Also known as: SSD
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a storage device that keeps data in non-volatile flash memory with no moving parts, delivering far faster access than a mechanical disk.1
Overview
Where a hard disk drive seeks a head across spinning platters, an SSD reads any block electronically, so random access is orders of magnitude quicker and there is no mechanical latency or noise. A controller manages the underlying NAND, spreading writes across cells (wear leveling) because flash cells endure a limited number of erase cycles. SSDs connect over the older SATA interface or, for much higher throughput, over NVMe on a PCI Express link.
Where it fits
In the memory hierarchy an SSD sits between RAM and slow bulk disk: not as fast as memory, but vastly faster than an HDD for the random reads a file system and database generate. For GopherTrunk, an SSD is the natural home for the active database of decoded calls and recent recordings — its quick random writes keep up with a busy control channel — while cheaper HDD capacity holds the long-term archive.
Sources
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Solid-state drive — Wikipedia, on flash-based drives and how they differ from mechanical disks. ↩