Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD Device Driver for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
============================================================================================

Driver Version : 0.9-dell1.21

TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================

1.0  Introduction
2.0  Compatibility
3.0  Installation Instructions
	3.1  Driver Package
	3.2  Adding or Updating the Driver on a System
4.0  Important Information
5.0  Known Limitations
6.0  Fixes/Enhancements
7.0  History


1.0 Introduction
================

This is the driver for the following Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD devices:

	Dell Express Flash NVMe XS1715 400GB PCIe SSD Controller
	Dell Express Flash NVMe XS1715 800GB PCIe SSD Controller
	Dell Express Flash NVMe XS1715 1.6TB PCIe SSD Controller
	Dell Express Flash NVMe SM1715 800GB PCIe SSD Controller
	Dell Express Flash NVMe SM1715 1.6TB PCIe SSD Controller
	Dell Express Flash NVMe SM1715 3.2TB PCIe SSD Controller
	Dell Express Flash NVMe SM1715 1.6TB PCIe SSD Adapter by Samsung
	Dell Express Flash NVMe SM1715 3.2TB PCIe SSD Adapter by Samsung


	
2.0 Compatibility
=================

Operating system supported by this release:

	SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service pack 4 (X86_64)
	
	

3.0 Installation Instructions
=============================

3.1 Driver Package
------------------

The driver package is a compressed tar file.

To extract the components within the tar file, un-tar the files: 

	# tar -xvzf <driver_package>
	
Extracted files should contain the following: 

 - driver rpm (nvme-kmp-<version>.rpm)
 
 - source code (nvme-<version>.src.rpm)
 

3.2  Adding or Updating the Driver on a System
----------------------------------------------------------------

1. Download the SUSE GPG Public key from Suse Website

2. Import the SUSE GPG Public key into the OS 
    # rpm --import <GPG public key>
	
3. Install the Driver package by typing: 
	# rpm -ivh <driver rpm package name>

   To update the Driver package, type:
	# rpm -Uvh <driver rpm package name>

4. Reboot the system for the driver update to take effect.

5. After the system reboots, verify the driver has been installed with the system command: 
	# modinfo nvme

	The version shown in the output should match in both cases and with the version of the package.
	  
6. Verify the driver has been loaded with this system command:
	# lsmod OR
	# cat /proc/modules

	These commands will return nvme in the list if the driver is loaded.
	
7. To immediately load the driver, type the following command:
	# modprobe nvme


	
4.0 Important Information
=========================

	SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service pack 4 does contain an in-box NVMe driver; however, Dell requires updating to the latest driver to ensure full Express Flash PCIe SSD support.  

	Dell PowerEdge Express Flash PCIe SSD driver module name is 'nvme' while the device name is 'nvme*n*'. For example, the device entry will be /dev/nvme0n1.

	Device name is 'nvme*n*'. For example, the device entry will be /dev/nvme0n1.

	When using LVM, an edit to the lvm.conf file is required to add nvme device type:
		1. Using your editor of preference, edit the lvm.conf file usually found in /etc/lvm/lvm.conf
		2. Go to the "devices" section, and add "nvme" as device type
			devices {
					...
					types = ["nvme", 16]
			}
		3. Save the lvm.conf file
	Your operating system is now configured to use LVM with Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSDs.	
	
		

5.0 Known Limitations
=====================
	
	The Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSDs are not supported as boot devices in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11. The operating system needs to be installed on a separate storage device other than the PCIe SSD.

	When an orderly removal operation is performed on a mounted device, the device entry is not properly removed from the /dev directory. If any device is plugged in, new entries are created in the /dev directory. The device should be unmounted prior to performing an orderly removal.

	The Dell PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSDs are not supported for use in OS RAID volumes when combined with the XFS file system.
	
	In SLES 11 SP4 when mounted an EXT4 filesystem, the File system gets mounted as read-only. Read-write access to an ext4 file system can be enabled by using the rw=1 module parameter. Note that read-write ext4 file systems are still officially unsupported by SUSE Technical Services.For detail information please visit  http://www.suse.com/documentation/sles11/. 
	
	Warning/error messages may be displayed regarding a tainted kernel after loading the driver, refer to section 3.2 to install the SUSE public key.


	
6.0 Fixes/Enhancements 
=======================

	N/A -- initial release



7.0 History
============

	Current Version: 0.9-dell1.21  		Previous Version: N/A