HPE ProLiant SL270s Gen8 Drives
Genuine HPE hot-plug drives for the HPE ProLiant SL270s Gen8, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. Each tray has up to eight 2.5-inch hot-plug bays and no drives fitted as standard, and one rule governs the SAS side of this page: SAS hard drives running on the embedded B320i as the primary controller require the B320i SAS licence key.
SL270s Gen8 Drive Specifications
- Bays: up to eight 2.5-inch hot-plug SmartDrive bays in the tray, front accessed; no hard drives ship standard
- Interface: up to 6Gb/s SAS and up to 6Gb/s SATA through the embedded H220i and B320i controller, or through an add-in Smart Array card
- Maximum SAS: 9.6TB on eight 1.2TB SFF drives
- Maximum SATA: 8.0TB on eight 1TB SFF drives
- Maximum solid state: 6.4TB on eight 800GB SAS or SATA SFF solid state drives
- SAS licence: selecting SAS hard drives with the embedded B320i as primary controller requires the single-server B320i SAS licence key
- Mixing: standard SAS drives and SAS solid state drives can share the tray, but the array is then limited to two separate RAID 0 volumes; mixing other drive types is not supported
Two things decide most orders on this page: the form factor and the licence. The tray's eight bays are 2.5-inch, so a 3.5-inch drive will not seat and no adapter makes it fit. And SAS hard drives running on the embedded B320i as the primary controller require the single-server B320i SAS licence key — a part number, not a setting. SATA drives need neither.
What Will Eight 2.5-inch Bays Actually Hold?
| Drive family | Largest documented | Eight bays hold | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAS enterprise SFF | 1.2TB 10K | 9.6TB | The platform maximum, and the licence key applies |
| SATA midline SFF | 1TB 7.2K | 8.0TB | Bulk capacity with no licence key on the embedded controller |
| SAS or SATA solid state SFF | 800GB | 6.4TB | HPE's documented solid state ceiling for this tray |
| 3.5-inch LFF | — | None | Will not seat; the bays in this tray are 2.5-inch only |
That last row is the one that costs people money. A handful of 3.5-inch LFF solid state drives appear in the listings for this platform because they are qualified for external enclosures attached to it, not for the tray, and no carrier makes a large form factor drive fit a 2.5-inch front end. The other rows are a straightforward trade: SAS carries the higher spindle speeds and the capacity record, midline SATA the cheaper terabytes, and solid state the throughput.
Choosing the Right SL270s Gen8 Drive
- Budget for the SAS licence key. With the embedded B320i as the primary controller, HPE requires the single-server SAS licence before SAS drives can be selected. SATA drives do not need it.
- Check the form factor first. The tray takes 2.5-inch drives, full stop, and the front of the chassis answers the question in a glance.
- A 12G drive runs at 6G here. The embedded controller is a 6Gb/s SAS and SATA device, and HPE notes that the drive, controller, firmware and backplane all negotiate down to the slowest component in the path.
- Mixing hard drives and SAS solid state costs you RAID levels. It is supported, but the configuration is then limited to two separate RAID 0 volumes.
- RAID 5 is a cache purchase. The B320i needs the 512MB flash backed write cache before RAID 5 is available at all, whatever drives are fitted.
Complete Your SL270s Gen8 Build
The controller decides which RAID levels the bays can carry — read SL270s Gen8 storage controllers, and the cache and licence options listed there, before committing to an array. Also available: SL270s Gen8 memory, processors, networking adapters and rack options, or the full SL270s Gen8 parts listing and the HPE parts by server model index. Background reading: SAS vs SATA hard drives and how to choose the right HPE SSD.
SL270s Gen8 Drives FAQ
How many drives fit in an SL270s Gen8 tray?
Up to eight 2.5-inch hot-plug drives. No hard drives ship standard, so a tray bought second-hand may arrive with blanks in every bay.
Do SAS drives need a licence on this server?
Yes, when the embedded B320i is the primary controller. HPE requires the single-server SAS licence key for the B320i before SAS hard drives can be selected. SATA drives do not need it.
What is the maximum storage in one SL270s Gen8 tray?
9.6TB on eight 1.2TB SAS drives, 8.0TB on eight 1TB SATA drives, or 6.4TB on eight 800GB solid state drives.
Will a 3.5-inch drive fit an SL270s Gen8?
No. The tray's eight bays are 2.5-inch small form factor. Large form factor drives listed for this platform belong in an external enclosure, not in the tray.
Can I mix hard drives and SSDs in the same tray?
Standard SAS drives and SAS solid state drives can share the server, but the RAID configuration is then limited to two separate RAID 0 volumes. Mixing other drive types is not supported.
Will a 12G SAS SSD run at full speed on the embedded controller?
No. The B320i supports up to 6Gb/s SAS and SATA, and HPE notes that the drive, controller, firmware and backplane negotiate down to a rate all of them can manage.
✅ Looking for a specific SL270s Gen8 drive? Browse our full selection below.
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