0

I'm trying to install Samsung 960 Evo NVMe M.2 SSD to Dell PowerEdge R730 server. When I googled it, I stumbled upon this manual, but it says that I should use a carrier to insert into a disk bay (which is visible outside, no need to open the server case) but I suspect this is not correct because then I would use a SATA3 connection which would make a NVMe disk underperform.

And know that if my machine would be a PC, I had to insert this disk to a NVMe port on the motherboard.

So, I'm really confused, please help me out!

P.S. This is my first hands-on experience with a server but I played a lot with PC and laptop hardware.

ferit
  • 133
  • 1
  • 3
  • 4
    Use a supported combination of products, serverfault is here for professional sysadmins and designers, cheaping out like this and creating a current or future support headache is far from professional. – Chopper3 Nov 21 '17 at 18:40
  • 1
    Before you start *working* with server hardware, you should stop *playing* with PC and laptop hardware and start *working* with PC and laptop hardware. – Todd Wilcox Nov 21 '17 at 19:30
  • 3
    It's a bad idea to use consumer-grade flash inside your production environment. Laptops have batteries, and Evo has no capacitors inside so power loss renders all your write buffers useless... – BaronSamedi1958 Nov 21 '17 at 21:25
  • Well, I'm left with this disk and this server, trying to do my best. – ferit Nov 21 '17 at 21:27
  • 1
    That's your fault, learn from it. – Chopper3 Nov 22 '17 at 08:51
  • Not helpful, really... – ferit Nov 22 '17 at 08:58
  • Why don't you "flag" your question, and ask a moderator to transfer it (and the answer you already have) to Super User, where you can get more help without having to worry about "supported hardware" and "professional practices" and the like (things for which you will NOT get this forum to "look the other way")? – Colt Nov 22 '17 at 09:45
  • 3
    When it comes to Samsung 960 Evo NVMe M.2 SSD, you can search for the benchmarks and make the decision by yourself. Here you go one of the tests. https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/benchmarking-samsung-nvme-ssd-960-evo-m-2 – Stuka Nov 28 '17 at 11:07
  • Successfully installed at full speed with a m.2 to PCIe adapter... – ferit Dec 20 '17 at 19:24

1 Answers1

4

PowerEdge R730s do not support m.2 drives. They do support NVMe drives - but NVMe is just a protocol, not a physical interface. In the case of Dell servers, the "native" NVMe is delivered via special 2.5" bays in the front of the server such as an R730xd. The disks that go in those bays look like normal 2.5" SSDs with a SATA connector, but they are not. You can also use PCI-e based NVMe drives.

I'm afraid you are confusing m.2 and NVMe. They are two different things. m.2 can support NVMe drives, but m.2 can also deliver other things (like WiFi). NVMe can be delivered by m.2, but it can also be delivered by PCIe.

The only way to get an m.2 drive into an R730 is to use a PCIe-to-m.2 adapter.

Mark Henderson
  • 68,823
  • 31
  • 180
  • 259
  • Thank you. Then I have to install 960 Evo using front 2.5'' bays, with a carrier which has to convert PCIex4 to SATA3. And doing this, I'll be able to use NVMe disk at full speed. Am I right? – ferit Nov 21 '17 at 19:42
  • 1
    What? Ummm. I _guess_ that would work. But you really would be far better off just getting a disk that is designed for use in that server. I have no idea if that would be full speed or not. That's _way_ into the realm of unsupported and janky though. – Mark Henderson Nov 21 '17 at 20:20
  • Thanks, but I have to know how to use 960 Evo at full speed. And if it's not possible, I have to know why. – ferit Nov 22 '17 at 08:57
  • @Saibot the maximum speed you will get out of a SATA port is 6Gbps, which is 768MB/sec. Benchmarked maximum top speed of the 960 Evo is 1,400MB/sec for sequential reads. That means it is impossible to get full sequential reads out of a single SATA device. That's just the limits of the SATA protocol. If you want full speed out of that drive, you'll need a PCIe to m.2 adapter. – Mark Henderson Nov 22 '17 at 12:11
  • OK, then when I get a PCIe to m.2 adapter, where should I insert the disk? Also, is this a correct example for such adapter? https://www.amazon.com/Lycom-DT-120-PCIe-Adapter-Support/dp/B00MYCQP38 – ferit Nov 22 '17 at 12:21
  • That would likely work. The m.2 drives goes in the m.2 adapter of course. – Mark Henderson Nov 22 '17 at 12:59
  • No I mean, after inserting SSD connector to adapters m.2 connector, where should I insert the adapter (PCIe connector)? I think I can't insert the adapter to a disk bay in front of the case, I have to open the server case and find a PCIe slot, right? – ferit Nov 22 '17 at 13:19
  • 3
    Honestly, if you need to ask that question, then I don't think you should be doing this work. You're clearly in over your head. I mean this as a kindness, not a reprimand. A Dell R730 is an expensive piece of equipment, and what are you going to do when you have issues booting off this drive? Without the required skillset, you're bound to have more issues. Either put it in a 2.5" caddy and accept the 760MB/sec top speed, or get disks that were designed for that server. – Mark Henderson Nov 22 '17 at 13:22
  • @MarkHenderson I just wanted to add that this was a really good answer. Thank you. – TJ Zimmerman Apr 14 '20 at 16:59