717968-002 HPE 480GB SATA 6GBPS SSD Smart Carrier

HPE 717968-002 480GB SATA 6Gbps 2.5-Inch SC Hot-Swap SSD

Reliable Enterprise Solid-State Drive for Enhanced Data Handling

The HPE 717968-002 480GB SATA 6Gbps SSD offers dependable performance and efficiency for enterprise environments. Built with advanced Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND technology, it ensures fast data transfer and stable operations in mission-critical workloads. The hot-swappable Smart Carrier design makes it ideal for quick replacements and seamless scalability in HPE ProLiant server infrastructures.

Main Specifications and Product Details

• Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
• Part Number: 717968-002
• Product Type: Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Storage Capacity: 480GB
• Interface: SATA 6Gbps
• Form Factor: 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF)
• Carrier: HPE Smart Carrier (SC) with LED indicators
• Plug Type: Hot-pluggable for fast maintenance

Technical Characteristics and Build Features

Device Structure and Flash Memory

• Drive Type: Hot-swap solid-state drive optimized for enterprise performance
• NAND Type: Multi-Level Cell (MLC) flash offering balanced endurance and speed
• Workload Category: Value Endurance (VE) for mixed-use data centers
• Endurance Level: Optimized for general-purpose workloads

Integrated Protection and Advanced Technology

• Includes Enhanced Power Loss Protection for secure data retention
• End-to-End Data Protection ensures data integrity across the transfer path
• Temperature Sensor for accurate thermal monitoring
• Supports Standard Endurance Technology (SET) to prolong drive life
• Smart Carrier design for instant drive identification and maintenance

Performance and Efficiency Metrics

Data Transfer and IOPS Capabilities

• Sequential Read Speed: Up to 480 MB/s
• Sequential Write Speed: Up to 400 MB/s
• Random Read IOPS: 64,000
• Random Write IOPS: 10,000
• Drive Write Per Day (DWPD): 0.3
• Maximum Data Transfer Rate: 6 Gb/s

Power and Thermal Efficiency

• Max Power Draw: 5.60 Watts
• Energy-efficient design suitable for dense server environments
• Operating Temperature Range: 32°F to 158°F (0°C to 70°C)

Physical Specifications

• Drive Height: 0.60 inch
• Drive Width: 2.80 inch
• Drive Depth: 4.00 inch
• Weight: 1.80 lbs

Connectivity and Expansion

• Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s connection for high-speed throughput
• Compatible Bay: 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF)
• Designed for hot-swap environments to minimize downtime

Server Platform Compatibility

The HPE 717968-002 SSD integrates flawlessly with numerous HPE ProLiant server families, ensuring optimal storage scalability and reliability across diverse setups.

Compatible HPE ProLiant BL Series

• BL420c Gen8
• BL460c Gen8
• BL465c Gen8
• BL660c Gen8 / Gen9 including Performance models

Supported HPE ProLiant DL Series

• DL160, DL180, DL320e, DL360, DL380, DL385, and DL560 Gen8 / Gen9 variants
• Compatible with Base, Entry, High Performance, Storage, and Special configurations
• Ideal for high-density racks and scalable enterprise environments

HPE ProLiant ML and WS Series Compatibility

• ML110 Gen9 and ML350 Gen9 models
• Supports Base, Entry, and Performance server variants
• Also suitable for WS460c Gen8 and WS460c Gen9 Graphics configurations

Additional Integration Benefits

• Ensures high reliability under continuous workload operations
• Improved latency and response time compared to mechanical drives
• Perfect for virtualization, database, and general enterprise workloads
• Backward compatibility with existing HPE infrastructure

HPE 717968-002 480GB SATA 6Gbps Smart Carrier Hot-Swap Solid State Drive

The HPE 717968-002 480GB SATA 6Gbps 2.5 Inch Smart Carrier Hot-Swap Solid State Drive belongs to the high-performance enterprise SSD category designed to deliver consistent data throughput, reliability, and serviceability for Hewlett Packard Enterprise servers and storage platforms. This solid-state drive (SSD) represents a specialized category of enterprise SATA drives that balance cost efficiency with powerful read and write performance, ensuring optimized storage scalability for modern data-driven infrastructures. The 717968-002 drive integrates seamlessly into HPE ProLiant and storage server ecosystems, offering reliability and endurance for workloads requiring high-speed data access and dependable uptime. This description explores the characteristics, technology, and applications of this category of HPE SATA SSDs.

Enterprise-Grade Performance and Reliability

The HPE 717968-002 480GB SATA SSD exemplifies enterprise-level reliability. Operating with a SATA 6Gbps interface, it provides excellent data transfer speed while maintaining backward compatibility with legacy 3Gbps environments. Drives in this category are engineered for workloads that demand low latency, consistent input/output (I/O) performance, and quick access to frequently used data. Featuring NAND flash memory and advanced wear-leveling technology, these drives provide predictable endurance over thousands of write cycles, ensuring that mission-critical applications continue to perform efficiently. The combination of 480GB capacity and 6Gbps throughput makes this SSD ideal for virtualization hosts, online transaction processing (OLTP), web servers, and enterprise database environments that require fast and reliable storage solutions.

HPE Smart Carrier Design

One defining feature of this category is the inclusion of the HPE Smart Carrier. The Smart Carrier enhances user experience by providing visual indicators for drive activity, health status, and predictive failure alerts. This design allows for hot-swap functionality, enabling administrators to replace or upgrade drives without system downtime. The LED indicators on the carrier make monitoring and maintenance simpler and more intuitive. This category of HPE drives focuses on user-friendly serviceability, minimizing operational disruption and improving data center efficiency. The hot-swap capability further reinforces the enterprise-ready nature of the 717968-002 SSD, supporting continuous operation in high-availability environments.

Enhanced Data Protection and Monitoring

The Smart Carrier not only provides convenient drive access but also integrates diagnostic information through HPE’s SmartDrive technology. With features such as predictive failure monitoring and advanced drive analytics, IT teams can detect potential issues before they affect system performance. This proactive approach ensures that storage infrastructure remains stable and secure. The drive’s firmware and diagnostic integration with HPE Smart Array Controllers enable seamless drive health management across a range of HPE server models. This focus on predictive analytics and integrated health reporting highlights why this SSD category is widely deployed in enterprise-level data centers and virtualized environments.

Compatibility and Integration in HPE Ecosystem

The HPE 717968-002 is engineered for perfect compatibility with HPE ProLiant Gen8, Gen9, and select Gen10 servers. Its form factor and connector interface align precisely with HPE SmartDrive bays, ensuring smooth installation and optimal performance without the need for additional adapters. Drives in this category integrate efficiently with HPE Smart Array RAID controllers and HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) management systems, allowing centralized drive management, firmware updates, and monitoring. This deep ecosystem integration simplifies IT administration, reduces total cost of ownership, and enhances system reliability through coordinated firmware and driver optimization. The SATA 6Gbps interface offers sufficient bandwidth for diverse workloads, making it suitable for applications that prioritize data access speed and reliability without the premium cost of SAS or NVMe drives.

Use Cases and Application Scenarios

In data center and enterprise environments, drives like the HPE 717968-002 are used in a variety of mission-critical applications. Common scenarios include use as primary system drives in virtualized clusters, data caching layers, or boot volumes for operating systems. In medium-sized businesses and departmental servers, they function as storage for key databases, business applications, and real-time analytics. The balance between capacity, performance, and cost makes this SSD ideal for read-intensive workloads, such as web hosting, data indexing, and analytics dashboards. Additionally, these drives play a critical role in storage arrays configured for redundancy, such as RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 10, ensuring consistent performance and fault tolerance across multiple drives.

Balanced Performance and Efficiency

The 480GB capacity of the HPE 717968-002 fits a strategic role within enterprise storage hierarchies. It offers enough capacity for OS installations and frequently accessed datasets while minimizing latency compared to traditional hard drives. Drives within this category are optimized for sustained read and write performance, with high IOPS (input/output operations per second) values ensuring faster response times under multi-user conditions. The SATA interface provides steady data flow, suitable for applications that benefit from fast sequential reads and moderate write workloads. Combined with low power consumption, this SSD helps reduce overall energy usage and cooling requirements within server racks.

Durability and Endurance Characteristics

Enterprise SSDs like the HPE 717968-002 are built with advanced NAND flash cells designed for longevity. Through wear-leveling algorithms and error correction code (ECC) technology, these drives maintain consistent performance even after extensive write operations. The endurance rating ensures data integrity and minimizes the risk of bit errors, which is crucial for systems where data accuracy is paramount. The drive’s mean time between failures (MTBF) typically exceeds one million hours, indicating a robust lifespan that aligns with enterprise reliability expectations. This category’s focus on endurance allows businesses to confidently deploy the SSD in 24/7 operational environments where downtime can result in significant financial loss.

Hot-Swap Functionality and Maintenance Advantages

Hot-swap support is a key selling point in this drive category. It allows IT administrators to remove or replace a faulty or aging drive without powering down the system, thereby ensuring continuous availability. This feature is particularly useful in clustered server environments, networked storage systems, and mission-critical infrastructure where uptime is essential. The Smart Carrier mechanism simplifies the process with secure locking and intuitive drive ejection, making it easy to perform maintenance tasks safely and efficiently. As part of HPE’s enterprise hardware philosophy, these drives are designed for minimal downtime, promoting higher productivity and operational continuity.

Energy Efficiency and Power Optimization

Power efficiency is another defining feature of the HPE 717968-002 SSD category. Compared to mechanical hard drives, these SSDs consume significantly less power during both idle and active states. The solid-state design eliminates moving components, reducing heat generation and lowering the cooling demand on data center infrastructure. This efficiency translates into long-term savings in power costs while maintaining high-speed performance. The low energy footprint also aligns with HPE’s Green IT initiatives, supporting sustainability goals for organizations aiming to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining performance levels suitable for modern data workloads.

Data Integrity, ECC, and Firmware Optimization

Data integrity is a fundamental concern in enterprise computing, and the HPE 717968-002 addresses this with robust ECC and firmware-level protections. The integrated ECC mechanisms correct bit errors automatically, ensuring that data remains accurate and consistent even after extended use. HPE firmware optimizations further enhance this reliability, coordinating drive-level wear leveling and garbage collection with the host system’s storage controller. Firmware updates can be managed via HPE Smart Update Manager, ensuring that drives in this category remain up to date and compatible with evolving HPE infrastructure software stacks. These features together make the 717968-002 a dependable element of enterprise-class storage arrays and standalone server systems alike.

Smart Integration with RAID Configurations

Drives like the HPE 717968-002 are frequently configured in RAID environments to achieve optimal redundancy and performance. In RAID 1, they mirror critical data to ensure immediate recovery from drive failure; in RAID 5 or 10, they balance performance and fault tolerance across multiple drives. This flexibility makes the category highly adaptable to both small-scale and large-scale storage infrastructures. Whether deployed in database servers, web hosting clusters, or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments, the drive’s predictable performance and integration with HPE Smart Array Controllers guarantee reliable, efficient operation with streamlined maintenance and management workflows.

Form Factor and Physical Design

The 2.5-inch form factor of the HPE 717968-002 ensures maximum compatibility with HPE server bays and hot-swap enclosures. This compact size allows dense storage configurations, enabling more drives to be installed within limited rack space. The durable aluminum enclosure provides thermal stability and electromagnetic shielding, protecting the internal NAND components from physical stress and interference. The Smart Carrier frame includes drive identification labeling and quick-release features, which simplify physical management in large deployments. The result is a category of enterprise SSDs that combine mechanical precision with ease of serviceability, ideal for both on-premises and cloud-hosted IT environments.

Scalability and Future-Ready Design

Scalability is a key advantage of this category. The HPE 717968-002 SSD can easily be integrated into scalable storage architectures, whether as part of a hybrid storage array, an all-flash system, or a distributed compute environment. The SATA 6Gbps interface ensures broad compatibility, while HPE’s ongoing firmware support guarantees continued performance enhancements. Organizations can scale storage incrementally, adding drives as data demands grow, without major infrastructure changes. This flexibility aligns with hybrid IT strategies where businesses deploy both on-premise and cloud solutions, and require adaptable, high-reliability storage hardware.

Performance in Real-World Applications

In real-world conditions, the HPE 717968-002 SSD delivers steady performance with minimal latency spikes. Whether handling multi-threaded workloads, large sequential file transfers, or random I/O bursts, this drive maintains consistent throughput. Enterprise environments benefit from this predictability, as it ensures stable response times across virtualized workloads and critical applications. In comparison to spinning hard drives, this category of SSDs offers rapid access times, reduced noise, and improved system responsiveness. For workloads involving real-time analytics, AI inference, or business intelligence queries, this SSD category provides the low-latency foundation necessary for high-speed computation and rapid decision-making.

Data Center Deployment Benefits

Deploying HPE 717968-002 SSDs in enterprise data centers yields immediate benefits in terms of performance per watt, rack density, and operational reliability. These drives reduce the need for mechanical maintenance while delivering faster boot times and higher transactional throughput. They are designed to integrate smoothly with HPE’s modular server platforms, ensuring consistent firmware compatibility and system stability. For enterprises transitioning from HDD-based arrays to flash storage, this category provides a cost-effective entry point with enterprise durability and hot-swap functionality, minimizing risk while improving overall service delivery.