[Tfug] USB drives

[Bexley Hall]

--- On Thu, 5/21/09, Chris Niswander <MOST.SENDERS.ARE._FILTERED.OUT_--FOR.MY.REAL.EMAIL.ADDRESS.check.my.website..tfug.rcvr.x6a3 at bitboost.com> wrote:

> >>> Cooling is ALWAYS important.  10C = 50% lifespan (as a rule
> >>> of thumb)
> >> Not as much as it used to be:
> >>
> >> http://labs.google.com/papers/disk_failures.pdf
> >>
> >> See figures 4 and 5.  If you keep drives cold (below 25C/77F), they
> >> fail at a much higher rate.
> >>
> >> Between 35-40C results in maximum drive life.
> > 
> > I don't think you can draw that conclusion from the data
> > that they present!  Nor do I think *they* draw
> that conclusion.
>
>   [much interesting logic omitted]
> 
> Oh, you *engineer*! :-)
> 
> Bexley Hall: still showing that thinking is allowed on the
> Internet. :-)

<frown>  This paper was very disappointing.  They (google)
have a unique opportunity -- all those drives at their fingertips
and an infrastructure that *could* collect really useful
data!  One would expect a bit more effort on their part to
at least *try* to offer explanations for their observations.

Or, at least enough information for others (readers) to be
able to do same  :-/