400-AZOY Dell 1.6TB Mixed-Use SAS 12Gbps Hot-Plug SSD.

Dell 400-AZOY 1.6TB Mixed-Use SAS SSD Overview

The Dell 400-AZOY represents a significant advancement in enterprise storage technology, specifically engineered for demanding data center environments. This 1.6TB Mixed-Use TLC SAS SSD delivers exceptional performance, reliability, and endurance for PowerEdge servers, making it an ideal solution for mixed workload applications that require both high read and write performance.

Enterprise-Grade Storage Performance

Designed to meet the rigorous demands of modern data centers, the Dell 400-AZOY SSD combines cutting-edge TLC NAND technology with the high-bandwidth SAS 12Gbps interface to deliver exceptional IOPS and throughput. This drive is specifically optimized for mixed-use scenarios where both read and write operations occur frequently throughout the day.

Key Performance Specifications

With its 1.6TB capacity and advanced controller technology, this SSD provides consistent low-latency performance even under heavy workloads. The drive's mixed-use designation means it's engineered to handle a balanced ratio of read and write operations, typically around 70/30, making it suitable for a wide range of enterprise applications from database servers to virtualized environments.

Endurance and Reliability Metrics

The Dell 400-AZOY features enhanced write endurance through advanced wear-leveling algorithms and over-provisioning. With a specified drive writes per day (DWPD) rating appropriate for mixed-use scenarios, this SSD delivers the longevity required for 24/7 operation in enterprise environments.

Technical Specifications and Architecture

The Dell 400-AZOY incorporates a sophisticated architecture that maximizes performance while ensuring data integrity and longevity. Understanding the technical foundation of this drive helps IT professionals make informed decisions about storage infrastructure.

TLC NAND Technology

This SSD utilizes Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND flash memory, which stores three bits of data per cell. While traditionally associated with consumer-grade storage, enterprise TLC (eTLC) with enhanced controllers and firmware delivers enterprise-grade reliability and performance at a more competitive cost per gigabyte compared to SLC or MLC alternatives.

Benefits of TLC in Enterprise Environments

Modern TLC NAND, when coupled with advanced error correction and wear-leveling technologies, provides an excellent balance of performance, capacity, and cost-effectiveness for mixed-use workloads. The Dell 400-AZOY leverages these advancements to deliver enterprise-class storage without the premium price tag of SLC or MLC solutions.

Advanced Controller and Firmware

The drive features a high-performance controller specifically tuned for TLC NAND management, implementing sophisticated algorithms for garbage collection, wear leveling, and bad block management. The firmware includes enterprise-specific features such as power-loss protection and end-to-end data path protection.

SAS 12Gbps Interface

The Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 12Gbps interface provides significant advantages over SATA for enterprise storage applications. With full duplex communication, dual-port capability, and enhanced error recovery, SAS ensures maximum uptime and performance in critical business environments.

Dual-Port Capability for High Availability

One of the key differentiators of SAS technology is its native support for dual-porting, allowing the drive to be connected to two separate host controllers simultaneously. This capability enables redundant paths to storage, eliminating single points of failure and ensuring continuous operation even during controller failover events.

Backward Compatibility with 6Gbps SAS

The Dell 400-AZOY maintains backward compatibility with existing 6Gbps SAS infrastructure, allowing for seamless integration into environments with mixed-generation hardware. The drive automatically negotiates the highest supported speed with the host controller.

Form Factor and Physical Design

The 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) design of the Dell 400-AZOY makes it ideal for high-density storage configurations in rack-mounted servers. This compact form factor allows organizations to maximize storage capacity within limited physical space.

Hot-Pluggable Tray Design

Included with the drive is a specially designed tray that facilitates hot-plug capability in compatible PowerEdge servers. This feature enables drive replacement or addition without powering down the system, a critical requirement for maintaining 24/7 availability in enterprise environments.

Easy Maintenance and Serviceability

The tool-less tray design simplifies drive installation and replacement procedures, reducing maintenance time and complexity. Each tray is clearly labeled for proper identification within storage arrays, and the design includes features to prevent incorrect installation.

Compatibility with PowerEdge 14G Servers

The Dell 400-AZOY is specifically validated and optimized for use with 14th Generation PowerEdge servers, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance. These drives undergo rigorous compatibility testing with Dell's server platform to guarantee reliability and performance.

Enhanced Management Capabilities

When deployed in PowerEdge servers, these SSDs can be monitored and managed through integrated tools such as iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller) and OpenManage. This provides administrators with comprehensive visibility into drive health, performance metrics, and predictive failure analysis.

Firmware Optimization for PowerEdge

The drive firmware includes specific optimizations for PowerEdge server environments, including enhanced queue depth management, improved error handling, and optimized power management features that work in concert with the server's power profile settings.

Mixed-Use Workload Optimization

The "Mixed-Use" designation of the Dell 400-AZOY indicates its suitability for applications with balanced read and write operations. This makes it an excellent choice for a wide range of enterprise workloads that require consistent performance for both types of I/O operations.

Ideal Use Cases

This SSD excels in environments such as database servers, virtualization hosts, collaboration platforms, and medium-duty application servers. Its balanced performance characteristics make it particularly well-suited for mixed workload environments where predicting I/O patterns is challenging.

Database Applications

For database servers running transactional systems (OLTP) or analytical processing (OLAP), the Dell 400-AZOY provides the consistent low-latency performance necessary for responsive applications. The drive's mixed-use optimization ensures that both read queries and write transactions receive adequate resources.

Virtualization and VDI

In virtualized environments, storage systems must handle diverse I/O patterns from multiple virtual machines simultaneously. The mixed-use characteristics of this SSD make it ideal for host boot drives, VM storage, and hypervisor swap areas where both read and write performance are critical.

Performance Consistency

Unlike consumer-grade SSDs that may experience significant performance degradation under sustained writes, the Dell 400-AZOY maintains consistent performance through advanced garbage collection algorithms, static and dynamic wear leveling, and sufficient over-provisioning.

Sustained Write Performance

The drive is engineered to maintain high write speeds even during extended periods of continuous write activity. This is achieved through a combination of SLC caching, intelligent write amplification reduction techniques, and a high-performance controller with ample processing power.

Data Protection and Security Features

Enterprise storage demands robust data protection mechanisms to ensure data integrity and security. The Dell 400-AZOY incorporates multiple layers of protection to safeguard against data corruption and unauthorized access.

End-to-End Data Path Protection

The drive implements comprehensive data protection from the host interface through to the NAND media. This includes protection against data corruption during transfer, with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes applied at multiple points in the data path.

Power-Loss Protection

Enterprise environments require protection against data loss during unexpected power failures. The Dell 400-AZOY includes power-loss protection circuitry that provides sufficient hold-up time to complete in-progress writes and commit data from volatile caches to non-volatile storage.

T10 Protection Information

As a SAS drive, the Dell 400-AZOY supports the T10 Protection Information (T10 PI) standard, which adds extra metadata to each sector to verify data integrity throughout the storage stack. This feature is particularly valuable in SAN environments where data traverses multiple components.

Security Capabilities

For organizations with stringent security requirements, the drive offers optional security features including hardware-based encryption compliant with TCG Enterprise and IEEE 1667 standards. These features help protect sensitive data at rest without significantly impacting performance.

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability

Enterprise storage solutions must deliver exceptional reliability and availability to support business-critical operations. The Dell 400-AZOY is designed with these requirements at the forefront, incorporating features to maximize uptime and simplify maintenance.

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

With an industry-leading MTBF rating, this SSD demonstrates exceptional reliability for continuous operation in demanding environments. The rating reflects the drive's robust design, quality components, and thorough validation processes.

Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate (UBER)

The drive features an extremely low uncorrectable bit error rate, significantly better than consumer-grade SSDs. This metric indicates the drive's ability to maintain data integrity even as the NAND cells approach their endurance limits.

Advanced Health Monitoring

Comprehensive Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) attributes provide detailed insight into drive health and performance. These metrics can be monitored through Dell's management tools to enable proactive maintenance and replacement before failures occur.

Predictive Failure Analysis

The drive includes algorithms that analyze usage patterns and wear indicators to predict potential failures before they impact operations. When thresholds are exceeded, the system can alert administrators to schedule preventive maintenance.

Environmental Specifications and Power Efficiency

Data center efficiency is increasingly important for both operational costs and environmental sustainability. The Dell 400-AZOY is designed to deliver high performance while minimizing power consumption and heat generation.

Power Consumption Profiles

The drive supports multiple power states that can be managed by the host system to optimize energy usage based on workload demands. Active power consumption is carefully balanced against performance requirements, while idle power is minimized to reduce overall energy costs.

Thermal Management

Enterprise SSDs generate less heat than traditional hard drives, but proper thermal management remains critical for longevity and performance consistency. The Dell 400-AZOY includes thermal monitoring and throttling mechanisms to prevent overheating during extended heavy workloads.

Operating Conditions

The drive is specified to operate reliably across a wide range of environmental conditions typical of data center environments. This includes tolerance for vibration and shock that might occur during operation or transportation.