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A WWID (World Wide Identifier) number is used to keep track of storage devices. If you come across one in metadata you may be able to use it to hunt down the type of device being referenced. It may also be referred to as the WWN, the World Wide Name. An organization unique identifier (OUI) may comprise part of the WWID. A list of OUIs is located here:
So this example for a Cisco device:
. . . can be cross-referenced with this information:
The Tip of the Night for April 28, 2021 discussed Degaussing, which erases magnetic storage media by altering magnetic fields. Different drives and tapes will have varying 'coercivity'. Coercivity is the intensity of the magnetic field required to eliminate the magnetization of the storage device. Different kinds of magnetic media are classified into one of three types based on their oersted count - a unit of magnetic field strength.
Type I devices will have 350 oersteds or less. Type II magnetic media have between 350 and 750 oersteds. Type III storage devices will possess more than 750 Oe.
Not all Degaussers can erase every type of magnetic media. For example, the HP LTO-8 30 TB data tape cartridge, available here, has a magnetic coercivity of 2300 Oe.
A guide to Degaussers published by the National Security Agency in June 2019, NSA/CSS Evaluated Products List for
Magnetic Degaussers, rates Degaussers based on their Oe rating. As you can see, older model Degaussers will not be able to successfully erase this HP tape.
The oersted rating for a Degausser may differ based on whether the media being erased is a drive or a tape.
The worldwide disruption in supply chains is impacting hardware used in electronic discovery. Solid state drives are in short supply for more than one reason. ABF (Ajinomoto Build-up Film) substrate is an insulation material used to protect chips. A Fortune Magazine article posted here, notes that Intel, Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom all have had trouble getting a sufficient supply of the substrate.
Silicon wafers are needed for semiconductors. They form a base for integrated circuits. Semiconductor Engineering reported in September 2021 that, "Today, buyers of silicon wafers of many types face tight supply with rising average selling prices.".
Controllers for solid state drives are processors that run software. The power outages in Texas forced Samsung to shut down some of its SSD controller factories, according to Tom's Hardware.
There's a shortage of microchips across the board. Bloomberg has reported : "Lead times for Broadcom Inc.— a barometer for the industry because of its involvement across the supply chain—extended to 22.2 weeks, up from 12.2 weeks in February 2020."