Updated Client SSD Performance Test Spec

The Solid State Storage Initiative (SSSI) of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) announced an updated Performance Test Specification (PTS) for Client workloads – the PTS-Client version 1.1.

The PTS is the industry standard test specification for comparative performance testing of NAND flash-based SSDs. This specification prescribes standardized procedures for preparing SSDs for test by defining pre-conditioning methodologies, steady state determination criteria, and standard performance test measurements.

The PTS-Client v1.1 updates tests for IOPS, throughput and latency to more accurately reflect the workload conditions under which Client SSDs are used. It1 also adds a Write Saturation test that measures the initial Fresh-Out-of-Box state of SSDs and their performance evolution as data is randomly written to the device.

"The primary updates to PTS-Client v1.1 are adjustments to preconditioning ranges and test boundaries. Taken together, these parameters create a repeatable test stimulus that more accurately reflects the workload characteristics of SSDs used in a single user environment," said Eden Kim, chair of the SSS TWG. "The PTS-Client v1.1 also adds an easily understandable description of each test, which helps the user to understand the purpose of the test, the test flow, and guidance on how to interpret the test results."

"Sample test results using the PTS-Client v1.1 have been posted to the SNIA SSSI Understanding SSD Performance webpage, showing the results of the updated tests," said Paul Wassenberg, chair of the SNIA SSSI. "The web page also contains test reports for both client and enterprise SSDs, as well as other educational resources aimed at helping users to better understand the mechanics of SSD performance."

The PTS is a device-level performance test suite for benchmarking and comparing performance among SAS, SATA and PCIe SSDs. The PTS-Enterprise v1.0 and PTS-Client v1.0 test specifications were developed by the SNIA Solid State Storage Technical Working Group (SSS TWG) and were released in April and August of 2011 respectively.

How to Get Involved
Any company interested in participating in the ongoing development of the SSS Performance Test Specifications (both Client and Enterprise) and promoting SSS technology is encouraged to join SNIA, SSSI, and the SSS TWG.