PCI Express Solid-State Device Support
This section gives an overview of the OpenManage Storage Management (OMSM) device management support for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) Solid-State Drive (SSD) and its associated devices like the backplane and extender card.
In OMSS, PCIe SSD appears under the storage management. OMSM reports the PCIe SSD devices and its various properties.
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NOTE: OMSM does not support RAID management or configuration on PCIe SSD sub systems. |
What is PCIe SSD
Dell Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) solid state device (SSD) is a high-performance storage device designed for solutions requiring low latency, high Input Output Operations per Second (IOPS), and enterprise class storage reliability and serviceability. The Dell PCIe SSD is designed based on Single Level Cell (SLC) NAND flash technology with a high-speed PCIe 2.0 compliant interface. The high-speed PCIe 2.0 compliant interface helps improve performance for I/O bound solutions.
PCIe SSD Features
Following are the key features of PCIe SSD:
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Hot plug capability |
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High-performance device |
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Support for 2.5-inch HDD Form Factor |
PCIe Sub System Properties
The PCIe SSD sub system comprises of the following components:
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Backplane |
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Extender Card |
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PCIe Solid State Device |
Table 5-1 lists the PCIe Sub System Properties.
PCIe Extender Cards
The PCIe Extender Card is attached to the backplane of the system and provides PCIe connectivity for up to four PCIe SSD devices at the front of the chassis.
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NOTE: The PCIe Extender Card does not have any properties or tasks. |
Table 5-2 lists the PCIe Extender Card Properties.
Physical Device Properties
You can view information about PCIe SSDs and run PCIe SSD tasks on the Physical Device Properties screen. To view the complete PCIe SSD properties, click the Full View link on the top of the screen.
Table 5-3 lists the physical device properties for PCIe SSD.
Physical Device Tasks
The physical device tasks for PCIe SSD are as follows:
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Blink |
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Unblink |
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Full Initialization |
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Export Log |
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Prepare to Remove |
To run a physical device task:
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Expand the Storage tree object to display the storage component objects. |
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Expand the PCIe-SSD SubSystem object. |
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Expand the Connector object. |
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Expand the Enclosure (Backplane) object. |
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Select the Physical Devices object. |
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Select a task from the Available Tasks drop-down menu. |
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Click Execute. |
Blink and Unblink
The Blink task allows you to find a device within a system by blinking one of the LEDs on the device. You can use this task to locate a failed device. If you need to cancel the Blink task or if the physical device continues to blink Indefinitely, use the Unblink task.
Full Initialization
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CAUTION: Performing a full initialization on a PCIe SSD overwrites all blocks and will result in permanent loss of all data on the PCIe SSD. |
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NOTE: During full initialization, the host is unable to access the PCIe SSD. |
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NOTE: If the system reboots or experiences a power loss during full initialization, the operation aborts. You must reboot the system and restart the process. |
Preparing to Remove
Dell PCIe SSDs support orderly hot swap allowing you to add or remove a device without halting or rebooting the system in which the devices are installed.
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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 configuration for your PCIe SSD, see the system specific Owner's Manual at support.dell.com/manuals. |
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NOTE: The identify LED pattern (blink operation) is the same LED pattern as safe to remove. When you initiate a prepare to remove operation, ensure that your PCIe SSD is no longer accessible by the system before you physically remove the PCIe SSD. . |
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CAUTION: To prevent data loss, it is mandatory that you use the Prepare to Remove task before physically removing a device. |
Use the Prepare to Remove task to safely remove a PCIe SSD from the system. This task causes the status LEDs on the device to blink. You can safely remove the device from the system under the following conditions after you use the Prepare to Remove task:
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The PCIe SSD is blinking the safe to remove LED pattern. |
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The PCIe SSD is no longer accessible by the system. |
Export Log
The log contains debug information of the PCIe SSD and can be useful for troubleshooting. You can export the reliability log through the Physical Device Available Tasks drop-down list.
PCIe SSD Sub System Health
It indicates the roll-up health status of physical devices. The individual health status of the physical devices appears at the respective level.
Backplanes
PCIe SSDs are attached to the PCIe SSD backplane of the system. The number of supported PCIe SSDs depend on the system.
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NOTE: Dell PCIe SSDs must be used with PCIe SSD backplanes. Do not plug in SAS/SATA devices to a PCIe SSD backplane or vice versa. |
Backplane Firmware Version
The backplane firmware version is reported in the Information Configuration page of the PCIe SSD sub system.
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NOTE: The firmware version is the only Backplane property supported for PCIe SSD. |