UCS-S3260-HD14T Cisco 14TB 7.2K RPM SAS-12GBPS LFF HDD

Overview of the Cisco 14TB HDD

The UCS-S3260-HD14T category covers the Cisco-branded 14TB nearline enterprise hard disk drive designed for high-capacity server and storage applications. These drives are 7,200 RPM rotating-media SAS drives that operate at SAS 12Gbps transfer rates and use an LFF (3.5") form factor. They are engineered for dense, economical capacity expansion in Cisco UCS servers and storage arrays and typically ship with the required hot-swap tray/caddy for easy field replacement. If you’re building capacity-centric storage nodes, archival tiers, backup targets, bulk object stores, or high-density nearline arrays, this category provides the components that combine usable terabytes with serviceability and compatibility in Cisco environments.

Key Features & Benefits

High Capacity for Nearline and Archive Storage

The defining feature of the Cisco 14TB drives in this category is raw capacity. At 14,000 gigabytes per bay, they deliver cost-efficient bulk storage for:

• Cold and nearline archival data
• Secondary replicas and backup targets
• Large media libraries and content repositories
• Big data and analytics datasets that prioritize capacity over ultra-low latency

Enterprise-Grade SAS 12Gbps Interface

These drives use the enterprise-grade SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) interface at up to 12 Gbps, providing a reliable, high-throughput connection commonly required in server and storage arrays. SAS provides better error management, dual-port capability (depending on the exact drive model), and tighter integration with enterprise RAID controllers compared to consumer SATA.

7.2K RPM — Balanced Performance and Power

Running at 7,200 RPM, the drives strike a balance between capacity efficiency and reasonable latency. Compared with higher-RPM enterprise spinning disks (10K/15K), 7.2K drives deliver substantially more capacity per spindle and improved watt/GB economics, making them ideal for multi-terabyte storage tiers.

Large Form Factor (LFF) and Hot-Swap Tray Included

Each unit in the category is a 3.5" (LFF) nearline drive and is intended to be installed in standard 3.5" drive bays. Most SKUs include a hot-swap tray/caddy for ease of installation and removal without powering down the server — a critical feature for minimizing maintenance windows within data centers.

Designed for Cisco UCS and Compatible Platforms

The category emphasizes compatibility with Cisco systems, typically the UCS S3260 platform and UCS-series servers or storage nodes that accept LFF SAS drives. These drives are commonly validated by Cisco for firmware and interop behavior, helping ensure predictable performance in Cisco-managed environments.

Reliability, Durability & Data Integrity

Enterprise Reliability Expectations

The UCS-S3260-HD14T category represents enterprise nearline drives, built for long duty cycles and predictable behavior within server racks. They are typically manufactured to industry standards for mean time between failures (MTBF), error handling, and vibration tolerance. When installed in validated Cisco bays and firmware combinations, they tend to exhibit consistent reliability for long-term archival storage.

Data Protection and Error Recovery

SAS enterprise drives include robust error recovery and reporting. In multi-drive arrays, use RAID and backup strategies to protect against media failure. Important considerations:

• Implement periodic full backups and maintain off-site snapshots for disaster recovery.
• Monitor SMART and enterprise telemetry for pre-failure indicators (reallocated sectors, read/write errors, etc.).
• Use vendor-recommended firmware revisions and controller drivers for optimal error handling and reporting.

Environmental and Handling Considerations

Proper thermal management, anti-vibration mounting, and correct tray insertion are required to preserve drive health. LFF nearline drives are sensitive to sustained high temperatures and shock — ensure rack airflow and ambient cooling meet your server/vendor specifications to maximize drive longevity.

Compatibility & Integration

The UCS-S3260-HD14T drives are intended for Cisco UCS S3260 storage servers and related UCS chassis that accept LFF SAS nearline drives. When building or upgrading Cisco UCS systems:

• Check the Cisco compatibility matrix for exact part numbers and firmware pairings.
• Confirm that your RAID/HBA controllers support 12Gbps SAS and the drive’s sector format.
• Verify firmware matching for drive health reporting and enterprise features.

Use Cases

Backup Targets

The 14TB density makes these drives ideal building blocks for backup repositories where capacity is the primary metric. When used behind deduplication or compression, a few drive spindles can represent extremely large logical repositories.

Archive and Cold Storage Tiers

Archive and cold object storage tiers benefit from low cost/GB and decent sequential throughput. Combine these drives with object storage software or HDFS clusters for economical, scalable cold storage.

Media Libraries and Content Distribution

Large media assets (video, imagery, CAD files) are natural fits. The drives support sustained streams and large-file access patterns typical in media workflows.

Choosing the Right Drive

Start with your usable capacity goals (after RAID/erasure coding overhead). For example, a RAID 6 configuration with eight drives will have two-drive parity overhead; plan capacity accordingly and factor in growth projections, retention policies, and backup windows.

Performance Requirements

If your applications rely on high random IOPS, consider mixing tiers using SSDs or faster enterprise HDDs for hot data. Use the UCS-S3260-HD14T drives for warm/cold tiers that require large capacity and predictable sequential throughput.

Compatibility

Always check Cisco’s compatibility lists for the exact part number and recommended firmware to ensure full interoperability. If purchasing third-party or refurbished options, verify compatibility with your UPS, chassis, and controller firmware.

Comparisons

14TB Nearline vs. Lower-Capacity Nearline Drives

Higher-capacity drives reduce the number of spindles required to reach a given capacity target, improving watts/GB and physical footprint. However, larger drives increase rebuild times and the blast radius of a single drive failure; design your RAID/erasure coding accordingly.

Nearline HDDs vs. SSDs

SSDs provide much higher IOPS and lower latency but at a significantly higher cost/GB. Use SSDs for hot tiers and HDDs like the UCS-S3260-HD14T for economical cold capacity. Hybrid architectures combine the benefits of both.