Long-Term Availability Of Storage Solutions

Manufacturers of applications with longer development times are therefore often confronted with the problem that suitable components are no longer available on the market or have been discontinued before they even commence production. For applications with long lifecycles such as machine control systems, embedded computing or applications for the transport sector, component obsolescence means high costs for unplanned redesigns, which ties up resources otherwise intended for new developments. The simplest way that developers can tackle this problem is to take note of the availabilities specified by the manufacturer when selecting components. As these aren’t always wholly reliable, the customer structure of the provider is also an important source of information. If they primarily sell to industrial customers, this is a highly reliable sign that product lifecycles are long.

Some providers have recognized this problem experienced by their customers and exploit the topic of long-term availability as a unique selling point. These include the storage and memory manufacturer Swissbit. Swissbit has been producing storage solutions exclusively for the industrial market since 2006. They include guaranteed long-term availability for several years, depending on the product. To this end, Swissbit relies on selected partners who also pursue long-term strategies and strategically stockpiles critical memory and storage components itself. Swissbit also has a special climate controlled warehouse for the storage of memory components, including at wafer level. This enables customers to procure not only the latest technology, but also legacy products as they need them. Thanks to its partnership with several chip suppliers, Swissbit is also able to offer second-source products.

With a fixed bill of material for all products, Swissbit goes that little bit further. It has become common practice for manufacturers to change the selection of components – the BOM – in their storage solutions without providing notification or informing their customers of this fact. If the manufacturer installs new firmware or uses a new Flash version, it is possible that the module may fail entirely or malfunction – to the customer’s complete surprise and confusion. The fixed BOM guarantees that all modules are of the same construction as the sample, both in terms of the components used and in terms of the integrated firmware. This means that all of these components in all deliveries will be 100% identical. If changes are necessary, Swissbit will modify the product description accordingly and inform the customer in good time with a “product change notification”. This enables the user to check compatibility before installing the modified storage medium.

Swissbit’s consistent focus on the industrial market encompasses not only long-term availability, but also a long service life and reliability with high product and manufacturing quality. A poor-quality storage module will not usually be noticed until some time after it has been deployed. This is why the Swiss manufacturer only uses high-quality materials and semi-finished products, processing them with state-of-the-art production methods. These include a thicker gold layer in places where the element sees frequent plugging and unplugging, for example. To prevent corrosion by gases or liquids, Swissbit will apply a “conformal coating” to the storage modules on request. All products undergo a defined qualification and testing process to ensure that they remain functional even when operated at the extremes of their specified limits. The storage modules are also tested and/or validated within the context of the customer’s target application on request. As a result, the storage components are subject to high standards in terms of robustness, shock resistance and vibration resistance, and operate within a large temperature range of as far as -40°C to +90°C.

To ensure that data is retained reliably over a long period of time in CompactFlash, SD memory cards, MICRO SD and solid state drives, Swissbit uses versatile firmware algorithms such as smart wear leveling, bad block management, power fail protection & recovery, and an ingenious read disturb management system. In DRAM modules, bit errors caused by weak cells are a frequent source of faults. The use of modules that support error correction using Error Correction Code helps to prevent these bit errors. Reporting mechanisms such as S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) and software applications such as Life Time Monitoring, enabled via the internal firmware, provide the user with a constant flow of information about the current state of the storage solution, enabling the user to act in good time in the event of an imminent failure.

The storage medium solutions are available with all of the standard interfaces used in the industry. Swissbit also offers custom-designed storage solutions to meet the requirements of system manufacturers and integrators and provides customized modifications and extensive support through expert application engineers. They advise during the entire development cycle with regard to the ideal storage architecture from the design phase, implementation, testing and application through to upgrades.