Storage Space Direct with Dell PowerEdge R730, R750, R440 Servers

Question

Dear Team

• Can we Utilize Storage Space Direct feature with Dell PowerEdge R730, R750, R440 Servers and using normal NIC Cards which will connect to TOR Server switch with 1Gbps links?
• Can we use only two Servers Dell PowerEdge R730 + Dell PowerEdge R750 in a cluster and create a Storage Space Direct between two servers?
• Both servers are different models Dell PowerEdge R730 + Dell PowerEdge R750 can we use S2D on this or not?
• Can we purchase a 10Gbps NIC Cards for both R730 and R750 and connect together for this S2D?
• We need to use 6Drives must for each server? what happen if we use only 4drives or any combination all 6xSSD Drives will it works?
• Do we also need to perform a test is it doable test with two desktops and adding SSD or HDD then Pendrive in the desktops?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Admin,

Hope you're doing well.

1. Dell offers Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct Ready Nodes, which are pre-configured with certified components for S2D. These nodes simplify ordering and reduce deployment risks while maximizing the benefits of Storage Spaces Direct and Windows Server 2016. The supported Dell PowerEdge models for S2D include R730, R630, and R930 (13th generation servers) that also support the HBA330 and Windows Datacenter edition. Unfortunately, the R440 and R750 are not explicitly listed as supported models for S2D. However, the R730xd and R740xd are compatible options.
2. Yes, you can create an S2D cluster with just two servers. However, keep in mind that a larger cluster provides better fault tolerance and performance.
3. While S2D can work with 1Gbps links, using 10Gbps NICs will significantly improve performance.
4. Ideally, each server should have at least 6 drives for optimal performance and redundancy. If you use fewer drives (e.g., 4), S2D will still work, but performance and fault tolerance may be affected.
5. You can perform a test using two desktops by adding SSDs or HDDs and a pendrive. However, keep in mind that this won't fully replicate the production environment.

Here's a relevant doc for your reference:

Storage Spaces Direct hardware requirements | Microsoft Learn

https://woshub.com/configure-storage-spaces-direct-s2d-windows-server-2016/

Deploy Storage Spaces Direct on Windows Server | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards

Answer 2

Hello Xu

I'm doing great, thank you

I hope same with you

Thanks for your response and advice much appreciated.

1. Dell offers Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct Ready Nodes, which are pre-configured with certified components for S2D. These nodes simplify ordering and reduce deployment risks while maximizing the benefits of Storage Spaces Direct and Windows Server 2016. The supported Dell PowerEdge models for S2D include R730, R630, and R930 (13th generation servers) that also support the HBA330 and Windows Datacenter edition. Unfortunately, the R440 and R750 are not explicitly listed as supported models for S2D. However, the R730xd and R740xd are compatible options.

Actually We're looking a solution to have a Failover Volume to connect with 2Nodes in a cluster without connecting to NAS/SAN because NAS/SAN will be a single point of failure for that volume, to utilize with any one of the server features in such a way that if 1Nodes failed even though that Volume should be up and utilize for Second Node. But we already procured 2 x Dell R750 for this scenario, And in hardware requirements it just says to have same Manufacturer and Model. Could you please advice me here if we can add any hardware module in R750 & R730 to work S2D like Network adapters 10Gbps and etc?

Thanks for all the answers, advice and the resources shared.

Answer 3

Hi Admin,

Hope you're doing well.

Sorry for the late response and thanks for your update.

Unfortunately, due to the resource limitation of forum, I can't give you a more precise answer. We suggest you go to Microsoft Support Center to open a premier-level ticket.

Best Regards