118033346 EMC 15.36TB Sas 12Gbps Enterprise Internal Solid State Drive

Technical Attributes

Form factor and interface

These SSDs use a standard enterprise internal form factor suitable for server and storage enclosure bays, typically 2.5-inch SFF or U.2 depending on the specific OEM implementation. The SAS 12Gbps interface provides full-duplex, high-bandwidth connectivity with robust compatibility for enterprise controllers and HBAs, ensuring predictable performance in multi-path and high-availability configurations.

Capacity and storage density

The 15.36TB capacity positions this SSD in the ultra-high-density class, allowing organizations to consolidate more data per drive and reduce total drive count in racks or arrays. This density is particularly valuable in environments where rack space, power, and cooling are constrained but capacity requirements remain high—such as hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), archive tiers with performance demands, and dense database clusters.

Controller and flash technology

Enterprise SSDs in this family typically employ multi-core controllers tuned for parallel I/O, advanced wear-leveling, and error correction (ECC). They use enterprise-grade NAND (often TLC or QLC when configured with enhanced firmware) or in cases where very high endurance is required, carefully-determined enterprise MLC variants. Firmware features include power-loss protection (PLP), background garbage collection, and end-to-end data path protection to maintain data integrity under heavy workloads.

Performance metrics

• Sequential throughput: Designed to sustain high sequential read/write bandwidth over the SAS 12Gbps link, delivering consistent MB/s under large-block workloads.
• Random IOPS: Tuned for very high random IOPS, improving database query response times and accelerating OLTP/OLAP operations. Typical enterprise-class metrics include 4K random read/write IOPS in the many tens to hundreds of thousands depending on queue depth and host configuration.
• Latency: Low and deterministic I/O latency ensures predictable application performance, reducing tail-latency spikes for latency-sensitive workloads.

Endurance and reliability

Endurance for an enterprise 15.36TB drive is specified in drive writes per day (DWPD) or total terabytes written (TBW) over the warranty period. These drives are constructed for high endurance classes to support sustained mixed I/O workloads, with endurance-enhancing firmware and over-provisioning strategies. Built-in reliability features include:

• Advanced ECC algorithms and CRC checks
• Bad block management and remapping
• Power-loss data protection capacitors or firmware-managed FLUSH operations
• SMART reporting and telemetry for proactive monitoring

Workloads and use cases

Virtualization and cloud infrastructure

The combination of high capacity and low latency makes this SSD ideal for dense virtualization hosts and cloud infrastructures where many virtual machines (VMs) share storage resources. The drive reduces the need for tiering to slower disks and simplifies performance provisioning, enabling more VMs per host without compromising responsiveness.

Databases and analytics

Enterprise databases—both relational and NoSQL—benefit from the drive’s random IOPS and low-latency characteristics. Analytical workloads that read large datasets enjoy the sequential throughput, while OLTP databases gain from consistent random access performance.

High-performance computing and caching layers

As a high-capacity cache or fast-tier storage device within hybrid arrays, the EMC 15.36TB SSD can accelerate frequently accessed datasets and metadata, reducing read amplification on back-end capacity tiers and improving overall cluster throughput.

Content delivery and media workflows

Media rendering, transcoding, and large-file editing pipelines require both capacity and bandwidth. These SSDs deliver the sustained throughput needed for multi-stream video editing, VFX pipelines, and broadcast environments while maintaining fast access to project files.

Compatibility and integration

Controller and array support

SAS 12Gbps is broadly supported by enterprise RAID controllers, storage arrays, and HBAs from major vendors. Confirm compatibility with the storage array firmware matrix and controller vendor before mass deployment. Many OEM storage platforms publish validated drive lists—validate the EMC part number against those lists to ensure full compatibility.

Multi-pathing and redundancy

In multi-controller arrays, SAS drives can be configured with multi-path access and redundant paths to ensure availability. Use enterprise multipath drivers and zoning best practices to avoid single points of failure and to ensure failover behavior is predictable during maintenance windows.

Firmware and field updates

Firmware updates for enterprise SSDs must be applied according to vendor guidance to maintain performance and reliability. Packaging for bulk deployments may include vendor-signed update utilities and scripts—coordinate updates with change-control procedures and test in pre-production environments.

Comparisons and alternatives

SAS 12Gbps SSD vs NVMe SSDs

SAS 12Gbps enterprise SSDs provide proven, widely-supported compatibility with existing array architectures and multi-controller environments. NVMe SSDs, by contrast, deliver higher per-device throughput and lower latency but may require newer infrastructure (PCIe/NVMe fabrics or NVMe-oF) and updated controllers. Choose SAS 12Gbps if you need drop-in replacement compatibility, predictable integration with existing SAS infrastructures, or multi-path redundancy through established vendor ecosystems.

High-capacity HDDs vs enterprise SSDs

High-capacity HDDs remain more cost-effective on a per-GB basis for cold storage, but enterprise SSDs like the 15.36TB SAS drive deliver orders-of-magnitude better random IOPS, much lower access latency, and lower power consumption per IOPS. For performance-critical tiers or mixed workloads requiring fast metadata access and high concurrency, SSDs are the preferred choice despite higher per-GB cost.

Assuming raw capacity equals usable capacity

Drive capacity is often listed as raw GB/TB; usable capacity depends on formatting, over-provisioning, and array-level parity or replication. Always calculate usable space when planning capacity.

Ignoring firmware compatibility

Different firmware revisions can alter performance characteristics and fault behavior. Maintain a firmware baseline and test updates in a staging environment to avoid unexpected regressions.

Neglecting thermal and power design

Underestimating thermal load leads to throttling and reduced lifespan. Validate cooling and power provisioning when adding high-density SSDs to chassis or racks.

End-user recommendations

For IT managers evaluating EMC 118033346 15.36TB SAS 12Gbps Enterprise SSDs, follow these recommendations:

• Start with a small pilot integration to measure real-world performance and endurance under representative workloads.
• Validate compatibility against vendor HCLs and RAID/controller support matrices.
• Implement monitoring to track drive health and workload patterns from day one.
• Design a lifecycle and replacement policy based on observed TBW rates and not just calendar age.
• Consider encryption and secure erase requirements up front to simplify decommissioning.