345-BKFF Dell 3.84Tb SED SAS-24Gbps Read Intensive 1DWPD 2.5Inch SSD.

Product Overview of Dell 3.84TB  SSD

This Dell 3.84TB self-encrypting solid-state drive (SSD) is engineered for enterprise-class performance, designed for Dell EMC PowerEdge servers across various generations. It combines robust data protection, endurance, and high-speed performance for read-intensive applications.

Key Features of the Dell 3.84TB SAS SSD

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Part Number: 345-BKFF
• Hot-swap, enterprise-grade solid-state drive
• 3.84TB capacity tailored for heavy workloads
• BICS Flash™ TLC NAND technology for enhanced durability
• Compact 2.5-inch form factor with a 15mm thickness
• Self-encrypting drive (SED) with FIPS compliance for added security

Technical Specifications

• Type: Solid-state drive, hot-swappable
• Capacity: 3.84TB
• Interface Type: SAS-4 with up to 24Gbps bandwidth
• Form Factor: 2.5-inch, 15mm thickness
• Endurance Rating: 1 Drive Write Per Day (DWPD)
• Encryption: FIPS-compliant self-encrypting drive (SED)

Performance and Reliability

• Sequential Read Speed (128 KiB): Up to 4200 MB/s
• Sequential Write Speed (128 KiB): Up to 3650 MB/s
• Random Read (4 KiB): Up to 720K IOPS
• Random Write (4 KiB): Up to 155K IOPS
• MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures): 2,500,000 hours
• Data Protection: Yes, with advanced loss prevention mechanisms

Interface and Compatibility

• Supported Interface Speeds: 22.5Gbps, 12Gbps, 6Gbps, 3Gbps, and 1.5Gbps
• Primary Interface: 1 x SAS 24Gb/s
• Compatible Bays: 1 x hot-swap 2.5-inch bay

PowerEdge Server Compatibility

The Dell 3.84TB SAS SSD is compatible with a wide array of Dell EMC PowerEdge servers, including:

• PowerEdge C6420, C6520, C6525, C6620
• PowerEdge R350, R440, R450, R550, R640, R650, R650xs, R6515
• PowerEdge R660, R660xs, R6615, R6625, R740, R740xd, R750, R750xa, R750xs, R7515
• PowerEdge R760, R760xa, R760xs, R7615, R7625
• PowerEdge R840, R860, R940, R940xa, R960
• PowerEdge T550, T560
• PowerEdge Xe9680, XR7620
• PowerVault MD2424

Dell 345-BKFF SSD

The Dell 345-BKFF is a cutting-edge 3.84TB Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) solid-state drive designed for enterprise-level storage needs. Its Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, boasting a blazing-fast 24Gbps transfer rate, makes it an ideal solution for read-intensive workloads. The drive offers high performance, security, and reliability, catering to data centers, virtualization environments, and any enterprise application where data availability and security are top priorities. With 1DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day), this SSD provides consistent performance in applications with a high read-to-write ratio, such as online transactions, data analytics, and database querying.

SAS 24Gbps: Elevating Data Transfer Speeds

The Dell 345-BKFF 3.84TB SSD utilizes the SAS 24Gbps interface, which offers enhanced bandwidth and transfer rates. SAS drives are commonly deployed in enterprise environments because of their ability to handle large amounts of data traffic, improve data access times, and support longer cabling distances than SATA drives. The 24Gbps bandwidth ensures that this SSD can rapidly transfer large data files, significantly reducing bottlenecks in performance, especially in environments with multiple concurrent access requests.

How SAS 24Gbps Compares to Other Interfaces

Compared to SATA, which typically maxes out at 6Gbps, the SAS 24Gbps interface offers four times the bandwidth, making it a preferred choice in performance-critical environments. Furthermore, SAS drives often come with dual-port capability, providing high availability and fault tolerance—important features for mission-critical applications. The enhanced speed and resilience of the SAS interface make it suitable for enterprise environments requiring robust, fast, and secure storage solutions.

Read-Intensive Workloads: Tailored for High Read Operations

The Dell 345-BKFF SSD is categorized as a Read-Intensive (RI) drive, meaning it's optimized for applications that perform significantly more read operations than write operations. This makes it suitable for databases, virtual machines, and cloud applications where the majority of operations are read requests. It is designed to provide excellent read performance, ensuring quick data retrieval times and minimizing latency.

Application Examples for Read-Intensive SSDs

• Virtualization: Virtual machines typically require fast read speeds to access data and system files, making the Dell 345-BKFFideal for such use cases.
• Database Applications: Databases that focus heavily on read operations, such as query processing and report generation, benefit from the high read throughput of this SSD.
• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): CDNs rely on rapid content access, where fast read speeds are crucial for performance.
• Big Data Analytics: When processing large datasets, the ability to quickly read data improves overall analytic performance.

SED (Self-Encrypting Drive): Enhanced Security Features

Data security is a critical concern in today’s enterprise landscape, and the Dell 345-BKFF addresses this with its Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) capabilities. SEDs automatically encrypt all data written to the drive, ensuring that sensitive information is protected at rest. If the drive is removed or replaced, the data remains inaccessible without the proper encryption keys.

Advantages of SED Technology in Enterprise Environments

• Data Protection: Ensures data is secure even if the physical drive is stolen or lost.
• Performance Impact: Unlike software-based encryption, SED performs encryption at the hardware level, ensuring that security doesn't come at the cost of performance.
• Regulatory Compliance: Helps organizations meet data security regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and others that require encryption for data at rest.

1 DWPD: Durability for Long-Term Reliability

One of the critical metrics for SSDs is the DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day), which measures the endurance of the drive based on how many times it can be written to each day throughout its warranty period. The Dell 345-BKFF has a 1 DWPD rating, meaning it can handle one full write of its total capacity per day. This rating is more than sufficient for read-intensive workloads, which typically do not require high write endurance.

Importance of DWPD for Enterprise SSDs

For applications with heavy read and light write operations, 1 DWPD ensures a balance between endurance and performance. It allows the drive to operate reliably over time while minimizing the risk of wear-out. This makes the Dell 345-BKFF an excellent choice for environments like data centers or cloud-based storage systems, where drives must operate continuously without frequent replacement.

Optimized for Data Centers and Enterprise Applications

In modern data centers, storage performance and efficiency are key factors. The Dell 345-BKFF SSD fits seamlessly into enterprise environments where reliability, speed, and security are crucial. With its SAS 24Gbps interface, large capacity, and SED features, it is built to handle the demanding workloads found in today’s IT infrastructure. Enterprises can expect reduced latency, higher throughput, and increased operational efficiency when deploying this SSD in critical applications.

Deployment Scenarios

• Cloud Storage: As businesses increasingly rely on cloud infrastructure, the need for reliable, fast storage grows. The Dell 345-BKFF is an excellent choice for cloud service providers looking to enhance their storage systems.
• Data Warehousing: Large-scale data repositories require fast access and retrieval of stored data. This SSD helps improve query response times, enhancing the overall performance of data warehouse systems.
• Virtualized Environments: In environments where multiple virtual machines operate simultaneously, storage must meet high read demand. The 345-BKFF excels at reducing latency and ensuring smooth operation for VMs.

Reliability and Data Integrity

The Dell 345-BKFF 3.84TB SSD incorporates advanced error correction code (ECC) technology and wear-leveling algorithms to maintain the integrity of the data stored on the drive. These technologies help prolong the life of the SSD and ensure that data is consistently read and written without errors. The drive’s high reliability is further enhanced by its dual-port SAS interface, which provides redundancy and failover capabilities.

Advanced ECC and Wear-Leveling

• Error Correction: The drive uses sophisticated ECC algorithms to detect and correct errors, ensuring data integrity over long-term use.
• Wear-Leveling: This feature ensures that write operations are distributed evenly across the memory cells of the SSD, prolonging the drive’s life and preventing premature wear-out.
• Endurance: The drive’s design ensures it can handle demanding read and write operations, making it suitable for enterprise-grade workloads.

Form Factor: 2.5-Inch SSD for Versatile Integration

The 2.5-inch form factor of the Dell 345-BKFF SSD makes it compatible with a wide range of servers and storage arrays. This compact size allows for easy integration into existing systems without requiring specialized hardware modifications. The drive can be used in both small and large enterprise setups, offering flexibility in deployment.

2.5-Inch Form Factor Benefits

• Compact Size: The 2.5-inch form factor is smaller and more energy-efficient than traditional 3.5-inch drives, allowing for higher density deployments in data centers.
• Compatibility: This form factor is supported by a vast array of servers, workstations, and storage devices, making it an easy upgrade for enterprise environments.
• Energy Efficiency: Smaller drives typically consume less power, contributing to reduced operational costs in data centers.

Enterprise-Grade Performance for Read-Intensive Applications

One of the primary selling points of the Dell 345-BKFF SSD is its ability to deliver enterprise-grade performance for read-heavy environments. With its combination of high-capacity storage, fast SAS interface, and advanced data protection features, this SSD is optimized for enterprise workloads where read operations dominate. It ensures faster access to data and minimal delays in operations, leading to better overall system performance.

Maximizing Throughput and Reducing Latency

In enterprise environments, high throughput and low latency are critical to maintaining smooth operations. The Dell 345-BKFF delivers both by leveraging its 24Gbps SAS interface, advanced caching techniques, and high read IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second). This ensures that applications with intensive data retrieval needs can operate efficiently without bottlenecks, improving overall productivity.

Enterprise Storage Use Cases

• Web Hosting and Cloud Services: Large-scale web hosting platforms benefit from the fast data access provided by this SSD, ensuring that websites and applications load quickly for end users.
• Financial Services: In sectors where real-time data analysis and access are critical, the fast read speeds of the 345-BKFF SSD can help reduce latency and improve decision-making processes.
• Scientific Research: High-performance computing environments, such as those used in scientific research, require fast access to vast amounts of data. The Dell 345-BKFF delivers the read speeds necessary for such applications.

Cost Efficiency and Longevity

Despite its high performance and robust features, the Dell 345-BKFF SSD offers excellent cost efficiency for enterprises. Its 1DWPD endurance ensures that the drive will last for years in environments where write operations are minimal, reducing the need for frequent replacements. This lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO), making it a wise investment for organizations looking to optimize their storage infrastructure without overspending on high-write endurance SSDs.

Reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

• Long-Lasting Durability: With its 1 DWPD rating and advanced wear-leveling technology, the Dell 345-BKFF is built to last, reducing the need for frequent drive replacements.
• Energy Efficiency: Its 2.5-inch form factor and low power consumption contribute to lower operational costs, especially in large-scale data centers.
• High Performance at Lower Cost: Optimized for read-intensive tasks, this SSD offers superior performance at a price point that makes it accessible for a wide range of enterprise applications.