Skip to main content
When you delete a server, its disks are sanitized before the server is made available to anyone else. Each disk is erased with its own built-in sanitize commands, using the strongest method it supports, and the erase is verified before the server returns to inventory.

​
When sanitization runs

Sanitization starts automatically after you delete a server. No action is needed from you. It runs from an isolated in-memory environment, so no disk is in use during the erase and the boot disk is included along with the data disks.

​
Methods by disk type

Each disk is erased with the strongest method it supports. The erase is executed by the disk itself, and disks are sanitized in parallel.

​
NVMe SSD

  1. Cryptographic erase (drive sanitize). The disk replaces its internal encryption key, so everything written under the previous key is unreadable.
  2. Block erase (drive sanitize). The disk erases every flash block, including blocks outside the addressable space.
  3. Cryptographic erase (NVMe format). The disk replaces its internal encryption key through the format command.
  4. User data erase (NVMe format). The disk erases all user data.

​
SATA SSD

  1. Cryptographic erase (drive sanitize). The disk replaces its internal encryption key.
  2. Block erase (drive sanitize). The disk erases every flash block.
  3. ATA Secure Erase. The disk runs its own secure erase command.

​
SATA HDD

  1. Cryptographic erase (drive sanitize). The disk replaces its internal encryption key.
  2. Block erase (drive sanitize). The disk erases every sector.

​
Disks in a RAID array

The array is dismantled and the RAID controller runs its sanitize command on every disk. Each disk is then verified individually. The primary methods are consistent with the Purge category of NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1.

​
Verification

Before the erase, known markers are written at fixed positions across each disk: the start, near the start, the middle, and near the end. After the erase, the disk is read back at those positions. A disk passes only when none of the markers remain.

​
Sanitization report

If you need a record of the sanitization for compliance, contact support with the server ID. The report includes the date of the run, the method used on each disk, and its verification result.