TS-PCS
Notice Id: 46
URL: https://pcs.embeddedts.com/notices/xnand2-upgrade-for-xnand-for-better-endurance-on-the-ts-4700
Type: Firmware Update
Contains Board Revisions: No
Effective On: Feb 12, 2017
Published: March 06, 2020
Products Affected: TS-4700, TS-8100-4700, TS-8160-4700, TS-8820-4700, TS-TPC-8390-4700, TS-TPC-8900-4700
Dear Valued Customer,
We are contacting you today to notify you that we are pushing out an XNAND2 Upgrade for XNAND for Better Endurance on the TS-4700. The XNAND user-space device driver, which manages the NAND flash device for the system, will be upgraded to XNAND2 on all TS-4700, TS-8100-4700, TS-8160-4700, TS-8820-4700, TS-TPC-8390-4700, TS-TPC-8900-4700 units shipped starting in early 2017. A new FPGA image will be included in the release. The new FPGA image incorporates the needed changes for XNAND2, with no other functional modifications. The new XNAND2 is transparent to the application layer, but your production imaging files may need to be updated. Please read below for details on how to determine if your software needs to be updated, and instructions for updating your software. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
The affected products are: TS-4700, TS-8100-4700, TS-8160-4700, TS-8820-4700, TS-TPC-8390-4700, TS-TPC-8900-4700
Technologic Systems is committed to providing the highest quality product over the entire lifecycle of our products. After recently discovering that newer SLC NAND flash devices have lower endurance, Technologic Systems will be upgrading the NAND management drivers. XNAND2 introduces wear-leveling which will significantly extended the endurance of the NAND flash. Additionally XNAND2 utilizes error correcting codes (ECC), check sums, and data redundancy to perform more reliably than other wear-leveling based NAND management solutions.
XNAND2 has been tested under a variety of rigorous tests and is fully qualified to run in the most aggressive of embedded environments. More details on XNAND2 and its qualification testing can be found in the white paper "XNAND2: NAND Device Driver for Today’s Lower Endurance SLC NAND". Additional information on the changes in SLC NAND can be found in the white paper "SLC NAND: Secrets Exposed". For information on using XNAND2 with TS-4700, TS-8100-4700, TS-8160-4700, TS-8820-4700, TS-TPC-8390-4700, TS-TPC-8900-4700, refer to the product users guides.
White Paper: XNAND2: NAND Device Driver for Today’s Lower Endurance SLC NAND
https://www.embeddedTS.com/about/resource/xnand2-nand-device-driver-for-todays-lower-endurance-slc-nand
White Paper: SLC NAND: Secrets Exposed
http://eecatalog.com/storage/2017/01/11/slc-nand-secrets-exposed/
XNAND2 usage information:
http://wiki.embeddedTS.com/wiki/TS-4700#XNAND2
For all customers who use the image preprogramed on the TS-4700, TS-8100-4700, TS-8160-4700, TS-8820-4700, TS-TPC-8390-4700, TS-TPC-8900-4700 by Technologic Systems as is, i.e. load the application to the device without overwriting the original image, no changes will be required. Just load the application code as usual on the new boards.
For any customers who build their own image to be loaded on the on board flash, please re-build your image using the files and information located at the following path:
For the TS-4700:
http://wiki.embeddedTS.com/wiki/TS-4700#Upgrading_to_XNAND2
Please contact us before Feb 12, 2017 (6 years ago) if you are anticipating any issues with updating your systems to XNAND2 so that we can assist you through the conversion.
Technologic Systems appreciates your business. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact us by either replying to this email or filling out the contact us form at https://pcs.embeddedts.com/notices/xnand2-upgrade-for-xnand-for-better-endurance-on-the-ts-4700.
Best Regards,
Technologic Systems
16525 East Laser Drive
Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
Phone: (480) 837-5200
Fax: (480) 837-5300