Choosing the right HPE MSA in five decisions
Connectivity, media, capacity, model and generation — the practical decisions that get you the right MSA without overspending. An impartial guide from a UK HPE partner.
Connectivity — SAS, iSCSI or Fibre Channel
MSA presents the same volumes over any of three host interfaces — the right one depends on your host count, existing fabric and latency needs. Both controllers connect to every host for multipath resilience:
SAS (12 Gb)
Direct-attach to 1–4 hosts with no switch. Lowest cost and latency for a small cluster, but limited host count and cable distance.
Best for a tight 2–4 node cluster or a single virtualisation host pair.
iSCSI (10/25GbE)
Runs over standard Ethernet. 10GBase-T (RJ45) needs no SFP transceivers — the cheapest fabric; 25GbE SFP+ for more bandwidth.
Best all-rounder for SMB/mid-market that already runs Ethernet and wants flexibility.
Fibre Channel (16/32 Gb)
A dedicated, lossless storage fabric. Lowest latency and jitter, isolated from LAN traffic — but needs FC switches + HBAs.
Best where you already run an FC SAN or need the most predictable latency.
Media — all-flash, hybrid or all-HDD
All-flash
Every drive an SSD. Highest, most consistent IOPS and lowest latency — for databases, VDI and latency-sensitive apps. Consider the MSA 2070 Flash Bundle.
Hybrid (SSD + HDD)
A small SSD tier + bulk HDD, with automated tiering moving hot blocks to flash. Best £/performance for mixed workloads — the MSA 2062/2072 ship ready for this.
All-HDD
Enterprise or midline SAS HDD only. Lowest £/TB for capacity-led, throughput-friendly workloads — file shares, backup landing zones, archives.
Model & generation — 1060 → 2070/2072
The whole family shares one architecture; you’re choosing performance headroom, included flash and capacity ceiling. Gen7 (2070/2072) roughly doubles the IOPS of Gen6:
1060 — lowest-cost entry SAN. 2060 — mainstream hybrid. 2062 — 2060 + SSDs & tiering out of the box. 2070 — Gen7 flash-ready, configurable. 2072 — Gen7 + SSDs & automated tiering (plus an all-flash 2070 Flash Bundle). Buy Gen7 for new deployments wanting headroom; Gen6 to save on proven workloads.
Sizing — capacity, IOPS & growth
Start from the active working set, the IOPS/throughput your apps demand at peak, and a 3-year growth allowance. Size the flash tier to hold the hot working set, then add HDD for bulk. Leave headroom — aim to run under ~70% of the array’s IOPS ceiling at peak so bursts and rebuilds don’t bite. We do this sizing for free with any quote.
When to step up to Alletra Storage MP
MSA is the entry/mid SAN. Move up to HPE Alletra Storage MP when you need higher performance ceilings, deeper always-on data reduction, scale-out growth, or six-nines availability with strict SLAs. If MSA Gen7 has the headroom and your SLAs are standard, MSA is the better-value choice.
MSA buying — FAQs
Should I choose SAS, iSCSI or Fibre Channel for MSA?
Pick by fabric and host count. SAS is cheapest and lowest-latency but direct-attach only (a handful of hosts, no switch). iSCSI runs over Ethernet you already own — 10GBase-T needs no SFPs (lowest cost), 25GbE for more bandwidth — and is the best all-rounder. Fibre Channel (16/32Gb) gives the most predictable latency on a dedicated fabric but needs FC switches and HBAs, so it suits sites already running an FC SAN.
All-flash, hybrid or all-HDD?
Match media to the workload. All-flash for databases, VDI and latency-sensitive apps. Hybrid (a small SSD tier + HDD with automated tiering) gives the best price/performance for mixed workloads — the MSA 2062/2072 are built for it. All-HDD is the cheapest £/TB for capacity-led, sequential workloads like file shares and backup targets.
How do I size capacity and IOPS for MSA?
Start from the working set (active data), required IOPS and throughput, and a 3-year growth allowance. Size the flash tier to hold the hot working set, then add HDD for bulk capacity. MSA Gen6 delivers up to ~395,000 IOPS and Gen7 up to 783,000 — leave headroom (aim to run below ~70% of the IOPS ceiling at peak). We size this for free as part of a quote.
Which MSA model should I buy — 1060, 2060, 2062, 2070 or 2072?
MSA 1060 is the lowest-cost entry SAN for a first or small-site array. MSA 2060/2062 (Gen6) are the proven mainstream choice — the 2062 adds SSDs + tiering out of the box. MSA 2070/2072 (Gen7) are the current flagships with roughly double the performance and up to 7.37 PB — choose Gen7 for new deployments that want headroom; choose Gen6 to save money on proven workloads.
Should I buy MSA Gen6 or Gen7?
Gen7 (2070/2072) roughly doubles IOPS (up to 783,000), raises throughput to 14.1 GB/s, adds 32Gb FC and scales to 7.37 PB. If you are buying new and want longevity/headroom, Gen7 is the pick. Gen6 (2060/2062) remains a great-value option for budget-led or steady workloads — and is widely available, including refurbished.
When should I step up from MSA to HPE Alletra Storage MP?
Move up when you need more than entry-SAN performance ceilings, richer always-on data services (deeper data reduction, tighter snapshots/replication), scale-out growth, or six-nines availability and stricter SLAs. MSA tops out in the few-hundred-thousand-IOPS class; Alletra MP is the mid-range/enterprise platform above it.
What RAID should I use on MSA?
Use MSA-DP+, HPE’s distributed RAID for MSA. It spreads data and spare capacity across all disks in a pool, so rebuilds after a failure are far faster (less time at risk), expansion is more granular, and setup is simpler than traditional fixed RAID sets.
Can Servnet size and supply the right MSA for me?
Yes — tell us your workload (capacity, IOPS, hosts, fabric, growth) and we’ll recommend the model, media mix and connectivity, supply it with expansion shelves and SFPs, and deliver UK-wide with optional on-site install.
Tell us your workload — we'll spec the MSA
Capacity, IOPS, hosts and fabric — we'll recommend the model, media and connectivity, and quote it for UK delivery.