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PCIe SSD Features
The following topics describe the different PCIe SSD features.
Performance
PCIe SSD is a high performance solid state storage device that enables IOPS performance of up to 350x more than
conventional hard drives. A SLC PCIe SSD is designed to deliver sequential throughput on reads and writes at more than
1.5 Gbps speed.
NOTE: MLC-based PCIe SSDs sustain equivalent sequential throughput on reads as SLC-based PCIe SSDs, but
write performance is reduced because of larger memory of MLC-based PCIe SSDs.
Hot Swap
NOTE: To check if your operating system supports PCIe SSD hot swap, see
SSD.
Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSDs support orderly hot swap allowing you to add or remove a device without
halting or restarting the system in which the devices are installed.
Dell-supported PCIe SSD hot swappable functions are defined below:
Orderly Insertion
You insert a device into a running system where a similar device has not been previously
inserted from the time it was last booted. Dell systems that support PCIe SSDs are configured
to handle PCIe resource balancing in the event of a hot insertion. This preset system
configuration makes this type of hot insertion an orderly operation.
Orderly Removal
You remove a device from a running system. Prior to physically removing the device, you must
notify the system that the device is about to be removed. This notification defines hot removal
as an orderly operation.
Orderly Swap
You remove a device from the system in an orderly fashion and replace it with a supported
device. The device that is removed and the device that replaced it use the same device driver.
WARNING: Do not remove the PCIe SSD without notifying the system first. For more information, see
Remove A Physical Device Task For PCIe
NOTE: Orderly hot swap is only supported when PCIe SSDs are installed in a supported Dell system running a
supported operating system. To ensure that you have the correct hardware set up for your PCIe SSD, see the
system specific
Owner's Manual at dell.com/support/manuals.
NOTE: Hot swapping PCIe devices is not supported in VMware ESXi 5.1.
NOTE: Hot swapping PCIe devices is supported in VMware ESX 5.5, but the operating system has to be restarted to
share the PCIe devices with the guest operating systems.
Device Health
PCIe SSD is designed, based on SLC and MLC NAND flash technology. NAND SSDs have a finite number of program or
erase cycles and a finite number of spare blocks (replacements for other worn or faulty NAND blocks).
The program or erase cycles and spare blocks are continuously monitored for each Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe
SSD through Dell software management applications such as Human Interface Infrastructure (HII) and Dell
OpenManage Server Administrator. For more information see,
SSD.
Configuring and Managing Your PCIe
Supported Operating Systems For PCIe
Preparing To
SSD.
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