What is NVMe?
Non-Volatile Memory Express, or NVMe, is a storage access protocol designed specifically for flash-based storage (Refer to Image 1). In contrast to older protocols like SATA and SAS, NVMe uses the PCIe interface, also known as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express. It supports parallel processing, more read and write operations per second, and reduced latency. Enterprise systems, data centers, and contemporary endpoints all make extensive use of NVMe SSDs.
Image 1: NVMe Drive
What is M.2?
M.2 is a physical form factor used for internally mounted storage devices. It defines the size, connector type, and mounting standard of the drive. In modern enterprise environments, most M.2 SSDs use the NVMe protocol over the PCIe interface because of the performance advantages. These include higher bandwidth, lower latency, and better scalability for demanding workloads.
Key Prerequisites for Wiping NVMe Drives
- USB flash drive: 2 GB or more to create a bootable USB
- Desktop/Laptop: To connect the M.2 NVMe Drive
- Internet: Wi-Fi/Ethernet
Stage 1: Download BitRaser and Create a Bootable USB
- Step 1: Log in to BitRaser Cloud Console using the login credentials received after purchase.
- Step 2: Go to Download BitRaser and download the Cloud Variant of BitRaser Drive Eraser (Refer to Image 2).
- Step 3: Download & use Rufus to create a BitRaser bootable USB by selecting the downloaded ISO file. For detailed instructions, refer to our KB guide on: How to Create a Bootable USB Using Rufus?
Image 2: Download BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics
Note: To wipe NVMe drives on Mac devices, no bootable USB is required. BitRaser Drive Eraser for Mac can be executed directly via the Mac Terminal using a simple command. For detailed instructions, refer to our deployment guide on
Mac Erasure.
Stage 2: Erase NVMe & M.2 Drives with BitRaser
- Step 1: Connect the bootable BitRaser USB to the system. Boot the machine using the USB drive by accessing the Boot menu or UEFI menu. After the system boots successfully, the BitRaser interface will display all connected drives (Refer to Image 3).
Image 3: BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics Main UI
- Step 2: Connect the application to the Internet through Settings (Refer to Image 4).
Image 4: Network Settings
- Step 3: Log in to BitRaser Server using your Cloud Console credentials to sync licenses and upload erasure reports (Refer to Image 5).
Image 5: BitRaser Server Settings
- Step 4: Select the NVMe drive and choose the erasure method. Then click ‘Erase’ to begin the process (Refer to Images 6a & 6b). For NVMe drives, NIST SP 800-88 recommends using NVMe Erase (implemented via the NVMe Sanitize command, such as Cryptographic Erase or Block Erase) to achieve purge-level data sanitization.
Image 6a: Begin Erasure
Image 6b: Erasure Progress
Once the process is completed, a tamper-proof erasure report is generated and stored in the BitRaser Cloud Console.
Optional: Perform Hardware Diagnostics with BitRaser
BitRaser includes built-in hardware diagnostics within the same application. A diagnostic license is required to perform these tests. In case you have purchased the BitRaser Hardware Diagnostic licenses, you can configure the workflow to run erasure & diagnostics simultaneously, through the ISO customization feature or application settings (Refer to Image 7).
Image 7: Workflow Settings
Step 1: Go to the Component Test tab to switch from erasure to diagnostics functionality (Refer to Image 8).
Image 8: Component Test Tab
Step 2: Click 'Start' to begin the diagnostics process. The application performs various automatic tests in the background, which include components like the CPU, storage, CMOS, and monitor. While the auto tests are being performed in the background, the BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics application prompts the user to begin manual tests. These manual tests include, but are not limited to, peripherals like keyboard, mouse, webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. (Refer to Images 9, 10, and 11).
Image 9: Keyboard Test
Image 10: Mouse Test
Image 11: Display Test
Once all manual tests are completed, the software provides an option to grade the device. The diagnostic reports are automatically generated and saved to your BitRaser Cloud account.
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