Sandisk brings SPRandom to open source for large SSD testing
Enterprise storage environments already run long qualification cycles as solid-state drive capacities rise and validation teams try to mirror production workloads. Preconditioning steps now consume days of lab time for a single device, especially in data centers supporting AI training, analytics, and large-scale databases.
High-capacity enterprise SSDs now reach 256TB and higher. These capacities change how vendors and customers approach testing before deployment. Preconditioning places a drive into steady state so that performance and endurance reflect real workloads. For large drives, that process stretches well beyond typical test windows used during procurement, platform qualification, and system bring-up.
Traditional methods rely on repeated write cycles that fill the entire drive. A 128TB SSD can require more than 144 hours to reach steady state using common approaches. Engineering teams report that this step slows validation pipelines and delays hardware turnover in shared test labs.
Sandisk addressed this constraint during development of its latest enterprise drives built on the UltraQLC platform. Internal testing showed that existing preconditioning workflows consumed a growing share of overall qualification time as capacity increased. The company responded by building a new software method to accelerate the process without changing how steady-state behavior is measured.
The result is SPRandom, an open source preconditioning tool designed for large-capacity SSDs. The tool reduces preconditioning time by up to 90 percent, bringing preparation for a 128TB drive down to just over six hours under typical lab conditions.
Preconditioning adapts to larger drives
Preconditioning aims to place an SSD into a workload-representative state where performance stabilizes and garbage collection behavior matches production use. This step matters during endurance testing, firmware validation, and system-level qualification.
Drive capacity growth increases the amount of data that must be written before steady state emerges. AI pipelines and data-intensive applications amplify this effect since they rely on sustained write activity and predictable latency. Storage teams now encounter test cycles that stretch across multiple days for a single device.
SPRandom applies a pseudo-random write pattern that accelerates the transition into steady state. The method focuses on exercising the internal media and controller paths needed to reach representative behavior sooner. The approach targets the same end condition used in conventional testing, with a shorter runtime.
The tool supports SSDs starting at 128TB and scales upward to higher capacities. It works across NVMe, SAS, and SATA interfaces, which allows use in mixed storage environments common in enterprise labs.
Open source integration with fio
Sandisk contributed SPRandom to the Flexible I/O Tester fio project as an open source extension. fio already serves as a common tool for storage benchmarking and validation across vendors, system integrators, and enterprise IT teams.
Integration with fio allows SPRandom to fit into existing test frameworks without new infrastructure. Engineers can incorporate the preconditioning method into automated pipelines alongside established workloads and metrics. Configuration options allow customization for different drive types and validation goals.
Steven Sprouse, Distinguished Engineer, Systems Design Engineering at Sandisk, described the motivation behind the work. “The time needed for preconditioning high-capacity drives has become a real pain point,” Sprouse said. “Inspired by our open industry approach with the Open Compute Project, we developed SPRandom to significantly speed up the preconditioning process with an innovative, standardized approach available to the industry.”