NVMe is the fastest data transfer technology available, and NVMe 2.0 has now been introduced.
In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know regarding NVMe 2.0 and 1.0. NVMe is both a storage protocol and host controller interface.It was created to speed up data transfer speeds between client systems and enterprises.
Yes, there are many terminologies to understand. However, NVMe stands for non-volatile storage media express. Non-Volatile memory refers to a type of computer memory that can keep the stored information even after it is turned off.
NVMe interfaces have multiple buses for information transfer. The SATA interface has only one. NVMe allows data to use multiple roads to travel down, whereas the SATA interface only has one. Your data rates will go up tremendously.
Know more about NVMe 2.0 Specifications here.
What’s the difference between NVMe 1.0 and NVMe 2.0?
There are many factors that can impact the speed of SSDs, but we’ll keep this simple. Let’s now discuss NVMe1.0 and compare it to NVMe 2.
You’d have seen a hard drive in action if you’ve ever looked inside. The disk rotates, and the needle reads data from it.This means that only one piece can be retrieved at the
Both simultaneously. Don’t get me wrong. There are hard drives that can use multiple needles or multiple discs to retrieve and write faster.
This is still not as good as SSDs. SSDs are equipped with electronic chips that can handle all these operations. This allows multiple search operations to be performed with NVMe.
Officially, NVMe is a collection of standards and information that aims to expose all the benefits of nonvolatile memory in all computing environments, from mobile to data centres.
NVMe 1.0, a leading SSD interface, is expected to grow at a 43-percent compound annual rate in 2024. Here are the most recent updates to NVMe 1.0 & 10.4b
- Live firmware updates
- Improved Power management
- New frameworks
- Rebuild assistant
- Persistent event log
- Access to asymmetric namespaces
- Host memory buffer
- Persistent memory area
NVMe was able to develop command sets for new technologies, including key-value pairs and zoned namespaces.
NVMe 2.0 is published in June 2021. And, the specification was restructured.
This release allows for faster and more flexible NVMe development and supports more NVMe environments.
This encourages the creation of command sets such as key-value and zone name space CNS, while also allowing support for various transport protocols that are common to NVMe or NVMe over fabric technology.
- Specification-based on NVMe
- Specification of command set
- Specifications for transportation
- Specifications for the NVMe management interface
These changes will enable the NVMe device ecosystem to flourish, including client and enterprise solid-state drives, SSDs, removable cards and compute accelerators.
NVMe 2.0 Key Features
Let’s dive deep into the key features of NVMe 2.0.
1. Specification ZNS
ZNS is a specification that provides an interface between zone storage devices and hosts that allows SSDs and hosts to work together on data placement.
ZNS allows data to be aligned with the SSD’s physical media, increasing device performance and cost and increasing media storage that can be made available for the host.
2. VK Command
VK commands set allows access to the NVMe SSD controller data using a key instead of a block address.
VK allows applications and drivers to communicate directly with each other using key-value pairs, avoiding translation tables that would be required between keys or logical blocks.
3. Namespace Types
Namespace types allow NVMe SSD controllers to support different command sets as part of NVMe 2.0. They also provide a pathway for future command sets.
4. NVMe Endurance Group Management
NVMe endurance management allows media to be set up in endurance groups, allowing SSDs to be accessed at the granularity and improving control.
5. Multiple Controller Firmware
Multiple controller firmware updates are part of NVMe2.0. This defines the behavior for firmware upgrades on complex systems that have multiple controllers. The shutdown enhancements allow enclosure management to be simplified, allowing for easier management of multiple drives.
For Enterprises
The 32-64-bit-CRC increases the protection information and data protection up to 32-64 bits. This allows for new metadata use cases as well as stronger data protection for large-scale storage systems. The command group control prevents any unintentional changes once a system has been provisioned. It also protects the system against malicious or unintentional changes. This is a new security feature that uses a lockdown command. This is used to place a drive in an environment where orders read and write are permitted, but other admin commands are blocked.
Backward Compatibility
The NVMe 2.0 specification retains backward compatibility to previous NVMe generations. NVMe 2.0 is not really relevant for consumer SSD. However, it does provide a more of a reform factor.
This standard restructures what is fundamental and what is additionally based on your use case, whether you are a cloud enterprise client or someone else.
Who should be interested in NVMe 2.0?
This new structure allows you to use only the parts you need for large data companies and ignore all the bits that don’t make NVMe more user-friendly.
Yes, NVMe 2.0 won’t make any difference in the consumer space, but it will make a huge difference for all other uses that your device is used for that use NVMe SSDs.
Final Verdict
NVMe 2.0 is not for consumers. It is aimed at data companies and enterprises. However, the application might include some advantages for the normal users in the upcoming days.