ATP PLP Diag: Proactive Capacitor Health Checks Avert PLP Failures

ATP's hardware power loss protection (HW PLP) mechanism safeguards against data loss during sudden power loss events by using high-quality polymer tantalum capacitors and a microcontroller unit (MCU) to ensure efficient power supply during the critical process of flushing DRAM cache data to the NAND. 

Capacitors of any kind may age and/or fail over time. When capacitors fail without being detected, the PLP mechanism may be compromised and unable to safely move data from the cache to the SSD, risking loss or corruption. If the cached data is not safely transmitted to the SSD, critical information may be jeopardized and cause data integrity issues. 
 

ATP PLP Diag: Safeguard Data by Proactively Checking Capacitor Health
The ATP PLP Diag Technology proactively checks capacitor health and functionality, preventing failed PLP burnout and ensuring data integrity. (The actual mechanism may differ across SKUs.)

How PLP Diag Works
When the MCU determines that the capacitors are no longer healthy:
1. Bypass DRAM Cache. The SSD aborts the first write CMD and disable the write cache as this temporary storage is dependent on the capacitor’s holdup power to flush data.
2. Use Direct Write to TLC. The SSD then resumes writing to the TLC NAND in direct mode.

Two Ways to Diagnose
• Automatic Check. SSDs automatically check the PLP status and react to faulty statuses to avoid burning out or exposing in-flight data to the risk of corruption or loss.
• SMART CMD Integration. Users may issue a SMART command (CMD) to verify the PLP status themselves.

ATP PLP Diag Benefits
• Richer Data Protection and Integrity. By constantly monitoring capacitor health, proactively diagnosing any issues, and taking preemptive measures, PLP Diag ensures the success of the PLP mechanism in protecting data.
• Minimal Downtime and Maximum Reliability. Real-time capacitor health monitoring and diagnosis help prevent unplanned downtime, keeping both the system and storage device reliable at all times.
• Longer SSD Lifespan. Early detection of capacitor defects ultimately cascades to optimized SSD performance and endurance.
• SMART Integration. By allowing users to check the PLP status through SMART commands, PLP Diag offers easy, convenient, and proactive maintenance of their device reliability.