Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyStorage Devices and Interfaces

A technician is evaluating drive upgrade options for a desktop system and inspecting the specifications of an M.2 expansion slot on the motherboard. Which of the following storage bus interfaces or protocols can be supported through an M.2 slot depending on the specific drive and motherboard keying? (Select TWO.)

  1. SATA (Serial AT Attachment)Answer
  2. NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) over PCIeAnswer
  3. C
    PATA (Parallel AT Attachment / IDE)
  4. D
    Exclusive implementation of NVMe on all M.2 slots regardless of keying

Answer

The correct options are SATA (Serial AT Attachment) and NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) over PCIe.
The M.2 standard is versatile and capable of routing both SATA and PCIe bus traffic. Depending on motherboard architecture and drive keying, an M.2 slot can interface with SATA solid-state drives or NVMe SSDs running over PCIe.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the physical form factor vs. protocol distinction for M.2.
M.2 is a physical card form factor standard that replaces mini-PCIe and mSATA.
Understanding that M.2 carries multiple protocols is required to determine compatible drive types.
2
Determine supported protocols for M.2 motherboard slots.
M.2 slots can route both SATA bus signals and PCI Express (PCIe) signals supporting NVMe protocol.
Depending on keying (B-key, M-key, or B+M-key), the slot can operate in SATA mode or NVMe/PCIe mode.

Key Concept

M.2 Form Factor vs. Storage Bus Protocols
Rate this question

Topics

Storage Devices and Interfaces

More questions from this topic