Development Status

This page lists features that are either planned for future implementation or are currently in development. Planned features are subject to change.

You can contact us at any time to report issues or request new features to be implemented.

Development Workflow

Our workflow for implementing feature requests and fixing bugs works like this:

• Users contact us with issues using our contact us page.
• The contact request is forwarded to the appropriate department and a human replies to the contact request.
• If the problem requires additional assistance, an Issue Analysis Request (IAR) is sent to another department (such as Software Development, Sales, etc...).
• IARs can turn into Code Change Requests (CCR) if the issue is a bug that's confirmed or a feature request that's approved.
• Meanwhile, while this is all happening in the background the user gets feedback on the status of their IAR / CCR on their contact request page and continues to interact with Technical Support.

Here is the current status of this system:

StableBit

StableBit DrivePool 1.X

No new features are planned for this version, however bug fixes will be applied for any confirmed issues.

StableBit DrivePool 2.X

Currently in Development

Action Feedback UI

Completion estimate: 0%

• Certain actions should generate user feedback of various importance:
  • Damaged drive removed, but some files were not moved. User should be notified of which files were not removed.
  • Drive removal aborted due to files in use, and user chose not to automatically close applications using those file. Use should be notified of which files are in use and by what applications.
  • User should be able to see when the last balancing / background duplication pass took place and how long each took.
  • If an incomplete file is discovered on the pool, user should be notified which file and what corrective actions were taken.
  • All errors to actions, such as an error adding a drive to the pool or creating a new pool should be displayed in the action feedback UI.

Add Pool Parts from Virtual Volumes

Completion estimate: 50%

This has been requested often. One example of a volume that doesn't reside on a physical drive is a mounted TrueCrypt volume.

Planned for Future Implementation

Drive Removal Improvements

Drive removal should have more flexible options in terms of:

• Optionally, automatically closing handles to files that are in-use on the pool part being removed.
• Optionally, automatically restarting services / applications that have files open on the pool part being removed.
• Inform the user what files were skipped after forcing damaged drive removal.

Better Management of Running Out of Disk Space

When an existing file cannot expand due to running out of disk space on some particular pool part, instead of returning the out of disk space error, we should force an immediate and quick re-balance in order to free up the disk space required for the file expansion and allow the expansion to go forward uninterrupted.

StableBit Scanner 1.X

No new features are planned for this version, however bug fixes will be applied for any confirmed issues.

StableBit Scanner 2.X

Deeper BitFlock integration

Completion estimate: 20%

Expect to see much deeper and more functional BitFlock integration in the future, in particular:

• More metadata about drives from the manufacturer spec sheets integrated with the SMART interpretation system.
  • Maximum operating temperatures, per model.
  • Maximum load / unload cycles, per model.
  • Warranty time period for your model.
  • Links to the manufacturer's web site and RMA request pages.
• Enhanced SMART interpretation using aggregated statistics for your drive model.
  • Your drive age will be compared to other drives in the system of the same model giving you a better idea of how often your model fails.
• Create password protected BitFlock nests containing your SMART data, right from the StableBit Scanner UI.

Add Option to Ignore Existing Unreadable Sectors

Give the option to ignore existing unreadable sectors, just like we have the option to ignore current SMART warnings. This can be useful if the user chooses to continue using a drive that is showing unreadable sectors. For example, while not recommended, the user can choose to continue using a damaged drive if no user data was harmed by the unreadable sector.

• Add an explanation on what an unreadable sector really is, in plain english.

UI Usability

The UI needs to be refined for better usability.

• You should be able to copy / paste data from the drive details window.
• There should be an option to view detailed chkdsk results after fixing a file system.
• There should be a way to list disks that we've seen before, but are not currently connected to the system.
• Potential: Have a wire frame view of the disks.

Reporting

You should have the ability to print out detailed drive health reports digitally signed by us.

Product 3

Completion estimate: 25%

Product 3 has not been revealed yet. It will run on the Microsoft Windows family of Operating Systems and will consist of:

• 2 kernel drivers.
• A system service.
• A user interface.

BitFlock

StableBit Scanner Changes

Completion estimate: 50%

Changes related to the forthcoming tighter StableBit Scanner integration:

• Password protected nests.
• A clean REST API for posting updates and querying for information.
• Keep track of SMART statistics as they change over time.

Responsive Design

• BitFlock should look good on all devices of varying screen sizes.

Drive Health Statistics

• Show aggregate useful drive health statistics for each drive model.