Description
Product Overview for the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Storage Card
The HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array SAS 12Gbps SATA 6Gbps PCI-E Controller is a sophisticated hardware component designed to enhance storage capabilities within a server system. In this detailed exploration, we will delve into the key features, benefits, and technical specifications of this controller, shedding light on how it contributes to improved data management and storage performance.
Overview of HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller
The HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller is a high-performance storage solution crafted by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). As a PCI Express (PCI-E) controller, it is designed to be compatible with a range of servers, providing a seamless integration for users seeking to optimize their storage infrastructure.
Key Features
- Flexible Connectivity: One of the standout features of the HPE 804394-B21 is its support for both SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) and SATA (Serial ATA) drive technologies. This flexibility ensures compatibility with a diverse array of storage devices, allowing users to tailor their storage configuration to meet specific performance and capacity requirements.
- High-Speed Data Transfer: With SAS 12Gbps and SATA 6Gbps support, this controller facilitates swift data transfer between the server and connected storage devices. The high data transfer rates are essential for demanding applications and workloads, ensuring that data-intensive processes can be handled efficiently without bottlenecks.
- RAID Support: The HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller comes equipped with RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) support. This feature enables users to configure multiple drives in various RAID levels, enhancing data protection, performance, or a combination of both based on specific business needs.
Technical Specifications
Understanding the technical specifications of the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller is crucial for making informed decisions about its integration into a server infrastructure.
- Form Factor: The controller follows a PCI Express form factor, which is a widely adopted and standardized interface for connecting various hardware components within a server. The PCI-E interface ensures compatibility with a broad range of server models and facilitates easy installation.
- Compatibility: The HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller is designed to be compatible with HPE ProLiant Gen9 and Gen10 servers. This compatibility ensures seamless integration for users utilizing these server models, providing a plug-and-play solution for storage expansion and optimization.
- Cache Memory: The controller features onboard cache memory, contributing to improved data transfer speeds and overall system performance. The size of the cache memory is a critical factor that influences the controller’s ability to handle data efficiently, making it an important consideration for users with specific performance requirements.
- Drive Support: The HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller supports a variety of drive types, including SAS and SATA drives. Understanding the supported drive types and their respective capacities is essential for users planning to configure their storage infrastructure using this controller.
Benefits of Using HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller
- Enhanced Storage Performance: By leveraging the high-speed data transfer capabilities of SAS 12Gbps and SATA 6Gbps, the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller significantly enhances storage performance. This is particularly beneficial for applications that require quick access to large volumes of data, such as database management systems and virtualization environments.
- Increased Storage Flexibility: The controller’s support for both SAS and SATA drive technologies provides users with increased flexibility when designing their storage environment. This flexibility allows organizations to choose the most suitable storage devices based on factors such as cost, performance, and capacity, tailoring the infrastructure to their specific needs.
- Robust Data Protection with RAID: The inclusion of RAID support in the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller adds an extra layer of data protection. Users can configure RAID levels based on their priorities, whether it be redundancy, improved performance, or a balance between the two. This feature is particularly crucial in mission-critical environments where data integrity is paramount.
- Seamless Integration with HPE Servers: The controller’s compatibility with HPE ProLiant Gen9 and Gen10 servers ensures seamless integration into existing server infrastructures. This compatibility simplifies the installation process and allows users to leverage the controller’s capabilities without the need for extensive hardware modifications.
Use Cases
To provide a practical perspective on the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller, let’s explore some common use cases where this controller can prove invaluable.
- Database Management: In database management scenarios, quick and reliable access to data is crucial for maintaining optimal application performance. The high-speed data transfer capabilities of the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller make it well-suited for environments where databases are frequently accessed and updated.
- Virtualization Environments: Virtualized environments often require efficient storage solutions to handle the increased load generated by multiple virtual machines running concurrently. The controller’s support for RAID configurations enhances data protection and performance, making it an ideal choice for virtualized infrastructures.
- Data Backup and Archiving: For organizations emphasizing data backup and archiving, the flexibility in drive support provided by the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller allows them to choose cost-effective storage solutions without sacrificing performance. RAID support adds an extra layer of security, ensuring data integrity during backup and archival processes.
Performance of Smart Array
The HPE Smart Array 804394-B21 is an SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) controller that provides advanced data storage and management capabilities for servers and storage systems. It is part of HPE’s Smart Array family of controllers which are known for their advanced features and capabilities.
The Smart Array uses the 12 Gbps SAS data transfer rate, which is backward compatible with SAS 6 Gbps and SAS 3 Gbps, providing fast data transfer speeds and high performance. It connects to a server or storage system via a PCI Express (PCIe) interface, which provides a high-speed and reliable connection between the controller and the host system, making it well-suited for use in high-performance environments such as data centers and enterprise environments.
The Smart Array provides RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) support, which allows for data to be distributed across multiple hard drives to improve performance and protect against data loss in the event of a drive failure. RAID provides a level of data redundancy and improves performance by allowing multiple hard drives to be used in parallel. It supports different RAID levels such as RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 etc.
Scalability
The HPE Scalability 804394-B21 is a 12GB SAS PCIE controller card for use in servers and storage systems. It is used to connect SAS-based storage devices to a server or storage system and supports data transfer speeds of up to 12 Gbps. This controller card is compatible with a wide range of HPE servers and storage systems.
One aspect of scalability for the Smart Array is its ability to support multiple hard drives and RAID levels, allowing for the expansion of storage capacity as needed. The controller supports RAID levels such as RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, etc, which allows for the distribution of data across multiple hard drives to improve performance and protect against data loss in the event of a drive failure. It is a PCI Express (PCIe) based controller that provides 12 Gb/s SAS connectivity to internal storage. This controller can be used to connect to a variety of SAS-based storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs), and is designed for use in HPE ProLiant servers. It is typically used in enterprise environments where high performance and reliability are required.
General Information about this HPE 804394-B21
- Manufacturer: HPE
- Part Number or SKU# 804394-B21
- Product Type: Controller
- Product Name: Smart Array
Technical Information of PCI-E Controller Adapter
- Storage Interface: SAS-SATA
- Interface: SATA 6Gb/s / SAS 12Gb/s
- Data Transfer Rate: 12 Gbit/s
- Supported Devices: Hard drive, disk array (RAID)
- Channel Qty: 8
- RAID Level: RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10
- Maximum LUNs: 64
Expansion & Connectivity for Smart Array Controller
- Interfaces: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s / SAS 12Gb/s (internal)
Compatibility about SAS-SATA Controller Card
- HPE Apollo 4200 Gen10, 4200 Gen10 384TB 25Gb Capacity Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, 4200 Gen10 384TB Capacity Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, 4200 Gen10 for HPE Ezmeral Container Platform, 4510 Gen10
- HPE Nimble Storage dHCI Large Solution with HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10, Medium Solution with HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10, Small Solution with HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10
- HPE ProLiant DL Series: DL160 Gen10, DL160 Gen10 Base, DL160 Gen10 Entry, DL160 Gen10 SMB, DL180 Gen10 Entry, DL325 Gen10 Base, DL325 Gen10 Plus V2 Base, DL325 Gen10 Solution, DL345 Gen10 Plus Base, DL360 Gen10 All Flash Server for Weka, DL360 Gen10 Compute Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, DL360 Gen10 Low, DL360 Gen10 Network Choice, DL360 Gen10 Performance for Cohesity DataPlatform, DL360 Gen10 Plus, DL360 Gen10 Plus Network Choice, DL360 Gen10 SMB, DL360 Gen10 SMB Network Choice, DL360 Gen10 Solution, DL365 Gen10 Plus, DL380 Gen10 48TB Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, DL380 Gen10 96TB Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, DL380 Gen10 All Flash Server for Datera, DL380 Gen10 Entry SMB, DL380 Gen10 for Cohesity DataPlatform, DL380 Gen10 for SAP HANA Compute Block, DL380 Gen10 High Performance, DL380 Gen10 Hybrid Server for Datera, DL380 Gen10 Network Choice, DL380 Gen10 Network Choice for CTERA, DL380 Gen10 NVMe All Flash Server for Datera, DL380 Gen10 Plus Network Choice, DL380 Gen10 Server for CTERA, DL380 Gen10 SMB, DL380 Gen10 SMB Networking Choice, DL380 Gen10 Solution, DL388 Gen10 Network Choice, DL560 Gen10 for SAP HANA Compute Block
- HPE MicroServer Gen10 Plus Entry, MicroServer Gen10 Plus Performance, MicroServer Gen10 Plus SMB, MicroServer Gen10 Solution
- HPE ProLiant XL Series: XL170r Gen10, XL170r Gen10 24TB Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, XL170r Gen10 36TB Add-on Server for Cohesity DataPlatform, XL170r Gen10 Server for BlueData EPIC, XL190r Gen10, XL190r Gen10 for HPE Ezmeral Container Platform, XL225n Gen10 Plus 1U Node, XL230k Gen10 Compute Tray, XL645d Gen10 Plus
In summary, the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array SAS 12Gbps SATA 6Gbps PCI-E Controller stands as a powerful component in the realm of storage solutions, offering a blend of flexibility, performance, and data protection. As organizations continue to grapple with increasing data demands, investing in a reliable and feature-rich controller is paramount. Whether used in database management, virtualization, or data backup scenarios, this controller proves to be a valuable asset for optimizing storage infrastructures. With its seamless integration with HPE servers, straightforward installation process, and robust management capabilities, the HPE 804394-B21 Smart Array Controller is a compelling choice for those seeking to elevate their storage capabilities.
