Zoned Commands ZBC/ZAC, Shingled SMR drives, ZFS

[Dieter BSD]

>> You can also find these drives inside the STDT8000100 external
>> USB unit for a bit more at $300.

It may or may not be the same.  There are stories that it is difficult
or impossible to talk directly to the drives in recent USB units without
the usb-to-sata bridge.  I have yet to find a usb-to-sata bridge that
doesn't have problems.

> Is the price predicted to go down further in the future?

Disk prices were going down nicely until the great flood.  Prices took
over a year to return to pre-flood levels, and have been dropping
*very* slowly since.  The M&A activity reduced competition, which
doesn't help.  Governments can't be bothered to prohibit anticompetitive
M&A activity.  Increases in capacity per drive have slowed, perhaps due
to the same reduction in competition.  3TB drives have been the best
value in TB/$ for nearly 4 years.  I bought some 3TB drives last month
for $84.99 each (with free shipping).  At the same TB/$ an 8TB drive
should cost $226.64, and a 10TB drive should cost $283.30.

The penguins added a new device manipulation library to support ZBC/ZAC.
There might be things to learn there (mistakes to avoid?).

http://www.zdnet.com/article/hgst-gets-closer-to-shipping-10tb-hdd/