NVMe Dedicated Server: Pros and Cons Explained

NVMe Dedicated Server: Pros and Cons Explained

The brilliant minds of the IT industry are consistently evolving and innovating to maintain up with modern society. Cloud computing, edge computing, and the Web of Things (IoT) are all revolutionary tools that completely disrupt how we work and play within the digital world. Recently, nonetheless, technology has taken its next big leap.

Enter non-volatile memory express (NVMe) drives. NVMe is a revolutionary storage technology specifically formatted for the long run and takes advantage of cutting-edge peripheral component interconnect (PCI) technology, the local computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a pc. This technology is a component of the PCI Local Bus standard and may be further prolonged to hosting to create NVMe dedicated server environments that expand on the advantages of cloud dedicated technology.

What Is an NVMe Server?

An NVMe storage server represents the subsequent evolution in data storage. This latest technology helps to bridge the feature gap in cloud vs physical servers.

Until now, server data storage has run on SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). This format stores data sequentially and has done the IT industry well up until now.

In contrast, NVMe stores data non-sequentially. More specifically, NVMe technology takes a parallel approach to data storage.

An easier strategy to understand that is to assume you’re traveling in your automobile. SATA technology is like driving on a one-lane road. Traffic will move more slowly on this scenario than for those who were on a road with multiple lanes. That’s where an NVMe dedicated server differs.

NVMe storage treats data like cars on a superhighway, providing multiple lanes for travel. It’s because data is moving in parallel versus sequentially. The result is way faster, more agile data transmission. NVMe servers also experience less lagging and use less power than legacy dedicated server models.

NVMe Dedicated Servers

Reduced latency and lagging are the first reasons for using an NVMe server over other models. The incontrovertible fact that NVMe servers are compatible with PCI Express provides them with significant expansion opportunities. Through PCI Express (PCIe) technology, NVMe servers can accommodate more read/write operations per second, increasing the general operation speed.

The increased speed and superhighway type of data transmission you get by leveraging NVMe for servers may come in useful for resource-intensive apps. Software applications that require a number of data or operations will run faster on NVMe storage than the standard solid state drive (SSD) format.

Experts claim NVMe’s processing speed is six times faster than SSD storage. And, as if that wasn’t enough, you’ll be able to create a hybrid NVMe and SSD server through NVMe’s extra storage slots. The result’s a faster SSD server that uses much less power than before. 

How Do NVMe Servers Work?

NVMe servers reap the advantages of NVMe’s inherent parallel data structure and transmission. Because data transmissions don’t occur sequentially anymore on an NVMe server, processing speed increases exponentially.

Servers with NVMe technology will increase their processing speed by an element of six, in comparison with HDD or SSD configurations. This provides NVMe servers the power to finish around 500,000 operations per second. 

Much more impressive is NVMe’s resource usage. The bandwidth, latency, and processing improvements provided by NVMe all occur with less draw in your server’s power resources. That’s an enormous win for IT. 

Advantages of NVMe Servers

If we’ve piqued your interest in NVMe technology so far, and it appears like it is perhaps an excellent fit for your enterprise, listed here are some more in-depth advantages to aid you make your decision:

Takes Up Less Space

Along with revving up your bandwidth and processing speed, NVMe may also reduce the clutter of your server configuration. SSD drives are typically 2.5”. While that is small and was impressive for a time, NVMe storage takes up even less space than that.

Ultimately, through the use of NVMe, users get more power and higher storage in less space, which leaves room for much more storage capability.

Increased Data Speeds

Think back to our superhighway example. Due to its parallel nature, NVMe transmits data much faster than traditional storage formats. Actually, NVMe is widely considered the fastest option available on the market today.

Parallel data transfer is just a part of the story. What makes NVMe so fast is that this parallel structure is coupled with PCIe technology. Moreover, NVMe servers control RAID parameters with software as a substitute of hardware. This reduces space and helps to extend the general site speed and server performance for digital assets hosted on NVMe dedicated servers.

Fewer Cables

The standard SATA data configuration requires a SATA cable. In case your data center relies on rack-mounted servers, these cables can increase clutter and leave less room for critical server components.

NVMe uses an M.2 connector that makes SATA cables obsolete. Not only does this reduce crowding and leave more room for storage or memory resources, nevertheless it can also help reduce server overheating issues. 

Downsides of NVMe Servers

It’s vital to know that while NVMe technology is a considerable step forward for server and storage technology, it’s not without its drawbacks. Listed here are a few of the drawbacks potential NVMe dedicated server users should search for:

Lack of Support

Since NVMe is a comparatively latest technology, legacy systems may not support its use. IT technicians and system admins who want to change their data center over to NVMe could also be an uphill battle. Switching out a significant slice of your current hardware and systems may require considerable time, energy, and money.

Can Be Less Cost-Effective

NVMe technology will not be the very best selection for those who plan on storing data at scale. Running an NVMe server may be costlier than spinning up virtual machines as you wish them. 

Limited Drive Alternative

Since the IT world remains to be becoming accustomed to NVMe technology, there are limits to the peripherals technicians can use. While NVMe does support various storage formats across various operating systems, the challenge is with the M.2 connector. Since NVMe relies on this format, it might severely limit the drive options available. 

A lot of the drawbacks we see with NVMe come from its relative infancy within the IT world. Hopefully, over time, our greatest and brightest will give you the option to beat these challenges, eventually bringing the advantages of NVMe to the masses.

Who Stands to Profit Most from NVMe Servers?

NVMe dedicated servers will go on to revolutionize many industries. But as for immediately, there are a number of standout areas where this technology is starting to shine.

eCommerce and finance apps are benefiting greatly from the appearance of NVMe tech. The info transmission speed brought on by NVMe’s parallel structure and PCIe compatibility help apps in these sectors with real-time data access. 

AI technology and machine learning (ML) applications may also profit. By exponentially increasing processing speed, we may begin to see a few of the AI and ML applications we’ve only dreamed about or seen in movies. Processing more of those operations per second could also enable us to delve further into Deep Learning and the advantages it might probably provide across industries like healthcare, finance, and more.

Liquid Web Has Got You Covered

To find more about what an NVMe dedicated server can do for your enterprise, contact us at Liquid Web today. Considered one of our Most Helpful Humans in Hosting can be comfortable to reply any of your questions. 

Technology could also be ever-changing, but Liquid Web remains to be here. Whether it’s NVMe, dedicated server or cloud hosting, or more, our goal stays the identical: helping small businesses be their best, regardless of what technology it takes.  

Take a look at our solutions or reach out to start with Liquid Web today.