Question

Difficulty: MediumStorage Devices and Interfaces

Match each storage device type or interface standard on the left with its defining physical form factor or operational characteristic on the right.

  • U.2 SSDHot-swappable 2.5-inch enterprise drive form factor utilizing PCIe bus lanes
  • M.2 NVMe SSDCompact modular storage device connected via an M-key slot directly to the PCIe bus
  • eMMCIntegrated flash storage controller soldered directly onto budget mobile device motherboards
  • SATA Revision 3.0Internal host bus interface limited to a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 6 Gbps6\text{ Gbps}

Answer

U.2 SSD pairs with the 2.5-inch hot-swappable enterprise PCIe drive form factor; M.2 NVMe SSD pairs with the compact modular M-key PCIe drive; eMMC pairs with integrated flash memory soldered directly to the motherboard; and SATA Revision 3.0 pairs with the internal bus interface capped at 6 Gbps throughput.
Each storage technology is correctly paired according to its architectural specification: U.2 provides hot-swappable 2.5-inch enterprise storage running over PCIe lanes; M.2 NVMe SSDs utilize an M-key connector for direct high-speed PCIe access; eMMC is soldered embedded storage for entry-level devices; and SATA Revision 3.0 is an internal storage interface capped at a theoretical maximum throughput of 6 Gbps6\text{ Gbps}.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify enterprise hot-swappable PCIe drive form factors.
Recognize that U.2 uses a 2.5-inch enclosure connected to PCIe lanes.
U.2 allows server backplanes to offer hot-swappable drive bays with PCIe performance rather than legacy SATA/SAS bandwidth limitations.
2
Identify compact modular high-performance drive interfaces.
Determine that M.2 NVMe uses M-key slots for direct PCIe connectivity.
M.2 drives with M-keying support up to four PCIe lanes for high sequential read/write operations.
3
Identify permanently integrated low-cost flash storage.
Associate eMMC with motherboard-soldered embedded flash memory.
eMMC is non-modular, non-upgradable storage commonly integrated into budget tablets and compact laptops.
4
Identify legacy SATA interface maximum bandwidth limits.
Link SATA Revision 3.0 to its maximum throughput threshold of 6 Gbps.
SATA 3.0 is fundamentally restricted by its controller standard to a theoretical maximum speed of 6 Gbps.

Key Concept

Storage Device Form Factors, Protocols, and Interfaces
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