Does the spare controller include firmware and software licenses?

The NS CS500 Spare Controller ships with factory-installed firmware; existing software licenses and configurations remain active upon installation.

What warranty covers the HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller?

This spare controller is covered by HPE’s standard one-year limited warranty, with options to extend through HPE Care Pack services.

How do I verify firmware compatibility before installation?

Check the HPE Support Center for the latest NS CS500 firmware release notes and ensure your array firmware version matches or is later than the controller’s shipped firmware.

What steps should I take if the replacement controller fails to initialize?

Confirm proper seating, power cycling, and cable connections; if the issue persists, consult the HPE Storage diagnostics guide or contact HPE Support for advanced troubleshooting.

Can I mix different controller firmware versions in the same array?

HPE recommends matching firmware versions across all controllers; mixed versions may lead to performance degradation or unsupported configurations.

How long does delivery typically take for SKU Q8F81A?

Delivery times vary by region; standard shipments are processed within 24 hours and typically arrive within 3–5 business days in North America.

What performance impact does the NS CS500 Spare Controller have?

As an OEM-certified replacement, it restores full throughput and IOPS capabilities, ensuring the array continues to meet SLA-driven workloads.

Do I need special tools to install the spare controller?

No special tools are required; the NS CS500 Spare Controller features a tool-less design for quick insertion and removal.

How do I order the HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller (Q8F81A)?

You can purchase SKU Q8F81A through authorized HPE resellers, the HPE Parts Store, or by contacting HPE sales directly.

What support options are available for this spare controller?

HPE offers 24x7 phone support, online chat, and optional Care Pack services for on-site parts replacement and accelerated response times.

Can I perform a controller swap without data loss?

Yes. In redundant configurations, you can swap a failed controller without data loss; the surviving controller maintains array operations during the swap.

How do I register the new controller with HPE Insight Online?

Connect the controller to your management network, open HPE InfoSight or Insight Online, and follow the guided registration wizard to add the new module.

Are configuration settings preserved after replacing the controller?

Yes. In a redundant setup, the replacement controller automatically inherits configuration settings from its peer, preserving logical volumes and network parameters.

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Q8F81A Overview

Q8F81A is a NAS storage system featuring 8 drive bays designed to support SATA HDD and SATA SSD drive types with a total storage capacity of up to 128 TB. It supports multiple RAID levels including RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10, and is powered by an Intel Xeon processor with 8 cores, pre-installed with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and expandable up to 64 GB. It includes interfaces such as USB 3.0 and Ethernet for connectivity.

Q8F81A also delivers dual LAN port network support, expansion capability, redundant power supplies rated at 350W, and redundant fan cooling for enhanced reliability. Designed for use cases such as SMB backup, enterprise data centers, virtualization, and media servers, it meets the rigorous demands of mission critical storage applications.

Q8F81A price is is available on request. Get immediate quote.

Request bulk order quote for Q8F81A for additional pricing. Browse the full Hpe Nimble Storage series or explore all Hpe products.

Q8F81A Specifications

Weight: 25 lbs
Width: 17.5
Height: 3.5
Form Factor: Rackmount
Hot-Swap Support: Yes
LAN Ports: 2
Power Supply: Redundant
Virtualization Ready: Yes
RAID Support: RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10
RAM Type: DDR4
Max RAM Capacity: 64 GB
Power Supply Wattage: 350W
Depth: 27.5
Product Type: Storage System
CPU Type: Intel Xeon
CPU Cores: 8
Expansion Support: Yes
Cooling: Redundant Fan
Operating System: Custom OS
Snapshot Support: Yes
Cloud Sync Support: Yes
iSCSI Support: Yes
Surveillance Support: No
Storage Type: NAS
Bay Count: 8-bay
USB Ports: USB 3.0
Use Case: SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization / Media Server
Max Supported Capacity: 128 TB
Installed RAM: 8 GB
Network Ports: 1GbE
Supported Drive Types: SATA HDD / SATA SSD
Product Name: Q8F81A Enterprise NAS

Q8F81A Use Case

Zero-Downtime Controller Replacement in High-Availability Data Centers

In large enterprise data centers running mission-critical applications, IT teams pre-stage the Q8F81A-HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller for hot-swap operations during scheduled maintenance windows. This approach eliminates storage-array downtime, preserves continuous I/O performance and ensures compliance with 99.99% availability SLAs.

Proactive Disaster Recovery with Instant Failover

In regulated healthcare and financial environments requiring sub-5-minute recovery time objectives, organizations integrate the Q8F81A-HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller into their mirrored-array design. Upon primary-controller failure, automated workflows trigger an immediate controller swap, minimizing RTO/RPO and safeguarding critical patient records or transaction logs.

Seamless Storage Scaling for Virtualized Hybrid Clouds

In hybrid cloud infrastructures supporting hundreds of virtual machines, IT architects deploy the Q8F81A-HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller to expand capacity and boost throughput without interrupting workloads. This modular spare-controller strategy accelerates VM provisioning by up to 30%, optimizes resource utilization and delivers high-performance storage on demand.

Quality Certifications

To get the detailed certification, please go to the Compliance Center.

Product Comparison Table

	Q8F81A	Q8D08A	Q8D29A	Q8D11A	Q8G63A
Product Type	Storage System	Storage System	Storage System	Storage System	Storage System
Storage Type	NAS	NAS	SAN	NAS	SAN
Form Factor	Rackmount	Rackmount	Rackmount	Rackmount	Rackmount
Bay Count	8-bay	8-bay	8-bay	12-bay	8-bay
Supported Drive Types	SATA HDD / SATA SSD	Mixed	SATA HDD / SAS HDD / SATA SSD / NVMe SSD	SATA HDD / SATA SSD / NVMe SSD	SATA HDD / SAS HDD / SATA SSD / NVMe SSD
Hot-Swap Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Max Supported Capacity	128 TB	1 PB	512 TB	192 TB	256 TB
RAID Support	RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10	RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6	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	8	8
Installed RAM	8 GB	16 GB	16 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	128 GB	128 GB	64 GB	64 GB
RAM Type	DDR4	DDR4	DDR4	ECC DDR4	ECC DDR4
Network Ports	1GbE	10GbE	10GbE	10GbE	10GbE
LAN Ports	2	2	4	2	2
USB Ports	USB 3.0	USB 3.2	USB 3.2	USB 3.0	USB 3.1
Expansion Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cooling	Redundant Fan	Active	Active	Redundant Fan	Active
Power Supply	Redundant	Redundant	Redundant	Redundant	Redundant
Power Supply Wattage	350W	350W	500W	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 / Virtualization / Media Server	Enterprise Data Center	SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Media Server / Virtualization	SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization / Media Server	SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization / Media Server
Product Name	Q8F81A Enterprise NAS	Q8D08A Enterprise NAS	Q8D29A High Performance SAN Solution	Q8D11A Enterprise NAS	Q8G63A Enterprise SAN Storage
Height	3.5	3.5 inches	3.5 inches	3.5 inches	3 inches
Width	17.5	17.5 inches	17.3 inches	17.5 inches	17 inches
Depth	27.5	28 inches	27.56 inches	28 inches	28 inches
Weight	25 lbs	25 lbs	35 lbs	35 lbs	45 lbs

Reviews & Ratings

Daniel Price

Controller spare integrated smoothly into CS500 system.

Martin Ellis

System stability returned immediately.

George Turner

Reliable replacement hardware.

Samuel Brooks

No compatibility issues.

Ian Cooper

Met expectations.

Questions & Answers

What is the HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller (SKU Q8F81A)?

The HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller (SKU Q8F81A) is an OEM-authorized replacement controller module designed to maintain high availability and performance in HPE NS CS500 storage arrays.

Which HPE Storage platforms support the NS CS500 Spare Controller?

The NS CS500 Spare Controller is fully compatible with HPE CS500 and CS500 Gen10 storage systems and integrates seamlessly with existing controller bays in those arrays.

How do I install the HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller?

Power down the storage node, remove the faulty controller, insert the NS CS500 Spare Controller into the slot until it clicks, reconnect all interface cables, and power the node back on.

Is the HPE NS CS500 Spare Controller hot-swappable?

Yes. The NS CS500 Spare Controller supports hot-swap functionality when used in a redundant controller configuration, minimizing downtime.

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Q8F81A Overview

Q8F81A price is is available on request. Get immediate quote.

Request bulk order quote for Q8F81A for additional pricing. Browse the full Hpe Nimble Storage series or explore all Hpe products.

Q8F81A Specifications

Weight

25 lbs

Width

17.5

Height

3.5

Form Factor

Rackmount

Hot-Swap Support

Yes

LAN Ports

Power Supply

Redundant

Virtualization Ready

Yes

RAID Support

RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10

RAM Type

DDR4

Max RAM Capacity

64 GB

Power Supply Wattage

350W

Depth

27.5

Product Type

Storage System

CPU Type

Intel Xeon

CPU Cores

Expansion Support

Yes

Cooling

Redundant Fan

Operating System

Custom OS

Snapshot Support

Yes

Cloud Sync Support

Yes

iSCSI Support

Yes

Surveillance Support

Storage Type

NAS

Bay Count

8-bay

USB Ports

USB 3.0

Use Case

SMB / Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization / Media Server

Max Supported Capacity

128 TB

Installed RAM

8 GB

Network Ports

1GbE

Supported Drive Types

SATA HDD / SATA SSD

Product Name

Q8F81A Enterprise NAS