[SOLVED] SLC-based USB for unRAID??

[AT0MAC]

You are correct about the GUID.  Not all readers have them, but a few do, and the forums ahve the answers generally as to which do.  In fact IIRC LimeTech himself mentions somewhere in the LimeTech pages which reader(s) are known to work and a few that do not.

 

 

Super-duper!

I will check it out

 

 

I have now spend all day reading about SLC and how good USB drives used to be 5 years ago were there were no SSDs and other stuff that swallows SLC memory into a black hole.

So I just decided to go for the SD card solution and so far have ordered two Integral Endurance 4GB cards.

 

Why the Integral?

 

a) There is a very good sale going on at a local retailer here ($35 pr each and I can even save money to go and pick it up myself)

b) It is confirmed directly on the website and in reviews that they use SLC memory, gives me peace of mind

c) They are 4GB with more than enough space for unRAID and a few plugins

and

d) I bought two because of the low price so I always have a backup   (I think SLC will be almost out of reach as time goes by because MLC gets better and better and there now are so much more things that wants to use SLC)

[jumperalex]

You have made me jealous

[AT0MAC]

You have made me jealous

 

 

Seems like I did the right thing eventually then

 

I no longer need this thread but leave it up to others to discuss further if they feel the need. Now I am hunting down a good USB SD card reader that have a unique ID in this thread (simply because searching for hundreds of other threads were they are mentioned simply takes too long time, we need more simple lists.)

[AT0MAC]

I got an answer from Kingston about their SD cards:

 

Please also note that our SD cards are consumer grade cards built with MLC 2 bit and 3 bit. Therefore, our R&D department would like to inform you that we do not support booting off our SD cards as they are not built to support operating systems. 

 

 

I also got a response from HP regarding their USB stick:

 

 

With regard to your enquiry, I would like to inform you that the HP 2GB USB Flash Media Drive Key Kit --> 608447-B21does not have any unique UUID or GUID. As far as HP is concern, the UIDs are available on the individual servers and this flash drive does not have one separately.

 

 

So lucky me I did not buy that one

 

 

Lastly, I have just come home after picking up the Integral SLC SD cards, to my big surprise they look like just rebranded Toshiba cards - so apparently the Toshiba cards I found on eBay and Amazon are truly SLC too.

The vendor I bought it from apparently only had one 4GB card left, but offered me his last 8GB card for the same price as compensation

The 8GB card comes preinstalled with a Linux OS made for thin clients or Kiosk systems, wich is exactly what this guy normally sells - I just need to delete it and start from a fresh and boom I have 4 + 8 GB premium SLC at my disposal!

[jumperalex]

Something to keep in mind when they say they don't support booting ... they are saying they don't support (read: assure durability) for booting your typical operating system with their card because it would die very quickly.  For something like unRaid there should be no problem at all.  I would venture to guess 99% of all unraid users are using MLC cards, and the 1% who use SLC don't even know it, it is just the card they ended up with.  Beyond that, there is no good reason they wouldn't be bootable.

 

Regardless, you got yourself a great deal on some SLC cards and that is awesome.

[AT0MAC]

Something to keep in mind when they say they don't support booting ... they are saying they don't support (read: assure durability) for booting your typical operating system with their card because it would die very quickly.  For something like unRaid there should be no problem at all.  I would venture to guess 99% of all unraid users are using MLC cards, and the 1% who use SLC don't even know it, it is just the card they ended up with.  Beyond that, there is no good reason they wouldn't be bootable.

 

Regardless, you got yourself a great deal on some SLC cards and that is awesome.

 

 

I agree in everything you say, specially the last part

[argonaut]

A few other products you might want to consider:

 

Wintec makes SLC USB Flash drives. You can find these from various resellers.

 

http://www.wintecind.com/oem/Flash/USB_W7US.html

 

They also make these embedded flash drives which you can install inside your case.  You can find these on Newegg as well. I would think the protection of the case would indestructibility of your indestructible unRAID setup.

 

http://www.wintecind.com/oem/Flash/Embedded_USB.html

 

Zalman is launching a new line of SLC flash drives:

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5920/zalmans-slc-nand-equipped-usb-30-flash-drive-computex-suite-tour

[AT0MAC]

A few other products you might want to consider:

 

Wintec makes SLC USB Flash drives. You can find these from various resellers.

 

http://www.wintecind.com/oem/Flash/USB_W7US.html

 

They also make these embedded flash drives which you can install inside your case.  You can find these on Newegg as well. I would think the protection of the case would indestructibility of your indestructible unRAID setup.

 

http://www.wintecind.com/oem/Flash/Embedded_USB.html

 

Zalman is launching a new line of SLC flash drives:

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5920/zalmans-slc-nand-equipped-usb-30-flash-drive-computex-suite-tour

 

 

A little too late, but nice to know! Thanks