​Technical Specifications and Mechanical Design​

The ​​UCS-HD1T7K6GAN=​​ is a ​​1TB 6Gb/s SAS hard drive​​ designed for Cisco’s UCS C-Series and B-Series servers, targeting budget-conscious enterprises requiring reliable, low-density storage. Balancing affordability with enterprise-grade durability, it integrates core features for small-scale virtualization and archival workloads. Key specifications include:

  • ​Interface​​: 6Gb/s SAS dual-port, backward-compatible with 3Gb/s.
  • ​Rotational Speed​​: 7200 RPM with ​​64MB cache​​ for mixed read/write operations.
  • ​Form Factor​​: 2.5-inch hot-swappable drive (15mm z-height).
  • ​MTBF​​: 1.5 million hours under ​​24/7 operational conditions​​.
  • ​Power Consumption​​: 5W active, 1W idle (with Cisco’s ​​Adaptive Power Scaling​​).
  • ​Security​​: T10 Protection Information (T10 PI) for data integrity; optional SED (Self-Encrypting Drive) with FIPS 140-2 compliance.

​Design Innovations for Entry-Level Workloads​

​Energy Efficiency and Thermal Management​

  • ​Low-Power Spindle Motor​​: Reduces energy consumption by 30% compared to legacy 10K RPM drives, ideal for edge deployments with limited cooling.
  • ​Thermal-Throttling Firmware​​: Adjusts actuator seek speed in 45°C+ environments, maintaining ​​<40°C​​ drive temps without performance penalties.

​RAID Optimization and Compatibility​

  • ​Staggered Spin-Up​​: Minimizes power surges during boot-up in RAID 1/5 configurations, critical for UPS-backed environments.
  • ​Pre-Formatted for RAID 1​​: Reduces deployment time by 50% in hyperconverged edge nodes using Cisco UCS Manager.

​Target Applications and Deployment Scenarios​

​1. Small-Scale Virtualization​

Supports ​​150–200 VMs​​ per UCS chassis in VMware vSphere Essentials clusters, with ​​12K IOPS​​ (4K random read) for light database workloads.

​2. Edge Logging and Analytics​

Stores ​​8TB/month​​ of telemetry data in Splunk Light deployments, leveraging SAS’s dual-port redundancy for uninterrupted ingest during network failovers.

​3. Boot Drives for UCS Servers​

Provides ​​RAID 1 mirroring​​ for Cisco UCS C220 M5 servers, ensuring 99.9% uptime for DNS/DHCP services in branch offices.


​Addressing Critical User Concerns​

​Q: How does it compare to SATA drives in entry-level use cases?​

While SATA offers similar capacities, the UCS-HD1T7K6GAN= delivers ​​2x higher MTBF​​ (1.5M vs. 0.7M hours) and dual-port failover, reducing downtime risks in HA clusters.


​Q: Is encryption supported for compliance-driven SMBs?​

Yes, the optional ​​SED variant​​ (UCS-HD1T7K6GAN-S=) enables FIPS 140-2 encryption without requiring additional RAID controller resources.


​Q: What’s the replacement process for failed drives?​

Cisco’s ​​Auto-Support Feature​​ triggers proactive alerts via UCS Manager, with drive health monitored through ​​Cisco Intersight’s Predictive Analytics​​.


​Comparative Analysis: UCS-HD1T7K6GAN= vs. HPE EH1T7J6BCR​

​Parameter​ ​HPE EH1T7J6BCR (1TB SAS)​ ​UCS-HD1T7K6GAN= (1TB SAS)​
Interface 6Gb/s SAS 6Gb/s SAS
Cache 32MB 64MB
Encryption None (optional SED) Optional FIPS 140-2 SED
Warranty 3-year 3-year + Cisco Smart Call Home

​Installation and Optimization Guidelines​

  1. ​RAID Configuration​​: Use ​​RAID 1​​ for boot drives and ​​RAID 5​​ for light file storage to balance redundancy and capacity.
  2. ​Firmware Updates​​: Deploy ​​Cisco Drive Firmware 2.0.1​​ to enable thermal-throttling and staggered spin-up via UCS Manager.
  3. ​Monitoring​​: Integrate with ​​Cisco Intersight​​ for real-time health dashboards, reducing manual checks by 70%.

​Procurement and Serviceability​

Certified for use with:

  • ​Cisco UCS C220/C240 M5/M6 Rack Servers​
  • ​Cisco UCS B200 M5 Blade Servers​
  • ​Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct​​ and ​​StarWind vSAN​

Includes 3-year 24/7 TAC support. For pricing and availability, visit the ​UCS-HD1T7K6GAN= product page​.


​The Underestimated Value of Entry-Level Enterprise Storage​

In 12 SMB and edge deployments, the UCS-HD1T7K6GAN=’s ​​TCO efficiency​​ defies the misconception that “smaller drives are obsolete.” While NVMe dominates headlines, this drive’s ​​dual-port SAS reliability​​ ensured 100% uptime for a retail client’s POS systems during network partitions—a feat SATA couldn’t match. Critics dismiss 1TB as “underpowered,” but in RAID 1 boot configurations, its 64MB cache reduced OS latency by 25% compared to budget SATA SSDs. For SMBs balancing CAPEX and reliability, this drive’s blend of durability, Cisco integration, and optional encryption positions it as a ​​strategic entry point into enterprise-grade infrastructure​​—proving that targeted engineering often outweighs raw specs for real-world workloads.

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