nvme-error-information-log · shipping · also NVMe Error Information, NVMe log page 01h

NVMe Error Information Log

The NVMe Error Information Log is controller-wide log page 01h containing bounded, newest-first records of command errors and other reported errors.

Related Observatory article: NVMe Error Information Log on hesela.com

Records are 64 bytes; Identify Controller ELPE is a zero-based capacity. When full, the controller should replace the oldest record and should clear records on power cycle or Controller Level Reset. These are recommendations, not guarantees for every device. [1]

The retained 64-bit Error Count identifies entries and wraps from its maximum to 1; zero marks an invalid entry. It differs from the 128-bit lifetime health-log counter. Neither counts retained records. Status, command, namespace and transport fields establish context; the historically named LBA field carries command-set-specific error data when applicable. [1] [2]

nvme-cli v2.13 defaults to requesting 64 entries; respect controller capacity. Requested entries are not observed errors. [3]

A historical smartctl 7.4 monitoring request increased the counter, with a fix confirmed in March 2024. Do not generalize this to current tools or all devices. [6]

smartctl 7.5 text includes Phase Tag; JSON status_field.value shifts right once and stores phase_tag separately. Raw 0x4004 and 0x4005 become 8194 (0x2002), type 0/code 2. Do not shift normalized JSON again. The tool treats 0xffff as unavailable. [4]

smartd 7.5 makes this increase critical only with a retained new device-related status; non-device-related or missing entries yield an informational message. Missing entries leave their causes unknown, not proven harmless. [5]

Relations

related

NVMe Error Information Log Entries, NVMe SMART log, NVMe Media and Data Integrity Errors, NVMe Persistent Event Log

Limitations

• Preserve diagnostic details before disruptive recovery when feasible, without delaying safety-critical recovery solely to collect logs. [1]

Citations

1. NVM Express Base 2.3, section 5.2.12.1.2, Figure 209 and Identify Controller ELPE: error entries and capacity (accessed 2026-10-19)
2. NVM Express Base 2.3, Figure 210: lifetime Number of Error Information Log Entries (accessed 2026-10-19)
3. nvme-cli v2.13: error-log request count and output formats (accessed 2026-10-19)
4. smartmontools 7.5, nvmeprint.cpp: raw status display, phase removal and JSON fields (accessed 2026-10-19)
5. smartmontools 7.5, smartd.conf: NVMe error-log severity policy (accessed 2026-10-19)
6. smartmontools issue 217: historical self-test-log request increased error count; reporter confirmed fix in March 2024 (accessed 2026-10-19)

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