[colug-432] SSD vs SD

[Rob Stampfli]

Excellent analysis, Matt.  The question I have is how do I partition
the drive and lay out the file systems so that the internal geometries
of the SD or SSD are used efficiently.  My understanding is that if
you do this correctly, you can not only extend the life of the drive,
but also speed things up significantly.  I recently fdisked an SD for
use in a Pogoplug and not knowing the internal segment size -- it was
a 16 GB SD, so I guessed it was either 4 MB or 8 MB -- I arbitrarily
chose to start each of the partitions on a multiple of 16384 512-byte
blocks.  But, then, what additional parameters should I specify when
creating the file systems, aside from the usual constraints of using
ext2 to minimize write cycles.  (And, now I hear ext4 with some special
options is a better choice...)  I'm also hearing that you should leave
15-25% of the drive unpopulated to give the controller better options
in terms of assignment an wear-leveling.

Any ideas in this area?

Rob