HPE MSA 2012I CTO Storage Enclosure

Highly efficient consolidation and sharing of storage

• Geared to departmental and small to medium business requirements
• Grows as the storage demands increase - up to 48 drives and 21.6TB SAS or 48TB SATA
• Supports up to 16 hosts with iSCSI GbE along with support for 256 LUNs and LUN sizes up to 16TB
• Optional controller-based snapshot and clone capability for increased data protection
• Choose either single (future upgradeable) or dual controller array models
• Choice of low cost single I/O or high-availability dual I/O drive enclosure models.

Flexibility in drives (MSA2000 family-specific drives)

• Enterprise-class SAS or archival-class SATA drives as the need and budget dictate
• Dual-ported SAS drives for enterprise needs
• Large capacity SATA drives for inexpensive archival storage
• Able to mix SAS and SATA drives within the same drive enclosure

The HP MSA2000i Modular Smart Array (also known as MSA2000i) serves as the iSCSI GbE-connected model within the MSA2000 family, targeting entry-level customers such as small to medium-sized businesses, remote offices, or departmental deployments with budget constraints. This 2U SAN solution offers straightforward, affordable storage with single-controller configurations for minimal upfront costs (upgradable later) or dual-controller models for enhanced performance and redundancy. It features twelve 3.5-inch drive bays that support a mix of enterprise-class SAS and archival-class SATA drives within the same enclosure, enabling flexible tiering of mission-critical and less-demanding data. Capacity starts at up to 5.4 TB SAS or 12 TB SATA in the base unit and scales to over 21.6 TB SAS or 48 TB SATA by adding up to three 12-bay expansion enclosures. The array supports a wide range of RAID levels for optimal performance and protection, plus controller-based snapshots and clones to deliver enterprise-like data protection features at an accessible price point.

As part of the broader HP Modular Smart Array lineup (which evolved into the HPE MSA P2000 G3 series with updated controllers, higher-speed interfaces like 8 GB FC, 6 GB SAS, 10 GbE iSCSI, and quad 1 Gb iSCSI options, plus greater scalability to hundreds of terabytes), the MSA2000i emphasizes simplicity, security, low management overhead, and rapid ROI through efficient consolidation in direct-attach, small cluster, workgroup, or entry-level SAN setups. It allows mixing SAS and SATA RAID sets for economic storage assignment, making it ideal for growing organizations needing reliable, no-frills shared storage without complex licensing or high costs. While newer HPE MSA generations (such as the 2040/2050/2052 series) have succeeded the P2000 line with modern capabilities, the MSA2000i and P2000 G3 remain representative of proven, cost-effective entry-level SAN technology for environments prioritizing ease of use and value.