ArmourDrive™ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Product

Q1. What is ArmourDrive?
A1. ArmourDrive is a Greenliant branded family of removable solid state drives (SSDs) and memory cards. ArmourDrive products are currently available in industry-standard SATA / NVMe PCIe M.2 2242, M.2 2280, mSATA, 2.5", CFast and SD / microSDform factors. ArmourDrive products are offered in a variety of capacities, ranging from 4 GByte to 4 TByte.
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Q2. When were ArmourDrive removable SSDs introduced to the general market?
A2. The ArmourDrive product family was introduced in July 2013 via its mSATA ArmourDrive GLS86 series SSDs. Since then, the ArmourDrive family has added the SATA M.2 ArmourDrive GLS87 series, the SATA 2.5" ArmourDrive GLS89 series and the NVMe M.2 ArmourDrive GLS88 series. The ArmourDrive family also includes memory cards, with the CFast ArmourDrive GLS91 series and SD / microSD ArmourDrive GLS93 series. ArmourDrive leverages more than 30 years of NAND controller and SSD design expertise of Greenliant, and has been developed as a high reliability removable SSD solution to address long-life embedded applications. Through its strong NAND controller and advanced firmware expertise, Greenliant offers a wide range of removable and ball grid array (BGA) form factor SSDs and memory cards, effectively providing customers with a "one-stop-shop" solution for all their storage needs.
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Q3. What markets does ArmourDrive serve? 
A3. ArmourDrive serves the needs of communications and networking, defense and aerospace, industrial, medical, security and video market segments. These applications typically require long-term support and reliability, and cannot use discrete NAND flash due to frequent process node migrations resulting in costly system redesigns.
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Q4. What are the advantages of ArmourDrive compared with other solid state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD) products?
Does Greenliant have comparison data? 
A4. ArmourDrive offers superior reliability and a wide range of advanced features targeting different performance, data protection and security requirements. Please contact your Greenliant sales representative for more information and competitive data.
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Q5. Does Greenliant offer extended temperature ArmourDrive products? 
A5. Industrial temperature (-40 to +85 degrees Celsius) ArmourDrive products are available with both 1-bit-per-cell (SLC) and 3-bit-per-cell (TLC) NAND to meet varying customer requirements for lifespan, endurance and performance. Wide temperature (-25 to +85 degrees Celsius) ArmourDrive products are available with 3-bit-per-cell (TLC) and 4-bit-per-cell (QLC) 3D NAND.
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Q6. What is the difference between Industrial Grade, Industrial Temperature, Wide Temperature and Commercial Temperature ArmourDrive products? 
A6. Industrial Grade (I-grade) = high-endurance* SLC NAND-based Greenliant SSDs supporting industrial temperatures (-40 to +85 degrees Celsius)
Industrial Temperature (I-temp) = standard-endurance** TLC NAND-based Greenliant SSDs supporting industrial temperatures (-40 to +85 degrees Celsius)
Wide Temperature (I-temp) = standard-endurance** TLC or QLC NAND-based Greenliant SSDs supporting wide temperatures (-25 to +85 degrees Celsius)
Commercial Temperature (C-temp) = standard-endurance** TLC NAND-based Greenliant SSDs supporting commercial temperatures (0 to +70 degrees Celsius)

* Endurance options ranging from 60K to 300K Program/Erase cycles (achieved with Greenliant's EnduroSLC Technology)
** Endurance options ranging from .6K to 5K Program/Erase cycles
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Q7. Will Greenliant maintain backward compatibility across all capacities and between current and future ArmourDrive products? 
A7. ArmourDrive products use the same standard interface and connector within each product line (NVMe PCIe / SATA M.2, mSATA, 2.5", CFast, SD/microSD). SSD and memory card performance and endurance may differ between current and future product generations due to NAND technology changes. Additional features may be added to new products to address more advanced specifications and market requirements.
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Q8. Does ArmourDrive use DRAM for caching?
A8. Most ArmourDrive SSDs are DRAM-less to preserve data reliability in case of power loss and to reduce power consumption. For applications that need the extra performance, Greenliant also offers NVMe M.2 and SATA M.2 and 2.5" ArmourDrive SSDs with DRAM.
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Q9. What is EnduroSLC™ Technology?
A9. EnduroSLC™ Technology is a proprietary technology developed by Greenliant for its ultra-high endurance, high reliability NANDrive™ and ArmourDrive™ product lines. It uses advanced NAND flash management algorithms and hardware error checking and correction (ECC) capabilities to significantly extend the life of SSDs. EnduroSLC products can reach industry leading endurance levels of 300K P/E cycles.
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Q10. Is each ArmourDrive tested before it is shipped to the customer?
A10. Yes. Every ArmourDrive product that Greenliant ships out is fully tested to the specified configurations.
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Technical

Q1. Will a redesign be required if we need to switch to a different capacity ArmourDrive product?
A1. No. All ArmourDrive SSDs use the same standard interface and connector within each product line (NVMe PCIe / SATA M.2, mSATA, 2.5”, CFast, SD/microSD).
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Q2. What types of NAND flash are used in ArmourDrive products? 
A2. 1.5Gb/s mSATA ArmourDrive uses planar SLC NAND. ArmourDrive EX Series SSDs and memory cards use 3D SLC NAND configurations, PX Series use 3D TLC NAND and QX Series use 3D QLC NAND. The latest EX Series ArmourDrive SSDs use EnduroSLC Technology to address the most demanding embedded applications.
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Q3. How does the host know when the embedded NAND flash is reaching the end of its operational lifespan?
A3. The lifespan of the product can be determined by utilizing SMART commands. Please contact Greenliant technical support for more information.
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Q4. What file system(s) are supported by ArmourDrive? 
A4. ArmourDrive supports all types of file systems typically used in embedded applications.
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Q5. Can you boot from ArmourDrive? 
A5. Booting directly from ArmourDrive will work if the host chipset supports internal flash or ROM memory with system boot code, or if there is an external flash or a ROM installed with system boot code or BIOS. ArmourDrive SSDs support system boot the same way as an HDD.
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Q6. Is the ArmourDrive firmware field upgradeable? 
A6. Greenliant can provide tools for firmware field updates. Please contact Greenliant technical support for more information.
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Q7. If the number of bad blocks on the NAND flash becomes excessive, will the host be able to perform Read functions on ArmourDrive?
A7. Yes. The NAND flash can still be read, but cannot be written to when the number of bad blocks exceeds its maximum allowed quantity.
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Q8. What technical documentation is available for ArmourDrive?
A8. Factsheets are available on Greenliant's public website. Detailed datasheets are available under a valid non-disclosure agreement. Greenliant FAEs provide technical recommendations and design reviews to optimize storage solution selection and implementation. Please contact Greenliant technical support for more information.
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Q9. How are the ArmourDrive data protection and security functions implemented? 
A9. ArmourDrive SSDs and memory cards use various write protection and security functions, such as Secure Erase.
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Q10. Does ArmourDrive have power interrupt data protection?
A10. ArmourDrive SSDs use advanced firmware to offer enhanced protection against NAND “paired page” issues during abnormal power loss (dedicated power-fail protection circuitry is offered as an optional feature). 1.5Gb/s mSATA ArmourDrive uses dedicated built-in power interrupt data protection circuitry.
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Support

Q1. What happens when ArmourDrive's NAND flash memory changes?
A1. ArmourDrive is a managed NAND solution, which protects from NAND flash obsolescence by offering customers a seamless migration path, subject to some technical limitations. Customers are notified of product changes and recommended compatible solutions through PSNs (Product Status Notifications).
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Q2. Does Greenliant offer long-term supply support for ArmourDrive, including no changes to the NAND flash, for prolonged periods of time?
A2. Greenliant's Long-Term Availability (LTA) program offers a stable portfolio of SLC NAND-based ArmourDrive products. Greenliant also supports extended availability for select industrial TLC NAND-based SSDs. Please contact your Greenliant sales representative to discuss long-term ArmourDrive support.
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Q3. Does Greenliant have reliability data for all ArmourDrive products?
A3. Yes. Greenliant has reliability reports for all ArmourDrive products released to market. Please contact your Greenliant sales representative to obtain copies of the reports.
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Q4. Are ArmourDrive performance reports available?
A4. Greenliant offers sample performance reports for select ArmourDrive SSDs. End-users can apply one of the industry's standard benchmark tests or set up a custom test to collect performance data specific to their system environment and usage model.
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Q5. Where can I find product documentation and marketing literature on ArmourDrive? 
A5. General product documentation and marketing literature are available on Greenliant's website. Advanced product and technical information (application notes, benchmark test reports, user guides, etc.) is available to customers through their Greenliant sales representative.
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Q6. Are ArmourDrive samples available? 
A6. Greenliant provides customers with a convenient way to order ArmourDrive product samples (certain restrictions may apply) through its online sample request form.
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Q7. Where can I buy ArmourDrive?
A7. The list of Greenliant authorized distributors and sales representatives is available online.
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