Build servers offline due to failed SSD

[James Linder]

> On 7 Mar 2021, at 3:26 pm, Dave C via macports-users <macports-users at lists.macports.org> wrote:
> 
> This applies to affordable SSDs. As you say, the ones that are on par (re. reliability) with HDDs are $pendy.
> 
> It’s something to do with an SSD’s limited number of write cycles, if I remember...
> 
> Dave
> 
> - - - 
> 
>> Isn’t SSD a bad choice for server duty? No server farms use them, apparently due to short lifespan.

The reality needs to be carefully weighed up

SSDs are rated in TBW. That is Terrabytes Written
The Cheaper SSDs may be 300 or 600 TBW the more expensive may be 1200 TBW or even 2500 TBW.

The TBW rating depends on size,

I’ve put a 2T SSD (600 TBW) in my iMac and after a year i see life expected of 65 years. So no SSD for a build farm is not a bad idea. The performance benefits far outweigh the 50+ year hastle of replacing.

The MTBF of spinning rust is 10 odd years, ssd is many times that. But remembering my uni stats the chance of a light globe, with a life of 1000 hours failing, when you have a few dozen bulbs (in my test question) was 20 min !!!

Enterprize Disks have a longer life, but as I said it is complicated. 

James