UCS-SD38T61X-EV Cisco 3.8TB SATA 6GBPS SSD Hot Swap Enterprise Value

Cisco UCS-SD38T61X-EV UCS Enterprise Value 3.8TB SATA SSD

Overview of Cisco UCS Enterprise Value SSD Series

The Cisco UCS-SD38T61X-EV UCS Enterprise Value SSD series represents a strategic balance between performance, capacity, and cost-effectiveness for enterprise storage solutions. These drives are specifically engineered to deliver reliable storage performance for a wide range of business applications while maintaining the stringent quality standards expected from Cisco's Unified Computing System portfolio.

Strategic Positioning in the Cisco Storage Portfolio

Situated between entry-level and performance-optimized SSDs, the Enterprise Value series addresses the growing need for high-capacity storage that doesn't compromise on reliability or enterprise features. The UCS-SD38T61X-EV model, with its substantial 3.8TB capacity, provides organizations with a compelling storage density that maximizes rack space utilization while minimizing total cost of ownership.

Target Workloads and Use Cases

These drives are ideally suited for read-intensive applications, archival storage, secondary storage tiers, and environments where cost-per-gigabyte is a significant consideration without sacrificing the benefits of solid-state technology.

Key Specifications and Architecture

Capacity and Form Factor Details

The UCS-SD38T61X-EV offers a formatted capacity of 3.8TB, presented in a standard 2.5-inch hot-swappable form factor with a height of 15mm. This physical specification ensures compatibility with a wide range of Cisco UCS servers and storage systems while providing the substantial storage density that modern data centers require.

Interface and Protocol Support

Utilizing the SATA 6Gbps interface, this drive maintains broad compatibility with existing infrastructure while delivering sequential read speeds up to 560MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 530MB/s. The SATA interface ensures seamless integration with Cisco UCS C-Series and B-Series servers without requiring specialized controllers or infrastructure changes.

NAND Technology and Endurance Characteristics

Built with high-quality TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND flash memory, the UCS-SD38T61X-EV strikes an optimal balance between cost, capacity, and endurance. With a specified endurance rating of 1.3 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) over a 5-year warranty period, this drive is engineered to handle typical enterprise workloads with reliability.

Advanced Wear Leveling and Bad Block Management

Sophisticated wear-leveling algorithms distribute write operations evenly across all available memory cells, preventing premature wear on specific sectors. Combined with advanced bad block management and over-provisioning, these technologies extend the operational lifespan of the drive while maintaining consistent performance throughout its service life.

Performance Characteristics and Benchmarks

Sequential and Random I/O Performance

In standardized testing, the UCS-SD38T61X-EV demonstrates consistent sequential read performance of up to 560MB/s and sequential write performance of up to 530MB/s. For random I/O operations, the drive achieves up to 97,000 IOPS for random reads and 30,000 IOPS for random writes, making it well-suited for mixed workload environments.

Quality of Service and Latency Consistency

Cisco has implemented advanced QoS features that maintain predictable response times even under heavy load conditions. Typical read latency remains under 85 microseconds, while write latency stays below 20 microseconds, ensuring consistent application performance across varying workload intensities.

Sustained Performance Under Extended Workloads

Unlike consumer-grade SSDs that may experience significant performance degradation during sustained write operations, the UCS-SD38T61X-EV maintains consistent throughput thanks to its enterprise-optimized firmware, power-loss protection, and sufficient over-provisioning. This makes it suitable for applications requiring continuous data ingestion or processing.

Reliability and Serviceability Features

Enterprise-Grade Reliability Metrics

With a specified MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 2 million hours and an annualized failure rate of 0.44%, the UCS-SD38T61X-EV meets the rigorous reliability standards demanded by enterprise environments. These metrics translate to higher system availability and reduced maintenance overhead.

Advanced Error Correction and Data Protection

The drive implements sophisticated LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) error correction algorithms that can detect and correct a substantially higher number of bit errors compared to consumer SSDs. Combined with end-to-end data path protection, this ensures data integrity from the host interface to the NAND media.

Hot-Swap Capability and Serviceability

Designed for always-on environments, the hot-swap capability allows for drive replacement without system shutdown. Combined with Cisco's extensive global support network and straightforward service procedures, this minimizes downtime and simplifies maintenance operations.

Power Efficiency and Thermal Characteristics

Power Consumption Profiles

The UCS-SD38T61X-EV operates with typical active power consumption of 4.5 watts during read/write operations and idle power as low as 1.5 watts. These efficiency characteristics contribute to lower operational costs and reduced cooling requirements in dense server deployments.

Thermal Management and Cooling Requirements

Enterprise SSDs generate less heat than traditional hard drives, but the UCS-SD38T61X-EV includes advanced thermal monitoring and throttling mechanisms to maintain optimal operating temperatures. These features prevent performance degradation due to overheating while extending the drive's operational lifespan.

Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure

With its balance of capacity and performance, the UCS-SD38T61X-EV is well-suited for virtualization hosts, particularly for storing less frequently accessed virtual machines, templates, and backup data. The substantial 3.8TB capacity allows for significant VM density per drive.

Big Data and Analytics Workloads

For big data applications where capacity and cost-effectiveness are primary considerations, this drive provides the performance benefits of SSD technology without the premium cost of performance-optimized models. It's particularly effective for warm data storage in tiered analytics architectures.

Content Delivery and Media Storage

The sequential read performance of the UCS-SD38T61X-EV makes it suitable for content delivery networks, media streaming platforms, and digital asset management systems where large files need to be served efficiently to multiple concurrent users.

Comparative Analysis Within the Cisco SSD Portfolio

Positioning Against Other Cisco SSD Families

The Enterprise Value series occupies a strategic middle ground between the Entry series (optimized for maximum cost efficiency) and the Performance series (designed for write-intensive workloads). This positioning makes it the default choice for general-purpose enterprise storage requirements.

Value Proposition Compared to Alternatives

When compared to SAS-based SSDs, the UCS-SD38T61X-EV offers a more cost-effective solution for workloads that don't require the highest levels of I/O performance. Compared to traditional hard drives, it delivers significantly better performance, reliability, and power efficiency with minimal price premium per gigabyte.