Data Acquisition (DAQ) and Control from Microstar Laboratories

Knowledge Base: Hardware

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Q10052 Clearing all traces of data from xDAP memory

Tags: Help, xDAP, memory, security

Applies to: All xDAP models

For security purposes, I need to wipe clean all traces of configurations and data from my xDAP system when I am done using it. How can I do this?

As it turns out, you don't have to do anything at all.

There is some fixed boot loader code in flash memory. This memory is read-only and never modified by any user operations on the unit, hence no possibility of any information leakage there.

There is no possibility of leaving compromised operating system code in the xDAP, since a fresh copy of the full operating system is loaded at boot time by the PC through the USB port. The PC host side of the loading process is managed by DAPcell when it first connects to an xDAP unit.

All data memory in the xDAP 7400 unit is volatile DDR SDRAM. The data memory includes all user configurations, run-time operation state, and buffered data. Turning off power and leaving it off, it is physically impossible to reach the SDRAM memory devices before all traces of past data have faded completely. Turning off power, then turning it back on, will actively clear all application data memory.

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