Abstract: A smart flash drive has one or more levels of smart storage switches and a lower level of single-chip flash devices (SCFD's). A SCFD contains flash memory and controllers that perform low-level bad-block mapping and wear-leveling and logical-to-physical block mapping. The SCFD report their capacity, arrangement, and maximum wear-level count (WLC) and bad block number (BBN) to the upstream smart storage switch, which stores this information in a structure register. The smart storage switch selects the SCFD with the maximum BBN as the target and the SCFD with the lowest maximum WLC as the source of a swap for wear leveling when a WLC exceeds a threshold that rises over time. A top-level smart storage switch receives consolidated capacity, arrangement, WLC, and BBN information from lower-level smart storage switch. Data is striped and optionally scrambled by Redundant Array of Individual Disks (RAID) controllers in all levels of smart storage switches.

Abstract: Thin solid state drive (SSD) housing structures are described. According to one embodiment of the invention, a structure for housing an SSD includes a pair of brackets configured to support a PCBA of the SSD at either side of the PCBA via one or more ledges with corresponding fastener holes pre-configured thereon. The ledges are attached to inside surface of the brackets. Each of the brackets has a slab shape with a length and a height. The length is parallel to horizontal direction, while the height parallel to vertical. The ledges are located at mid-height and oriented substantially perpendicular to the brackets such that the PCBA is supported horizontally. In order to securely connect the PCBA with the brackets, a plurality of metal fasteners is used. The fasteners are placed through the fastener holes on the ledges and through corresponding alignment holes pre-configured on the PCBA.