The PowerVault ME5 entry storage system is purpose-built and optimized for high-value SAN and DAS virtualized workloads. The low-cost PowerVault ME5 is available in 2U or dense 5U base systems, and simplifies the challenges of server capacity expansion and small-scale SAN consolidation with up to 336 drives or 8 PB capacity. The PowerVault ME5 also comes with all-inclusive software, exceptional performance, and built-in simplicity with an HTML5 management UI called PowerVault Manager. Connecting PowerVault ME5 storage to a PowerEdge server or to a SAN ensures that business applications get high-speed and reliable access to their data—without compromise,
The PowerVault ME5 product features include:
- Simplicity: A web-based management UI (HTML5) installs and configures in 25 minutes and easily deploys in 2U or 5U systems.
- Performance: Compared to its PowerVault ME4 predecessor, PowerVault ME5 storage packs a lot of power and scale with Intel® Xeon® processors and dual-active controller architecture. The PowerVault ME5 processing power delivers exceptional performance gains over PowerVault ME4, along with increased capacity and bandwidth.
- Connectivity: The PowerVault ME5 storage system provides robust and flexible connectivity starting with a 12 Gb SAS back-end interface. Also supported are front-end interface options including four 16/32 GB FC ports per controller, four 10 Gb iSCSI ports per controller (BaseT), four 10/25 Gb iSCSI (Optical), or four 12 Gb SAS ports per controller.
- Scalability: Both 2U and 5U base systems are available, with the 2U system supporting either 12 or 24 drives and the 5U system supporting 84 drives. Each of the 2U (PowerVault ME5012 and PowerVault ME5024) and 5U (PowerVault ME5084) base systems support optional expansion enclosures of 12, 24, and 84 drives, enabling you to use up to 336 drives. Drive mixing is also possible.
- All-inclusive software: Included with each PowerVault ME5 storage system are volume copy, snapshots, IP/FC asynchronous replication, VMware VCenter Server® and VMware Site Recovery Manager™ integration, SSD read cache, thin provisioning, three-level tiering, ADAPT (distributed RAID), and controller-based encryption (SEDs) with internal key management.
- Flexibility: Ability to configure systems as All-Flash, Hybrid Flash, or All-HDDs.
- Management: An integrated HTML5 web-based management interface, PowerVault Manager. ME5 also supports CLI and REST APIs. CSI drivers are supported through OpenStack.
For more information, see the Dell PowerVault ME5 product page.
Note: For information about PowerVault ME5 storage systems, supported hardware and software, usage considerations, recommendations, and rules, see the latest Dell PowerVault ME5 Series Storage System Support Matrix.
ME5 storage array hardware
PowerVault ME5 storage systems are validated with Dell PowerEdge servers running different host operating systems. These systems give IT organizations a dynamic, high-performance, and scalable infrastructure for any size business – simply and economically. These systems are available as base systems and optional expansion enclosures.
- PowerVault ME5012 (2U 12 drive RBOD/DPE)
- PowerVault ME5024 (2U 24 drive RBOD/DPE)
- PowerVault ME5084 (5U 84 drive RBOD/DPE)
- Optional Expansion Enclosures (dual controller systems only):
- PowerVault ME412 (2U 12 drive DAE)
- PowerVault ME424 (2U 24 drive DAE)
- PowerVault ME484 (5U 84 drive DAE)
The following table summarizes the technical specifications for PowerVault ME5 models:
Table 3. PowerVault ME5 technical overview
Specification | | ME5012 | ME5024 | ME5084 | ME412 | ME424 | ME484 |
Starting configuration | 2U-12 drives | 2U-24 drives | 5U-84 drives | 9 x 2U enclosure behind ME5012, ME5024 3 x 5U enclosures behind ME5012, ME5024, ME5084 |
Maximum Raw Capacity | System | 8 PB | 8 PB | 8 PB |
20 TB HDD/7.68 TB SSD | Up to 5.28 PB | Up to 5.28 PB | Up to 6.72 PB |
Min/Max drives | 2/264 | 2/276 | 28/336 |
Controllers | Single and Dual | Single and Dual | Dual |
Media Mix | ME5012: 3.5-in. HDD; ME5024: 24 x 2.5-in. SSD; ME5084: 2.5-in./3.5-in. HDD/SSD |
Protocols | 10/25G iSCSI Optical, 10 Gb iSCSI Base-T, 16/32Gb FC, 12 Gb SAS | 12 Gb SAS Backend |
Operational models | Virtual (all data services) and linear (performance-based) |
Performance | 640 K IOPs, 100 percent Sequential Read, 16 K block, R5, Virtual |
Maximum throughput | 12 Gb/s read and 10 Gb/s write |
HW availability | 5-9s (dual controller models only) |
Note: The PowerVault ME5024 and ME5084 models are certified and supported for SAP HANA using SSDs only. The ME5012 model uses HDDs and is therefore for not certified for SAP HANA.
ME5 storage array software
This product uses two different storage technologies that share a common UI:
- Virtual storage (system default) is the most common selection and is recommended for most environments. Virtual storage allocates space in pages and allows data to be moved to improve storage system performance. Virtual storage can support thin provisioning (user-selectable), tiering, replication, and many other features that are not available to linear configurations.
- Linear storage is used in applications where performance and data workloads dictate that data be allocated on disks in a contiguous fashion. Users in streaming media and video editing environments may prefer the performance that is available to a linear storage configuration. Linear storage is similar to thick provisioning, the preallocation of storage capacity on a disk at the time the disk is created.
Note: Thin provisioning, tiering, and replication are not available in a linear storage environment.
ADAPT RAID
ADAPT is a RAID-based data protection level that:
- Maximizes flexibility
- Provides built-in spare capacity
- Optimizes performance
- Allows for fast rebuilds, large storage pools, and simplified expansion
Note:
1. ME5 supports ADAPT strip width options of 16+2 or 8+2.
2. ADAPT is supported in either Virtual or Linear mode.
For more information about storage rules and PowerVault ME5 key features, see the latest Dell PowerVault ME5 Series Storage System Support Matrix .
PowerVault Manager
The PowerVault Manager web-based UI provides access to many features to help you manage the storage system. Some of the key features include:
- Storage system setup: The capability to initially connect to a system. PowerVault Manager employs intuitive preboarding and onboarding steps to guide you through the initial setup of your storage.
- SupportAssist: The feature that enables the ConnectHome service on the ME5 Series Management Controller, which interacts bi- directionally with the Embedded Service Enabler (ESE) and provides a connect home mechanism for storage products.
- ADAPT data protection: A RAID-based data protection level that emphasizes efficiency.
- Replication: The capability to replicate block-level data from a volume in a primary system to a volume in a secondary system between ME4 and ME5 systems.
- Firmware updates: The capability to notify users of updates with newer or compatible firmware versions as they become available for controller modules, expansion modules, and disk modules.
- Performance metrics: The ability to monitor storage system performance and statistics using data-driven graphing (displaying dynamic or historical metrics).
- Alerts: A robust storage enclosure health and notification system that is designed to identify actionable conditions and promote best practices.
- Virtual storage: A storage model that maps logical components to physical media using paged-storage technology to virtualize data storage, as described in ME5 storage array software.
- Linear storage: A storage model that maps logical components to physical media, as described in ME5 storage array software.
- Redfish REST API support: The Redfish REST API provides the management data in a stateless, cacheable data representation. Read-only access is provided to physical and logical components that are related to the storage provisioning model, including disks, storage pools, volumes, and enclosures.
- SCVMM support: The ability to integrate with Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (MSCVMM).
- VMware SRA/SRM support: The ability to integrate the Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) with the Site Recovery Manager (SRM) to manage the replication features for the storage system using the management interfaces.
For more information about PowerVault Manager, see the Dell PowerVault ME5 Series Administrator’s Guide.
The following figure shows the PowerVault Manager UI:
Figure 1. PowerVault Manager UI