2.5 inch NVMe "drives" are a compromise to some degree. Datacenter service managers who didn't want to lose access to storage from the front and to manufacturers who didn't want to make wholesale changes in their rack designs.
Also an issue is signal loss using the kluge M.2 to U.2 cable adapters. Having 2 physical connectors between the NVMe storage and the signal bus raises interference and can cause signal loss. Seems to be a compromise in design.
We have recommended that they instead use NVMe trays for the front bays of modern servers that hinge down and expose the M.2 slots for insertion and replacement. Someone (we think Intel) doesn't like that as they say it exposes the planar to random static shock from DC floor staff performing maintenance or replacement. They prefer "drive" looking NVMe hardware that is shock and static resistant and provides a better cooling profile. We think it wastes space and provides no better density or cooling than M.2.
All that said, it appears there is room for innovation for NVMe storage formats, especially for hardware that can accommodate several NVMe devices in a single chassis.
Also an issue is signal loss using the kluge M.2 to U.2 cable adapters. Having 2 physical connectors between the NVMe storage and the signal bus raises interference and can cause signal loss. Seems to be a compromise in design.
We have recommended that they instead use NVMe trays for the front bays of modern servers that hinge down and expose the M.2 slots for insertion and replacement. Someone (we think Intel) doesn't like that as they say it exposes the planar to random static shock from DC floor staff performing maintenance or replacement. They prefer "drive" looking NVMe hardware that is shock and static resistant and provides a better cooling profile. We think it wastes space and provides no better density or cooling than M.2.
All that said, it appears there is room for innovation for NVMe storage formats, especially for hardware that can accommodate several NVMe devices in a single chassis.
Comment