M.2 NVMe Drives

WipeOS was one of the first to unlock the latest M.2 NVMe SSD devices. The Non-Volatile Express (NVMe) is an open, logical-device interface specification for accessing a computer’s non-volatile storage media usually attached via PCI Express bus. They are Solid State storage devices that do not use the ATA or SAS protocols. They speak directly over PCI, no translation needed, which leads to much higher speeds and bandwidth.

What are the differences between M.2 SSDs?

M.2 SSDs are physically small circuit boards that typically mount to the motherboard of your computer. They’re most common in laptop computers, but they have been gaining popularity in desktops over the last few years.

The M.2 standard was created to deal with various limitations of the mSATA form factor. This form factor was originally called Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), but was later renamed to M.2 in 2013.

The M.2 standard is designed to connect to the computer either with a PCI (NVMe) or SATA interface. However, an M.2 SSD will only be able to use one of those connections. The M.2 socket on the motherboard may support only one specific standard or both standards (refer to your motherboard’s documentation to know for sure.)

The number of key slots on the interface connector determines whether it’s a NVMe SSD or SATA SSD:

• • NVMe SSDs will only have one key slot
  • SATA SSDs will have two key slots

Keys and sockets

An M.2 SSD is “keyed” to prevent the insertion of a card connector (male) to an incompatible socket (female) on the host. Before deploying M.2 SSDs, determine the type of socket on the host and check the module connector keying to ensure that each connector is inserted in the appropriate socket.

M.2 modules come in different sizes and can also be utilized for Wi-Fi, WWAN, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC. To support all these types, M.2 modules typically come in different sizes. The longer the drive, the more NAND flash chips can be mounted; hence, more capacity.

The team here at WipeOS is always adding new devices and features to our solution. If you work with these devices, we can help! As your partner, we will continually work with you to make sure you are able to wipe and test all types of data-containing devices.