Data Security and Hybrid-Solution

[anbu]

Primocache is a great app. But I would like to see something here that could also contribute to data security.

1.)
PrimoCache should offer an option to ensure that system-relevant data from the system itself never ends up in the cache. In the event of a system crash, this would not permanently disrupt Windows (or its updates, which could be in the cache).
In other words:
It should never cache disk management writes or system/kernel accesses. It should only cache the files of users and his programmes.

2.)
Also, I would like there to be an option to write the contents of files until a program is completely done with it, and then write the entire file to disk in one go.

Yes, it sounds like a kind of hybrid between cache and a temporary ram memory. But that might be a great solution that combines certain advantages from both worlds.

[Support]

Thank you for your suggestions!

The problem is that PrimoCache is a block-level cache program, at the disk sector level. It caches disk sectors and does not know any file information. Therefore, all file-related features are not easy to implement. In the future we may combine with file-level cache software to implement some file-related features.

[Logic]

Thank you for your suggestions!

The problem is that PrimoCache is a block-level cache program, at the disk sector level. It caches disk sectors and does not know any file information. Therefore, all file-related features are not easy to implement. In the future we may combine with file-level cache software to implement some file-related features.

NB That eBoostr, which is what I use on an Optane, has closed down......!!!
It is a L2 type, read only, file aware caching system, allowing the exclusion/inclusion of files by name, type, path and size.

I found that it was worthwhile caching my NVME drive with it if:

• I used a modded Intel driver, from Win-Raid. (Only the .inf or is it .ini file is modded and readable with a text editor)

• A properly aligned (for Optane) partition and exFAT file system with 4K clusters, Based on this paper: https://research.cs.wisc.edu/adsl/[list ... ce.312457/
  ie: eBoostr can cache more than drive at a time and is quick!!

[Logic]

Thank you for your suggestions!

The problem is that PrimoCache is a block-level cache program, at the disk sector level. It caches disk sectors and does not know any file information. Therefore, all file-related features are not easy to implement. In the future we may combine with file-level cache software to implement some file-related features.

NB That eBoostr, which is what I use on an Optane, has closed down......!!!
It is a L2 type, read only, file aware caching system, allowing the exclusion/inclusion of files by name, type, path and size.

I found that it was worthwhile caching my NVME drive with it if:

• I used a modded Intel driver, from Win-Raid. (Only the .inf or is it .ini file is modded and readable with a text editor)

• A properly aligned (for Optane) partition and exFAT file system with 4K clusters, Based on this paper: https://research.cs.wisc.edu/adsl/[list ... ce.312457/
  ie: eBoostr can cache more than drive at a time and is quick!!

[Logic]

Thank you for your suggestions!

The problem is that PrimoCache is a block-level cache program, at the disk sector level. It caches disk sectors and does not know any file information. Therefore, all file-related features are not easy to implement. In the future we may combine with file-level cache software to implement some file-related features.

NB That eBoostr, which is what I use on an Optane, has closed down......!!!
It is a L2 type, read only, file aware caching system, allowing the exclusion/inclusion of files by name, type, path and size.

I found that it was worthwhile caching my NVME drive with it if:

• I used a modded Intel driver, from Win-Raid. (Only the .inf or is it .ini file is modded and readable with a text editor)

• A properly aligned (for Optane) partition and exFAT file system with 4K clusters, Based on this paper: https://research.cs.wisc.edu/adsl/Publi ... ract19.pdf

• Message Signalled Interrupts enabled for the caching drive. https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/windo ... ol.378044/

• The caching software was given a one step higher priority, which increases CPU but NOT I/O priority.

This gave me just over 300MB/s of Q1T1 R4K read speed.
Affining the software to one (AMD) core complex did not help in my case as I did not know which other I/O related software to affine to the same CCX and did not pursue it further.

My 2 SSHDs are, striped (RAID 0) using Windows' Dynamic Disks, then also cached via eBoostr:
Striping or RAID 0 confuses the Seagate SSHD read cache (doesn't work), hence eBoostr, but does double the random writes. (and sequential)
With this I got lower game load times than installing the game to my SSD: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/thre ... ce.312457/
ie: eBoostr can cache more than 1 drive at a time and is quick!!

[Logic]

Primocache is a great app. But I would like to see something here that could also contribute to data security.

1.)
PrimoCache should offer an option to ensure that system-relevant data from the system itself never ends up in the cache. In the event of a system crash, this would not permanently disrupt Windows (or its updates, which could be in the cache).
In other words:
It should never cache disk management writes or system/kernel accesses. It should only cache the files of users and his programmes.

2.)
Also, I would like there to be an option to write the contents of files until a program is completely done with it, and then write the entire file to disk in one go.

Yes, it sounds like a kind of hybrid between cache and a temporary ram memory. But that might be a great solution that combines certain advantages from both worlds.

Exactly what files on your drive are NOT AVAILABLE on the internet?
Windows?
Apps?
Games?

Or is it just a couple of documents and some pictures you took?
A std Windows install automatically sets up cloud backup for your documents, pictures, and desktop folders by syncing them with Microsoft's OneDrive cloud service.
Or you might choose Google Drive and Google docs, sheets, etc that backs up docs letter for letter as you press the keys. and is way better than MS Orifice.
Or both if your paranoid.

Also: Moving the My Documents etc folders to a different, non OS, drive or partition is a piece of cake and a part of every setup I/we do.

In all my (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer - Network Administrator) years of computing, with Disk caching apps like Primocache and with
Windows Write Caching enabled and Buffer Flushing Disabled (always!);
I have had to insert my Windows install USB drive maybe 3 times. (set it, as a 2nd boot choice in BIOS, and forget it)
Normally you click Sartup Repair and are up and running within a minute or 2.
Failing that you can pick the most recent restore point.
Failing that there's Windows (or whoever) backup/restore as a choice
Did I mention OneDrive and Google Drive etc?

In short:
Despite what you read everywhere and anywhere you might look online:
Unless you have a server doing financial transactions in a power protected vault in your bedroom, the whole; Big Baaaad! data loss Booooogy-Man! is WAY OVERBLOWN!

Have a Windows USB install disk in a drawer and chill.