Only specific X400 SSD part numbers support OPAL 2.0

SSD (Solid State Drives) SanDisk SSD Dashboard
1

I recently purchased several X400 SSDs for corporate use after reading through the SanDisk datasheet on the drive series, which stated that the drives support TCG OPAL 2.0 and SED technology.

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However, I missed the asterisk and fine print. Only the following X400 part numbers support OPAL 2.0, SED, and eDrive -

  • SanDisk X400 SSD SATA 2.5" 7mm 128GB SED
    (P/N: SD8TB8U-128G-1122)
  • SanDisk X400 SSD SATA 2.5" 7mm 256GB SED
    (P/N: SD8TB8U-256G-1122)
  • SanDisk X400 SSD SATA 2.5" 7mm 512GB SED
    (P/N: SD8TB8U-512G-1122)
  • SanDisk X400 SSD SATA 2.5" 7mm 1TB SED
    (P/N: SD8TB8U-1T00-1122)

Not very transparent on SanDisk’s behalf… the X400 datasheet and product info should more clearly delineate which drives support enhanced security features, and which do not.

Availability - The X400 SED-capable drives aren’t scheduled to be available until sometime during Q2 2016 (referenced in datasheet fine print), as of 19 April 2016 they are still not available for purchase in the US.

Since OPAL 2.0 relies on hardware-based encryption, this is not a feature that could be added via firmware updates.

FYI