We need an SSD maintenance utility

[gonzo74405]

I have installed Ubuntu 12.10 on a solid state disk on my desktop computer.
I know SSDs need periodic maintenance to keep their performance up to their full capability, since I ported Windows 7 to an SSD I installed in my laptop and I use the Intel utility to keep the drive cleaned/trimmed/happy or whatever you call it.
I tried to find out how to do this for my Ubuntu drive but frankly I am not sufficiently experienced in programming to understand and implement the fixes suggested in the forums. I know that the respondents think their answers are helpful but they're just too far above my user level to help.
If Ubuntu wants to appeal to a larger user community, I think this will become a problem area in the future. I always recommend Ubuntu to my friends but I really don't want to have to add a 'but it's not really easy to use it with an SSD'.
Can't we develop an SSD cleanup/tuneup utility program that could be downloaded from the Ubuntu Software Center and used by those of us with low levels of technical expertise? Sure would be helpful to me.

[sudodus]

I think it is a good idea. But the development guys don't spend much time at the Ubuntu Forums. Maybe you have better luck publishing your idea at

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/

[haqking]

I have installed Ubuntu 12.10 on a solid state disk on my desktop computer.
I know SSDs need periodic maintenance to keep their performance up to their full capability, since I ported Windows 7 to an SSD I installed in my laptop and I use the Intel utility to keep the drive cleaned/trimmed/happy or whatever you call it.
I tried to find out how to do this for my Ubuntu drive but frankly I am not sufficiently experienced in programming to understand and implement the fixes suggested in the forums. I know that the respondents think their answers are helpful but they're just too far above my user level to help.
If Ubuntu wants to appeal to a larger user community, I think this will become a problem area in the future. I always recommend Ubuntu to my friends but I really don't want to have to add a 'but it's not really easy to use it with an SSD'.
Can't we develop an SSD cleanup/tuneup utility program that could be downloaded from the Ubuntu Software Center and used by those of us with low levels of technical expertise? Sure would be helpful to me.

if you are using Linux then it will be using Ext3 or 4 or other Linux Filesystem which does not need maintenance like windows does using NTFS, no defragmention is really needed.

As long as you set up your FSTAB to enable TRIM and the like then there is nothing really to do. it only take a few seconds to enter the entries into /etc/fstab and then you pretty good to go.

[sudodus]

if you are using Linux then it will be using Ext3 or 4 or other Linux Filesystem which does not need maintenance like windows does using NTFS, no defragmention is really needed.

As long as you set up your FSTAB to enable TRIM and the like then there is nothing really to do. it only take a few seconds to enter the entries into /etc/fstab and then you pretty good to go.

Please explain with an example!

[Cheesemill]

Edit your /etc/fstab file using the following command:

gksudo gedit /etc/fstab

And add the discard option to any partitions that live on your SSD, mine looks like this:

# 
# /etc/fstab: static file system information
#
# <file system>        <dir>            <type>    <options>          <dump>  <pass>
LABEL=arch-root        /                ext4      discard,noatime    0       1
LABEL=arch-home        /home            ext4      discard,noatime    0       2
LABEL=data             /mnt/data        ext4      defaults           0       2
LABEL=emulation        /mnt/emulation   ext4      defaults           0       0

Adding noatime as well will reduce the number of writes to the SSD.

[haqking]

Please explain with an example!

In addition to cheesemill ninja'in me above.

http://apcmag.com/how-to-maximise-ss...with-linux.htm

http://wiki.freeswitch.org/wiki/SSD_Tuning_for_Linux

an example from my fstab

UUID=de961735-1d84-4c72-8abe-fefa7b03a708 /SSD2DATA       ext4    defaults,noatime,discard,errors=remount-ro

I also place /tmp in ram

# Place tmp into ram
tmpfs       /tmp        tmpfs       defaults,mode=1777      0   0

Along with a few other options

[pompel9]

I have had a SSD disk for about 6 months now. I have not noticed any slow down or lack of performance. It is just as fast as when I bought it.

My PC is on 24 hours a day, and is only restarted when a update requires it. My SSD is formated in ext4 format.

Cheesemill, what does discard do?
I haven't done any of this, so will my SSD have a shorter lifespan?

[Penguinnerd]

I don't use ubuntu anymore (switched to debian) I have recently figured out this stuff for myself.
Here's my understanding:

TRIM is just a fancy set of rules that the PC will use when you write and erase data. It sounds harder than it actually is. There's a file called /etc/fstab that controls the way your system uses different partitions and you need to change a line of text in that file with a text editor like "gedit" or "nano".

Go to youtube if you want some examples of how trim actually works. Basically, it's nicer about how it erases stuff, minimizing the number of writes to the drive. I recommend it for anyone with an ssd.

Just do what cheesemill said. If you're not sure, just post the text from your /etc/fstab and we can show you what changes to make. Yours might look different from cheesemill's one.

/etc/fstab it very important, so you might want to back it up first with "sudo cp /etc/fstab ~/fstab-backup" in case of mistakes.

I hope you can find what you are looking for, I fully agree that there should be a graphical utility for this in Ubuntu. Admittedly, such problems are what got me enough hands-on experience that I've come to prefer debian even though it's like that all the time.


EDIT: pompel9. I recommend enabling trim. SSD drives have a limited number of writes before they wear out. Also, because modern operating systems keep lots of log files that are updated constantly, I do not recommend leaving it on continuously. This constant writing means that it wears out your PC even when its idling. But, the fast startup time makes it more convenient to just turn it on when you need it. It also saves electricity, lol.

[sudodus]

Thank you

I found the following text about discard in

man mount

discard/nodiscard
       Controls whether ext4 should issue discard/TRIM commands to  the  underlying
       block  device  when  blocks  are  freed.  This is useful for SSD devices and
       sparse/thinly-provisioned LUNs, but it is off by  default  until  sufficient
       testing has been done.

[pompel9]

Thank you for the information sudodus.

I think I will not use that until they have completed the testing. I do not want to damage my SSD.