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2.7.1 Secure Erase Support
In the following table are the supported Secure Erase Commands for the
Element SSD.
Table 2-13: Element SSD Secure Erase Commands
Code
1
Execute
Secure Erase • Erase all map data
• Erase encryption key
• Erase all LBAs
• Erase SMART attributes, logs, thresholds
• Reset/Regenerate a new AES key
Note 1 < 4 seconds
Secure Erase
with Flash Erase
Secure Erase actins plus the erasure of all
encrypted data and blocks in flash memory
Note 1 ~1 second/GB
Notes:
1. Enabled in firmware at the time of manufacture and prior to shipping from the factory
There are two primary reasons for performing a Secure Erase on an SSD. The
first and perhaps the most important is to remove ultra-sensitive data from the
drive to prevent any access and ensure the privacy of information previously
stored in the flash. This aspect of the secure erase is often required by some
military or government agencies.
The second reason for a Secure Erase is to initialize the drive to a known starting
point for benchmarking purposes or to increase performance and/or capacity by
eliminating any preconditioning.
Unlike the ATA Security Erase Unit command which only erases the map data
and the encryption key for the encrypted data in flash memory, the Secure Erase
command will also:
• Erase all map data (and checks the drive to ensure map loss is persistent)
• Erase encryption key (All data in flash is scrambled and unrecoverable)
• Erase all LBAs (0 to MAX) in DEVICE CONFIGURATION IDENTIFY
• Erase SMART Attributes 1, 13, 195, 199, 201, 204 (clear by power cycle)
• Erase SMART Logs
• Erase SMART Thresholds (and return to default)
• Reset and regenerate a new AES key to apply to all data
In less than 4 seconds after a Secure Erase command, scrambled encrypted
data cannot be located or retrieved.
