What is SAS?
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is the evolution of the SCSI interface. SAS Enterprise drives satisfy the
enterprise data center requirement of scalability, performance, reliability and manageability, while
providing an enterprise storage infrastructure for both enterprise SAS drives and SATA disk drives. SAS
Midline drives provide the lowest dollars per gigabyte and economical reliability and performance. The SAS
interface is compatible with SATA devices. This compatibility provides users with unprecedented choices
for server and storage subsystem deployment
Drive Quality and
Performance
Today's distributed enterprise is seeing larger, more complex applications, an increase of mission-critical
data moving to the server, increasing demand for transaction processing and critical server consolidation.
In this environment, storage has become a critical component of the information system, significantly
defining both the systems reliability and performance. This is why HP drives undergo an intense
qualification process that eliminates firmware and O/S incompatibilities. All drive firmware is specific to
our drives and is designed to maximize both functionality and compatibility. All drives are proven to
perform in the HP systems for which they were designed.
While selecting the drives in our Enterprise portfolio, only those drives whose performance is suitable for
an enterprise environment are selected through the HP qualification process and are labeled "best-in-
class." All our Enterprise drives are proven to be reliable and tuned for optimum performance in the HP
equipment for which they were designed. The drives in our Midline portfolio undergo a similar qualification
process to ensure that you get the economical reliability and performance you need for your low workload
(less than 40% I/O) environments.
Performance
Only those drives whose performance is suitable for an enterprise environment are selected through the
HP qualification process and are labeled "best-in-class." All our drives are proven to be reliable and tuned
for optimum performance in the HP equipment for which they were designed.
Pre-Failure Alert
When used in conjunction with a SMART Array Controller and Systems Insight Manager, the SMART capable
firmware in HP hard drives enables extensive fault prediction capabilities. If potential problems develop in
one of the drives, the Smart Array Controller, Systems Insight Manager and/or SMART hard disk drive lets
you know in advance so you can have the drive replaced, before it fails, under warranty.
NOTE:
All drives are protected by a Pre-Failure Alert when used with a HP Smart Array controller and
Systems Insight Manager, allowing hard drives to be replaced before failure under warranty. In addition,
all drives are covered by a one or three-year limited on-site warranty period for the system in which they
are installed. The drive warranty is automatically uplifted when used in a server or MSA for which a Care
Pack is purchased. Please see the Support Services section below for additional services.
Integration
Many issues customers have with third party drives are "simple" integration issues. When buying from
another supplier, there is no guarantee that a drive has been correctly set for proper operation with
ProLiant servers and storage systems. These incompatibilities can create problems in configuration, can
rob your system of performance, or at their worst, can cause you to lose data. HP hard drives are
specifically designed and tested for flawless operation in your HP equipment. The integration of hard
drives in HP systems means that cables, SCSI ID settings, termination, hot plug drive trays and firmware
are right for your ProLiant server or storage system.
QuickSpecs
HP SAS Hard Drives
Standard Features
DA - 12244 North America — Version 44 — December 9, 2013
Page 4
