HPE 3PAR SAN Storage Arrays

What is 3PAR Storage? 

Refurbished HPE 3PAR SAN Storage Arrays are a data storage solution designed to provide high-performance, scalable, and resilient storage capabilities for businesses and enterprises. They have a unique architecture that deviates from traditional RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations and offer exceptional redundancy abilities.

At Intelligent Servers UK we stock a large range of second-hand servers and storage drives, including professionally refurbished the HPE 3PAR 7000 series and the HPE 3PAR 8000 series.

If you would like to receive a quote or speak to one of our expert HPE 3PAR engineers, please give us a call on 01423 223 430, email sales@intelligentservers.co.uk, or use the live chat on our website.

How does 3PAR Storage work?

Instead of creating RAID sets using the full capacity of each physical hard drive, HPE 3PAR Storage Arrays cut each hard disk (regardless of size) into 1GB “Chunklets”.

Each 1GB Chunklet is then grouped into RAID Chunklets of your choice, either RAID 1, RAID 5 or RAID 6. You can define how many Data Chunklets you want in each RAID set – a minimum of 3 or a maximum of 14, depending on which RAID level you choose.

The HPE 3PAR Storage Array then groups all these hundreds and thousands of RAID sets into one big RAID 0 volume – just like RAID 10 does when grouping RAID 1 sets into a RAID 0 volume.

What are the benefits of HPE 3PAR Storage Arrays?

Excellent redundancy

The HPE 3PAR lets you set the level of redundancy within your SAN Array as either “Per Disk” redundancy, or the more secure “Per Disk Enclosure” redundancy.

With “Per Disk Enclosure”, the HPE 3PAR SAN array allows no more than 2x 1GB Chunklets from the same RAID set to reside on a disk on the same disk shelve. This means that if you were to lose an entire Disk Enclosure to something like a power outage, you wouldn’t lose any of the actual data – your vDisks will still be online and accessible by your hosts.

Mix and match disk size

Another great benefit of the HPE 3PAR setup is that your RAID sets don’t have to be made of equal-sized disks. As long as the disks are of the same RPM speed – it won’t matter.

For instance, if you had a setup of 12x 2TB 7.2K RPM hard drives, you could add additional 6TB disks to this volume at a later date and expand it – as long as the disks are of the same RPM speed.

"Peer Persistence"

You can now present two separate HPE 3PAR arrays as one, with what is called a “Peer Persistence” group. These two storage arrays don’t have to be identical: they can be different models or generations and can have different speed disks.

Best of all, when you add your refurbished HPE 3PAR SAN Arrays into your Peer Persistence group, the HPE 3PAR Management Console will present the arrays as one WWN node to your host – so your host servers believe they’re seeing just one SAN.

In the background, the HPE 3PAR Controllers are replicating data from the Active SAN Array to the Standby SAN Array. Because of the single WWN setup, if your Active SAN Arrays fail, the Standby SAN Array will instantly take over, without any disruption to your hosts or users. No one will even notice.

How hard is it to set up refurbished Peer Persistence with 3PAR Storage?

Setting up “Peer Persistence” is simple. You simply switch it on within the HPE 3PAR Management Console and add the arrays to your newly created Peer Persistence Group.

There’s no complex software and no convoluted setup needed. It’s true SAN Replication made simple!

If you would like to read more about HPE 3PAR storage and how it works, please have a read through some of the links below:

• Cost-effective disaster recovery solution with 3PAR - Intelligent Servers Case Study
• 3PAR Chunklet RAID Architecture 
• Learning 3PAR
• Implementing VMware Virtual Volumes on HPE 3PAR StoreServ
• Another refurbished 3PAR 7400c configured and delivered to a happy customer! - Intelligent Servers Blog

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Choose Intelligent Servers for your HPE 3PAR storage project

We’ve sold over fifty HPE 3PAR SAN configurations this year, ranging from all-flash to multi-tiered configurations. Whether you're looking for a tailored storage solution to meet specific requirements or something a bit more economical, our expert tech team will help you find the right fit for you.

All our refurbished HPE 3PAR Storage Arrays are carefully tested and available with a reduced price of up to 80% when compared to buying new. Every purchase is backed by a no-quibble three year warranty, with free remote support included for the duration. We also offer free delivery as standard – anywhere in the world!