Getting Started with DigitalOcean Block Storage

Linux has robust systems and tooling to manage hardware devices, including storage drives. In this article we’ll cover, at a high level, how Linux represents these devices and how raw storage is made into usable space on the server.

Continuous use of SSDs results in degraded performance if not accounted for and mitigated. The TRIM command is an operation that allows the operating system to propagate information down to the SSD about which blocks of data are no longer in use. This allows the SSD’s internal systems to better manage wear leveling and prepare the device for future writes. Continuous TRIM is possible, but can negatively impact performance. Scheduled, periodic TRIM is a good alternative in most cases.