[mdlug] APC UPS advice

[Michael Rudas]

On 6/30/07, Drew wrote:

> David Lee Lambert wrote:

> > I got a new toy today:  an APC "Back-UPS XS 900" UPS (model BX900R).

<snip>

> You are aware, are you not, that flash memory such as is in a thumb drive only lasts for a  limited number of writes?

One of the side benefits of WinVista (minor, to be sure) is that the
so-called "ReadyBoost"-certified flash drives are designed for
repeated, multiple writes.  Even so, I agree with Drew: flash drives
are NOT suitable for a swap partition because of the TYPE of
read/write cycling involved-- it's much better on an actual hard
drive.

The new hard drives made by Samsung and others that incorporate
flash-memory buffers use special load-spreading write techniques and
specially-manufactured flash chips (originally designed for the OLPC
Project) to lengthen the useful life of the drive-- including built-in
bypasses if the chips fail beyond a certain percentage of capacity.

-- Mikey