What is an internal USB/SD boot module used for in some server designs?

• A. A PCIe switch that fans out lanes to devices.
• B. Embedded storage used for hypervisors/boot images in some server designs.
• C. A management network device.
• D. A cable management arm.

Answer: (B)

An internal USB/SD boot module is used as the small, non-volatile source that holds the boot loader, hypervisor, or operating system image used to start the server. On power-up, the firmware can load the boot image from this removable internal medium, allowing the system to boot even if the main drives aren’t yet configured. This makes provisioning, re-imaging, and recovery straightforward, and it keeps the boot environment separate from data storage. It’s different from a PCIe switch, a management network device, or a cable management arm, which serve other purposes in the hardware.