Cisco UCSX-NVE17T6S1V | 7.6TB E3.S PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD, Samsung PM1743, TCG Opal

Q: Which Cisco UCS systems support this E3.S NVMe drive?
A: The UCSX-NVE17T6S1V is compatible with Cisco UCS X-Series modular compute nodes including the X210c M7, X210c M8, X215c M8, and XE130c M8 models deployed in the X9508 chassis. The E3.S 1T form factor is specifically designed for these next-generation servers and requires appropriate PCIe riser cards.

Q: What is the difference between this PM1743 drive and the Kioxia CM7-R variants?
A: The PM1743-based drive uses Samsung's 6th generation V-NAND with TCG Opal encryption, optimized for medium endurance workloads with 1 DWPD rating. Kioxia CM7-R variants offer FIPS 140-3 certified SED encryption. Both provide PCIe Gen5 performance but differ in encryption standards and endurance characteristics suited to different compliance and workload requirements.

Q: What does TCG Opal self-encrypting drive functionality provide?
A: TCG Opal 2.0 provides hardware-based AES-256 encryption performed by the drive controller, ensuring data is always encrypted at rest without CPU overhead. This enables secure data erasure, pre-boot authentication, and protection against unauthorized drive access when removed from the server, meeting enterprise security and compliance requirements.

Q: Can I mix different E3.S drive capacities in a single UCS compute node?
A: Yes, UCS X-Series compute nodes support mixed E3.S drive configurations depending on the model. The X210c M8 supports up to 6 E3.S drives, while the X215c M8 supports up to 12 E3.S drives. You can deploy different capacities based on workload requirements, though similar drives are recommended within RAID configurations.

Q: What are the performance benefits of PCIe Gen5 versus Gen4 NVMe drives?
A: PCIe Gen5 doubles the interface bandwidth compared to Gen4, enabling the PM1743 to deliver up to 14GB/s sequential reads versus approximately 7GB/s on Gen4 drives. This results in 1.9x faster sequential performance and improved power efficiency of up to 608MB/s per watt, reducing latency for virtualization, database, and high-throughput workloads.