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Powering ProLiant Gen10 Plus Servers with Secure, High-Performance Storage

Powering ProLiant Gen10 Plus Servers with Secure, High-Performance Storage

Introduction

The HPE 3.2TB 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) Digitally Signed Firmware NVMe PCIe x4 Mainstream Performance SCN Mixed Use Solid State Drive (SSD) is a high-performance storage solution designed specifically for HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus servers. Engineered to deliver exceptional speed, reliability, and endurance, this SSD is ideal for mixed-use workloads, such as transactional databases, virtualization, and analytics. With its advanced features, including digitally signed firmware and compatibility with HPE’s Smart Carrier NVMe (SCN), this drive ensures secure, efficient, and scalable storage for enterprise environments.

This article provides a detailed overview of the HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD, covering its specifications, features, performance metrics, compatibility, and benefits for modern data centers.

Key Specifications

The HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD is designed with enterprise-grade specifications to meet the needs of demanding workloads. Below are its core technical details:

Device Details

Device Type: Solid State Drive (SSD) - Hot-Swap

Capacity: 3.2TB

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

Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x4 (NVMe)

Physical and Connectivity

Plug Type: Hot-Pluggable

Carrier Type: HPE Smart Carrier NVMe (SCN)

Connectivity: Single Port

Height: 15.00 mm (0.60 inch)

Performance and Endurance

Workload Type: Mixed Use

NAND Flash Memory Type: Triple-Level Cell (TLC)

Features: Digitally Signed Firmware (DS)

Platform Supported: HPE ProLiant Rack/Tower/BladeSystem Servers/Synergy

Endurance (Drive Writes Per Day, DWPD): 3.50

30 Days Writes: 20,440 TB

Performance Metrics

The HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD delivers impressive performance, making it suitable for high-throughput and low-latency applications:

Sequential Performance

Maximum Sequential Read Throughput: 3,300 MiB/s

Maximum Sequential Write Throughput: 2,400 MiB/s

Random Performance

Random Read Average Latency (4KiB, Q1): 100 µs

Random Write Average Latency (4KiB, Q1): 25 µs

Random Read IOPS (4KiB, Q=16): 157,000

Random Write IOPS (4KiB, Q=16): 169,000

Maximum Random Read IOPS (4KiB): 650,000 @ Q256

Maximum Random Write IOPS (4KiB): 175,000 @ Q16

These metrics highlight the SSD’s ability to handle both sequential and random I/O operations efficiently, making it ideal for mixed-use workloads that require a balance of read and write performance.

Key Features

Digitally Signed Firmware (DS)

The HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD incorporates digitally signed firmware, a critical security feature that ensures the firmware comes from a trusted source. This prevents unauthorized access and protects data integrity, safeguarding enterprise data against potential threats. The digitally signed firmware aligns with HPE’s commitment to security, reducing the risk of firmware-based attacks.

HPE Smart Carrier NVMe (SCN)

The SSD is bundled with HPE’s Smart Carrier NVMe, which simplifies drive management. The Smart Carrier includes status icons that provide at-a-glance information about the drive’s health and operational status. Additionally, a “do not remove” button helps prevent accidental data loss due to human error during maintenance.

Mixed-Use Workload Optimization

Designed for mixed-use workloads, this SSD supports applications with a combination of read and write operations. With an endurance rating of 3.50 DWPD and 20,440 TB of writes over 30 days, it is well-suited for environments like transactional databases, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and data analytics.

NVMe PCIe x4 Interface

The SSD leverages the NVMe protocol over a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, delivering significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency compared to traditional SATA or SAS SSDs. This interface ensures faster data transfers, enabling quicker response times for critical applications.

Hot-Swap Capability

The hot-swap design allows the SSD to be replaced or upgraded without powering down the server, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous operation in mission-critical environments.

HPE SmartSSD Wear Gauge

The SSD integrates with HPE’s SmartSSD Wear Gauge, a monitoring tool that tracks the drive’s lifespan and wear levels. This feature enables proactive maintenance, helping administrators identify and replace drives at risk of failure before they impact operations.

Compatibility with HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus Servers

The HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD is specifically designed for HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus servers, including models such as:

Supported Server Models

DL325 Gen10 Plus

DL345 Gen10 Plus

DL360 Gen10 Plus

DL365 Gen10 Plus

DL380 Gen10 Plus

DL385 Gen10 Plus

These servers are equipped with 2.5-inch Smart Carrier NVMe (SCN) drive bays, ensuring seamless integration with the SSD. The drive is also compatible with HPE ProLiant Rack, Tower, BladeSystem, and Synergy platforms, providing flexibility for various deployment scenarios.

Configuration Recommendation

For optimal performance, HPE recommends using a single type of SSD (e.g., NVMe, SAS, or SATA) within a server to maintain consistent performance and avoid bottlenecks caused by differing drive speeds.

Benefits for Enterprise Environments

Enhanced Performance

The HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD offers superior performance compared to SATA SSDs, with up to 3,300 MiB/s sequential read throughput and 650,000 random read IOPS. This enables faster data access and processing, critical for applications like real-time analytics and high-transaction databases.

High Reliability and Endurance

Backed by over 3.35 million hours of testing and qualification, HPE’s mixed-use SSDs are built for reliability. The 3.50 DWPD endurance rating ensures the drive can handle intensive write operations over its lifespan, making it suitable for demanding enterprise workloads.

Improved Security

The digitally signed firmware and HPE’s robust security features protect against unauthorized access and firmware tampering, ensuring data integrity and compliance with enterprise security standards.

Cost Efficiency

By delivering high performance and endurance, the HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD reduces the need for additional servers, lowering operational costs related to power, cooling, and data center space. Its compatibility with HPE’s Smart Carrier NVMe also simplifies maintenance, reducing administrative overhead.

Scalability

With a 3.2TB capacity, this SSD provides ample storage for growing data needs. When deployed in HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus servers, such as the DL380 Gen10 Plus, which supports up to 307.2TB of NVMe storage (20 x 15.36TB), it enables scalable storage solutions for large-scale enterprise applications.

Use Cases

The HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD is ideal for a variety of enterprise applications, including:

Transactional Databases

High random read/write IOPS and low latency ensure fast query responses and transaction processing.

Virtualization

Supports virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and virtual machine hosting with consistent performance across mixed workloads.

Data Analytics

Accelerates data processing for real-time analytics and big data applications.

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

Provides fast data access for media streaming and content delivery.

High-Performance Computing (HPC)

Supports compute-intensive workloads with high throughput and low latency.

Conclusion

The HPE 3.2TB 2.5-inch SFF Digitally Signed Firmware NVMe PCIe x4 Mainstream Performance SCN Mixed Use SSD is a powerful and reliable storage solution for HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus servers. Its combination of high performance, robust security features, and enterprise-grade endurance makes it an excellent choice for mixed-use workloads in modern data centers. With features like digitally signed firmware, HPE Smart Carrier NVMe, and compatibility with a wide range of HPE servers, this SSD delivers the speed, scalability, and reliability that enterprises need to stay competitive.

For organizations looking to enhance their server performance while maintaining security and efficiency, the HPE 3.2TB NVMe SSD is a compelling option that delivers measurable value.

May 23rd 2025 Mike Anderson

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