Zoned Namespaces: Bringing Zones to NVMe SSDs

webinar

Author(s)/Presenter(s):

Aravind Ramesh

Library Content Type

Presentation

Library Release Date

Focus Areas

Networked Storage

Abstract

Zoned Namespaces (ZNS) is an exciting new interface for NVM Express (NVMe) devices. It exposes a zoned block storage interface between the host and ZNS SSD in which the ZNS SSD exposes a set of sequential write only zones that it perfectly aligns to its media. Zoned Namespaces allows applications to minimize device write amplification, improve throughput and latency, and extend the life compared to conventional SSDs. However, to take advantage of it, one must have host support (e.g., file-systems and database systems) by mapping the application data structure on to the characteristics of these zones. This talk aims at discussing the intricacies of ZNS as a standard, the benefits of ZNS SSDs, its use-cases, and the software eco-system available to accelerate adoption.