A technician is purchasing a replacement solid-state drive (SSD) for a workstation motherboard whose M.2 slot only supports the SATA interface protocol. Which TWO parameters must the technician verify to ensure the replacement drive will function properly in this motherboard slot?
- Verify that the SSD is manufactured to communicate over the SATA protocol rather than NVMe over PCIe.Answer
- Ensure the drive features compatible M.2 keying, such as a B key or B+M key pin configuration.Answer
- CSelect an M-key only NVMe SSD to ensure backward compatibility with the motherboard SATA controller.
- DAttach a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) converter bridge directly onto the M.2 edge connector pins.
Answer
The technician must verify that the SSD is manufactured to communicate over the SATA protocol rather than NVMe over PCIe, and ensure the drive features compatible M.2 keying, such as a B key or B+M key pin configuration.
M.2 motherboard slots wired exclusively for SATA require solid-state drives that communicate using the SATA protocol and feature compatible physical keying (typically B key or B+M key). Selecting a drive with these features guarantees electrical and physical interoperability.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
M.2 SATA vs. NVMe Bus Compatibility and Keying