United States$5,000,000+
Inventory Delivered By
N
Neil Cartwright
4
SAS drive upgrade installed cleanly and improved overall backup throughput.
Q6Q68A
Original Stock
Ready to Ship
UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS DRIVE NO DEAL REG PRICING PL-3C
FEATURED DEAL
Name:
Q6Q68A
- Description:
- UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS DRIVE NO DEAL REG PRICING PL-3C
- Rating:
Added to cart 28 times recently
- Availability:
In stock - Ready to Ship
- Brand:
- Hpe
- Condition:
3 Year Extended Warranty
Same-day Shipping
14-Day Money Back Guarantee
Shipping:
Payment:
3 Year Extended Warranty
Same-day Shipping
14-Day Money Back Guarantee
Need Additional Discount on Product?
Request a quote below - Get Exclusive Pricing and Support.
Shipping:
Payment:
TRUSTED, TRIED, PROVEN
Officially Accredited
& Verified By
Next-Gen IT
Solutions Powered By
Q6Q68A Overview
Q6Q68A is a high-performance NAS storage solution featuring 12 drive bays that support a mixed range of drive types including SATA HDD, SAS HDD, SATA SSD, and NVMe SSD, with a total storage capacity of up to 1 PB and robust RAID support covering RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10. Its design is optimized for enterprise data centers while also providing reliable support for virtualization, SMB backup, and media server applications.
Q6Q68A comes equipped with an Intel Xeon processor (8 cores) and 16 GB of pre-installed ECC DDR4 memory expandable up to 64 GB, and offers connectivity through USB 3.2 and 10GbE network ports. The system also features redundant fan cooling, a redundant 750W power supply, and expansion support within a sleek rackmount form factor, ensuring maximum reliability and scalability for mission-critical environments.
Q6Q68A price is is available on request. Get immediate quote.
Request bulk order quote for Q6Q68A for additional pricing. Browse the full Hpe Tape Storages series or explore all Hpe products.
Q6Q68A Specifications
- Product Type
- Storage System
- Storage Type
- NAS
- Form Factor
- Rackmount
- Bay Count
- 12-bay
- Supported Drive Types
- Mixed
- Hot-Swap Support
- Yes
- Max Supported Capacity
- 1 PB
- RAID Support
- RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10
- CPU Type
- Intel Xeon
- CPU Cores
- 8
- Installed RAM
- 16 GB
- Max RAM Capacity
- 64 GB
- RAM Type
- ECC DDR4
- Network Ports
- 10GbE
- LAN Ports
- 4
- USB Ports
- USB 3.2
- Expansion Support
- Yes
- Cooling
- Redundant Fan
- Power Supply
- Redundant
- Power Supply Wattage
- 750W
- Operating System
- Custom OS
- Snapshot Support
- Yes
- Cloud Sync Support
- Yes
- Virtualization Ready
- Yes
- iSCSI Support
- Yes
- Surveillance Support
- No
- Use Case
- Enterprise Data Center
- Product Name
- Q6Q68A Enterprise Storage NAS
- Height
- 3 inches
- Width
- 17 inches
- Depth
- 27 inches
- Weight
- 45 lbs
Q6Q68A Use Case
Accelerated Disaster Recovery with Q6Q68A-UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS Drive
In a global retail enterprise consolidating five datacenters, IT teams upgrade to the Q6Q68A-UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS Drive to replace legacy LTO-6 hardware. The solution delivers 12 TB native (30 TB compressed) capacity per cartridge and sustained 300 MB/s throughput, cutting full-site backup windows by 50% and reducing recovery time objectives (RTO) below two hours, while halving tape library footprint and total cost of ownership.
High-Throughput 4K Media Archival for Broadcast and Post-Production
A post-production studio integrates the Q6Q68A-UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS Drive into its MSL tape library to manage daily 4K RAW footage, ingesting up to 10 TB per hour. This upgrade boosts tape ingest rates by 40%, provides 30 TB compressed capacity per cartridge, and delivers enterprise-grade reliability for long-term preservation—enabling the studio to archive months of high-res footage on 100 tapes and meet tight post deadlines.
HIPAA-Compliant Long-Term Retention in Healthcare IT
A regional hospital leverages the Q6Q68A-UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS Drive to enforce 10-year retention policies for patient imaging and electronic health records. With offline, air-gap tape storage and WORM capabilities, the solution ensures regulatory compliance, mitigates ransomware risk, and reduces archival costs by 60% compared to disk-based systems, while delivering 30 TB of compressed capacity per tape for secure, cost-effective data preservation.
Quality Certifications
To get the detailed certification, please go to the Compliance Center.
Product Comparison Table 
| Q6Q68A |  C7972A |  BL535B |  Q2002A |  Q2078A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Type | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System |
| Storage Type | NAS | NAS | SAN | SAN | SAN |
| Form Factor | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount |
| Bay Count | 12-bay | 8-bay | 16-bay | 24-bay | 24-bay |
| Supported Drive Types | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | SATA HDD / SAS HDD / SATA SSD / NVMe SSD |
| Hot-Swap Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max Supported Capacity | 1 PB | 512 TB | 1 PB | 512 TB | 1 PB |
| RAID Support | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 5 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 / RAID 50 / RAID 60 / JBOD | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 / RAID 50 / RAID 60 / JBOD |
| CPU Type | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon |
| CPU Cores | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Installed RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Max RAM Capacity | 64 GB | 64 GB | 128 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| RAM Type | ECC DDR4 | DDR4 | ECC DDR4 | ECC DDR4 | ECC DDR4 |
| Network Ports | 10GbE | 10GbE | 10GbE | 10GbE | 10GbE |
| LAN Ports | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| USB Ports | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 |
| Expansion Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cooling | Redundant Fan | Redundant Fan | Active | Redundant Fan | Active |
| Power Supply | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant |
| Power Supply Wattage | 750W | 500W | 750W | 350W | 500W |
| Operating System | Custom OS | Custom OS | Custom OS | Custom OS | Custom OS |
| Snapshot Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Sync Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtualization Ready | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iSCSI Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Surveillance Support | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Use Case | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center |
| Product Name | Q6Q68A Enterprise Storage NAS | C7972A Enterprise NAS Storage System | BL535B Storage Array | Q2002A Storage System | Q2078A Enterprise SAN Storage |
| Height | 3 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3 inches | 3.5 inches |
| Width | 17 inches | 17 inches | 17.3 inches | 17 inches | 17.5 inches |
| Depth | 27 inches | 18 inches | 28.4 inches | 28 inches | 27.5 inches |
| Weight | 45 lbs | 25 lbs | 45 lbs | 45 lbs | 55 lbs |
Reviews & Ratings
A
Ayesha Latif
4
Recognized immediately by the library with no configuration issues.
B
Bram van Dongen
5
Stable performance under heavy backup loads.
I
Imran Shaikh
5
A straightforward upgrade for expanding tape performance.
O
Oliver Grant
5
Dependable kit for MSL LTO-8 upgrades.
Questions & Answers
What does the Q6Q68A UPG KIT MSL LTO8 SAS DRIVE include?
The Q6Q68A upgrade kit contains a half-height LTO-8 SAS tape drive, drive sled, mounting hardware, internal SAS cable, and firmware update for HP StorageWorks MSL libraries.
Which HP tape libraries are compatible with the Q6Q68A upgrade kit?
Q6Q68A is certified for HP StorageWorks MSL2024, MSL4048, MSL8040, and MSL G3 libraries running firmware PL-3C or later.
What storage capacity does an LTO-8 SAS drive provide?
An LTO-8 SAS drive delivers up to 12 TB native and up to 30 TB compressed per cartridge.
What data transfer speeds does the LTO-8 SAS drive support?
The LTO-8 SAS drive achieves up to 360 MB/s native and up to 900 MB/s compressed throughput.
Which interface does the LTO-8 drive use?
The drive uses a 6 Gb/s SAS interface for high-speed connectivity with HP MSL libraries.
Does the Q6Q68A kit include all necessary hardware and cables?
Yes, the kit ships with the LTO-8 drive, sled, mounting brackets, and an internal SAS cable for plug-and-play installation.
Is a firmware update required for installing the LTO-8 SAS drive?
A firmware update to PL-3C or later is required; the kit includes the necessary firmware image for HP MSL libraries.
How do I install the LTO-8 SAS drive into my MSL library?
Power down your MSL library, insert the drive into an empty slot, connect the SAS cable, update firmware, then power up to auto-detect.
Does the upgrade kit support hardware-based encryption?
Yes, the LTO-8 SAS drive supports AES-256 hardware encryption when used with compatible tape cartridges and library key management.
What warranty is provided with the Q6Q68A upgrade kit?
The kit carries a one-year limited warranty standard, with optional extensions available through HP Care Pack services.
Is management or backup software included with Q6Q68A?
No, the kit does not include backup software; HP recommends using third-party or HP Data Protector for backup management.
What does the pricing level PL-3C indicate on this product?
PL-3C denotes HP’s North America non-deal registration pricing tier for service and upgrade components.
Can I mix LTO-8 drives with earlier LTO generations in my MSL library?
Yes, MSL libraries can host mixed LTO generations, but drives will only read/write cartridges up to their native generation.
What environmental conditions are required for optimal performance?
Operate between 10 °C–40 °C (50 °F–104 °F) with 20–80% non-condensing relative humidity for reliable drive performance.
Are extended warranty or service options available for this upgrade kit?
Yes, HP Care Pack service plans offer extended warranties, onsite support, and priority response for hardware upgrades.
What is the part number and how do I order the Q6Q68A kit?
The part number is Q6Q68A. Order through authorized HP resellers or via the HP Parts Store using SKU Q6Q68A.
Are there any licensing or regulatory restrictions for the Q6Q68A upgrade kit?
No special licensing is required; the kit complies with RoHS, CE, FCC, and UL certifications for electronic components.