Smart Array P721M

SAS-SATA Controller - Smart Array P721M

Overview

SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) and SATA (Serial ATA) controllers are critical components for managing hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs) within a server environment. These controllers facilitate the connection, data transmission, and operation of multiple storage devices, ensuring high performance, data integrity, and reliability. A SAS-SATA controller is responsible for managing the flow of data between storage devices and the server's operating system, often involving complex RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations for redundancy and data protection.

Key Features of SAS-SATA Controllers

• Support for both SAS and SATA drives, offering compatibility with a wide range of storage devices.
• RAID support for performance improvement and data redundancy.
• Advanced data security features, including encryption support for data-at-rest protection.
• Optimized for high throughput and low latency, enhancing server performance.
• Hot-swappable drive support, allowing drives to be replaced without shutting down the system.

Smart Array P721M

The Smart Array P721M is a high-performance, 12Gb/s SAS controller designed to provide exceptional connectivity, data management, and storage flexibility for servers. Manufactured by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), the P721M is part of the Smart Array family and supports both SAS and SATA drives, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of storage devices. It is commonly used in enterprise-level systems where high data throughput, reliability, and advanced RAID capabilities are critical for optimal performance.

Key Features of the Smart Array P721M

• 12Gb/s SAS throughput, enabling faster data transfer speeds and improved performance over previous generations.
• RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50, and 6 support, offering a variety of configurations for different redundancy and performance needs.
• Support for up to 8 internal SAS/SATA drives and 2 external SAS/SATA devices, making it suitable for a wide range of server configurations.
• Battery-backed cache option for enhanced write performance and data integrity during power loss events.
• Advanced diagnostic tools and monitoring features, helping IT administrators manage and troubleshoot storage systems effectively.

Compatibility and Integration

Supported Drives

The Smart Array P721M is compatible with both SAS and SATA drives, offering flexibility in selecting storage devices based on performance, capacity, and budget considerations. SAS drives are generally preferred for high-performance applications due to their faster data transfer speeds and higher reliability, while SATA drives are often used for cost-effective, large-capacity storage solutions.

RAID Configuration Options

The P721M supports various RAID levels, including RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, RAID 50, and RAID 6, giving users the ability to choose the right balance of performance and data redundancy for their specific needs.

• RAID 0: Striping across drives, offering the highest performance but no redundancy.
• RAID 1: Mirroring drives for redundancy, ensuring data protection in case of drive failure.
• RAID 5: Stripe with parity, providing a good balance of performance, redundancy, and storage capacity.
• RAID 10: Combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0, offering high performance and redundancy.
• RAID 50: Combination of RAID 5 and RAID 0, delivering both redundancy and high performance.
• RAID 6: Similar to RAID 5, but with dual parity, providing additional data protection in case of multiple drive failures.

Performance and Reliability

12Gb/s SAS Connectivity

The Smart Array P721M supports 12Gb/s SAS speeds, which significantly increase data transfer rates compared to previous generations. This enhanced throughput is crucial for environments with heavy storage demands, such as databases, virtualized environments, and high-performance computing systems. The higher bandwidth ensures that large volumes of data can be moved quickly between storage devices and the server, improving overall system responsiveness and reducing bottlenecks.

Battery-Backed Cache for Enhanced Reliability

One of the standout features of the Smart Array P721M is its optional battery-backed cache. This feature provides temporary storage for write operations, ensuring data integrity even during power failures. In the event of an unexpected power loss, the cache allows the controller to maintain data integrity by writing cached data to the storage drives once power is restored. This helps prevent data corruption and ensures that business-critical data is not lost during downtime.

Data Integrity and Protection

The Smart Array P721M comes equipped with several data integrity features to ensure the security and reliability of stored data. These features include advanced error checking and correction algorithms, as well as the ability to support data encryption at rest. This makes the P721M an ideal solution for environments where data protection and compliance are critical.

Management and Monitoring

HPE Smart Storage Administrator (SSA)

To manage the Smart Array P721M, HPE provides the Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) tool. SSA is a comprehensive storage management software that enables IT administrators to configure, monitor, and maintain storage arrays with ease. It offers an intuitive graphical interface for managing RAID configurations, monitoring drive health, and managing data protection features. SSA also integrates with HPE's OneView platform for centralized management of server and storage resources.

Drive Monitoring and Alerts

For proactive storage management, the P721M includes drive health monitoring and alerting features. The controller can automatically detect drive failures, overheating, or other issues, and notify administrators via email or SNMP traps. This feature helps prevent unplanned downtime and ensures that IT teams can respond to potential issues before they lead to system failure.

Event Logging and Diagnostics

The Smart Array P721M provides robust event logging and diagnostic tools to aid in troubleshooting and maintaining optimal performance. Detailed logs of system events, errors, and drive health status can be accessed through the SSA interface, making it easier for IT professionals to identify issues and take corrective actions swiftly.

Use Cases

Enterprise Servers

The Smart Array P721M is particularly well-suited for enterprise servers that require high storage performance, reliability, and flexibility. Its ability to support multiple RAID levels and a large number of drives makes it an excellent choice for mission-critical applications that cannot afford downtime or data loss. Typical use cases include database servers, application servers, and virtualization platforms.

Virtualization Environments

For virtualized environments, the P721M provides the necessary performance and scalability to support virtual machine storage. It allows multiple virtual machines to share the same physical storage while maintaining performance levels suitable for production workloads. The RAID capabilities help ensure data redundancy and minimize the risk of data loss, which is especially important in virtualized infrastructures.

Data Storage and Backup Solutions

When deployed as part of a storage array or backup solution, the Smart Array P721M ensures efficient and reliable data storage with built-in redundancy. Its support for multiple RAID levels ensures that data can be protected from drive failure, while its high throughput allows for fast data backups and restores. Whether used in direct-attached storage (DAS) or as part of a larger storage area network (SAN), the P721M is a powerful controller for managing large-scale data storage environments.