118001012-02 Dell EMC 1.92TB SAS-12GBPS RI TLC 2.5in Hot-plug Solid State Drive

Specifications

• Manufacturer: EMC
• Part Number: 118001012-02
• Drive Type: Internal Solid State Drive

Technical Information

• Capacity: 1.92TB
• Form Factor: 2.5-inch SFF
• Interface: SAS 12Gbps
• Flash Type: 3D TLC NAND
• Endurance: Read Intensive, 1 DWPD
• Seq. Read: Up to 2700 MB/s
• Seq. Write: Up to 1450 MB/s
• Random Read (4KB): 125K IOPS
• Random Write (4KB): 75K IOPS
• Mixed 70/30 IOPS: 595K
• Hot-Plug: Supported

Business value and ROI

Adopting Dell 118001012-02-class drives expands the storage tiering strategy by providing a cost-efficient, high-capacity SSD option for read-dominant services. Benefits include:

• Faster time-to-insight: Accelerated analytics and query responses reduce time spent waiting for results.
• Improved user experience: Lower latency for web services, VDI and content repositories.
• Energy and space efficiency: Higher IOPS per watt and reduced rack footprint compared with HDD-only tiers.
• Predictable TCO: Read-optimized endurance characteristics mean lower cost-per-GB than write-optimized enterprise SSDs, while still delivering enterprise reliability.

Use Cases and Workload Suitability

Ideal use cases

• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Handles boot storms and improves desktop responsiveness by accelerating large numbers of read requests.
• Database read replicas: Serves read-heavy replicas and reporting instances where reads vastly outnumber writes.
• Web servers/content delivery: Delivers fast serving of static assets and content caching layers.
• Analytics and BI: Speeds up query response in OLAP and read-focused BI jobs.
• Cold-to-warm tier SSD pools: Operates as a higher-performing layer than spinning disks for frequently accessed datasets.

This SSD category is not ideal for scenarios with sustained heavy writes, such as intensive database transaction logging, high-velocity OLTP primary databases, or write-heavy caching tiers. For those situations, consider write-optimized SSDs (WO) with higher endurance ratings and different flash/firmware optimizations.

Compatibility & Integration

Server and array compatibility

The drive is designed for seamless integration with Dell PowerEdge servers and EMC storage arrays; however, compatibility depends on chassis backplanes, controller firmware versions and HBA/RAID card support. Ensure the following:

• Controller and HBA firmware support SAS 12 Gbps devices.
• Array or server firmware recognizes Dell/EMC-branded SSDs — check vendor compatibility matrices.
• Enclosure backplane supports 2.5" hot-plug drives and provides adequate power and cooling.

Firmware and driver considerations

Firmware revisions matter. Using Dell/EMC-approved firmware for this specific part number avoids interoperability problems and unlocks vendor features such as endurance reporting, SMART telemetry and specific power-loss protection behaviors. Key recommendations:

• Always match drive firmware to the supported versions listed in the server/array HCL (Hardware Compatibility List).
• Use vendor tools to update drive firmware during maintenance windows.
• Monitor drive SMART attributes and vendor health counters to preempt failures.

Multipath and failover

Dual-port SAS enables multipath configurations. Configure multipath I/O or vendor-specific pathing to maintain redundancy and maximize throughput. Validate multipath timeouts and path failover policies to avoid unintended failovers during heavy I/O.

Security & Compliance Considerations

Data sanitization

Before decommissioning or repurposing drives, perform vendor-approved secure erase or cryptographic erase procedures. TLC NAND requires specific erase patterns to guarantee data removal; follow Dell/EMC secure erase recommendations to comply with data protection policies and regulations.

Encryption options

Many enterprise drives or controllers support hardware encryption or TCG Opal features. If using encryption, ensure key management aligns with organizational security policies and that backups include necessary recovery keys without compromising security.

Regulatory compliance

For regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government), document secure erase and chain-of-custody practices for drives removed from production. Retain logs of firmware updates, drive serial numbers and replacement records to meet audit requirements.

Read-Intensive vs. Write-Intensive vs. Mixed-Use SSDs

Read-Intensive (RI)

Designed for workloads dominated by read operations. Offers higher capacity per dollar with adequate endurance for frequent reads and light-to-moderate writes. Ideal for caching, content serving and read-replica databases.

Write-Intensive (WI)

Targeted at heavy write workloads (logging, OLTP primary databases). WI SSDs typically use MLC/enterprise-grade NAND and deliver higher TBW ratings to withstand sustained writing.

Mixed-Use (MU)

Balanced endurance for environments with both read and write demands—offers a middle ground for general-purpose enterprise tiers.

VDI farm acceleration

Scenario: A large enterprise with 2,000 virtual desktops suffering long boot-up times during morning logins. Solution: Deploy a read-optimized SSD tier using 1.92TB SAS RI drives as a boot/store tier and configure storage array caching to redirect read-heavy traffic. Result: Faster login times, reduced IOPS load on spinning disks, and a clear improvement in end-user satisfaction.

Analytics reporting layer

Scenario: An organization running nightly BI reports where read latency impacts report generation windows. Solution: Move frequently-accessed tables and read replicas onto the SAS 12Gbps RI SSD tier. Result: Faster query times and shorter reporting windows—enabling more timely decision-making.