HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Drives
Every drive on this page is one HPE lists for the HPE MSA 2040 array. Version 29 of HPE’s MSA 2040 QuickSpecs lists 12G SAS hard disk drives (15K and 10K Enterprise and 7.2K Midline in SFF, 7.2K Midline in LFF), Mixed Use SAS solid state drives in SFF and in LFF converter carriers, and two self-encrypting (SED) hard drives. Its earlier editions that hpe.com serves (Version 8 to Version 28) also list a 450GB 15K and a 900GB 10K 12G SFF drive, 12G 15K drives in LFF converter carriers, 12G Mainstream Endurance SSDs, and the 6G SAS drives HPE listed for the array: 15K hard drives in SFF and LFF, 10K in SFF and 7.2K Midline in SFF and LFF (several of them HP P2000 drives), Mainstream Endurance SSDs and three more self-encrypting hard drives. Each of those has a note in the parts list naming the HPE editions that list it. The HPE MSA 2042 QuickSpecs, in Version 8 or its earlier editions, lists the 12G drives except the self-encrypting ones, and none of the 6G drives. Every drive ships tested or factory sealed.
HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Drive Specifications
- Interface: SAS throughout: 12G in Version 29, 12G or 6G in the earlier editions. HPE states that “The MSA 2040 does not support LFF SATA HDDs” and that “The MSA 2040 does not support SFF SATA HDDs”.
- Form factors: “The MSA 2040 controllers support both the MSA 3.5-inch Large Form Factor (LFF) drives, and the MSA 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) drives.”
- SFF HDDs (2.5in), 12G: 15K Enterprise 300GB, 450GB, 600GB and 900GB; 10K Enterprise 300GB, 600GB, 900GB, 1.2TB, 1.8TB and 2.4TB; 7.2K Midline 1TB and 2TB (the 450GB 15K and the 900GB 10K from earlier editions).
- LFF HDDs (3.5in), 12G: 7.2K Midline 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 10TB and 12TB, and, from earlier editions, 15K Enterprise 300GB, 450GB and 600GB, which HPE lists as “SFF Drives in LFF Converters”.
- 6G SAS HDDs, from earlier editions: SFF 15K 146GB and 300GB; SFF 10K 300GB, 450GB, 600GB, 900GB and 1.2TB; SFF 7.2K Midline 1TB; LFF 15K 300GB, 450GB and 600GB; LFF 7.2K Midline 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, 4TB and 6TB. The LFF 15K drives and three of the LFF Midline drives are HP P2000 drives.
- SSDs: 12G SAS Mixed Use; SFF 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB and 3.2TB, and LFF 400GB and 800GB, which HPE lists as “SFF Solid State Drives in LFF Converters”.
- SSDs from earlier editions: Mainstream Endurance SFF, 12G 200GB, 400GB, 800GB and 1.6TB, and 6G 200GB, 400GB and 800GB.
- Self-encrypting drives: a 12G 1.2TB 10K Enterprise SFF and a 12G 4TB 7.2K Midline LFF hard drive, and from earlier editions three 6G ones, a 900GB 10K SFF and a 2TB and a 4TB 7.2K Midline LFF; “All MSA SEDs are FIPS 140-2 compliant”.
- 512e drives: the 1.8TB and 2.4TB 10K drives and every non-encrypting 12G 7.2K Midline drive are 512e, and “512e drives require MSA 1040/2040 firmware version GL200P002” or a later version.
- Maximum drives: “96 LFF/199 SFF” with expansion, across up to seven disk enclosures.
Self-encrypting drives are an MSA 2040, whole-array choice. HPE states that “Self-encrypted drives are only supported on the MSA 2040 Storage array” — on the MSA 2042 “Data at Rest Encryption is not supported” — and that SEDs “will not be encrypted unless all drives in the array are SED”, so confirm the array model and plan the whole drive set before ordering one.
Which drive type does the MSA 2040 need?
HPE describes the drive classes it lists for the MSA 2040 in one line each: “Solid State Drives (SSDs) deliver exceptional performance for applications requiring high random read IOPs performance”; “Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) enterprise-class drives are designed for high demand, 24x7 usage”; “SAS Midline drives are usually reserved for archival of data as they are relatively inexpensive”; and “Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) are designed to safeguard critical personal and business information and to comply with Regulatory Mandates”. The bays decide the form factor: a 24-bay SFF chassis or enclosure takes the 2.5in drives, a 12-bay LFF chassis or enclosure the 3.5in drives, and the LFF SSDs are SFF SSDs in converter carriers, as are the 12G LFF 15K hard drives of the earlier editions.
| Drive class | Form factor | Capacities HPE lists | What HPE says it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise 15K SAS HDD | SFF (2.5in) | 300GB, 450GB, 600GB, 900GB (the 450GB from earlier editions) | high demand, 24x7 usage |
| Enterprise 10K SAS HDD | SFF (2.5in) | 300GB, 600GB, 900GB, 1.2TB, 1.8TB, 2.4TB (1.8TB and 2.4TB are 512e; the 900GB from earlier editions) | high demand, 24x7 usage |
| Midline 7.2K SAS HDD | SFF (2.5in) | 1TB, 2TB (512e) | archival or reference data |
| Midline 7.2K SAS HDD | LFF (3.5in) | 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 10TB, 12TB (512e) | archival or reference data |
| Enterprise 15K SAS HDD, converter carrier | LFF (3.5in) | 300GB, 450GB, 600GB (earlier editions) | high demand, 24x7 usage |
| 6G Enterprise 15K and 10K SAS HDD | SFF (2.5in) | 15K 146GB, 300GB; 10K 300GB, 450GB, 600GB, 900GB, 1.2TB (earlier editions) | high demand, 24x7 usage |
| 6G Enterprise 15K SAS HDD | LFF (3.5in) | 300GB, 450GB, 600GB (earlier editions) | high demand, 24x7 usage |
| 6G Midline 7.2K SAS HDD | SFF and LFF | SFF 1TB; LFF 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, 4TB, 6TB (earlier editions) | archival or reference data |
| Mixed Use SAS SSD | SFF (2.5in) | 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB, 3.2TB | high random read IOPs |
| Mixed Use SAS SSD | LFF (3.5in) converter carrier | 400GB, 800GB | high random read IOPs |
| Mainstream Endurance SAS SSD | SFF (2.5in) | 12G 200GB, 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB; 6G 200GB, 400GB, 800GB (earlier editions) | high random read IOPs |
| Self-encrypting SAS HDD (FIPS 140-2) | SFF 10K and LFF 7.2K | SFF 1.2TB; LFF 4TB; from earlier editions, 6G SFF 900GB and LFF 2TB and 4TB | encryption, on the MSA 2040 only |
HPE lets the classes share one array: “Customers can mix SSD, SAS, and SAS MDL drives in the same array head and disk enclosure.” Its tiering follows the same classes — “A Performance tier with SSDs”, “A Standard SAS tier with Enterprise SAS HDDs” and “An Archive tier utilizing Midline SAS HDDs” — and an SSD tier that serves writes as well as reads is a licensed feature on the MSA 2040: “Creating an SSD virtual disk group for both read and write capabilities requires a Performance Auto Tiering License.” HPE’s MSA 2042 QuickSpecs states that the same licence “comes standard with all MSA 2042 models”.
Choosing the Right HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Drives
- Use MSA drives, SAS only. HPE states that MSA drives “are for use only with MSA arrays”, and its MSA 2042 QuickSpecs says “MSA HDDs and SSDs drives are for use with MSA Storage Systems only.” Every drive HPE lists for these arrays is SAS: 12G in Version 29 of the MSA 2040 QuickSpecs, 12G or 6G in its earlier editions; check a drive’s part number against this list before ordering it for an MSA 2040 or MSA 2042.
- Midline for capacity, Enterprise or SSD for heavy I/O. HPE’s ordering note: “SAS MDL drives are designed for archival or reference data. They should not be used in a heavy or intense I/O environment. Those situations require the use of enterprise-class SSD or SAS drives.” The spindle speed guide compares the 15K, 10K and 7.2K classes.
- 512e drives need GL200P002 firmware. HPE prints the rule under every group that holds 512e drives: “512e drives require MSA 1040/2040 firmware version GL200P002” or a later version. The 512e drives guide explains the format.
- Self-encrypting drives: MSA 2040 only, and every drive or none. All drives in the array “must be self-encrypted drives to enable the encryption feature”; “SEDs can be used in a non-SED environment, but will not be encrypted unless all drives in the array are SED”. They need controller firmware GL105: HPE states that SED support “requires Firmware version GL105”. On the MSA 2042, “Data at Rest Encryption is not supported”.
- Mixed Use, or Mainstream Endurance from the earlier editions. Version 29 lists 12G SAS Mixed Use SSDs only; the earlier editions also list Mainstream Endurance SSDs, 12G and 6G; an earlier edition of HPE’s MSA 2042 QuickSpecs, which lists the 12G ones, calls them “write intensive (Mainstream Endurance) SSDs”. HPE lists no Read Intensive SSD for these arrays. For SSD read cache, “A maximum of 2 SSD’s are supported per pool utilizing a maximum of 4TB of read cache per controller.” The WI vs MU vs RI guide explains the endurance classes.
Complete Your HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Build
- HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Parts — the SAN and SAS controllers, SFP transceivers, disk enclosures and SAS cables
- HPE MSA Storage Parts — every MSA model with a parts page
- HPE MSA 2050 / 2052 Drives — the drive page for the MSA 2050 and MSA 2052 models
- SAS vs SATA hard drives — how the two interfaces differ; every drive HPE lists for the MSA 2040 is SAS
HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Drives FAQ
Can I use SATA drives in an MSA 2040?
No. HPE states "The MSA 2040 does not support LFF SATA HDDs" and "The MSA 2040 does not support SFF SATA HDDs", and every drive it lists for the MSA 2040 and MSA 2042 is a SAS drive, 12G or (in earlier editions of the MSA 2040 QuickSpecs) 6G: 15K or 10K Enterprise, 7.2K Midline, SSD or self-encrypting.
Does the MSA 2042 support self-encrypting drives?
No. HPE's MSA 2042 QuickSpecs states "Data at Rest Encryption is not supported on the HPE MSA 2042. If encryption is desired, refer to the HPE MSA 2040 Storage System." Across Version 8 and its earlier editions, the MSA 2042's drive list is the MSA 2040's 12G drives without the self-encrypting ones, and the MSA 2040 QuickSpecs states "Self-encrypted drives are only supported on the MSA 2040 Storage array".
Can I mix HDDs and SSDs in one MSA 2040?
Yes. HPE states "Customers can mix SSD, SAS, and SAS MDL drives in the same array head and disk enclosure." Using the SSDs as a tier for both reads and writes needs a Performance Auto Tiering License on the MSA 2040; HPE's MSA 2042 QuickSpecs states that licence "comes standard with all MSA 2042 models".
Are the MSA 2040 SSDs read intensive or mixed use?
Mixed Use, and Mainstream Endurance in earlier editions. Version 29 of HPE's MSA 2040 QuickSpecs lists 12G SAS Mixed Use SSDs, SFF 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB and 3.2TB and LFF 400GB and 800GB on converter carriers. Its earlier editions also list Mainstream Endurance SSDs, 12G SFF 200GB, 400GB, 800GB and 1.6TB and 6G SFF 200GB, 400GB and 800GB; an earlier edition of HPE's MSA 2042 QuickSpecs, which lists the 12G ones, calls them "write intensive (Mainstream Endurance) SSDs". HPE lists no Read Intensive SSD for this array.
What is the largest drive for the MSA 2040?
HPE lists a 12TB 7.2K Midline LFF hard drive, a 2.4TB 10K Enterprise SFF hard drive and a 3.2TB Mixed Use SFF SSD as the largest of their kinds. With up to seven disk enclosures the array takes 96 LFF or 199 SFF drives (199 with the 25-bay D2700 enclosure).
Why are 6G drives on an MSA 2040 page?
Because HPE listed them for the MSA 2040. Earlier editions of HPE's MSA 2040 QuickSpecs (c04123144) list 6G SAS drives beside the 12G ones: 15K hard drives in SFF and LFF, 10K in SFF, 7.2K Midline in SFF and LFF, Mainstream Endurance SSDs and self-encrypting drives. Each one's note in the parts list names the editions that list it. HPE's MSA 2042 QuickSpecs lists no 6G drive in Version 8 or its earlier editions.
What firmware do 512e and self-encrypting drives need in an MSA 2040?
HPE states "512e drives require MSA 1040/2040 firmware version GL200P002" or a later version, and "Customers must upgrade their MSA 2040 controller firmware to GL105 or later for Self-Encrypting Drive functionality". Check the controller firmware before installing those drives.
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