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About MFT

Patent Pending Managed Flash Technology is a method of writing data to Disk and Flash devices developed by EasyCo which random writes up to a thousand times faster than was previously possible with traditional random writing methods. MFT does this by writing clusters of writes, FIFO, in a linear manner. You can read more about MFT at our Managed Flash Website.

There are two principal properties to MFT. First, it dramatically increases the overall speed of Flash SSDs - typically by 25- to 50-fold, but in some cases by as much as 200-fold. The second is that MFT extends the erase and write life of Flash SSDs, typically more than 50-fold. This makes Flash Disks suitable for vastly heavier duty environments than would otherwise be possible. For instance, MLC (Multi-Level Cell) Flash media is normally only suitable for Light to Medium duty use in Laptops and Workstations. With MFT, MLC becomes suitable for all workstation applications, as well as 95% of all Server applications. And SLC Flash Drives with MFT are typically 20- to 60-times as fast as the fastest Hard Disk made.

MFT Pricelists

MFT is available through distributors either bundled with drives which they sell or as stand alone software. Generally speaking, a bundle of drive and software will be less expensive than each component purchased separately, so we recommend the purchase of such kits.

Stand alone MFT is offered in three versions: a low cost single drive version for Laptops and Workstations, an "MLC" version designed for most server applications, and an Enterprise version suitable principally for high duty cycle server applications using Single-Level Cell (SLC) Flash Drives. Notes and comments about each of the versions are included below the price list, as are special offers regarding demo copies and beta versions.

Part Number Item Description Price UOM
MFT-SD MFT single-drive edition for Windows (any sized drive is supported) $125 each
MFT-MLC MFT MLC Server edition - Windows or Linux
$125
32gb
MFT-ENT MFT Enterprise Server Edition - Windows or Linux
$250

32gb

Single-Drive For Laptops and Workstations

Single-drive MFT software is an exceptionally low cost version designed for use on Laptops and Workstations where only one flash drive is present. If multiple flash drives are available, or if no drive can be seen because the drive is behind a RAID controller, the software will not install. The partition activated with MFT can be of any size up to the size of the disk drive present. Similarly, the flash disk itself may be of any size, without restriction.

"MLC" Server Edition

This low cost server version of MFT is "tuned" to the erase cycle limitations of Multi-Level Cell flash (MLC) media (which is much less expensive than SLC flash media). In the case of the 20,000 erase cycles of the current best grade of MLC flash media, this permits approximately four full overwrites of the Flash drive daily. In considering this limitation, people should remember that the MFT MLC driver, when used with MLC media, can generally do more work in a day than can a similarly sized 15k rpm SAS operating in a 100% utilization environment 24 hours a day. If you want to learn more about the drive life assurance feature, you can read about it here.

Enterprise Server Edition

The Enterprise version is intended for full duty SLC drives that have a 5x to 10x longer erase life than MLC media.

Pricing Modulus for Server Versions

Both the MLC and Enterprise server versions of MFT are sold in a pricing modulus of 32gb of net addressable space. Addressable space excludes both parity drives in a striped RAID environment and mirror drives in a Mirrored Raid Environment. It also excludes "dedicated" free space which you choose to set aside as unaddressable, but does include practically free space which also accelerates performance but is addressable. You can read about how free space improves performance here.

Free Evaluation Copies

MFT makes any Flash SSD faster. If you already have a Flash SSD, you can evaluate MFT without cost. Simply email or call us. Demo copies run for four hours at full performance. After that, performance degrades to the level of a 5400 rpm disk drive. Rebooting restarts the clock. Eval copies can be turned into licensed copies.

Windows Beta Version

The MFT windows release is currently in Beta testing.  There are several issues you should be aware of:

Targeted Windows Platforms: The MFT kernel software is compiled to run on Windows 2000 (server and workstation), Windows XP, and XP/64, Windows 2003 server, Windows Vista 32 and 64 bit, and Windows 2008 server 32 and 64 bit. EasyCo tests all of these platforms, but not necessarily on every beta build.

Maximum Flash Space:
Due to kernel RAM addressing issues, more than 256 GB of mounted MFT storage might not work with 32-bit Windows version. Due to internal table issue, 2TB is the largest currently supported storage amount for 64-bit Windows. In either case, MFT will allocate about 0.15% of the storage space as locked kernel RAM.  Thus a 1 TB volume might need as much as 1.5 GB of locked kernel RAM. EasyCo has not end-to-end tested very large volumes, but this is scheduled. Kernel memory usage and the 2 TB limit will have different limits and requirements in future releases.

Beta Users:
Beta users have extended return privileges.  You can return the MFT software for a refund for up to 90 days. Beta users can upgrade to production releases for a minimum of 1 year after the first MFT production release.

Windows Boot Files: The current beta release is not intended to run "boot critical" files. You cannot move the Windows, Users, or Program Files directory to MFT volumes. You can move the system pagefile to an MFT volume.

Backups: This is a beta release.  You are responsible for backing your data up to non MFT and external storage. Problems with MFT can result in volumes that are non-mountable.