Linux SSD with no TRIM

[Strangers]

My HDDs keeps having problems, so it's time to bite the bullet and move to an SSD. I do have build server with an i7 920 in it. It takes me whole day for compiling. I need faster SSD at a very reasonable price. Its capacity needs to be about greater than 120 GB. It runs an old version of RHEL so no TRIM support. I'm reliant on background garbage collection to keep it in shape so please recommend ones that have decent GC as it gets hammered. If the firmware is updateable, it needs to not rely on Windows to do the update it can be of any operating system via LINUX or a bootable CD drive. I also don’t have windows update. Please give some ideas to me.

[Gonzo]

As far as the garbage collection is concerned in modern controllers is generally good. TRIM is usually separated to that. It’s make the garbage collection better and more efficient. There are no replacements for one another. If you never let the drive get near full. The one and only sub substitute for Trim would be a utility running on the client (not in the dive) that understands the file system. In LINUX while using the file system that actually zeros out deleted sectors otherwise better suited for SSDs. Depending on exactly how we are using it, perhaps you can just wipe it out periodically, and if necessary restore from any of the image. Tweaking SSD's depends on the type of SSD and what your using it for. Some, like flash drives, need to be protected from constant journaling (like in ext3), or the constant time stamping. Then there's the problem of turning off journaling and dealing with power failures.

[Pugsly]

Given current pricing and performance, I would recommend holding off on SSD's as primary system drives for another couple of years, especially given a 7200rpm 1tb disc is under 100 US Dollar these days. Also, the file system support for SSD's that is noting your query about support for TRIM, etc is still coming along. Even the drives themselves are just now getting support for TRIM in their firmware, and there are still problems with that then see current problems with Intel SSD's writer TRIM support firmware updates. So, rather than spending big more money to fall over the bleeding edge, wait a while and let things settle down, both from the technology as well as the price perspective.

[Regina]

Now the SSD is very well supported in Linux. The features that many will talk about that is not really there in Linux is for "trim" support. But "trim" is literally a hacking, not really a solution, but a way of attempting to do a batch post processing repair job on SSD. In general, though, you can probably get by without "trim" support for now. SSD drives have firmware which requires Windows to flash from my reading, unless they now do it on a bootable CD.

[Simond]

In Windows 7 either deleting a file or performing a format would invoke TRIM, but deleting a partition won't. So installing the OS on an already formatted and dirty drive will not TRIM the drive, just what areas were written to. It would be interesting to know what situations would invoke TRIM and what wouldn't under Linux when TRIM becomes supported.I couldn't imagine that it'd be much different under Linux if it's working. The three methods of deletion that activate TRIM is DELETE, DISCARD and FORMAT. I'll make sure once I -do- get TRIM working, that all three of these do indeed activate TRIM.