submitted 3 months ago by lukstru@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 52 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Looks like one to me. Remember that M.2 is a form factor. You can have an M.2 slot that does not support SSD storage for example. I have one that is only intended to work with wifi adapters.

Based on the wifi designation on the board I'll bet it only works with wifi cards.

M.2 is a form-factor. It talks about the shape only, it says nothing about what the device you are using can do. Many boards have restrictions on supported devices for the physical slot.

[-] lukstru@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago

Oh thanks, I didn’t know that. I thought it was an all purpose PCIe connector. Is there any way to find out whether it supports SSD storage? Is that way the dmidecode from my other comment (and basically saying that it doesn’t support storage?)

[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 13 points 3 months ago

The most reliable way I know is to seek documentation for the board. It's up there with PCI lanes in that the board designer will know what has been configured to work with that physical connector. This kind of info is definitely part of your motherboard documentation.

I'm not familiar with dmidecode so unfortunately I cannot comment on that.

[-] Creat@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Scroll down a bit in this article. There's a list of what each of the available keys are required to provide. A "key" in this context is basically a notch in a certain location, which then defines the meaning of the various pins of the connector. Some devices have multiple keys, as some of the specifications have a common subset. Like key A+E is common, because E provides almost everything that A does, so a device that only requires the common interfaces can work in both. Cars that rely on one of the exclusive interfaces will have the specific key of course. This A+E communication is often used for WiFi cards.

Sockets always only have one key though, for obvious reasons.

Edit: correction/clarification

[-] Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Is there any way to find out whether it supports SSD storage?

Have a look at the notch in the slot. SSDs will have either M key, B+M key, or very rarely just B key.

WiFi modules are A, E, or A+E

[-] MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

But this one looks like SATA

[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yeah I think this an mSATA port.

Edit: on second glance I think the right part of the connector has too many pins.

[-] dudeami0@lemmy.dudeami.win 29 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

It's is M.2, but not the M/B+M key most M2 SSDs use but rather a A+E meant for WIFI/Bluetooth. According to this video it's essentially 2 PCI Express x1 lanes and USB 2.0. The video goes on to explain some possible alternative uses:

A gigabit ethernet adapter
2x SATA ports for a standard SATA drive
Coral tensor processor
SD card reader
2x USB A-type ports
Some type of SIM card adapter (video wasn't quite sure on it either)
A PCI Express x16 slot that only functionally works as a x1

So while does this slot has it's uses, it's not meant to be used for M.2 drives but rather WIFI.

[-] qupada@fedia.io 2 points 3 months ago

it's essentially 2 PCI Express x1 lanes and USB 2.0

Sometimes there's only a single PCIe lane though. And as you say, that's not a x2 but explicitly two x1s.

No WiFi card needs the bandwidth (yet), at PCIe 3 speeds you've got around 7.8Gbps for a x1, and PCIe 4 double that.

The Coral comes in a "dual" version for exactly this reason (https://coral.ai/products/m2-accelerator-dual-edgetpu/) you just have to be very sure the slot you're putting it in is actually delivering two PCIe connections.

Also for bonus fun, most WiFi/BT cards use the PCIe interface for the WiFi and USB for the Bluetooth.

[-] Strykker@programming.dev 25 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

It's literally got WIFI printed on the board below it, likely a slot for a wifi card.

[-] Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 3 months ago

.....a wifi card that uses a certain type of M.2 connector

[-] Strykker@programming.dev 8 points 3 months ago

Sure, but there are several and op didn't specify what they wanted to do with it, typically if someone uses the m2.22xx naming they expect to put storage in it, which would not work here. So I was just trying to make that especially clear.

[-] Agent641@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

SATJA, duh

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

SATJA slot

IℲIM slot

[-] lukstru@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

It looks like it is one, but dmidecode doesn't show it.

# sudo dmidecode --type slot           
# dmidecode 3.4
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 3.0.0 present.

Handle 0x001C, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
        Designation: J6B2
        Type: x16 PCI Express
        Current Usage: Available
        Length: Long
        ID: 1
        Characteristics:
                3.3 V is provided
                Opening is shared
                PME signal is supported
        Bus Address: 0000:ff:10.0

Handle 0x001D, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
        Designation: J6B1
        Type: x1 PCI Express
        Current Usage: Available
        Length: Short
        ID: 2
        Characteristics:
                3.3 V is provided
                Opening is shared
                PME signal is supported
        Bus Address: 0000:ff:1c.4

Handle 0x001E, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
        Designation: J6D1
        Type: x4 PCI Express
        Current Usage: Available
        Length: Long
        ID: 3
        Characteristics:
                3.3 V is provided
                Opening is shared
                PME signal is supported
        Bus Address: 0000:ff:1d.0

Handle 0x001F, DMI type 9, 17 bytes
System Slot Information
        Designation: J7B1
        Type: x1 PCI Express
        Current Usage: Available
        Length: Short
        ID: 4
        Characteristics:
                3.3 V is provided
                Opening is shared
                PME signal is supported
        Bus Address: 0000:ff:1c.5


Wrong DMI structures length: 3135 bytes announced, structures occupy 3136 bytes.

[-] Gurfaild@feddit.org 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

There are adapters that allow you to plug an M-key SSD into that A+E-key slot, for example that one: https://www.delock.de/produkt/64137/merkmale.html?f=s

They should work on most computers, but some machines have a whitelist of supported WiFi cards and ignore anything else you plug into the slot for the WiFi module.

[-] Cobrachicken@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago

M.2 SATA slot, but no PCIe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

You got a manual for that board?

this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2024

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