topic Re: New SSD toolbox released in Archive

New SSD toolbox released

idata — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:01:30 GMT

Intel has released a new rev of it's SSD toolbox / trim optimizer, ver 1.3. Here's the link to the options page:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455 http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455

Enjoy.

Tex.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:57:18 GMT

Many thanks. I will try today.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:07:43 GMT

No worky. The optimizer says it can't run on RAID volumes. I have no RAID, no compression, no encryption, no shadow data. Just a single 80 GB Postville on an ICHR10 controller. Running XP PRO EN SP3 with bare (Windows-installed) drivers. I reinstalled the previous version and it worked again. Congrats Intel. You've done it again. I'm glad your core business is chips and not software.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:47:11 GMT

Why is it that every time I run the optimizer, it does its job really fast, like 1 second or two. it's almost as if it is not doing anything at all. Does anyone know why this may be? I am running the new intel RST drivers with a single G2 80 SSD and two HDDs in RAID 0.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:41:28 GMT

Sounds normal for a quick TRIM pass. If you have a lot of Windows restore points it will take longer.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 22:46:57 GMT

I have 2 SSD drive

the toolbox on the system one run smoothly he fill it up and clean it

when i do the second one it fill it up but it doesn't erase the files

it kind of get stuck to the end of the process i can manually erase the files but it's odd since they are exactly same SSD only different thing is the port the are attached and that one is system the other not

I tryed 2 or 3 times i even restated and tryed again the system one always get it done right the other one always get stuck at the end and fill it up my SSD without erasing the temp files.

Not a big deal i guess but just to let you know.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:11:07 GMT

@JWellington

As mentioned above, the "fast" trim behavior is expected.

Your mechanical drive as well as your SSD are divided into "Logical Block Addresses", which hold 512 bytes of data, often called a "sector". When you delete a file, your filesystem simply updates its records, but does not necessarily erase the sectors associated with the file. An SSD moves sectors around to ensure steady performance. Unfortunately, an SSD will "shuffle" the LBAs associated with the deleted file just like valid data, which is unnecessary.

If the SSD had some knowledge of which LBAs were no longer needed, it could take advantage of this information to more efficiently "shuffle" when it is time to write addtional data. The addition of the "TRIM" command to the ATA spec basically tells the SSD which LBAs are associated with deleted files and hence no longer need to be moved around.

Hope that helps.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 05:25:37 GMT

Still no Raid5 support.

When is Intel going to support Raid5?

Thank you.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:59:21 GMT

I don't run in RAID, so this isn't an issue for me, but I've seen a few details on this issue. My understanding of the RAID issue is that the RAID controller must explicity support TRIM in order for the OS/Toolbox to be able to trim the drives. I expect this means that controllers designed before a certain point will never support TRIM.

Consider this: let's have a RAID 0 config with two drivers. Either the OS or the toolbox wants to tell the drive that LBA 1000 has been deleted. Normally it will send a command to the drive indicating that LBA 1000 is deleted. But, in the RAID example, where is LBA 1000? Drive 1 or drive 2? Only the RAID controller would know. Consequently, the RAID controller would have to have logic to support the TRIM command, logic that would determine which of the two drives to pass the command to and which LBA to specifiy, because it can't be LBA 1000 anymore.

If this isn't an accurate description of the problem, maybe someone else can set me straight.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:34:39 GMT

ZXTT95,

I am not an expert either, and what you say makes sense to me.

However, my raid driver is made by Intel. it's the Matrix Storage Manager. They made my drives and they made my drivers, you cannot get any more Intel than that.

So, it is beyond me why their own driver does not support trim?

At least they could publish a roadmap to let us know what the plan or general direction is.

At any rate, thank you for your thoughts.

Mike

Re: New SSD toolbox released

RGiff — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:53:47 GMT

How did you get your SSD to run in AHCI and have a RAID set up at the same time??

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:20:50 GMT

Robert,

What is AHCI?

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:01:00 GMT

I have TWO X25-M 80 GB SSD's - the optimizer will work on one - not the other. Gives the 'cannot run on raid' to me on the one drive. Using AMD 850 southbridge in AHCI - I have tried all of the ports for the drive that won't run the optimizer - no luck, wheras the one that works can do so on any port. Only workaround is once a week have to change back to IDE mode in the bios - run optimizer - then back to AHCI. This is in windows 7 64 bit by the way. Not certain that trim is working under these circumstances for the one drive either.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

RGiff — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:41:55 GMT

AHCI - Advanced Host Controller Interface

Re: New SSD toolbox released

RGiff — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:53:35 GMT

To tell if TRIM is working ,You have to go in comand prompt , type fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify. ( if it shows 1, means it's off ) (if it shows 0, means it's on ) So you are looking for it to show ( 0 ) than you know the TRIM is working .

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:05:12 GMT

"To tell if Trim is working.." with what? The windows driver or the intel or both?

I just loaded the utlility on my ASUS box with a 160 gig drive that has not ever had the trim util ran and it only took a split second for me as well. I ran the command you posted and it did return 0. My assumption is that it is using the built in windows driver as i do not see an intel ICH storage controller listed in the device manager -- but do see an AHCI driver under the IDE ATA / ATAPI Controllers section. I guess this is because i did not install ISM or the new Intel drivers separately... and windows 7 is handling the trim already?

Re: New SSD toolbox released

RGiff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:22:24 GMT

If you test returned ( O ) than windows TRIM is on and working. But I would still install the Intel Tool Box , With the tool box you can set up a schedule to Run tune up once a week or run it manuely , it will also give you Info on your NON-SSD Drives . So I would recomend using the Tool Box.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

RGiff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:29:54 GMT

As Far as the AHCI , If it's not on now you can enable it and it will give a great performance with your SSD , But there is a certian way to do this You CAN NOT just go in your BIOS and turn it on , you will get a blue screen, ReFF. to Microsoft article # 922976 as how to change it with a Operating SYS already installed , but it does involved some registry editing, So if you do this read it carefuly and do step by step. Than you can enable AHCI and get about a 20% gain in the performance of your SSD.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

idata — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:51:38 GMT

If the test return (0) doesn't mean TRIM is on and working at all.... it actually means that WINDOW 7 send the command "trim your device" to the controller... but if u have a RAID CONTROLLER that controller doesn't understand it and dont actually do it abviously

it's like

WIN7: please controller trim the unit

CONTROLLER: what?

WIN7: damn you i said TRIM it

CONTROLLER: TRIM? what are you talking about... trim yourself you....X%# $%^#

WIN7: TRIM TRIM TRIM TRIM

CONTROLLER: you TRIM yourself, son of a TRIM

so if the controller is not the right one, ACHI or IDE with the window driver or RTS driver (matrix doenst know the command either), WIN7 on (0) will send the command to the controller but the controller will not do anything as he doesnt know what it means

So to actually make AUTOMATIC TRIM WORK you have to have

a) SSD hooked up with controller ACHI or IDE (better ACHI but both work)

b) driver for the controller Microsoft windows7 or intel-RTS (better RTS but both work)

c) win7 TRIM comman on (0)

if those 3 things happen on your pc, compliment you have automatic TRIM if you miss even only one of these thing you dont have TRIM on

I have 2x80gb not in raid with ACHI controller and RTS drive and i never need to trim them they are (after 4 mounth) as performant as day one and i test them every 2 week.

Re: New SSD toolbox released

RGiff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:33:59 GMT

I don't recall anyone In this conversation mentioning RAID at all , everyone knows TRIM will not work in RAID because it can not tell which drive is which ,In RAID it looks at both drives as one???