Dell EMC Extreme Scale Infrastructure Group Adopts M.2 For Capacity NVMe Storage

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AdrianB

Member
Mar 3, 2017
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I want those M.2 modules for my regular servers...

Chris
You can do almost the same thing in any server with enough free PCIE slots.

The Dell double-slot card allows 10 M.2.
With 2 very cheap single-slot PCIE cards you can use 8 M.2, i.e. 16 TB of SSDs, supposing that you can afford them.

I have 12 TB of SSD in a server (6 Samsung 960 PRO), using 2 M.2 sockets on a Supermicro MB plus 1 PCIE card with 4 M.2. The card is very cheap because it is passive. The MB supports PCIE bifurcation, so no PCIE switch is necessary. On this particular MB (X11SRA) all the 6 M.2 SSDs have their own PCIE lanes connected directly to the processor, so the performance is better than for Dell.


Of course the Dell solution is preferable for those with deep pockets who can afford, e.g. 100 TB of SSDs, but for individuals or small companies there is no need for it.