Today Dell announced its new entry-level enterprise storage array series, the PS4210 series. This is Dell’s first hybrid storage array in the entry-level PS4000 series. The PS4210 series arrays are fully compatible and interoperable with Dell’s previous EqualLogic PS family. The PS4210 series is aimed at small-to-medium data centers and remote offices that want the benefits of EqualLogic storage but may not need the top-end capacity or performance requirements.
Today Dell announced its new entry-level enterprise storage array series, the PS4210 series. This is Dell’s first hybrid storage array in the entry-level PS4000 series. The PS4210 series arrays are fully compatible and interoperable with Dell’s previous EqualLogic PS family. The PS4210 series is aimed at small-to-medium data centers and remote offices that want the benefits of EqualLogic storage but may not need the top-end capacity or performance requirements.
Of course hybrid offerings are not unfamiliar to the Dell EqualLogic line, we’ve previously reviewed those solutions, most recently the PS6210XS. The PS4210 offers small data centers and remote offices with next generation storage (with increased memory, performance, and connectivity) that is easy to manage and is optimized for virtualization platforms. The new arrays support 1GbE and 10GbE, easing the management of environments while providing flexibility of using SPF+ or 10GBASE-T ports. The hybrid arrays also offer six times the performance of previous generation arrays and are ideal for midrange workloads that include VDI deployments, OLTP databases, and other mixed workloads.
The PS4210 series features speed SAN configuration, simple management (with innovative firmware and host software at no additional cost or servicing fees), and built-in intelligence capabilities that sense network connections, automatically build RAID sets, and conduct system health checks. All PS4210 series arrays work together, as well as working with EqualLogic PS series and Host Integration Tools for Microsoft, VMware, and Linux environments. The new series offers a total cost of ownership (the lowest TCO over a five year period compared to other SAN arrays according to an ESG Lab Report) and comes in five different solution setups:
Each model and features:
PS4210E – Entry-level configuration
- Drive types: 12 hot-pluggable 3.5″ 7.2K NL-SAS
- Drive capacities: 2TB, 3TB, 4TB
- System capacities: Up to 48TB (up to 96TB with 2 arrays)
PS4210X – Balance of cost and performance
- Drive types: 24 hot-pluggable 2.5″ 10K SAS
- Drive capacities: 600GB, 900GB, 1.2TB
- System capacities: Up to 28.8TB (up to 57.6TB with 2 arrays)
PS4210XV – Highest performance HDD system
- Drive types: 24 hot-pluggable 2.5″ 15K SAS
- Drive capacities: 300GB
- System capacities: Up to 7.2TB (up to 14.4TB with 2 arrays)
PS4210XV 3.5″ – High-performance 15K RPM HDD system with high capacity
- Drive types: 12 hot-pluggable 3.5″ 15K SAS
- Drive capacities: 600GB
- System capacities: Up to 7.2TB (up to 14.4TB with 2 arrays)
PS4210XS – SSD speed and HDD capacity within one array
- Drive types: 7 hot-pluggable 2.5″ SSDs plus 17 hot-pluggable 2.5” 10K RPM SAS drives
- Drive capacities: 400GB SSD and 600GB SAS
- System capacities: Up to 13TB (up to 26TB with 2 arrays)
Shared features and specifications:
- Storage controllers: Dual controllers with 16GB3 non-volatile memory (8GB per controller) with up to 32GB non-volatile memory in a group of 2 arrays
- Network interfaces:
- 10GbE connectivity
- Management network: 1 x 100BASE-TX per controller
- Interfaces ports: 2 x 10GBASE-T with RJ45 or 2 x 10GbE SFP+ for fibre or twin-ax copper cabling
- Host protocol: Any standards-compliant iSCSI initiator
- Expansion option: Can be combined with other EqualLogic PS Series arrays in the same SAN group, online with a maximum of 16 total arrays per group that can support up to 2 PS4xxx arrays and 14 PS6xxx arrays. A maximum of two arrays can be in a group of PS4xxx series with up to 96TB.
- Operating systems and hypervisors:
- Microsoft Windows Server including Hyper-V
- VMware ESX Server
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
- SUSE Enterprise Linux (SLES)
- Oracle Linux
- Oracle Solaris
- HP-UX
- Mac OS X
- Citrix XenServer
- Novell NetWare
- RAID: RAID6, RAID10, & RAID50
- TCP Network Support: IPv4, IPv6 core support
- Reliability:
- Redundant hot-swappable controllers with vertical port sharing
- Hot-swappable disks and power supplies
- Enclosure Monitoring: CHAP authentication; Access control lists for iSCSI as well as new Access Control Policies; Access control for management interfaces including Active Directory, LDAP, or RADIUS support
- System Management Interfaces:
- SAN Headquarters multi-group performance and event monitoring tool
- Serial console
- Ability to configure a separate management network
- SNMP, telnet, SSH, HTTP, Web (SSL), host scripting
- Multi-administrator support
- Security:
- CHAP authentication
- Access control for iSCSI
- Access control for management interfaces including RADIUS support
- Notification Methods: SNMP traps, email, syslog
- Physical:
- Height: 2U 8.68 cm (3.41 in) Width: 44.63 cm (17.57 in)
- E/XV 3.5” Depth: 59.4 cm (23.4 in) X/XV Depth: 54.1 cm (21.3 in)
- E/XV 3.5” Weight: 29.2 Kg (64.4 lbs.) X/XV Weight: 24.1 Kg (53.1 lbs.)
- Power:
- AC voltage: 100-240 VAC +10% single phase
- 700W (max, total), +5V up to 155W; +12V up to 624W; +5Vsb up to 10W
- Frequency: 50/60 Hz
- Power factor: 0.98 (minimum)
- Power supplies: Dual 700W
- Rack Support: ReadyRails II static rails for tool-less mounting in 4-post racks with square or unthreaded round holes or tooled mounting in 4-post threaded-hole racks
Availability
The Dell PS4210 series of arrays are available now.
