The HPE MSA Gen7 Storage family, including the MSA 2070, 2072, and 2070 Flash Bundle, is the latest in entry-level shared storage. But is it truly groundbreaking? Like most x86 systems, it brings incremental improvements—better speeds, RAID recovery, and capacity. Yet, most IT environments don’t always need the latest hardware.
HPE MSA Storage and Storage Parts: Save up to 80%
In many cases, storage choices come down to user familiarity, vendor relationships, and internal policies rather than purely technical advantages. So, is MSA Gen7 actually worth it, or is it just another predictable upgrade cycle? Let’s take a closer look.
Key Features and Innovations in HPE MSA Gen7
The HPE MSA Gen7 storage models bring a performance boost along with enhanced data protection and greater expandability options. Below are the standout features:
⚡ Performance Upgrades of HPE MSA Gen7
Up to 2x higher IOPS and 30% more bandwidth compared to previous models.
Powered by a custom RAID acceleration ASIC, delivering faster response times and reduced latency.
Improved workload management with intelligent automated tiering v2, responding in real-time to I/O changes.
🛠 Architecture & Scalability of HPE MSA Gen7
Dual-controller active-active design, ensuring high availability and load balancing.
Scalable up to 7PB of raw storage capacity.
Expandable via nine expansion drive enclosures.
Modular build, allowing businesses to start small and scale up as needed.
📡 Connectivity and Network Support of HPE MSA Gen7
Supports 16Gb Fibre Channel (FC), 10/25GbE iSCSI (SFP+), 1/10GBASE-T, and 12Gb SAS.
High-speed connectivity ensures low-latency access for virtualized workloads and data-intensive applications.
🔒 Advanced Data Protection & RAID Engine of HPE MSA Gen7
Features HPE MSA-DP+, a next-gen RAID technology that:
Delivers 25x faster rebuild times compared to RAID5.
Enhances fault tolerance and minimizes data loss risks.
Allows flexible expansion with drives of different sizes.
Built-in self-encrypting drive (SED) support for added security.
HPE MSA Advanced Data Services (ADS) for automated data tiering, replication, and snapshots.
HPE MSA Gen7 Model Comparison
Model | Key Features | Ideal Use Case |
HPE MSA 2070 | Hybrid storage, dual controllers, support for HDD & SSD, 7PB expansion | SMBs needing cost-effective, scalable shared storage |
HPE MSA 2072 | Includes 2x 1.92TB SSDs, real-time automated tiering, ADS pre-installed | Businesses requiring high-speed hybrid storage with SSD acceleration |
HPE MSA 2070 Flash Bundle | Pre-configured all-flash array, 12 integrated SSDs, up to 46TB raw storage | Performance-driven applications, databases, and virtualization |
Supported Drives, Expansion, and Performance Options of HPE MSA Gen7
🔹 Drive Options of HPE MSA Gen7
HPE MSA Gen7 supports a variety of drive types and capacities, allowing businesses to balance performance, cost, and storage needs:
Enterprise SAS SSDs (12Gb/s): Available in 1.92TB, 3.84TB, and 7.68TB sizes, optimized for high-speed and latency-sensitive applications.
Enterprise SAS HDDs (10K RPM, 12Gb/s): Offered in 600GB, 1.2TB, 2.4TB, and 4.8TB, ideal for high-performance storage solutions.
Midline SAS HDDs (7.2K RPM, 12Gb/s): Cost-effective, high-capacity options in 4TB, 8TB, 12TB, and 16TB, best suited for bulk storage and archiving needs.
🔹 Expansion Options of HPE MSA Gen7
HPE MSA Gen7 provides flexible and scalable expansion:
Up to 7PB raw capacity with nine additional drive enclosures.
Expansion enclosures available in SFF (Small Form Factor) and LFF (Large Form Factor) configurations.
Seamless compatibility with existing HPE MSA expansion shelves, ensuring easy scalability.
Processing Power, Controllers, and Memory Modules of HPE MSA Gen7
🔹 Controllers and Processing Power of HPE MSA Gen7
Dual Active-Active Controllers: Each controller features multi-core processors, ensuring high-speed data processing and load balancing.
Dedicated RAID Acceleration ASIC: Provides enhanced storage management and improves read/write performance.
🔹 Memory and Cache Features of HPE MSA Gen7
Flash-backed write cache (FBWC) for enhanced data resilience and power loss protection.
Increased cache per controller for handling intensive workloads.
DRAM-based read cache, optimizing read-intensive applications.
🔹 Storage Management and Software Features of HPE MSA Gen7
HPE MSA Storage Management Utility (SMU): Web-based UI with intuitive monitoring and control.
HPE MSA Health Check: Provides real-time diagnostics and firmware monitoring.
Automated provisioning and simplified deployment for easy integration into IT environments.
Use Cases for HPE MSA Gen7 Storage
✅ Virtualized Environments & Private Clouds of HPE MSA Gen7
Optimized for VMware, Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer.
Low-latency performance ideal for running VMs at peak efficiency.
Advanced data protection features ensure business continuity.
✅ Database and High-Performance Workloads of HPE MSA Gen7
All-flash MSA 2070 Flash Bundle provides high IOPS for transactional databases.
Hybrid SSD + HDD configurations allow cost-effective performance scaling.
Low latency for read/write-heavy applications like Microsoft SQL, Oracle, and SAP.
✅ Backup & Disaster Recovery Solutions of HPE MSA Gen7
Built-in remote snap replication for business continuity and failover protection.
Automated tiering optimizes performance while keeping less-accessed data in lower-cost storage.
Supports self-encrypting drives (SEDs) to protect sensitive backup data.
✅ Branch Offices & SMBs Needing Shared Storage of HPE MSA Gen7
Easy deployment and management with an intuitive UI.
Expandable capacity supports business growth without significant upfront investment.
High availability ensures uptime for critical business applications.
HPE MSA Storage and Storage Parts: Save up to 80%
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