Nvme
We offer servers with NVMe drives. These servers come in two major flavors - PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0. They are designed to be compatible with each other, however it is important to note that a PCIe 4.0 in a PCIe 3.0 slot will only run at PCIe 3.0 speeds, likewise if you put a PCIe 3.0 in a PCIe 4.0 port. We always try to make these match so customers get the best performance. However, there are times where there may be hardware shortage or there might be a budget limitation. This is, however, not typical. Regardless, you will receive better performance over a SATA 3 SSD. See the chart below.
| Read Speed (MB/s) | Write Speed (MB/s) | |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe 3.0 | 2500 | 1000 |
| PCIe 4.0 | 5000 | 4400 |
| SATA 3 | 600 | 600 |
| Keep in mind these are theoretical speeds. Actual performance varies. | ||
NVMe is M.2, M.2 is not NVMe[edit | edit source]
Another critical aspect to keep in mind is that M.2 is the form factor. Just because a server might have a M.2 internal slot does not mean it is NVMe! There are M.2 drives that are spec to SATA.
Maintenance Notes[edit | edit source]
Regardless of whether your server has internal NVMe drives or externally accessible NVMe drive bays (we avoid calling these “hot swap” in this context specifically for what we're about to mention), it is important to note that unlike SAS or SATA drives, M.2 modules are neither 'hot swappable' nor 'hot pluggable'! In order to perform any maintenance on the drive hardware, you server will have to be shut down. Whether this is adding a secondary NVMe module (select models), replacing a failed NVMe module, upgrading an NVMe module, or adding a NVMe module.
NodeSpace DCO has special tools available for most NVMe maintenance tasks.
Data Warning As with any data operation, NodeSpace is not, cannot, and will not be responsible for any data loss or corruption. You are responsible for your data integrity, including backups.