Update on "Bad Context 13x Error"

[Alan_F_Intel]

Intel has been investigating the 'Bad Context 13x Error' as seen on select Intel® SSD 320 Series drives. This was previously noted in the Intel community post as "SSD Power Loss". To summarize the error: In certain circumstances, after an unexpected power loss, a small percentage of SSDs may experience this error on the next attempt to boot the system. In this situation, the system's BIOS reports an SSD as an 8MB capacity drive.

Intel has reproduced 'Bad Context 13x Error' utilizing strenuous testing methods. This 'Bad Context 13x Error' can be addressed via a firmware update and Intel is in the process of validating the firmware update. A future update will define the schedule to deliver the firmware fix.

The Intel SSD 320 Series continues to be shipped and is available for purchase. If you experience this error with your Intel SSD, please contact your Intel representative or Intel customer support (via web: http://www.intel.com/ www.intel.com or phone: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contact/phone www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contact/phone) .

For those with Intel SSD 320 series SSDs who are concerned but currently unaffected, Intel advises the following actions:

• As with any storage device, backup your data regularly
• When shutting down your system, follow your system's standard shutdown process
• Minimize unplugging the SSD while your system is powered

Intel takes these issues seriously. Please watch for further updates on this site.

Rgds,

Alan

Intel's NVM Solutions Group

[Vegan]

I mostly see SSD in large data centers not so much in a personal machine

[idata]

Desktop oriented SSD series in datacenters? That's fun

[Vegan]

Some shops I have read about have used them in servers and RAID arrays to perk up performance. I cannot imaging a server that busy as even facebook is interested in faster network speed over server woes.

[idata]

Practically every manufacturer of SSDs have minimum two classes of production. Desktop and enterprise (MLC flash is used for the desktop mostly and SLC flash for enterprise). Why would facebook use an desktop oriented SSDs, instead enterprise? May be just for the lower price? But the reliability, acccess/reading speeds are lower too (teoretically).

Even if facebook, hypothetically, is greedy and using cheaper MLC SSDs in their datacenter, I don't think they are using Intel SSD, as it is not cheap enough in conclusion with other similar class and speeds.

[idata]

Intel says that the 320er Serie is also for server. Only the 510er Serie have no passing for server. Intel always are proud to say thats the forefather X25-M is so good in server. Here an translation from an german articel:

Intel is particularly proud that in the servers of a unnamed OEM customers used X25-m is still significantly less than expected: only 0.46 percent of the more than 100,000 storage were returned (annual return rate, ARR) and only 0.26 percent were actually broken.http://www.heise.de/ct/meldung/Intel-SSD-320-Nachfolger-der-Baureihe-X25-M-1216456.html http://www.heise.de/ct/meldung/Intel-SSD-320-Nachfolger-der-Baureihe-X25-M-1216456.html

We have over 150 Intel X25-M Generation 1 and Generation 2 SSDs for customers in hardcore database servers. Such customers need the speed advantage over SAS and know the risk of the new technologie SSD. But the speed plus is impressive. Also i can say that we have a really low failure rate on the X25-M SSDs over the 2 years. We also testing Intel X25-E Series but the customers is the Price/Gigabyte to expensive.

From 64 Intel 320er 160GB SSD are 17 broken after 3-5 days of stress testing with the 8MB bug. Now we stop all tests and hope for the firmware update.