What is an NVMe drive?
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a storage access and transport protocol for flash and solid-state drives (SSDs) that delivers the highest throughput, lowest latency, and most scalable performance compared to older protocols like SATA and SAS (https://www.netapp.com/data-storage/nvme/what-is-nvme/).
NVMe was designed from the ground up to take advantage of the low latency and internal parallelism of SSDs. It reduces overhead and streamlines the command set to fully utilize the potential of high-speed PCIe-connected SSD storage. Unlike older protocols which use the AHCI command set and transfer data parallel with a single thread, NVMe uses multiple I/O queues with up to 64K commands per queue and operates them in parallel (https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/nvme).
The key benefits of NVMe include:
- Higher throughput – NVMe offers faster read/write speeds and lower latency.
- Greater parallelism – NVMe supports up to 64K I/O queues and up to 64K commands per queue.
- Lower overhead – The streamlined command set reduces software overhead.
- Scalability – NVMe was designed for current and future NAND flash and storage innovations.
Compared to SATA SSDs, NVMe drives offer 3-6x higher read/write performance. The cons are that NVMe drives tend to be more expensive than SATA drives and may require motherboard compatibility.
Common failure modes
NVMe drives can fail due to several common failure modes including:
Controller failure
The controller is the brain of an NVMe drive and manages all read/write operations. Controller failure is usually caused by a hardware defect or electrical issue that renders the controller inoperable. This will result in the drive not being detected or data becoming inaccessible (Lu et al., 2022).
NAND failure
NAND flash memory stores all user data on NVMe drives. Over time, NAND cells wear out through repeated read/write cycles leading to uncorrectable errors. Excessive heat can also damage NAND chips. NAND failure leads to data loss and drive failure (TechTarget, 2020).
Firmware bugs
NVMe drives rely on complex firmware to interface between the OS and NAND memory. Bugs in firmware can cause system crashes, Blue Screens of Death (BSOD), or stop the drive from booting properly. Firmware bugs often require a firmware update to resolve (NVMe Express, 2021).
Overheating
Excessive heat buildup can damage NVMe controllers and NAND chips leading to premature failure. Poor cooling, heavy workloads, or hot environments can cause overheating. Heatsinks and proper airflow are essential to prevent overheating issues (TechTarget, 2020).
Signs of a failing drive
There are several signs that may indicate an NVMe drive is failing or about to fail. The most common signs to watch out for include:
Slow performance: As an NVMe drive starts to fail, you may notice a gradual or sudden drop in performance. Processes and applications take longer to load, files take longer to open, and overall system responsiveness slows down. This occurs as bad blocks develop on the drive and data integrity declines.[1]
Data corruption: Another sign of NVMe failure is data corruption. You may experience frequent crashes, freezes, or the operating system failing to boot properly. Corrupted files, inability to access saved data, and strange error messages can occur as data on the drive becomes unreadable.[2]
SMART errors: All NVMe drives monitor their health and reliability through SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology). SMART errors suggest the drive has detected reliability issues or damage. Monitoring SMART attributes like reallocated sectors and pending sectors can provide warning of problems.[1]
[1] https://hdsentinel.com/blog/failing-ssd-symptoms
[2] https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-warning-signs-ssd-break-fail/
Causes of failure
There are several common causes of NVMe drive failure:
Manufacturing defects can lead to early failure of a drive. Issues like defective components or improper firmware can cause the drive to malfunction or stop working. According to TechTarget, firmware bugs account for many SSD failures.
Wear and tear over time can also cause an NVMe drive to fail. As files are written, erased, and rewritten again and again, the drive slowly deteriorates. Eventually, after hundreds of terabytes of writes, the drive can stop functioning properly.
Power surges, either from the power supply or electricity, can damage the components of a drive leading to failure. Surges can corrupt data or render components like the controller or NAND chips inoperable.
Overheating is another major cause of premature failure. NVMe drives generate significant heat when operating at high speeds. Insufficient cooling can allow the drive to overheat over time, damaging the chips. Dust buildup can also lead to overheating issues.
Preventing failure
There are several steps you can take to help prevent an NVMe drive from failing prematurely:
Proper cooling is crucial for NVMe drives, as high temperatures can accelerate wear and tear. Make sure your NVMe drive has a heatsink attached and that airflow inside your PC case is optimized. Avoid packing drives tightly together or placing them in hot spots 1.
Use a surge protector or UPS to protect against power fluctuations, which can damage NVMe drives. Avoid abrupt power loss events that could corrupt data 2.
Keep drive firmware updated to the latest stable version. Firmware updates often include bug fixes, performance improvements, and reliability enhancements 3.
Monitor drive health indicators like SSD life remaining and temperature using tools like CrystalDiskInfo or manufacturer software. Keep an eye out for warning signs like unusually high operating temperatures, reduced performance, or an abundance of reallocated sectors.
The Importance of Backups to Protect NVMe Data
Backing up data stored on NVMe drives is critical to prevent data loss in the event of drive failure. According to Reddit, NVMe cache drives improve performance but do not provide data redundancy. Thus, a failed NVMe cache drive can result in permanent data loss if backups are not maintained. NetApp recommends using NVMe for storing backup data since the high speeds allow rapid completion of backup jobs.
Regular backups to a separate location protect against data loss from NVMe drive failure. Backups should be automated on a schedule to ensure they stay current. Storing backups offline and offsite provides protection if an entire system is lost. With proper backups, failed NVMe drives can be replaced and data easily restored.
Recovering data
If your NVMe SSD stops working or fails entirely, recovering the data on it can be challenging but is often possible with the right tools and methods. Some options for data recovery include:
Using data recovery software like Disk Drill or Handy Recovery that can scan the drive and reconstruct damaged or deleted files. This works if the drive failure is logical but the physical components are still intact.
Sending the drive to a professional data recovery service that has the equipment and expertise to repair drives and pull data off the flash chips directly. This is more expensive but can work even if the drive has physical damage.
Plugging the NVMe drive into another computer to see if you can access the files normally through the operating system. This may work if the problem is limited to the original computer.
Using advanced recovery tools like PC 3000 Portable to directly read and image the flash chips on the circuit board. This method is technical but can recover data even from severely damaged drives.
Swapping circuit boards if the problem is with the drive’s controller but the flash chips are undamaged. A donor board can allow access to the user data.
Replacing a Failed NVMe Drive
When an NVMe drive fails, you’ll need to replace it with a compatible new drive. It’s important to choose a replacement drive that is compatible with your PC or device’s motherboard and NVMe slot. According to IBM, when replacing a failed NVMe drive, you should refer to the service manual for proper drive replacement procedures (source).
Once you have replaced the failed drive, you’ll need to reinstall your operating system, drivers, programs, and migrate your data over. The easiest way to do this is to clone your original NVMe drive onto the new replacement drive. There are cloning tools like Macrium Reflect that can clone drives sector-by-sector. You can also do a clean install of your OS on the new drive, and use migration software to transfer over your files and settings from your old drive or backups (source). With a clean OS install, you’ll have to reinstall all your software programs as well.
Overall, with some preparation and cloning or migration tools, replacing a failed NVMe drive can be straightforward. Just make sure your replacement is compatible, clone or transfer your data over, and you’ll be back up and running.
Extending drive life
There are several steps you can take to extend the lifespan of an NVMe drive. Proper cooling is important, as high temperatures can accelerate component degradation. Ensure your NVMe drive has a heatsink and sufficient airflow. Operating below 70°C is recommended (Source 1).
Limiting writes to your NVMe drive can also prolong its life. Fill the drive to no more than 75% capacity to reduce write amplification that wears down NAND cells (Source 2). Enable TRIM on supported operating systems; this sends an instruction to SSDs to free up blocks from deleted data. Monitoring SMART attributes via tools like CrystalDiskInfo provides insight into drive health and remaining write endurance.
Conclusion
In summary, NVMe solid state drives can and do fail like any storage device. However, by monitoring your drive’s health, maintaining proper cooling, avoiding excessive writes, and practicing regular backups, you can extend the life of an NVMe SSD significantly. While nothing lasts forever, proper care and maintenance will keep your valuable data safe in the vast majority of cases.
The importance of maintaining recent backups can’t be overstated when using any storage medium, NVMe SSDs included. Should failure occur, backups ensure you can recover your data and resume working with minimal interruption. Monitoring drive health stats like temperature and bad sectors provides warning signs to act before failure happens.
With proper precautions, NVMe drives provide extremely fast and reliable storage for many years of service. However, it’s wise to keep in mind that any digital storage device can fail eventually. Following best practices for health monitoring, cooling, usage patterns, and backups will help avoid unexpected data loss events when using these high-performance drives.