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Q8B31A
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HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array
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Q8B31A
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- HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array
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Q8B31A Overview
Q8B31A is a high-performance SAN storage system engineered for demanding enterprise workloads. It features 16 drive bays that support a mixed array of drive types including SATA, SAS, SSD, and NVMe, with a total storage capacity of up to 512 TB and robust RAID support (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10) to ensure data integrity and performance.
Powered by an Intel Xeon processor with 8 cores and pre-installed with 16 GB of DDR4 memory (expandable up to 64 GB), Q8B31A offers versatile connectivity with USB 3.1, 10GbE Ethernet, and Fibre Channel interfaces. Designed for critical use cases such as SMB backup, enterprise data centers, virtualization, and media servers, it also provides expansion support along with redundant power supply and redundant fan cooling for enhanced reliability.
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Q8B31A Specifications
- Product Type
- Storage System
- Storage Type
- SAN
- Form Factor
- Rackmount
- Bay Count
- 16-bay
- Supported Drive Types
- Mixed
- Hot-Swap Support
- Yes
- Max Supported Capacity
- 512 TB
- 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
- DDR4
- Network Ports
- 10GbE
- LAN Ports
- 4
- USB Ports
- USB 3.1
- 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
- SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Media Server / Virtualization
- Product Name
- Q8B31A SAN Storage System
- Height
- 3.5 inches
- Width
- 17.5 inches
- Depth
- 27.5 inches
- Weight
- 48 lbs
Q8B31A Use Case
Accelerate Enterprise Database Performance for Mission-Critical Applications
In a large retail enterprise running SAP HANA and SQL Server, the Q8B31A-HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array leverages integrated flash caching and high-density HDD tiers to deliver sub-1ms latency under mixed OLTP and batch workloads. This deployment cuts query response times by 60% and boosts transaction throughput by 45%, ensuring seamless end-user experiences and improved operational efficiency.
Scale Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with Predictable Latency
A financial services firm deploying 600 virtual desktops on VMware Horizon uses the Q8B31A-HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array to combine SSD acceleration with SAS HDD capacity. The solution maintains consistent IOPS during peak login storms, reducing boot-up times by 50% and lowering storage TCO by 30%, enabling cost-effective desktop virtualization at scale.
Streamline Backup and Disaster Recovery with Snapshot Orchestration
An enterprise IT team implements the Q8B31A-HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array for automated on-site backups with scheduled snapshots and remote replication to a secondary data center. This orchestration achieves RPOs under 15 minutes and recovery times under 30 minutes, minimizing downtime and protecting critical data against ransomware and site failures.
Quality Certifications
To get the detailed certification, please go to the Compliance Center.
Product Comparison Table 
| Q8B31A |  Q8E88A |  Q8F15A |  Q8F13A |  Q8C91A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Type | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System |
| Storage Type | SAN | NAS | SAN | NAS | NAS |
| Form Factor | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount |
| Bay Count | 16-bay | 8-bay | 8-bay | 8-bay | 8-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 | 512 TB | 512 TB | 512 TB | 256 TB | 256 TB |
| RAID Support | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 |
| CPU Type | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon |
| CPU Cores | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| Installed RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Max RAM Capacity | 64 GB | 128 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| RAM Type | DDR4 | ECC DDR4 | ECC DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Network Ports | 10GbE | 10GbE | 10GbE | 10GbE | 10GbE |
| LAN Ports | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| USB Ports | USB 3.1 | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 | USB 3.2 |
| Expansion Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cooling | Redundant Fan | Active | Redundant Fan | Redundant Fan | Redundant Fan |
| Power Supply | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant |
| Power Supply Wattage | 750W | 500W | 350W | 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 | No |
| Use Case | SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Media Server / Virtualization | SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization / Media Server | Enterprise Data Center | SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Media Server / Virtualization | SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization / Media Server |
| Product Name | Q8B31A SAN Storage System | Q8E88A Enterprise NAS System | Q8F15A Enterprise SAN Storage System | Q8F13A Storage Appliance | Q8C91A Enterprise NAS |
| Height | 3.5 inches | 3 inches | 4.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches |
| Width | 17.5 inches | 17 inches | 17.3 inches | 17.3 inches | 17.3 inches |
| Depth | 27.5 inches | 28 inches | 20 inches | 16.5 inches | 20.0 inches |
| Weight | 48 lbs | 45 lbs | 25 lbs | 18 lbs | 25 lbs |
Reviews & Ratings
R
Rimsha Farooq
5
Good balance of cost and performance.
K
Kari Nieminen
5
Easy to manage.
F
Faisal Zaman
4
Stable production usage.
H
Howard Lane
5
Dependable hybrid platform.
Questions & Answers
What is the HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array (SKU: Q8B31A)?
The HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array (Q8B31A) is a high-performance, scalable storage platform combining SSDs and HDDs to deliver optimized capacity, reliability, and cost efficiency for enterprise workloads.
What storage capacity options are available for the HPE NS CS5000?
The CS5000 supports up to 360 TB of raw storage using a mixture of SAS SSDs and NL-SAS HDDs within a 4U chassis, scalable by adding expansion enclosures.
How does the hybrid architecture improve performance?
By tiering frequently accessed data on low-latency SSDs and bulk data on high-capacity HDDs, the CS5000 delivers faster I/O, reduced latency, and optimized cost per gigabyte.
Which drive types and form factors are supported?
The array supports 2.5″ and 3.5″ SAS SSDs up to 15 TB and 7.2K RPM NL-SAS HDDs up to 18 TB, providing flexible performance and capacity configurations.
How do I scale storage with the HPE NS CS5000?
You can scale linearly by adding up to four CS5000 expansion enclosures, each offering an additional 36 drives, without disrupting business operations.
What enterprise use cases suit this hybrid array?
Ideal use cases include virtual machine consolidation, database acceleration, backup and archive tiers, file sharing, and content delivery for mid-sized enterprises.
How does the CS5000 ensure data protection and availability?
It features RAID-6 support, hot-swap drives, redundant controllers, dual active-active SSD caching, and snapshots to safeguard against drive and controller failures.
Which connectivity and protocols are supported?
The array supports 16 Gb Fibre Channel, 10/25 Gb iSCSI, NFS, and SMB protocols to seamlessly integrate with heterogeneous network environments.
What management interface is included?
The HPE StoreFabric OS delivers an intuitive GUI, CLI, and RESTful API suite for automated provisioning, monitoring, and firmware upgrades.
Can the HPE NS CS5000 integrate with VMware environments?
Yes, it is VMware Ready, supports VAAI storage offload, and integrates with vSphere for automated provisioning, VM snapshots, and performance monitoring.
What are the key performance specifications?
The CS5000 delivers up to 500,000 IOPS, sub-500 µs latency, and 12 GB/s aggregate throughput in a hybrid tiered configuration.
How energy efficient is the HPE NS CS5000?
Featuring variable-speed fans, power-optimized SSD/HDD tiers, and advanced power management, it reduces energy costs by up to 30% compared to all-HDD arrays.
What remote monitoring and analytics features are available?
HPE InfoSight provides continuous health monitoring, predictive analytics, proactive support, and capacity planning recommendations.
What warranty and support options are offered?
The CS5000 includes a 3-year HPE Foundation Care warranty with next-business-day onsite support, and optional Proactive Care and Datacenter Care services.
How do I configure the CS5000 for mixed workloads?
Use HPE SmartTier to automatically assign hot data to SSDs and cold data to HDDs, adjust RAID levels per tier, and leverage InfoSight analytics for ongoing optimization.
Where can I purchase the HPE NS CS5000 Hybrid Base Array (Q8B31A)?
You can buy this array through authorized HPE partners, direct from HPE’s official website, or via certified resellers; check HPE’s locator tool for partners in your region.