HPE 800GB SAS-12Gbps SSD: Unleashing High-Speed Storage for ProLiant Gen8 & Gen9 Servers

Overview of the HPE 800GB 2.5-inch SFF Value Endurance Enterprise Value SAS-12Gbps Smart Carrier Read Intensive SSD

The HPE 800GB 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) Value Endurance Enterprise Value SAS-12Gbps Smart Carrier Read Intensive Solid State Drive (SSD) is a high-performance storage solution designed for HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 servers. Engineered for read-intensive workloads, this SSD offers a balance of performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency, making it ideal for enterprise environments requiring robust storage for applications like big data analytics, cloud computing, and database management. This article provides a detailed exploration of its specifications, features, compatibility, benefits, and use cases, offering valuable insights for IT professionals.

Key Features

The HPE 800GB SSD is equipped with features that enhance its suitability for enterprise applications:

High-Speed SAS-12Gbps Interface: Delivers a data transfer rate of up to 12 Gb/s, doubling the bandwidth of SATA-6Gbps SSDs, ensuring faster data access and improved workload performance.

Value Endurance Design: Optimized for read-intensive workloads with an endurance rating of less than 1 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD), ideal for applications with minimal write operations.

Smart Carrier Technology: Features self-describing icons and a "do not remove" button to prevent data loss from human error, along with integration with HPE’s Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) management tools for enhanced monitoring.

Digitally Signed Firmware: Protects against unauthorized access, ensuring data security and firmware integrity.

Hot-Swap Capability: Allows for seamless drive replacement without powering down the server, minimizing downtime.

Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND Flash: Provides a cost-effective balance between performance and endurance, suitable for read-heavy enterprise applications.

Technical Specifications

The HPE 800GB SSD is designed to meet the demands of enterprise environments with the following specifications:

Device Type: Solid State Drive - Hot-Swap

Capacity: 800 GB

Form Factor: 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF)

Interface: SAS-12Gbps

NAND Flash Memory Type: Multi-Level Cell (MLC)

Endurance DWPD: Less than 1 (Value Endurance)

Drive Transfer Rate: 12 Gb/s (external)

Maximum Sequential Read Throughput: 1000 MiB/s

Height: 15 mm (0.60 inch)

Weight: 23.98 oz

Bundled with: HPE Smart Carrier (SC)

Features: Value Endurance, HPE SmartSSD Wear Gauge

Compatible Bay: 2.5-inch SFF

These specifications ensure the SSD delivers high performance and reliability for read-intensive workloads while maintaining compatibility with HPE ProLiant servers.

Compatibility with HPE ProLiant Servers

The HPE 800GB SSD is compatible with a wide range of HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 servers, making it a versatile choice for various enterprise environments. Supported server series include:

ProLiant DL Series: DL120 (Gen8, Gen9), DL160 (Gen8, Gen9), DL180 (Gen8, Gen9), DL320e (Gen8, Gen9), DL360 (Gen8, Gen9), DL380 (Gen8, Gen9), DL560 (Gen8, Gen9)

ProLiant ML Series: ML110 (Gen8, Gen9), ML150 (Gen8, Gen9), ML310e (Gen8, Gen9), ML350 (Gen8, Gen9)

ProLiant SL Series: SL230s (Gen8, Gen9), SL250s (Gen8, Gen9), SL270s (Gen8, Gen9)

ProLiant XL Series: XL170r (Gen9), XL190r (Gen9), XL220a (Gen9), XL230a (Gen9), XL250a (Gen9)

ProLiant WS Series: WS460c (Gen8, Gen9)

IT administrators are advised to verify compatibility with specific server models using HPE’s compatibility tools or by contacting HPE support to ensure seamless integration.

Performance and Reliability

Performance Metrics

The HPE 800GB SSD is optimized for read-intensive workloads, delivering impressive performance metrics:

Sequential Read Throughput: Up to 1000 MiB/s, enabling rapid data access for large datasets.

Random Read IOPS: High input/output operations per second for random reads, ideal for applications requiring frequent small data accesses, such as databases and analytics platforms.

The SAS-12Gbps interface provides twice the bandwidth of SATA-6Gbps SSDs, resulting in lower latency and faster data transfer rates, which is critical for enterprise applications like data warehousing and cloud computing.

Reliability Features

HPE has rigorously tested its SSDs, with over 3.35 million hours of qualification to ensure reliability. Key reliability features include:

HPE SmartSSD Wear Gauge: Allows IT teams to monitor the drive’s lifespan and predict potential failures, reducing the risk of unexpected downtime.

Digitally Signed Firmware: Prevents unauthorized firmware modifications, enhancing data security.

Smart Carrier Design: Includes status LEDs and a spinning activity ring to provide real-time system status updates, simplifying maintenance.

These features ensure the SSD maintains consistent performance and data integrity under demanding enterprise conditions.

Ideal Use Cases

The HPE 800GB SSD is tailored for read-intensive workloads, making it suitable for a variety of enterprise applications:

Big Data Analytics: High sequential read throughput supports rapid processing of large datasets, ideal for analytics platforms.

Cloud Computing: Low latency and high read IOPS ensure efficient performance in cloud environments with multiple concurrent users.

Database Applications: Optimized for read-heavy database queries, improving query execution times and overall database performance.

Data Warehousing: High-density storage and fast read speeds support large-scale data storage and retrieval.

Active Archiving: Provides cost-effective, high-performance storage for infrequently accessed data.

The SSD’s value endurance design makes it a cost-efficient choice for applications with minimal write operations, offering a favorable cost-per-IOPS compared to traditional 72 GB or 146 GB 15K HDDs.

Benefits for Enterprises

Cost Efficiency

The HPE 800GB SSD offers enterprise-grade features at an entry-level price point, making it an attractive option for organizations looking to adopt SSD technology without significant investment. Its cost-per-IOPS is competitive with traditional HDDs, enabling businesses to achieve higher performance while reducing operational costs.

Scalability and Flexibility

The 2.5-inch SFF design allows for high-density storage configurations, enabling more drives to be installed in a single server chassis. This scalability is ideal for growing businesses requiring flexible storage solutions. The SSD’s compatibility with both Gen8 and Gen9 servers ensures it can be deployed in diverse IT environments.

Ease of Management

Integration with HPE’s iLO management tools simplifies drive monitoring and maintenance. The Smart Carrier’s self-describing icons and “do not remove” button reduce the risk of human error, while the SmartSSD Wear Gauge provides predictive analytics to anticipate drive failures.

Energy Efficiency

SSDs consume less power than traditional HDDs, contributing to lower energy costs and a reduced data center footprint. This aligns with enterprise goals of sustainability and cost reduction.

Comparison with Other HPE SSDs

The HPE 800GB Value Endurance SSD is part of HPE’s broader SSD portfolio, which includes Mixed Use and Write Intensive SSDs:

Mixed Use SSDs (e.g., HPE P21131-B21): Designed for balanced read/write workloads, these SSDs offer higher endurance (DWPD of 3) and are suitable for applications like virtualization and transactional databases. They are compatible with Gen8, Gen9, and Gen10 servers.

Write Intensive SSDs (e.g., HPE P09100-B21): Optimized for write-heavy workloads with a DWPD of 10, these SSDs are ideal for high-performance computing and databases with frequent write operations.

SATA-6Gbps SSDs (e.g., HPE VK0800GEYJT-SC): Offer lower bandwidth (6 Gb/s) and are more cost-effective for less demanding workloads but lack the performance of SAS-12Gbps SSDs.

The Value Endurance SSD is best suited for read-intensive applications, while Mixed Use and Write Intensive SSDs cater to more demanding read/write scenarios.

Conclusion

The HPE 800GB 2.5-inch SFF Value Endurance Enterprise Value SAS-12Gbps Smart Carrier Read Intensive SSD is a reliable, high-performance storage solution for HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 servers. Its SAS-12Gbps interface, MLC NAND flash, and Smart Carrier technology deliver exceptional speed, durability, and manageability for read-intensive workloads. With compatibility across a wide range of ProLiant servers, robust reliability features, and cost-efficient performance, this SSD is an excellent choice for enterprises seeking to enhance their data center capabilities. Whether for big data analytics, cloud computing, or database applications, the HPE 800GB SSD provides the performance and reliability needed to drive business success.