HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Parts

HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Parts

Every part on this page is one HPE lists for the HPE MSA 2040 storage array: the compatible SAS hard disk drives and solid state drives, the MSA 2040 SAN and SAS controllers, the SFP transceivers the SAN controller needs, the disk enclosures that grow the array and the Mini-SAS cables. For the HPE MSA 2042, which HPE builds from the same MSA 2040 chassis and controllers, HPE’s MSA 2042 QuickSpecs lists, in Version 8 or its earlier editions, the same 12G drives except the self-encrypting ones, and the same SFP transceivers, the AC-powered disk enclosures and the same cables; it lists no controller option, and it states that the MSA 2042 does not support DC power supplies. Every part ships tested or factory sealed. The drives have their own page: HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Drives.

HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Specifications

  • Chassis: “2U rack height. 12 Large Form Factor or 24 Small Form Factor drive bays”, with “space for one or two controllers”. HPE notes that the MSA 2042 “does not support single controller configurations”.
  • Controllers: the “MSA 2040 SAN controller supports 8Gb FC, 16Gb FC, 1GbE iSCSI or 10GbE iSCSI SFPs”, and the “MSA 2040 SAS controller supports 6Gb and 12Gb SAS host connectivity using mini-SAS HD cables”.
  • Host ports: “Up to four (4) host ports per controller, 8 host ports per storage array”.
  • Cache: “6 GB per controller”, of which “Data (Read/Write) cache = 4GB”.
  • What a pre-configured MSA 2040 includes: the SAN models hold the array chassis and “two MSA 2040 SAN controllers, no drives or SFPs are included”; the SAS models hold the chassis and two SAS controllers, with “no drives or host connect cables”.
  • What each MSA 2042 includes: “an MSA 2040 LFF or SFF Array Chassis, two MSA 2040 SAN or SAS controllers depending on model, two 400GB Mixed Use SSDs, one Advanced Data Services LTU”.
  • Expansion: “The MSA 2040 will support a maximum of 7 disk enclosures (either LFF and/or SFF).” HPE adds: “The array can grow incrementally from a few drives to 96 LFF or 199 SFF drives.”
  • Serviceability: “All MSA 2040 models support hot plug expansion and replacement of redundant controllers”, “enclosures, fans, power supplies, and I/O modules”, and “Hot add expansion of disk enclosures is also supported.”
  • Self-encrypting drives: “Self-encrypted drives are only supported on the MSA 2040 Storage array”; HPE’s MSA 2042 QuickSpecs states that “Data at Rest Encryption is not supported on the HPE MSA 2042.”

Match the SFPs to the controller before you order. HPE states that “MSA 2040 SAN Controllers or pre-configured systems do not ship with any SFPs” and that “MSA SAS controllers and systems do not require SFP modules” — a SAN controller takes 2 or 4 SFPs from the 4-packs below, while a SAS controller connects over Mini-SAS HD host cables that HPE says “must be purchased separately”.

What Is on This Page, and What Is Not

The parts below are the hardware options from the ordering steps of HPE’s MSA 2040 QuickSpecs, grouped as HPE groups them: drives, the SAN and SAS controllers, SFP transceivers, disk enclosures and SAS cables, plus the DC-powered carrier-grade drive enclosure HPE lists for NEBS configurations. Four kinds of item HPE lists are deliberately not here. The array models and chassis (the pre-configured SAN and SAS dual-controller arrays, the controller-less AC and DC-powered chassis and the MSA 2042 models) are complete systems or base configurations, not parts. The software licences (the Advanced Data Services Suite and the 512-Snapshot licence) are not hardware. The fibre and direct attach copper host cables are generic cabling that depends on the device at the other end; HPE’s own instruction is to “verify that the cable/transceiver is supported with the connecting device (i.e. switch or NIC/iSCSI HBA)”. And the host bus adapters, Smart Array controllers and BladeSystem SAS switches HPE lists as supported infrastructure, by server type (x86, Integrity and BladeSystem c-Class), belong to the server side of the connection, not to the array, so they are not carried as MSA parts. The SAS host cables are here, because HPE lists them for one job each: the Mini-SAS HD to Mini-SAS cables “are used to connect 6Gb SAS initiator to MSA 2040 SAS controller”, the Mini-SAS HD to Mini-SAS HD cables “are used to connect 12Gb SAS initiator to MSA 2040 SAS controller”, and of both HPE adds: “These are not used for connecting to a disk enclosure.”

Choosing the Right HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Parts

  • The controller decides the host connection. A SAN controller takes SFPs for Fibre Channel or iSCSI; a SAS controller “has four mini-SAS HD ports for host connection”, and HPE adds: “Cables must be purchased separately”. Both controllers are listed “for either the LFF or SFF MSA 2040 chassis or the two DC-powered chassis”, and a controller-less chassis “Will accept one or two MSA 2040 SAN or MSA 2040 SAS controllers”. The MSA 2042 ships with two MSA 2040 controllers of its own.
  • SFPs come in 4-packs, two or four per SAN controller. “MSA 2040 SAN Controllers or pre-configured systems do not ship with any SFPs”; each SAN controller “can be configured with 2 or 4 SFPs”, and “MSA SFPs are for use only with MSA 2040 SAN Controllers.” The SAN controller can mix Fibre Channel and iSCSI by port pair: HPE’s table requires that the “SFP in Host Port 1 must match SFP in Host Port 2” and the “SFP in Host Port 3 must match SFP in Host Port 4”. And “For MSA 2040 10Gb iSCSI configuration user can use DAC cables instead of SFPs.”
  • Up to seven disk enclosures, from four models. “Use any disk enclosure with large or small form factor, single or dual controller MSA 2040 storage systems.” The two MSA 2050 enclosures are the exception: each “has two I/O modules and supports the MSA 2040 dual controller arrays.” Each “ships with two .5m mini-SAS to mini-SAS cables”, and “LFF and/or SFF Disk Enclosures can be mixed up to the maximum of 7 total Disk Enclosures”. HPE states that “The MSA 2050 LFF and SFF Disk Enclosures are the recommended disk enclosures for capacity expansion on the MSA 2040 storage systems”, with GL225 array controller firmware as their minimum. The DC-powered BV921C is the exception: HPE describes it as “a special model disk enclosure designed for use with NEBS compliant MSA 2040 configurations”.
  • Pick the SAS cable by the job. For a 6Gb SAS initiator, the 1.0m, 2.0m or 4.0m Mini-SAS HD to Mini-SAS cable; for a 12Gb SAS initiator, the 1.0m, 2.0m or 4.0m Mini-SAS HD to Mini-SAS HD cable. Neither is for a disk enclosure; the 1m and 2m mini-SAS cables are, for “Connecting MSA 2040 Controller to a JBOD if a longer cable is desired.”
  • Software is a separate line. The MSA 2042 “includes the Advanced Data Services Software Suite”. On the MSA 2040, “Creating an SSD virtual disk group for both read and write capabilities requires a Performance Auto Tiering License.” The licences are software parts HPE sells; they are not listed here.

Complete Your HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Build

HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Parts FAQ

Which drives fit the HPE MSA 2040 and MSA 2042?
The SAS drives HPE lists for the MSA 2040. Version 29 of its MSA 2040 QuickSpecs lists 12G 15K and 10K Enterprise and 7.2K Midline hard drives, Mixed Use SSDs in SFF and in LFF converter carriers, and two self-encrypting hard drives that only the MSA 2040 supports; its earlier editions add more 12G drives, Mainstream Endurance SSDs among them, and the 6G SAS drives HPE listed for the array. HPE states that MSA drives "are for use only with MSA arrays" and that "The MSA 2040 does not support LFF SATA HDDs". The full list is on the HPE MSA 2040 / 2042 Drives page.

Does the MSA 2040 come with SFP transceivers?
No. HPE states that "MSA 2040 SAN Controllers or pre-configured systems do not ship with any SFPs" and that "MSA SAS controllers and systems do not require SFP modules". Each SAN controller takes 2 or 4 SFPs, sold as 4-packs: 8Gb or 16Gb Fibre Channel, 10Gb iSCSI or 1Gb RJ-45 iSCSI. On a 10Gb iSCSI configuration HPE allows DAC cables instead of SFPs.

What is the difference between the MSA 2040 SAN and SAS controllers?
The host connection. HPE states that the "MSA 2040 SAN controller supports 8Gb FC, 16Gb FC, 1GbE iSCSI or 10GbE iSCSI SFPs" and that the "MSA 2040 SAS controller supports 6Gb and 12Gb SAS host connectivity using mini-SAS HD cables"; each has four host ports. Both are listed for "either the LFF or SFF MSA 2040 chassis or the two DC-powered chassis", and a chassis takes one or two controllers.

How many disk enclosures can I add to an MSA 2040?
Up to seven. HPE states "The MSA 2040 will support a maximum of 7 disk enclosures (either LFF and/or SFF)", which takes the array to 96 LFF or 199 SFF drives (the 199 counts the 25-bay D2700 enclosure). HPE lists four enclosures for it - the MSA 2040 Energy Star LFF Disk Enclosure, the D2700 and the MSA 2050 LFF and SFF Disk Enclosures - and names the MSA 2050 models as the recommended ones, with GL225 array controller firmware as their minimum.

Does the MSA 2042 take the same parts as the MSA 2040?
Many of them. HPE's MSA 2042 QuickSpecs lists the same four SFP 4-packs, the same SAS cables, the same four AC-powered disk enclosures and, in Version 8 or its earlier editions, the same 12G drives except the self-encrypting ones: "Data at Rest Encryption is not supported on the HPE MSA 2042." It lists none of the 6G drives. Each MSA 2042 includes "two MSA 2040 SAN or SAS controllers depending on model", and HPE notes that the MSA 2042 does not "support DC power supplies".

Can I upgrade an MSA 1040 or P2000 G3 to an MSA 2040?
HPE states that "Owners of an MSA P2000 G3 and an MSA 1040 array are able to do data-in-place controller upgrades" to the MSA 2040, and that "This unique ability protects the earlier investments in drives, and JBODs." For an upgrade to the MSA 2042, HPE's MSA 2042 QuickSpecs adds that "Certain limitations are applicable" and points to HPE's upgrade white paper before a P2000 G3 or MSA 1040 is upgraded.

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