NVMe Specification 2.0 integrates hard drive and fabric SSDs

Standardization body NVM Express NVMe has released version 2.0 of the Protocol, which is used for faster SSDs and other storage media. This version primarily brings together two previously separately developed versions: NVMe oF, a connection to a quick storage over a network (oF stands for cloth), now part of a general specification previously found in version 1.4.

Modular construction

However, there is another section that further limits the full specification: The Basic specification It now has integrated SSDs locally and over the network. For this purpose, SSTs refer to at least one specification from the subdivisions of the Traffic and Instruction package, each of which is further separated.

The Traffic profile Provides additional details about NVMe via PCIe, NVMe over RDMA and NVMe over TCP. The Command Package Specification Defines classic NVMe commands and commands for region namespaces (ZNS SSDs such as Samsung PM1731a or Western Digitals DC ZN540) and new key value commands.

NVM and hard drives

Theoretically, it is now possible to integrate a hard disk via NVM – if so, it is not yet clear when a manufacturer will use this option. At least the idea is not new: a year ago Microsoft Manager suggested equipping hard drives with PCIe interfaces and connecting them via NVM. This simplifies formatting because SATA implementation is avoided and the hard disk is connected directly to the CPU.

Most current PCIe SSDs work with NVMe version 1.4, some still with 1.3. Version 2.0 does not guarantee any benefits to the users of desktop PC or notebook and does not require update.

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