Understanding Hardware-Based Storage EncryptionWhat is TCG Opal?Hardware based storage encryption is not a single toggle. The TCG Opal specification is its most common expression, defining how a drive manages its own encryption keys separate from the host OS. This...
The Evolution of NVMe Storage StandardsFrom AHCI to NVMe: A Brief HistoryFor two decades, the storage industry accepted latency as natural. When AHCI appeared, it codified the assumptions of the mechanical age. Every command waited on spinning platters, so the...
Understanding the Role of DRAM in SSDsWhat DRAM Does in a Standard NVMe SSDTake a standard NVMe SSD and you will find a small DRAM chip beside the controller. That chip is not decorative. It holds the flash translation layer, a table that maps logical addresses to...