RAID advice for small business

Question

We are looking to purchase a T440 and looking for some advice for drives. We are a small accounting office and this server will primarily be a file server. Originally I was going to purchase the H350, 2 1tb SATA SSDs and 2 2td disks with each in a RAID 1 setup. The OS would be on the SSDs along with a small VM, the 2tb drives would host another VM. Option #2 is H750 with 6 1tb drives, 2 RAID 1 for the OS, 3 RAID5 and a global spare. I originally choose SSDs because I thought they would offer better performance and increased reliability, then I probably read too much and started doubting the SATA SSDs durability. We will probably keep this server for 5-7 years. I started to lean toward option #2 because I have better RAID controller, spare onsite and I don't have to worry about the longevity of the SSDs. Although I like the simplicity of RAID 1 and option #1.

1. Should I be concerned with the SATA SSD's longevity?

2. Does the better RAID controller compensate performance of the spinning disks?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

DELL-Erman O · Answer

Hello,I strongly recommend you to read the article about SSD here. I hope this article helps you in considering your choice based on your needs here. I think the second option can be preferred with a controller that will allow for longer use and the changes you want to make later. It will help to clarify the preference in your mind if he states what preferences they can make in your situation because of the reasons in the community.   Dell Solid State Drive (SSD) FAQ with Servers (PowerEdge) and Storage https://dell.to/3oxmaMS   List of PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) types for Dell EMC systems https://dell.to/2YqPKcn   Model & Form Factors Interface Support PCI Support SAS Connection Cache Memory Size Write Back Cache RAID Levels Max Drive Support RAID Support     PowerEdge Server-Storage Controllers (PERC & SAS HBA) Series 11                       H750 Adapter 12Gb/s SAS6Gb/s SAS/SATA3Gb/s SAS/SATA*SAS/SATA ONLY PCIe Gen 4 8 ports-                           1x8 Internal 8GB NV Flash Backed Cache 0,1,5,6,10,50,60 16/controller50 with SAS Expander*Platform limit Hardware RAID                                                                                                                                               H350 Adapter 12Gb/s SAS 6Gb/s SATA PCIe Gen 4 8 ports-                             1x8 Internal No Cache No Cache 0,1,10        Note1 Up To 32 RAID, or 32 Non-RAID Hardware RAID   Hope this will help!

HarryTax · Answer

That is the article that I read previously that made me start questioning.  How do I know which SSDs are SLC, eMLC or MLC?

DELL-Marco B · Answer

Hello, not sure if I understand your question. In the details of SSD you have generally the indication of NAND flash memory type, for example this SSD is MLC https://dell.to/3DmumnD Marco

Model & Form Factors	Interface Support	PCI Support	SAS Connection	Cache Memory Size	Write Back Cache	RAID Levels	Max Drive Support	RAID Support
Model & Form Factors	Interface Support	PCI Support	SAS Connection	Cache Memory Size	Write Back Cache	RAID Levels	Max Drive Support	RAID Support
PowerEdge Server-Storage Controllers (PERC & SAS HBA) Series 11

H750 Adapter	12Gb/s SAS 6Gb/s SAS/SATA 3Gb/s SAS/SATA *SAS/SATA ONLY	PCIe Gen 4	8 ports- 1x8 Internal	8GB NV	Flash Backed Cache	0,1,5,6,10,50,60	16/controller 50 with SAS Expander *Platform limit	Hardware RAID







H350 Adapter	12Gb/s SAS 6Gb/s SATA	PCIe Gen 4	8 ports- 1x8 Internal	No Cache	No Cache	0,1,10 Note1	Up To 32 RAID, or 32 Non-RAID	Hardware RAID

PowerEdge HDD/SCSI/RAID

RAID advice for small business

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