12W3T Dell PERC H840 SAS-12GBPS PCI-Express 3.1 8-Lane RAID Controller

Overview of 12W3T Dell SAS-12GBPS PCI-E RAID Controller

The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 SAS-12GBPS PCI-Express 3.1 8-Lane RAID Controller with 4GB NV Cache is a cutting-edge storage solution designed to provide high-performance RAID functionality for demanding enterprise environments. This PCI-Express 3.1 8-Lane RAID controller is built to handle heavy data loads while ensuring the safety and integrity of your stored information. The inclusion of a 4GB NV (Non-Volatile) cache makes it ideal for applications that require fast and reliable data access. With support for up to 12GBps SAS connectivity, the PERC H840 delivers an exceptional combination of speed, scalability, and reliability for high-demand workloads in data centers, cloud storage, and other enterprise systems.

Key Features of the 12W3T Dell PERC H840

• High-Speed Connectivity: With support for 12Gbps SAS and PCI-Express 3.1 x8 lanes, the PERC H840 ensures fast data transfer rates and low latency, optimizing storage performance.
• Enhanced Reliability: The 4GB NV cache improves performance by providing a temporary storage area for frequently accessed data, reducing access time and boosting I/O operations.
• Scalability: Designed to scale with the growing needs of modern data centers, this RAID controller supports large numbers of storage devices, including SAS and SATA drives.
• Multiple RAID Configurations: The PERC H840 supports various RAID levels (RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60), providing flexibility to configure storage arrays to meet different redundancy and performance requirements.
• Advanced Data Protection: The controller features enhanced data protection technologies such as RAID, disk scrubbing, and hot spares to ensure data integrity and minimize downtime.

Improved Storage Performance

Performance is a key consideration when choosing a RAID controller for enterprise storage needs. The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 provides significant performance improvements over older models. With PCI-Express 3.1 8-lane support, the controller maximizes data throughput, making it capable of handling large amounts of data with low latency. This enhanced performance is especially important for applications that demand quick access to large datasets, such as virtualization, database management, and real-time analytics.

Enhanced Data Protection

Data integrity is crucial for businesses relying on large-scale data storage. The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 offers a variety of built-in technologies to safeguard your data. In addition to its support for multiple RAID levels, the controller features advanced error recovery mechanisms, including background consistency checking, disk scrubbing, and automatic rebuilds of degraded arrays. These features help reduce the risk of data loss and ensure the availability of your critical data at all times.

RAID Level Flexibility

The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 supports a wide range of RAID configurations, allowing businesses to balance performance, data redundancy, and storage capacity according to their specific needs. Common RAID levels include:

• RAID 0: Striping across multiple disks for maximum performance, but with no data redundancy.
• RAID 1: Mirroring data across two disks for redundancy and protection against data loss.
• RAID 5: A combination of striping and parity for improved storage efficiency and fault tolerance.
• RAID 6: Similar to RAID 5, but with an additional parity block for enhanced fault tolerance.
• RAID 10 (1+0): Combines the benefits of RAID 1 and RAID 0 for both redundancy and performance.
• RAID 50: A nested RAID configuration combining RAID 5 with RAID 0 for both capacity and performance.
• RAID 60: A nested RAID configuration combining RAID 6 with RAID 0 for improved redundancy and performance.

Cost-Effective Scaling

As enterprises grow and data storage demands increase, scalability becomes essential. The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 offers excellent scalability features. With support for numerous hard drives and up to 12Gbps SAS connections, this RAID controller can handle large-scale storage arrays. The modular nature of the PERC H840 also means that additional storage devices can be added without significant disruption, making it an ideal choice for growing businesses.

Seamless Integration with Dell Servers

As a Dell product, the 12W3T Dell PERC H840 is designed to integrate seamlessly with Dell PowerEdge servers. This ensures compatibility and ease of installation, minimizing the risk of configuration errors. The controller is also supported by Dell’s OpenManage systems management software, allowing IT administrators to easily monitor and manage the RAID arrays and storage systems through a centralized interface. This level of integration streamlines administrative workflows and reduces the time spent managing storage resources.

Non-Volatile (NV) Cache for Improved Performance

The 4GB NV cache on the 12W3T Dell PERC H840 offers several performance benefits. This non-volatile memory acts as a buffer between the storage drives and the rest of the system, allowing frequently accessed data to be retrieved quickly. By reducing latency and increasing throughput, the NV cache ensures that data-intensive applications, such as video editing, 3D rendering, and large-scale simulations, run smoothly. Additionally, the NV cache retains data even in the event of power loss, ensuring that no data is lost during unexpected shutdowns.

Compatibility with SAS and SATA Drives

The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 is compatible with both SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) and SATA (Serial ATA) hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). This compatibility provides flexibility in choosing storage devices based on performance and cost requirements. While SAS drives offer faster performance and higher reliability, SATA drives are typically more affordable, making them a viable option for less performance-intensive applications.

High-Density Storage Solutions

As the need for high-capacity storage continues to rise, businesses are increasingly looking for solutions that can support a large number of drives in a compact form factor. The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 is designed to accommodate high-density storage configurations, making it ideal for businesses with large storage needs. It supports a broad range of drive types, including enterprise-class hard drives and SSDs, enabling the creation of massive storage pools that can handle extensive data workloads.

Enterprise-Class Data Security

The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 also incorporates a range of security features to protect sensitive data. In addition to its built-in RAID functionality, it supports features such as secure encryption for data-at-rest, ensuring that stored data remains protected even if storage devices are removed or stolen. The controller also supports advanced security protocols such as Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs), which further enhance data security by automatically encrypting all data written to the drive.

OpenManage Integration

The 12W3T Dell PERC H840 is fully compatible with Dell's OpenManage suite of management tools, allowing IT administrators to monitor, configure, and troubleshoot the RAID controller and its attached storage devices. Through OpenManage, administrators can receive real-time alerts about potential issues with the storage system, including hardware failures, degraded arrays, and capacity warnings. This proactive approach to monitoring reduces the risk of downtime and data loss.

Remote Management Capabilities

In addition to local management, the Dell PERC H840 supports remote management via the OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) interface. This enables administrators to manage the storage system from anywhere, providing flexibility and convenience for IT teams. Remote management capabilities also allow for firmware updates, configuration changes, and troubleshooting without requiring physical access to the server, which is crucial for data centers and other large-scale environments.

Firmware and Software Support

To ensure the 12W3T Dell PERC H840 continues to deliver optimal performance, it is regularly updated with new firmware and software releases. Dell provides ongoing support for this RAID controller, ensuring compatibility with the latest operating systems and hardware configurations. Regular firmware updates help enhance the controller's performance, add new features, and resolve any security vulnerabilities that may arise.