[PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Christopher Robinson]

On Sat, 2019-05-18 at 09:06 -0700, Michael Barnes wrote:
> I haven't messed with much in the hardware department for years. I
> recently
> picked up a small 12V computer I want to use for some field
> applications in
> ham radio. It presently has a conventional 160 GB SATA WD Caviar Blue
> drive
> in it now. I'd like to replace that with a comparable SSD that is
> hopefully
> just plug and play with the existing SATA connectors. Is that
> possible? My
> intent is to just load a basic Linux install (probably CentOS) from a
> USB
> stick and run a few basic services. It will have a USB GPS puck and
> run
> gpsd and ntp. I'll run the normal network server stuff of dhcp, dns,
> etc. I
> guess Samba is still the thing for a file server. It will not be
> connected
> to the Internet when in the field. The field network will be a bunch
> of
> Windows laptops and will need to share some files across the network
> with
> the server.
> 
> So, all that to ask, what should I get for an SSD for this thing?
> This is a
> low budget project.
> 
> Thanks for your ideas.
> Michael

Get a business grade SSD and if 120 gigs is big enough, note that they
can be had for around $60.  I'm not an expert on SSD technology, but
note that they are very different from hard drives in that you are
trading mechanical complexity and reasonable reliability for electronic
complexity, speed, and variable reliability.  Not all SSDs are created
equal for certain, but I'm not an electrical engineer that specializes
in the technology who can walk you through what to look for.  Intel is
working on new technology for SSDs, something to do with rust.  I don't
know where Intel is at with that, but it looks like SSDs are going to
get a lot more reliable in the near term.  I like Samsung SSD's, but
that is because they seem to work well and not a technological
recommendation.  Not a professional opinion on my part ;-)

     -- Michael C. Robinson