VO003840RXUKD HPE 3.84TB Read Intensive SAS 12GBPS SSD.

HPE VO003840RXUKD 3.84TB SAS SSD 

The HPE VO003840RXUKD represents a high-performance storage solution engineered for enterprise environments requiring reliable, high-capacity storage with exceptional read performance. This 3.84TB SAS solid-state drive combines HPE's rigorous testing and validation processes with advanced NAND flash technology to deliver a storage component that meets the demanding requirements of modern data centers, server infrastructure, and storage arrays.

Key Specifications

This drive is defined by a precise set of technical parameters that ensure compatibility and performance within HPE server and storage ecosystems. The core specifications establish its position as a read-intensive drive within the HPE portfolio.

Capacity and Form Factor

Storage Capacity

The drive offers a usable capacity of 3.84 Terabytes (TB). This specific capacity point is designed to provide an optimal balance between storage density and cost-effectiveness for workloads that require significant data storage without the immediate need for multi-terabyte-per-drive scales. The formatted capacity is accessible by the host system, ensuring the full 3.84TB is available for data storage.

Physical Dimensions (2.5-inch SFF)

Encased in a 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) design, the VO003840RXUKD is built for modern high-density servers and storage enclosures. The dimensions adhere to the standard 2.5-inch form factor, measuring 100.45mm in length, 69.85mm in width, and 15mm in height. This compact size allows for maximum storage density in a limited physical footprint, which is critical for rack-mounted server environments.

Interface and Protocol

SAS 12Gb/s Interface

The drive utilizes a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface operating at 12 Gigabits per second (Gb/s). This dual-ported interface provides redundant paths to the drive, a critical feature for high-availability systems. The 12Gb/s data rate ensures minimal bottlenecks for data transfer between the drive and the host controller, supporting high input/output operations per second (IOPS) and low latency.

Protocol Compatibility

It is fully compliant with the SCSI Trade Association (STA) SAS 3.0 standard. This ensures broad compatibility with SAS controllers and HBAs that support the 12Gb/s SAS protocol. The drive also maintains backward compatibility with previous-generation 6Gb/s and 3Gb/s SAS infrastructures, allowing for flexible deployment in mixed-generation environments.

Performance Characteristics

The "Read Intensive" classification is the cornerstone of this drive's performance profile. It is engineered to excel in applications where read operations significantly outnumber write operations.

Read-Intensive Workload Design

Endurance and Write Cycles

As a read-intensive drive, the VO003840RXUKD is optimized for workloads that are predominantly read-focused. This design typically translates to a lower Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) rating compared to mixed-use or write-intensive drives. The specific NAND flash and controller configuration are chosen to deliver consistent read performance and a lifespan suited for its target applications, over its warranted period.

Target Application Performance

This SSD delivers high random read IOPS and sustained sequential read bandwidth. It is ideal for accelerating data retrieval in scenarios such as boot drives for servers, hosting operating system images, supporting virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) boot images, serving frequently accessed content in web caching, and acting as a primary storage tier for databases where read queries are the majority.

Latency and Throughput

The drive is engineered for low, consistent latency, which is vital for application responsiveness. The combination of the SAS 12Gb/s interface and the internal SSD controller architecture minimizes the time taken for data access requests. Sequential read and write speeds are optimized to maximize data throughput for large file operations, while high random read performance benefits applications with numerous small, concurrent requests.

Multi-Vendor Digitally Signed Firmware

This drive is equipped with HPE's Multi-Vendor (MV) firmware. This is a unified firmware stack developed by HPE to be deployed across SSDs from multiple underlying NAND flash vendors. This approach standardizes the feature set, performance behavior, and management interface for the drive, regardless of the specific flash memory components used inside.

Importance of Digitally Signed Firmware

The firmware is digitally signed by HPE. This signature acts as a security measure, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of the firmware. The HPE server or storage controller will verify this signature before allowing the drive to operate. This prevents the execution of unauthorized, malicious, or incompatible firmware, thereby protecting the system from potential instability or security vulnerabilities.

Included Tray and Serviceability

Integrated Drive Tray

The product is supplied with a pre-installed drive tray, specifically designed for HPE Gen8, Gen9, Gen10, and Gen10 Plus servers, as well as compatible HPE storage enclosures. This eliminates the need for sourcing a separate tray and ensures a perfect physical fit. The tray includes features for tool-less installation and hot-swap capability in supported chassis.

Hot-Swap 

The combination of the SAS dual-port architecture and the included tray enables true hot-swap functionality. A failing or failed drive can be safely removed and replaced without powering down the entire server or storage array, a fundamental requirement for maintaining high availability in 24/7 operational environments.

Reliability 

Enterprise storage demands high levels of reliability. The HPE VO003840RXUKD incorporates several technologies to meet this demand.

Error Correction and Data Protection

The drive employs advanced Error Correction Code (ECC) algorithms to detect and correct multi-bit errors that may occur during data transmission or while data is stored on the NAND flash cells. This is complemented by end-to-end data path protection, which safeguards data from the host interface through the drive's DRAM cache and onto the NAND flash media.

Power Loss Protection

A critical feature for enterprise integrity is power loss protection. The drive is designed with capacitors or other energy reserve systems that provide sufficient hold-up power in the event of a sudden power failure. This allows the drive's controller to complete any in-progress write operations and commit data from volatile cache to the non-volatile NAND flash, preventing data corruption.

HPE Server and Storage Compatibility

The VO003840RXUKD is rigorously tested and certified for use in a wide range of HPE ProLiant servers (including DL, ML, and BL series), HPE Apollo systems, HPE Synergy compute modules, and HPE storage solutions like the MSA, StoreVirtual, and StoreEver portfolios. Using an HPE-qualified drive ensures optimal performance and avoids compatibility issues that can arise with third-party drives.

Primary Storage for Read-Intensive Databases

In database servers where the workload is heavily skewed towards read queries (e.g., reporting databases, data warehouses, web application databases), this drive can significantly reduce query response times compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), thereby improving overall application performance.