On March 19, 2018 9:32:01 AM EDT, [email protected] wrote: >On Sun, Mar 18, 2018 at 12:32:07PM -0400, Russell via talk wrote: >> With all the CPU cache fencing going on I thought it might be fun to >fiddle with NVM express on Fedora 27. My primary SSD on this z370-A, >was/is in build limbo while I updated bios and waited for outcomes. >> >> I installed a 32gib module from Newegg ($90 delivered) and I booted >from F27-workstation live on usb. I let the anaconda installer do the >automatic partitioning. 5gib of the 32gib reported was left unallocated >for over-provisioning. >> >> First boot appeared to be twice as fast as on the SATA SSD. Three or >four seconds to get to the gui login as opposed to 7 or 8 on the >original drive. >> >> Had to install hdparm from the repo. >> >> # hdparm -tT --direct /dev/sda1 >> >> /dev/sda1: >> Timing O_DIRECT cached reads: 930 MB in 2.00 seconds = 464.92 >MB/sec >> Timing O_DIRECT disk reads: 1370 MB in 3.00 seconds = 456.30 MB/sec >> >> # hdparm -tT --direct /dev/nvme0n1 >> >> /dev/nvme0n1: >> Timing O_DIRECT cached reads: 2302 MB in 2.00 seconds = 1151.84 >MB/sec >> Timing O_DIRECT disk reads: 3474 MB in 3.00 seconds = 1157.65 >MB/sec >> >> More info on Nvme with a nice diagram of the Linux storage stack >here. >> >> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NVM_Express >> >> I switched back to the original SSD. An os-probe mapped the device to >/dev/dm-1 and I was able to remake grub.conf and add this install to >the bootloader on that drive. >> >> A couple of switches back and forth between drives and it looks like >the 10% performance hit I had experienced after the microcode updates, >is now somewhat reduced, +-5%. >> >> Guilding the lilly a bit, as I didn't have any day to day problems >with performance. Although it's hard to name Intel's product actions >around this issue a field of Lilly's. > >Not bad, but I think for my money I would get an EVO 960 instead. >Twice the speed and 8 times the space for just under twice the money. >Or 16 times the space for three times the money. I just don't see any >advantage to the Optane at this point.
Yea, this is just a tinker-toy. I had figured to put a small backup OS on this, remove its allocation from the chainloader and then leave it alone in the box in case I need it, instead of using a live usb for troubleshooting etc. It doesn't look like I can mask it's physical presence tho, except by populating a pcie slot and co-opting it's assigned pci lanes, so no security through obscurity. Instead I went with full Fedora w/gnome. I have 7gib on the drive after a full workstation install so I may rethink stuff and use it as my primary. Optane was meant to be a cache accelerator for booting Windows 10 on a standard drive and thats about the sum of it. Although, with all the elbow room and thumbscrews in this box, you could use it as a key drive for sneakernet backup to a safety deposit box pretty handily. You'd just need the right finger screw for the 1_M.2 slot standoff post, which is exposed. The other slot is buried under a heat sink. > >-- >Len Sorensen -- Russell --- Talk Mailing List [email protected] https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
