The Eye-Fi X2 card packs a 200 MHz ARM CPU and limited Marvell 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi chipset

My experience with the Eye-Fi connected SD camera card has been frustrating, but I wasn’t sure how much blame the company deserved. Uploading massive 14 megapixel photos is going to be slow over a 3G connection using any device, after all. But how fast could the Eye-Fi go on a really great wireless LAN? The company is skimpy with technical specs, but I did manage to figure out just what the Eye-Fi X2 series of cards are capable of in terms of CPU and Wi-Fi performance.

Eye-Fi claims that the X2 card line is capable of “Class 6” read and write speed inside a camera. Class 6 means 6 MB/s, and one might think this is the maximum throughput for the card. Considering that my camera can shoot seven frames per second at 14 megapixels (each image being about 6 MB in size), the Eye-Fi could not handle heavy-duty use when set to transfer all images immediately even if this was the real-world performance one could expect.

This only gets worse when one considers the Eye-Fi Pro X2 card with its RAW image compatibility. My Sony NEX-5 shoots 15 MB RAW images, about three times the size of a “fine” JPEG. This means it would take three times longer to transfer each image, a truly frustrating experience even with the fastest network.

What’s Inside?

Eye-Fi (the company) would rather that we focus on the capabilities of their card rather than its technical components. But any self-respecting geek is going to want to know what makes it tick! I’d rather not cut open my card to get a peek at the chips inside, but Eye-Fi released some official details about the components used in the X2 series of cards, and a quick Google search revealed all that I needed to know.

An official company blog post includes a cutaway image of the inside of the card as well as details about the new X2 chipset. According to Eye-Fi themselves, the X2 line includes a new engine called “Arcturus” which includes a 200 MHz ARM926 processor core. The 926 is part of the 32-bit ARM9 RISC family and includes a digital signal processor, Java acceleration, and local cache. This is not a bad chip, considering the ultra small form factor of the Eye-Fi card.

So the card has enough CPU juice to handle reasonable performance requirements, but what about the Wi-Fi chipset? Eye-Fi doesn’t say too much about the capabilities of the X2 card line, except to boast of their newfound 802.11n compatibility. But the markings on the Wi-Fi chip are clearly visible in Eye-Fi’s official photographs, and a quick search reveals very limited capabilities.

Eye-Fi Wi-Fi

You might want to refer to my 802.11n Overview

The Eye-Fi card uses a Marvell 88W8786 integrated system-on-chip WLAN controller. This is an early 802.11n chip with few features:

• The radio is capable of 2.4 GHz transmissions only, so it is incompatible with 5 GHz 802.11n networks
• Like many portable devices, a single transmit and receive antenna is used so MIMO performance gains are restricted
• The datasheet lists 20/40 MHz coexistence, so it must support 40 MHz channels on 2.4 GHz, a feature that is highly unlikely to be used given the limited number of channels there

In short, the Eye-Fi X2 card is “802.11n in name only” and does not support most of the advanced performance features users might expect. Theoretical data rate with 40 MHz channels is limited to 150 Mb/s, and throughput with 20 MB/s channels tops out at 75 Mb/s, with much less in the real world.

Stephen’s Stance

My own experience shows that the Eye-Fi X2 card takes 3 to 5 seconds to transfer a 6 MB image to my laptop using direct mode. This translates into roughly 12 Mb/s, and represents a best case scenario for image transfer. This drastically reduces the value of the Eye-Fi card when used with high-resolution cameras. Which are exactly the kind of cameras that people might have who are willing to spend more than twice as much for a connected SD card!

Then there’s compatibility. The Eye-Fi card does not support 5 GHz-only 802.11n networks. This isn’t unique – neither does the iPhone 4! But it’s bound to disappoint and frustrate some customers. Products like this are the reason I decided to set my AirPort Express (an either/or base station in terms of radio bands) to use 2.4 GHz even though it is “N-only”.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | What Are The True Eye-Fi X2 802.11n Wi-Fi Capabilities?
This post was categorized as Apple, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

The Iomega USB 3 SSD is the fastest drive I've ever tested

Iomega recently shipped me a USB 3.0 SSD for review. I previewed this unit in December, concluding the ultra-capacity, ultra-performance portable device was a new category rather than a giant thumb drive or overpriced alternative to portable hard disks. Now that I’ve got some hands-on time with the drive I can enthusiastically affirm that my impression was correct.

Fast, Spacious, and Rugged

Although burdened with a clunky and overly-descriptive name, the Iomega USB 3.0 SSD is eminently useful. It’s smaller in person than one would guess from pictures, notably slimmer than any portable hard disk drive. The case is made from solid brushed black aluminum, though the end caps are plastic.

The drive is pleasingly solid in the hand, reminiscent of an iPhone 4 or my Samsung SP-H03 rather than the hollow plasticky portable hard drives one often travels with. I had no compunction about throwing it in my laptop bag unprotected before a trip, and I’m certain it will survive thanks to the solid-state technology inside.

The shipping package is very small, with just a glossy quick-start sheet, USB 3.0 cable, and the SSD. Considering the high price (over $600 for the 256 GB model I received), the packaging is quite disappointing. Although the drive itself is very Apple-esque, the packaging screams “Windows cheap.” That USB cable is of the dual-jack power-and-data variety, though the drive functioned perfectly without the extra power in every USB 2.0 and 3.0 port I tried it in.

Quality Inside and Out

Being a hard-core storage geek, I was interested in just what components the SSD was built from. Iomega does not disappoint here, packing a top-notch Micron/Crucial SSD rather than some off-brand junk. The S300 SSD is the 1.8″ form factor model with a standard but uncommon Slim SATA connector. This is a speedy unit with a Marvell (dual-core ARM) controller and generous DRAM buffer capable of even higher performance than the USB 3.0 interface will allow.

The plastic endcaps are secured with a pair of philips screws hidden under black plastic stickers at each end. Remove these and the whole assembly (controller, SSD, and rubbery rails) slides out one end. The SSD is contained in a full metal case and those rails further isolate it from impacts. It’s much more solid than any laptop I’ve disassembled!

Blistering Performance

The Iomega SSD blasted through read operations at over 200 MB/s

With guts like this, it seems a shame to attach the SSD to a pedestrian USB 2.0 port. But USB 3.0 remains almost entirely off-limits to Apple users, so it’s worth a look anyway. USB 2.0 performance on my iMac and MacBook Pro is absolutely port-limited, but the Iomega SSD is the fastest device I’ve ever tested. I was able to top 36 MB/s in sequential performance, a few MB faster than any hard disk drive I’ve used. The built-in USB 2.0 controller in my Asus P8H67-M Pro motherboard just slid over 33 MB/s. I imagine a decent controller architecture and absolutely no latency contribute to this performance, since there’s no reason a spinning drive shouldn’t be able to match it.

The drive really shines with USB 3.0, however. Using the built-in ASMedia USB 3.0 controller in the Asus “Cougar Point” motherboard, the SSD delivered around 210 MB/s in sequential read and write performance, topping any hard disk drive I’ve tested. When tested in my Dell XPS Windows 7 laptop with an ExpressCard using NEC’s popular USB 3.0 chip, the drive maxed out at 110 MB/s, indicating a serious bottleneck in that configuration.

The CalDigit controller lagged in writes, but performance was still impressive

I also benchmarked the drive against a CalDigit SuperSpeed PCI Express Card for USB 3.0 for Mac I received at the same time for testing. This was more interesting: Although the CalDigit matched the ASMedia controller in read performance, it lagged behind in writes to the tune of 50 MB/s. Perhaps the CalDigit drivers were not optimized for write, or perhaps the NEC chip used by CalDigit isn’t up tot the task.

The shape of the graphs suggested it might be able to go faster if not limited by the USB 3.0 interface, so I ripped it open to see the Crucial disk inside. Sure enough, when connected directly to the 6 Gb/s Intel Cougar Point SATA controller, the SSD turned in 230 MB/s writes and over 300 MB/s reads. That’s a heck of a lot of performance from such a small device!

Stephen’s Stance

After testing the Iomega USB 3.0 SSD extensively both in terms of benchmarks and real-world usability, I’m sold on it. the only outstanding question is the high price of the unit: The 64 GB drive starts at an attainable $190, but the big 256 GB drive is downright expensive at $620 (street price). It’s hard to knock the drive’s performance, component choices, or build quality, but is it worth more than a budget laptop?

Disclaimer: As often happens with new gadgets, Iomega sent me this SSD free of charge for review, with no other strings attached. I examined it on my own and came away impressed.

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Iomega USB 3.0 SSD: Hands-On Review
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Desktop NICs Won’t Work

Most of the network interfaces you will find at retail simply won’t work. Realtek is the dominant provider of Gigabit Ethernet controllers for motherboards and add-in cards right now, but none of their chips are natively supported by VMware ESX. The number-two slot seems to be Marvell’s Yukon chips, with Intel’s desktop controllers close behind. None of these will work, either.

Although it is possible to get a non-supported NIC to work in VMware ESX, it’s not a good idea. First, ESX won’t install unless it finds a supported NIC in the box. Then there’s quite a bit of fiddling to get the driver up and running. And you’re left with a potentially-weird configuration that might not support advanced features. It’s a much-better idea to locate and purchase a supported NIC.

Here’s what not to buy

Many inexpensive Ethernet cards and motherboards have a chip with the Realtek “digital crab” logo. None of these will work for VMware ESX.	The big “psychedelic M” identifies a Marvell controller. Skip these, too.

Selecting a Functional Home/Lab NIC

My “home/lab” network card criteria are simple:

1. They are specifically listed on the VMware ESX HCL for version 4.1 with no hacks or trickery involved
2. They cost less than $100 US
3. You can easily purchase them at retail from major online vendors (Newegg and Amazon)
4. They use PCI or PCI Express bus and have 1 or more RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports

It’s really amazing how few cards meet these criteria: There are really just a few cards to consider in this range.

Here’s what to buy

PCI Adapters
	The Intel Pro/1000 MT server adapter should work, and the dual-port is cheaper on Amazon (Newegg)
PCI Express (PCIe) adapters
The Intel Pro/1000 CT desktop adapter is a cheap and functional PCIe NIC (Newegg)	The Intel Pro/1000 PT server adapter is a little more expensive but potentially better-supported (Newegg)	The HP NC112T also appears to be well-supported and affordable

Although some have reported success with the very-cheap Intel Pro/1000 GT desktop adapter, I can’t recommend it. I’ve heard many negative reviews of folks trying and failing to get this adapter to work in the latest versions of VMware ESX. I think it’s worth the money to step up to the CT or PT instead!

Note also that I have not personally tried the specific adapters listed and linked here. I intend to purchase one or more over the next few months and will update this post when I do, but I welcome feedback on your experiences with them!

Stephen’s Stance

VMware ESX seems especially picky about network adapters, and the fact that it will not install without a supported NIC onboard is a real stumbling block for users. I definitely recommend picking up a well-supported NIC like the Intel Pro/1000 MT (PCI) or CT/PT (PCIe) or the HP NC112T.

My home/lab machine has two PCIe slots and two PCI slots. I had intended to use a PCI NIC, but will probably buy a Pro/1000 PT card instead. It’s affordable and called out specifically as supported in the VMware ESX HCL. Sounds good to me!

If you have a suggestion for a NIC that fits the criteria above, please do let me know. I’d love to have more choices in this list!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | The Best Network Card For VMware ESX Home Lab Machines
This post was categorized as Everything, Personal, Terabyte home, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

The Register did a nice job of summing up the (late 2008) flash positioning of the various storage companies, and I recently posted a strategic look at this core issue. Note that some, like HP and Sun (and probably IBM), seem to have an end-to-end strategy, while others are firmly in one camp or the other. In the “not yet” column, apparently, are 3PAR, BlueArc (though they offer TMS RAM), Dell/EqualLogic, HP/LeftHand.

Update: 3PAR has joined the “disk” camp.

It’s a Cache

Fusion-IO has rocketed to the forefront of the cache side with their PCI Express flash boards for servers. Joining them in this position are the following companies:

• HP (blades and servers)
• NetApp (PAM read cache card)
• Pillar (Slammer cache)
• Sun (read and write cache)

It’s a Disk

STEC is the darling of the flash-as-a-disk world, though Intel, Marvell, and Samsung are also playing here. Joining them in the corner are the following:

• EMC (STEC flash drives shipping the DMX now and CLARiiON in the future)
• Compellent (flash drives)
• HDS (flash drives in the USP-V)
• HP (flash drives in the MSA, perhaps, and maybe that Oracle thing)
• IBM (Fusion-IO storage behind SVC and standard flash drives in the DS5000)
• LSI (flash drives in the 7900)
• NetApp (ssd drives)
• Pillar (flash drives)
• Sun (flash drives in Thumper and JBOD)
• Xiotech (flash drives in the next Emprise canisters)
• 3PAR (flash drives in InServe)

So there you have it. It’s both a disk and a cache, depending on whether you sell servers or arrays apparently. If you sell both, it’s both. Simple!

If anyone wants to correct any of this, drop me a line or comment below!

See my posts on Gestalt IT for similar enterprise IT infrastructure commentary

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Is Flash A Disk Or A Cache?
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.