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I'm trying to convert our SaaS platform to SSDs for performance reasons, and wanted to use the new Intel DC3500. But our Dell SAN only accepts authorized Dell drives, and their only options are eMLC and cost 5x as much. Our workload is primarily reads and doesn't require multi-petabyte write endurance.

Are there any SAN vendors that do not use firmware to block third party drives?

Josh Yeager
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2 Answers2

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The HP P2000 SAN units can accept SSDs in their D2700 expansion enclosures. That's a decent way around this. The P2000 itself doesn't officially support SSDs, but people use them anyway.

12 x Corsair Force GS 360GB, no problems recognizing them. That's why I chose the HP, no drive restrictions or firmware locked crap.

But rather than put the SSDs in the SAN, have you considered host-based caching options?

Another approach is to use a tiering solution in front of your SAN. Use a NexentaStor box loaded with several SSDs in L2ARC to tier your hot data and keep the existing SAN for bulk storage.

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ewwhite
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  • Thanks for the suggestion. But I checked HO's site, and all their SSD options are as over-specified and expensive as the Dell options. We will probably implement caching tier(s) at some point, but I was hoping for a fairly cheap quick upgrade that would buy some extra runway. – Josh Yeager Jul 07 '13 at 13:59
  • You can use non-HP SSDs in their D2700 enclosure shelf, which attaches to the P2000. Please see my edits and this question on ServerFault: http://serverfault.com/questions/380187/hp-d2700-enclosure-and-ssds-will-any-ssd-work – ewwhite Jul 07 '13 at 14:33
  • Thanks for the extra detail! I couldn't find anything to indicate that would work. – Josh Yeager Jul 07 '13 at 14:50
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None of the big ones no, why would they? most of their margin comes from the mark up they make on drives. That's why there are software-only SAN solutions such as FreeNAS etc. that DO let you use whatever you like. The world needs both markets.

Chopper3
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  • I don't mind the markup. My problem is that none of them offer a low-end SSD option for users that don't need huge write endurance. – Josh Yeager Jul 07 '13 at 14:02
  • That said, thanks for the FreeNAS suggestion. I'll take a look. – Josh Yeager Jul 07 '13 at 14:11
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    FreeNAS is ace so long as you can live with its limitations. Some people swear by NexentaStore too - costs but is very flexible. – Chopper3 Jul 07 '13 at 17:39