Ubuntu Linux Working On Installer Support For NVMe-over-TCP

Ahead of the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release that is all important for servers, Canonical engineers are working on extending their installer support to handle NVMe-over-TCP setups.

NVMe-over-TCP (NVMe/TCP) is an extension of the NVMe protocol over TCP/IP networks to allow for expanded storage infrastructure while scaling using standard Ethernet between NVMe-oF hosts and NVMe-oF controllers on the network. NVMe/TCP can be used for creating large disaggregated NVMe storage pools and capabilities primarily for data centers.

While the Linux kernel already supports NVMe/TCP, Canonical has been working on adding support for its installer -- initially the focus is on Subiquity as their server-focused installer with no changes yet to their desktop installer.

This merge adds partial support to Curtin for handling the NVMe-over-TCP storage configuration type.

Building off that Curtin support is this draft merge request for NVMe-over-TCP proof-of-concept code for the Subiquity Ubuntu Server installer.

The initial focus is on allowing the Ubuntu root file-system to be placed on remote NVMe drives while typically the boot/EFI partition will be on a local storage device. Presumably Canonical is aiming to have this NVMe/TCP installer support ready to go by the Ubuntu 24.04 Long-Term Support release in April.