HPE 1.6TB SAS MU SFF SC MV SSD - P49048-B21

HPE P49048-B21 1.6TB SAS Mixed-Use SFF Solid State Drive

Overview

The HPE P49048-B21 is a 1.6TB 2.5-inch SFF SAS 12Gb/s mixed-use solid state drive engineered for server workloads that demand both high read and write throughput simultaneously — think database transaction logs, video surveillance storage back-ends, and analytics platforms that can't afford the latency cliff of a spinning drive. Built on Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND and rated at 3 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD), the P49048-B21 (often searched as P49048 B21) sits squarely in the mixed-use endurance tier: more write headroom than a read-optimized SSD, without paying the full premium of a write-intensive unit. It ships with the HPE Smart Carrier, so it drops into any compatible HPE SFF bay as a hot-swap unit — no downtime, no screwdrivers required.

For HPE server storage environments running 24/7 mixed read-write workloads, the combination of 115,000 random read IOPS and 120,000 random write IOPS at a 4KiB queue depth of 16 means the drive keeps pace with demanding OLTP applications without being the bottleneck in your storage stack.

Key Features

• 1.6TB Usable Capacity with 3 DWPD Endurance: At 3 drive writes per day over the rated lifetime of 8,760 TBW total, this drive handles sustained mixed workloads — database journals, telemetry ingestion, or multi-stream NVR storage — without burning through endurance in months the way a read-optimized SSD would under write pressure.
• 115,000 / 120,000 IOPS (4KiB): Random read IOPS of 115,000 at Q=16 (up to 173,000 at Q=64) and random write IOPS of 120,000 at Q=16 give workloads with mixed access patterns — simultaneous reads and writes — enough headroom that the drive won't serialize I/O or introduce measurable latency spikes under concurrent load.
• SAS 12Gb/s Dual-Port Interface: The dual-port SAS 12Gb/s connection provides 1.2 Gbps external data transfer rate and supports multipath I/O configurations. In an HPE server with a dual-port SAS expander, both paths remain active — a single cable or HBA failure does not take the drive offline. Critical in any always-on deployment.
• 1,080 Mbps Read / 1,030 Mbps Write Sequential Throughput: Sequential internal data rates of 1,080 Mbps read and 1,030 Mbps write mean large-block workloads — backups, video stream writes, bulk analytics exports — move at near-full SAS-link speed rather than getting throttled by the drive's own internals.
• Hot-Swap 2.5-inch SFF Form Factor: The hot-swap design with HPE Smart Carrier lets you pull and replace a failed drive while the server stays online. In a RAID array, the rebuild starts immediately without a maintenance window — essential for production environments where even a brief outage carries a cost.
• TLC NAND with Digitally Signed Firmware: Triple-Level Cell NAND delivers the density needed to fit 1.6TB in a 2.5-inch form factor at a realistic price point. Digitally signed firmware means the drive rejects unauthorized firmware updates — a meaningful security control in environments where storage firmware attacks are a known vector.
• 9.6W Maximum Power Draw: At under 10W, the P49048-B21 fits within the per-bay power budget of most HPE ProLiant configurations without forcing a PSU upgrade. Dense all-flash configurations — 24 or more drives per server — can fill bays without triggering power-budget alerts.

Integration & Compatibility

The P49048-B21 is designed for HPE ProLiant and Synergy server platforms that accept 2.5-inch SFF SAS drives. The included HPE Smart Carrier handles the mechanical fit and the drive-presence signaling the HPE Smart Array and MR controllers expect. The drive ships factory-new and sealed, compatible with HPE Smart Array controllers that support SAS 12Gb/s devices. Dual-port SAS topology allows deployment behind SAS expanders in dense storage enclosures with full multipath support. Verify your specific server generation's QVL against HPE's support documentation before ordering if you are deploying into an older platform.

For storage architects designing server storage solutions around mixed-workload SSDs, the 3 DWPD rating translates to roughly 4.8TB written per day — more than adequate for most database and surveillance-platform workloads without over-provisioning to a 10 DWPD write-intensive unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the endurance rating of the P49048-B21?

A: The P49048-B21 is rated at 3 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) with a total endurance of 8,760 TBW over its rated lifetime. For a 1.6TB drive, that equates to approximately 4.8TB of writes per day — well-suited for mixed-use workloads that involve both significant reads and writes.

Q: Is the P49048-B21 compatible with HPE ProLiant Gen10 and Gen11 servers?

A: The drive uses a standard 2.5-inch SFF SAS 12Gb/s interface with HPE Smart Carrier and is designed for HPE server platforms. Confirm compatibility against your specific server model's HDD/SSD Quick Value List (QVL) via HPE's support documentation, as supported drive lists vary by server generation and Smart Array controller version.

Q: Does the P49048-B21 support hot-swap replacement?

A: Yes. The P49048-B21 is a hot-plug SAS drive. It can be removed and replaced while the server remains powered on and in operation, provided the drive is configured in a RAID array managed by a compatible HPE Smart Array controller. The HPE Smart Carrier is included for proper bay fitment and signaling.

Q: What NAND type does the P49048-B21 use, and what does that mean for reliability?

A: The drive uses Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND. TLC stores 3 bits per cell, which yields higher capacity at lower cost compared to MLC or SLC. The 3 DWPD endurance rating accounts for TLC's write characteristics — the drive is calibrated for mixed workloads, not sustained all-day write saturation. For write-heavy workloads exceeding 3 DWPD, a write-intensive (WI) variant would be more appropriate.

Q: What is the random IOPS performance of the P49048-B21?

A: At a 4KiB block size, the drive delivers 115,000 random read IOPS at queue depth 16, with a maximum of 173,000 random read IOPS at queue depth 64. Random write IOPS are 120,000 at queue depth 16. These figures apply to the mixed-use workload profile the drive is rated for.

Q: What does the dual-port SAS interface provide over single-port?

A: Dual-port SAS allows the drive to be connected to two separate HBA or expander ports simultaneously. If one path fails — due to a cable, connector, or controller issue — the second path keeps the drive online with no data loss and no server reboot required. This is a standard requirement in high-availability server deployments and storage enclosures with redundant SAS fabrics.

Eden Phillips

The spec that stands out most on the P49048-B21 is the symmetry between its read and write IOPS: 115,000 read and 120,000 write at the same Q=16 queue depth. Most mixed-use SSDs sacrifice write IOPS to push the read headline number — this one doesn't. For workloads like surveillance platform back-ends or OLTP databases where reads and writes compete on the same queue, that balance matters more than a lopsided peak read figure.

Technical Highlights:

• 3 DWPD / 8,760 TBW Endurance: At 1.6TB capacity, 3 DWPD translates to 4.8TB written daily before the warranty endurance is consumed. That covers demanding mixed workloads without requiring an expensive write-intensive SKU — the right tier for most production database and video-storage applications.
• Dual-Port SAS 12Gb/s: Both ports are active simultaneously under multipath I/O, not just a failover standby. In a properly configured HPE storage enclosure with redundant SAS expanders, you get both fault tolerance and combined bandwidth — 2.4 Gbps aggregate external transfer rate in a multipath configuration.
• Digitally Signed Firmware: The drive validates firmware authenticity before applying any update. In a shared-storage environment where multiple teams have varying levels of access, this control prevents unauthorized firmware modification without requiring additional policy enforcement at the OS level.

Deployment Considerations:

• The HPE Smart Carrier is included — do not order a separate carrier. However, verify your server's bay type (SFF vs LFF) before install; the Smart Carrier handles SFF-to-backplane signaling that HPE's intelligent provisioning and iLO rely on for drive health reporting.
• At 9.6W per drive, dense all-flash configurations in a 24-bay SFF chassis approach 230W in drive power alone. Confirm PSU headroom and per-bay power budgets in iLO before populating a full enclosure — HPE's power calculator is the authoritative tool here, not a rule-of-thumb estimate.

This drive is the right call for HPE ProLiant environments running always-on mixed workloads — specifically surveillance storage servers, transaction-heavy databases, or analytics nodes where simultaneous high-IOPS reads and writes make a read-optimized SSD a poor fit and a write-intensive drive an overspend.