-
ing hardware, firmware and software for
mission-critical industrial applications. As a
result, the all-inclusive solution to power loss/
failure protection, data integrity, health status
management and long term reliability is the
key to sustainable network operations.
Uninterrupted and sustainable performance
is typically imperative for the network of
control systems and manufacturing-related
instruments for automation application. The
entire Power Protector Control System (fig-
ure1) with integrated supporting features in
ATP SATA III drives, comprising a patented
hardware design, special firmware and cus-
tomized software (Event Log and S.M.A.R.T.
Tool), is designed to supply sufficient power
for the coverage (controller/DRAM/flash)
and to ensure stable power condition. Proac-
tively monitoring capacitor health and func-
tionality could avoid the risk of a malfunction
condition affecting the entire operation of
the Power Protector Control System. The
capacitor-charging identification mechanism
explains the process and the corresponding
measures taken once capacitor charging fails
during power-on and during operation.
ATP adopts Power Cycling RDT with test
pattern and event log features to identify
root causes and to fine-tune for reliability of
the whole Power Protector Control System.
In addition, with the advantage of analysis
capability by recording abnormal events (e.g.
unstable power signal, high/low temperature
operation, firmware update failure, etc), it is
able to trace and investigate real issues and
problems.
Industrial applications in automation indus-
try demand both read and write-intensive
optimization to achieve above-average reli-
ability and endurance. Decreasing the possi-
bility of flash storage life deterioration is key
to sophisticated data management and pres-
ervation. S.M.A.R.T. Tool combined with
a proprietary firmware algorithm can alert
with an early warning to prevent wear-out
and spare block exhaustion. To satisfy diverse
real-world applications, ATP SATA III prod-
ucts undergo a comprehensive portfolio of
simulation tests to optimize efficiency and
reliability. Furthermore, S.M.A.R.T. Tool sup-
ports a variety of operating systems including
Windows and Linux.
Comprehensive services, stability, and accred-
ited product quality are all fundamental to the
high level of reliability and long-term product
life cycle required by the automation indus-
try. One challenge of industrial automation
applications is frequent small-file (e.g. log file)
write operations accessed randomly resulting
in high write amplification. Consequently, the
endurance and service life of memory is neg-
atively impacted. To solve this problem, opti-
mization of the workload is the answer. ATP
SATA III drives provide a variety of over-pro-
visioning percentages. Higher over-provi-
sioning allows random write operations to
perform effectively and improves write ampli-
fication. Furthermore, the company evaluates
WAF & DWPD (Drive-Writes-Per-Day) to
simulate product life according to custom-
er-specific workload requirements. Total Cost
of Ownership (TCO) consists of the costs of
product validation, field return, and replace-
ment. The SATA III products of the company
pass extensive validation processes (e.g. com-
patibility/function tests with customers’ host
systems and industry standard) for reliability
in harsh outdoor environments.
To successfully sustain operations in inte-
grated networks across the automation
industry, solutions to various use cases have
to comply with existing and potential chal-
lenges. The goal of ATP’s SATA III SSDs fea-
ture set is not just to supplement existing
industrial automation requirements, but to
achieve Synergy with the Preventing, Report-
ing and Analyzing mechanisms of Industry
4.0. In addition, the technology and custom-
ized testing criteria of the company guarantee
outstanding performance and longevity and
underpin optimal solutions for mission-crit-
ical applications moving forward.
n
ATP Power Protector Control System
SATA III SSDs for industrial automation
