HPE Warns Of SSD Storage Systems Failure Coming Soon

HPE warns of SSD storage systems failure coming soon

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has issued a critical firmware update for certain SAS solid-state drives (SSDs) that are used in a number of HPE server and storage products. The update is required to prevent the SSDs from failing after 40,000 hours of operation, which could result in data loss and system downtime.

The firmware bug affects specific HPE SAS SSD models with an HPE firmware version prior to HPD7. HPE says that based on when affected SSDs have been manufactured and sold, the earliest failures are expected to occur starting with October this year, with the exception of HPE SimpliVity OmniCube, which could be at risk now. The issue is not unique to HPE and potentially affects all customers that purchased these drives from any manufacturer.

If the SSDs are not updated with the new firmware, they will become inaccessible and unrecoverable after reaching 40,000 power-on-hours, which is equivalent to 4 years, 206 days and 16 hours. This could lead to data loss and system failure, especially in non-fault tolerant or RAID configurations. HPE advises customers to apply the firmware update as soon as possible to avoid such a scenario.

The firmware update can be downloaded from the HPE website and installed using online flash components for VMware ESXi, Windows and Linux. HPE also provides tools and resources such as HPE iLO Amplifier Pack, HPE InfoSight for Servers, HPE Service Pack for ProLiant and Smart Update Manager to help customers identify and manage the affected SSDs across their data center environments.

HPE has published a list of the impacted SSD models and the server and storage platforms that use them in its SAS SSD Advisory web page. Customers can also contact HPE support for further assistance.

While the firmware bug affects only certain HPE SAS SSD models, HPE offers a wide range of SSDs for different workloads and performance needs. HPE 12Gb SAS Write Intensive (WI) SSDs, for example, are ideal for software-defined storage cache tier, big data analytics and high performance compute. They achieve higher IOPS and lower latency to enhance the performance of your data center. They also offer an endurance of 10 DWPD and maintain data accuracy with full data-path error detection.

HPE also provides various tools and services to help customers optimize their SSD performance and reliability. HPE SmartSSD Wear Gauge monitors the lifespan of the SSDs and alerts customers when they need to be replaced. HPE Smart Carrier reports drive activity and health status through LED icons. HPE Smart Array Controllers and Smart Host Bus Adapters provide enhanced performance, data protection and scalability for HPE SAS SSDs.

With HPE SAS SSDs, customers can benefit from faster, more reliable and more efficient storage solutions that meet their business demands. By applying the critical firmware update, customers can ensure that their SSDs continue to function properly and avoid potential data loss and system failure. aa16f39245