NVMe is a standard that is used to communicate data between storage devices. It provides high performance and is scalable. In the enterprise, it allows for greater reliability, security and durability. Its performance is better than that of SATA. Aside from these advantages, it also offers low latency and random access to data.
NVMe SSD storage uses the PCIe bus to connect to the CPU. This interface is faster than the SATA interface and is capable of delivering 4KB I/O in less than 10 milliseconds. The device can take advantage of a pool of lanes as well as the CPU’s pool of lanes.
Despite its name, NVMe is not a replacement for the older SATA and Serial ATA protocols. Although these protocols are still in use, they are no longer appropriate for today’s data center environments.
Unlike the previous protocols, NVMe is a non-volatile memory protocol. This means that the device does not become volatile after being removed from the system. Instead, it remains safe and secure, even in the case of power outages. The NVMe protocol supports any form of non-volatile memory.
NVMe provides higher speed and lower latency than that of SATA and Serial ATA. It is also more robust and durable, making it more ideal for the data-intensive applications in the enterprise. For example, cloud providers and VPS server providers can benefit from the increased capacity and reliability of NVMe.
NVMe’s primary function is to reduce the amount of time it takes to access the storage. By increasing the number of simultaneous commands, it can deliver 4KB I/O in as little as 10 milliseconds. This is roughly one thousandth of the latency of a high-power 7200 RPM SATA drive.
NVMe’s 1.2 specification was released in November 2014. It included support for live firmware updates and improved power management. Also, it added end-to-end data protection and a new metadata use case.
AIC cards are also available, which allow manufacturers to create their own cards. These cards often include additional processors or chips. However, they are more expensive than those using the PCIe standard. Typically, manufacturers will use AIC cards for special use cases.
NVMe SSDs can also provide a greater performance than SATA drives. They are much faster, providing a four to six-fold boost in speeds. The higher performance is largely because of the fact that the NAND flash is running on the same bus as the CPU.
One other key benefit of the NVMe interface is its ability to enable next-generation technologies to deliver 4KB I/O in 10 milliseconds or less. With a latency of less than a millisecond, this technology will be able to handle some of the most demanding data-intensive workloads in the enterprise.
NVMe storage is also ideal for the hybrid cloud. Cloud providers can use the storage to offer secure data storage to their customers, while at the same time reducing costs. Another feature is that the SSDs can be used with industry-standard security protocols.