789135-B21 HPE SATA 240GB 6GBPS 2.5" Smart Carrier Read Intensive SSD

HPE 789135-B21 240GB SATA 6GBPS 2.5" Read Intensive SSD

The HPE 789135-B21 240GB SATA 6GBPS 2.5-Inch Internal Smart Carrier Read Intensive SSD is a server-class, enterprise-targeted solid state drive designed and shipped as an HPE option part for ProLiant servers and other HPE storage platforms. This drive is positioned for read-heavy workloads — delivering faster boot, lower latency reads, and predictable performance for database reads, virtualization read caching, content delivery, and other I/O patterns where reads dominate writes. The product is commonly supplied in a 2.5-inch small form factor (SFF) and mounted in HPE’s hot-plug Smart Carrier (SC) for seamless installation and carrier-level status reporting.

Key Features and Core Benefits

Read-Intensive Endurance Profile

As a Read-Intensive (RI) enterprise SSD, the 789135-B21 is optimized for high read throughput and endurance levels appropriate for workloads where writes are limited relative to reads. HPE categorizes enterprise SSDs into Very Read Optimized (VRO), Read Intensive (RI), and Mixed Use (MU) classes — the RI class balances endurance and cost to deliver long-term read performance while keeping total ownership cost competitive. This makes the drive especially attractive for read caches, web servers, virtualization hosts where VM images are read frequently, and analytic engines that perform repeated lookups.

HPE Smart Carrier Integration

The drive ships on HPE’s hot-swap Smart Carrier, providing plug-and-play compatibility with HPE ProLiant drive bays and enclosures. The Smart Carrier adds server-side LEDs and status icons that make it easy to identify drive health and locate failed devices quickly. Some Smart Carrier models include a “do not remove” lockout and indicators to prevent accidental removal during critical operations. This physical carrier simplifies serviceability while ensuring the drive integrates with HPE management software and server firmware.

Standardized SATA 6Gb/s Interface

The 789135-B21 uses the mature SATA 6Gb/s (SATA III) interface, which offers broad compatibility with a wide range of server controllers and backplanes. While NVMe now dominates for the highest IOPS workloads, SATA remains widely used for capacity-optimized, read-heavy functions where cost per GB and ecosystem compatibility are priorities. The SATA interface also eases migration and replacement in many existing HPE server installations.

Enterprise Reliability and Firmware

HPE’s enterprise SSDs are typically shipped with vendor-validated firmware and HPE serial numbers to ensure compatibility with server firmware updates and management software. This drive is intended to meet HPE’s mission-critical validation standards for use in supported ProLiant generations and is often sold both new and as certified refurbished units with verified firmware versions. Buyers benefit from predictable firmware behavior in HPE environments, enabling diagnostics, health reporting, and integration with HPE tools.

Detailed Technical Breakdown

Capacity and Form Factor

Capacity: 240GB (usable capacity varies by vendor formatting and overprovisioning).
Form Factor: 2.5-inch SFF standard for server drive bays (with HPE Smart Carrier).
This capacity point is commonly used as a system or boot volume for servers, as a read cache layer for tiered storage, and in RAID arrays where multiple read-optimized SSDs are combined to increase read throughput while balancing cost. 240GB is typically sufficient for OS images, frequently accessed database indexes, and high-velocity read caches.

Interface & Protocol

Physical Interface: SATA 6Gb/s
Protocol: AHCI over SATA (standard SATA command set)
SATA 6Gb/s provides deterministic behavior across a broad set of controllers and HPE server generations, making replacement and inventory management easier in heterogeneous data centers. For systems needing absolute peak IOPS, NVMe would be the recommendation; for broad compatibility and cost efficiency, SATA remains relevant.

Performance Characteristics

Performance for RI-class SATA SSDs emphasizes strong read IOPS and consistent latency under read-heavy workloads. Typical specifications you can expect from a 240GB RI SATA SSD include:

High sequential read throughput (suitable for streaming or large block reads).

Elevated random read IOPS compared to HDDs and many consumer SSDs, enabling faster application response times.

Lower write endurance compared to MU (Mixed Use) or VRO class drives — acceptable for read-dominant scenarios but not intended for heavy write logging or sustained write workloads without design consideration.

Specific IOPS and MB/s values vary by the underlying NAND and controller selection; some listings indicate OEM components such as the Sub-Micron 5100 series as the underlying flash in refurbished or multi-vendor variations of the HPE SKU. Always check the exact vendor datasheet if precise numbers are required for SLA planning.

Endurance & Lifespan

Endurance for Read-Intensive drives is set to balance cost and durability. HPE class definitions map to drive writes per day (DWPD) expectations over a 5-year life — RI drives typically support modest DWPD compared to MU or VRO classes. For most read-dominant server roles (boot, cache, read caching for VMs, content serving), expected endurance is more than adequate; for write-heavy roles (transactional databases, heavy logging), choose a Mixed Use or higher endurance SSD. HPE’s QuickSpecs and datasheets should be consulted for exact DWPD numbers per SKU.

Power Consumption & Thermal

Enterprise SATA SSDs like the 789135-B21 are engineered for low power draw and predictable thermal profiles compared to spinning disks. The Smart Carrier assists airflow channeling and provides the correct form factor to align with server fans and thermal monitoring. Reduced power draw also helps in dense server configurations where many SFF drives are populated in a chassis. Consult the official datasheet for exact voltage and power figures under active and idle states.

Compatibility & Deployment Scenarios

Server Compatibility (HPE ProLiant Generations)

The 789135-B21 is validated across multiple HPE ProLiant server generations that use SFF drive bays with SATA support. Administrators can deploy this SSD in rack servers, tower servers, and blade servers where 2.5-inch Smart Carrier slots are available. Compatibility extends to controller options supporting SATA SSDs and mixed drive configurations. System integrators often pair these drives with Smart Array controllers or onboard SATA controllers depending on workload and budget.

Use in Boot and OS Volumes

Many IT teams use the 240GB RI SSD as a dedicated boot or OS drive in ProLiant servers. This ensures that the system boots quickly, updates rapidly, and provides a stable platform for running hypervisors, database services, or application servers. Separating OS from data volumes also reduces the chance that heavy application workloads interfere with critical system partitions.

Read-Cache in Virtualization

Virtualized environments benefit from read caching SSDs like the 789135-B21. Virtual machines often require frequent reading of system images, application libraries, or shared resources. Deploying RI SSDs in caching layers accelerates responsiveness and reduces pressure on back-end HDD arrays. Administrators often configure these SSDs in RAID-1 for mirrored boot volumes or RAID-10 sets for balanced performance.

Hybrid and Tiered Storage

In tiered storage setups, read-intensive SSDs serve as a fast tier for hot data while bulk capacity is maintained on HDDs. The 789135-B21 integrates easily into Smart Array controllers that support tiered caching, ensuring workloads access hot data quickly while cold data resides on larger, slower drives. This balances speed and cost across the storage architecture.