PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084) support dates
| Milestone | Date | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model-wide End of Sale / End of Standard Support / End of Service Life (Dell) | — | Not published by the vendorThere are no rows for ME4012, ME4024, ME4084 or the ME412/ME424/ME484 enclosures in Dell's storage EOL spreadsheet. That is the hardware workbook attached to KB 000185734, which gives RTS, EOL, End of Expansion and EOSS dates and is dated 2 Oct 2026. The workbook has no ME5 or MD3 rows either; its only PowerVault rows are tape libraries. Absence from this list is therefore not evidence that ME4 is still sold or still supported. | Dell KB 000185734 attachment: Dell Technologies Hardware Release and Service Dates for All Hardware Products (dated 2026-10-02) |
| End of Service Life (Park Place EOSL library) | 31 July 2029 | Third-party trackerThis date comes from a third-party tracker, not Dell. Park Place gives 'July 31, 2029' as the End of Service Life for the ME4012, and lists 07/31/2029 for the ME4024 and ME4084 as well; the PowerVault family page shows the same dates. Park Place cites no source for the date, and its page says 'Inclusion in the EOSL library does not guarantee Park Place can support that specific device.' Park Place and Service Express merged on 6 Jan 2026 and count as one source. | Park Place Technologies EOSL library: PowerVault ME4012 |
Where the PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084) stands today
Dell's hardware service-dates workbook (the KB 000185734 attachment, dated 2 October 2026) gives RTS, EOL, End of Expansion and EOSS dates, but it has no rows for the ME4012, ME4024 or ME4084, nor for the ME412, ME424 and ME484 enclosures. That gap is not a signal either way: ME5 and MD3 are missing too, and the only PowerVault entries are tape libraries. The 31 July 2029 figure belongs to Park Place rather than Dell; Park Place cites no source for it, and its page says that 'Inclusion in the EOSL library does not guarantee Park Place can support that specific device.'
Your own date starts with the Service Tag. According to the ME4 Owner's Manual, each system has a unique Service Tag and Express Service Code, on the information tag that pulls out from the front of the enclosure or on a sticker on the back of the chassis. Enter the tag at dell.com/support/home, where, per KB 000185734, the support services and their expiry date are displayed in a banner next to a figure of the device. Repeat this for every ME4 system you run, because Dell coverage ends separately for each service tag. For the rest of your estate, use the storage end-of-life checker.
Dell publishes no model-wide date for ME4, so you check coverage one unit at a time. According to the ME4 Owner's Manual, each system has a unique Service Tag and Express Service Code. You find them by pulling out the information tag on the front of the enclosure, or on a sticker on the back of the chassis (https://dl.dell.com/content/manual65317006-dell-powervault-me4-series-storage-system-owner-s-manual.pdf). Enter the Service Tag at https://www.dell.com/support/home/. Dell KB 000185734 (https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000185734) says that 'The support services, and their expiry date, is displayed in the banner next to a figure of the tagged device.'
What still works after Dell support ends
Dell's documented firmware route for the ME4 runs through the service tag. For controller and disk firmware, the Owner's Manual (Rev. A11, September 2023) says to go to dell.com/support, enter the tag, download the update and then use the Update Firmware function in PowerVault Manager; it does not say whether an active warranty or contract is needed to download. Support Matrix Rev. A28 (March 2026) lists GT280R014-01 as the latest RAID controller firmware, states that 'Only drivers and firmware that is released by Dell are supported' and points to the Drivers & Downloads section at Dell Support.
We have not confirmed whether Dell still sells ProSupport extensions for the ME4, so ask Dell with the tag to hand. Once Dell cover on a tag lapses, third-party maintenance can take over with diagnosis, parts and engineers, continuing past the vendor's own support; what third-party maintenance covers sets out the usual scope.
- For controller and disk firmware updates, Dell's ME4 Owner's Manual (Rev. A11, Sep 2023) says: 'Go to https://www.dell.com/support, enter your service tag and download the update. You can then use the Update Firmware function in PowerVault Manager to perform the update.' The manual does not say whether an active warranty or contract is needed to download. (dl.dell.com)
- Dell's ME4 Support Matrix (Rev. A28, March 2026) lists GT280R014-01 as the latest RAID controller firmware. It says 'Only drivers and firmware that is released by Dell are supported' and points to the Drivers & Downloads section at Dell Support. (dl.dell.com)
What a maintenance contract needs to cover on the PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084)
An ME4 contract has to name the exact build, because the three base models differ physically: the ME4012 is 2U with 12 x 3.5-inch bays, the ME4024 is 2U with 24 x 2.5-inch bays, and the ME4084 is 5U with 84 x 3.5-inch bays. Dell rates the ME4012, ME4024, ME412 and ME424 at 580 W on 100–240 VAC, and the 2U enclosures use two power cooling modules (PCMs) with built-in fans; the ME4084 and ME484 are rated 2200 W on 200–240 VAC only, and the 5U84 enclosure has two PSUs plus five fan control modules (FCMs) that are separate CRUs. Controllers come in three module types: 4-port FC/iSCSI with converged ports for 16 Gb FC or 10 GbE iSCSI SFPs, 4-port HD mini-SAS, and 4-port 10GBase-T iSCSI.
Count the controllers before agreeing a service level. The 2U models can run a single controller module in slot A with a blank in slot B, which leaves no controller redundancy, while the 5U84 needs controllers in both slots. List every shelf too: the ME412 and ME424 attach only behind an ME4012 or ME4024, the ME484 works behind any ME4 base, a 2U base takes up to nine 2U or three 5U shelves and a 5U base up to three 5U shelves, all over 12 Gb SAS. Drives can mix SSD, 15K, 10K and 7.2K types, including FIPS-certified self-encrypting drives. See storage and SAN maintenance for how such contracts are scoped, and request a quote through the maintenance coverage builder.
| Specification | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor and drive bays | ME4012: 2U, 12 x 3.5-inch bays (2.5-inch carriers supported). ME4024: 2U, 24 x 2.5-inch bays. ME4084: 5U, 84 x 3.5-inch bays (2.5-inch carriers supported). | i.dell.com |
| Controllers | Two hot-swappable controllers per chassis (dual active). The 2U models also support a single controller; the 5U model is dual-controller only. Each controller has an Intel 2-core 2.2 GHz processor and 8 GB of memory. | i.dell.com |
| Host interfaces | FC, iSCSI and SAS, with simultaneous FC/iSCSI multiprotocol. Per array: up to 8 x 16 Gb FC ports (auto-negotiate to 8 Gb), 8 x 10 Gb iSCSI ports (SFP+ or BaseT; BaseT auto-negotiates to 1 Gb), or 8 x 12 Gb SAS ports. | i.dell.com |
| Drive count and capacity | Minimum/maximum drives: ME4012 2/264, ME4024 2/276, ME4084 28/336. Maximum raw capacity: ME4012 3.1 PB and ME4024 3 PB (both with ME484 expansion), ME4084 4 PB. SSD, 15K, 10K and 7.2K drives can be mixed, including FIPS-certified SEDs. | i.dell.com |
| Expansion enclosures | The ME412 (2U, 12 x 3.5-inch) and ME424 (2U, 24 x 2.5-inch) work only behind an ME4012 or ME4024. The ME484 (5U, 84 bays) works behind any ME4 base array. A 2U base array takes up to nine 2U enclosures or up to three 5U enclosures; a 5U base array takes up to three 5U enclosures. Expansion runs over 12 Gb SAS. | i.dell.com |
| Power ratings | ME4012, ME4024, ME412 and ME424: 580 W at 100–240 VAC. ME4084 and ME484: 2200 W at 200–240 VAC only. | i.dell.com |
| Field-replaceable modules | There are three controller module types: 4-port FC/iSCSI (its converged ports take 16 Gb FC or 10 GbE iSCSI SFPs), 4-port HD mini-SAS, and 4-port 10GBase-T iSCSI. 2U enclosures have two power cooling modules (PCMs) with built-in fans. 5U84 enclosures have two PSUs plus five fan control modules (FCMs), which are separate CRUs. | dl.dell.com |
| RAID, data services and management | RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 or ADAPT distributed erasure coding. Thin provisioning, up to 1,024 snapshots per array, and asynchronous replication between ME4 arrays over FC or iSCSI. Managed with ME Storage Manager (HTML5 GUI) and a CLI, through two 1 Gb BASE-T management ports per array. A vCenter plug-in is available. | i.dell.com |
Extend or refresh the PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084)?
Keeping an ME4 on maintenance is reasonable when it runs dual controllers and its hosts sit within what Dell's Support Matrix lists. Dell is still revising that matrix, and Rev. A28 (March 2026) lists Windows Server 2025 hosts. Dell gives no model-wide date to plan against, so base any refresh deadline on the coverage end date of each service tag.
VMware hosts need a closer look. The matrix's supported-hypervisor table lists vSphere only up to 7.0 U3, with no 8.x row, although its ALUA note says 'VMware vSphere 7.0 or later', so check it before upgrading the hypervisor on attached hosts. The ME5 Series is the next model in the same line: it uses the same ME412, ME424 and ME484 enclosure models, and Dell's ME5 spec sheet lists asynchronous replication over FC or iSCSI from ME4 to ME5 and from ME5 to ME4. The sheet does not say whether a shelf already in service behind an ME4 can move to an ME5 with its data intact, so treat replication as the migration path and confirm any shelf reuse with Dell.
- Dell gives no model-wide date to plan against. ME4 is missing from Dell's storage EOL spreadsheet (dated 2 Oct 2026), but so are ME5 and MD3, so the gap tells you nothing about ME4's status. Base any refresh deadline on your own service tag's coverage end date. (supportkb.dell.com)
- Dell is still revising the ME4 Support Matrix. Rev. A28 (March 2026) lists Windows Server 2025 hosts. Its supported-hypervisor table lists VMware vSphere only up to 7.0 U3, with no vSphere 8.x row, although its ALUA note says 'VMware vSphere 7.0 or later'. Check this before upgrading the hypervisor on hosts attached to an ME4. (dl.dell.com)
- The successor ME5 Series uses the same expansion enclosure models as ME4: ME412 and ME424 behind the 2U ME5012/ME5024, and ME484 behind any ME5 base array. Dell's ME5 spec sheet also lists asynchronous replication over FC or iSCSI from ME4 to ME5 and from ME5 to ME4, which gives a migration path. The sheet does not say whether an enclosure already in service on an ME4 can move to an ME5 with its data intact. (delltechnologies.com)
- The 2U ME4012 and ME4024 can run with a single controller module in slot A and a blank in slot B. That setup has no controller redundancy, so check how many controllers are fitted before you write a maintenance SLA. The 5U84 needs controllers in both slots. (dl.dell.com)
Keep your PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084) covered
Tell us how many you run and when your current cover ends, and we will come back with a like-for-like maintenance quote for that estate. Your model and its support status are attached to the enquiry automatically, so there is nothing to re-type.
Related models
The same Dell spreadsheet that omits the ME4 has no MD3 rows either, so the PowerVault MD3 Series end of life page cannot quote a Dell date from that list. For Dell's Unity 300, 400, 500 and 600 arrays, see the Dell EMC Unity 300–600 end of life page.
- PowerVault MD3 Series end of lifeNo model-wide date published — check your unit
- Dell EMC Unity 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 (hybrid and all-flash F) end of lifePast the vendor’s last date of support
Look up another model in the storage end-of-life checker, or read what third-party maintenance covers.
Questions people ask about the PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084)
Is the Dell PowerVault ME4 end of life?
Dell publishes no end-of-sale or end-of-support date for the ME4 as a whole that we could find: the ME4012, ME4024 and ME4084 have no rows in Dell's storage EOL workbook dated 2 October 2026. That gap proves nothing either way, since ME5 and MD3 are missing from the same list. Park Place, a third-party tracker, gives 31 July 2029 as End of Service Life, which is not a Dell date, and Dell coverage ends separately for each service tag.
When does Dell stop supporting the ME4024?
Dell publishes no model-wide date for the ME4024; Dell coverage ends separately for each service tag. Look the tag up on Dell's support site and the expiry appears in the banner beside a figure of the device. The third-party Park Place EOSL library gives 31 July 2029 as End of Service Life for the ME4024, without citing a source.
Can I still download firmware for the PowerVault ME4?
The ME4 Owner's Manual says to enter your service tag at dell.com/support, download the controller or disk update and apply it with PowerVault Manager's Update Firmware function. It does not state whether a live warranty or contract is required. Rev. A28 of the Support Matrix lists GT280R014-01 as the latest RAID controller firmware.
What came after the PowerVault ME4?
The ME5 Series (ME5012, ME5024 and ME5084) is the next model in the same line. It takes the same ME412, ME424 and ME484 expansion enclosure models, and Dell's ME5 spec sheet lists asynchronous replication from ME4 to ME5 and back over FC or iSCSI.
Can I get third-party maintenance for an ME4012, ME4024 or ME4084?
Third-party maintenance is a general option for arrays in this position, typically covering fault diagnosis, replacement parts and engineer visits, including after vendor cover ends. For an accurate quote, state the base model, the controller module type and how many controllers are fitted, and each ME412, ME424 or ME484 shelf.
Sources
Every date, rule and specification above was checked against these on 8 October 2026 by an independent verification pass. Vendors revise lifecycle notices; this page is re-checked by 8 January 2027.
- Dell KB 000185734 attachment: Dell Technologies Hardware Release and Service Dates for All Hardware Products (dated 2026-10-02) — supportkb.dell.com
- Park Place Technologies EOSL library: PowerVault ME4012 — parkplacetechnologies.com
- dl.dell.com — dl.dell.com
- dl.dell.com — dl.dell.com
- i.dell.com — i.dell.com
- delltechnologies.com — delltechnologies.com
Last reviewed 7 October 2026. Lifecycle dates for the PowerVault ME4 Series (ME4012 / ME4024 / ME4084) are re-verified against Dell's own notices at each review; a date a vendor has not published is never filled in.