Identify every drive you own by interface, protocol and form factor

short · 40 min · Objective 3.1

Task

Build the inventory that makes a replacement order correct first time, because the M.2 slot that fits is not the same question as the protocol that works.

Steps

  1. Record every drive in lab/storage/drives.csv with header id,type,capacity_gb,form_factor,interface,protocol,where.
  2. For any M.2 drive or slot, record the length code, the keying and whether the slot supports SATA, NVMe or both, in lab/storage/m2.csv with header slot,length,keying,supports,source.
  3. Measure sequential read throughput for at least two drives and record it in lab/storage/speed.csv with header id,read_mbs,method.
  4. Write lab/storage/order.md: choose one machine and state exactly what you would order to add storage to it -- form factor, length, keying, protocol and capacity -- citing where each constraint came from.
  5. Write lab/storage/wrong.md naming one drive that would physically fit that machine and still not work, and why.

Verify

awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=7 {n++} END {print n" drive(s) inventoried"}' lab/storage/drives.csv
awk -F, 'NR>1 {print $6}' lab/storage/drives.csv | sort -u | wc -l
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=5 {n++} END {print n" M.2 slot(s) or drive(s)"}' lab/storage/m2.csv
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=3 {n++} END {print n" throughput measurement(s)"}' lab/storage/speed.csv
grep -c . lab/storage/order.md
grep -c . lab/storage/wrong.md

Two or more drives inventoried, at least one M.2 entry where the machine has one, two throughput measurements, and both notes present. The wrong.md file is the one that proves the point: a drive that fits and does not work is the most common wasted order in this domain.

Notes

A SATA M.2 drive in an NVMe-only slot is not detected at all. That is the scenario behind 'the new drive does not show up' with no fault present, and it is why the keying and the slot's supported protocols are separate columns here.

This is an independent study companion for CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 and is not produced by or endorsed by CompTIA.