Reference Guide

Hot swap an NVMe PCIe SSD U.2 device

NOTE: NVMe PCIe SSD AICs do not support hot swap.

Supported NVMe PCIe SSD U.2 device hot swappable functions are defined below:

Orderly or Hot

Insertion

Insert a device into a running system where a similar device has not been previously inserted from the time it was

last booted. The systems that support NVMe PCIe SSDs are configured to handle PCIe resource balancing in the

event of a hot insertion when operating within a Dell supported operating system. This preset system

configuration makes hot insertion an orderly operation if performed with supported operating systems.

Orderly Removal 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 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.

Surprise Removal Remove a device from a running system without first notifying the system that the device is about to be removed.

This feature is supported on systems running Microsoft Windows 2019 or later. See Support for Surprise Removal

in Windows for information about how to use this function.

Device health

Dell Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSDs include several features such as SMART, remaining rated write endurance, and device write status,

that allow you to monitor device health.

Use these features to help maintain the health of your Dell Express Flash SSD.

Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART)

Dell management tools such as Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller and Dell OpenManage Server Administrator use SMART to

provide alert content.

Remaining rated write endurance

The NVMe PCIe SSD is warrantied to a maximum amount of data written to the device in total bytes written. The NVMe PCIe SSD self

monitors for these limits, and software management applications notify you when you reach these limits.

NOTE:

If you continue to write to the device after it reaches the threshold of total bytes written, the amount of time the

NVMe PCIe SSD retains data while powered off decreases below device specifications. For more information, see the

technical specification sheet for your SSD.

Device write status

If the device exhausts the available spare sectors, the NVMe PCIe SSD enters Write Protect (Read-Only) mode. In Write Protect

mode, you can only perform read operations to the device. The NVMe PCIe SSD self monitors for these limits, and software management

applications notify you when you reach these limits.

Boot from an NVMe PCIe SSD U.2

NOTE: You cannot boot from an NVMe PCIe SSD AIC.

Dell supports installation of operating systems to, and booting from, NVMe PCIe SSD U.2s on select PowerEdge platforms that have been

configured for UEFI BIOS boot mode. To determine whether or not an NVMe PCIe SSD U.2 may be used as a boot device on your system,

see the system-specific documentation at www.dell.com/manuals.

NVMe PCIe SSD overview