HGST Ultrastar Data60 SE4U60-60 Drive Enclosure — 4U Rack-Mount, 12Gb/s SAS, Mini-SAS HD Interface

The HGST Ultrastar Data60 SE4U60-60 Drive Enclosure is engineered for enterprise storage environments where reliability, scalability, and performance matter most. This 4U rack-mountable enclosure delivers a flexible, high-density storage solution that can accommodate a diverse mix of HDDs and SSDs to meet today’s demanding workloads—ranging from backup and archival to high-velocity analytics and cloud-scale services. Built with enterprise-grade components and designed for continuous operation, the Data60 enclosure enables data centers to expand capacity without sacrificing throughput or manageability.

• Flexible drive configurations for cost and performance optimization: Configure a mix of high-capacity enterprise HDDs for bulk storage and fast SSDs for tiered performance. The Data60 supports a wide range of drive types and sizes, enabling you to tailor your storage to the exact needs of each workload, while maximizing total cost of ownership.
• High-throughput SAS backplane with 12Gb/s speed: The enclosure features a 12Gb/s SAS backplane that delivers robust, steady performance for sequential and random I/O. This ensures quick data access, lower bottlenecks, and improved overall storage efficiency for large-scale databases, virtualized environments, and media workflows.
• Large, dense capacity in a compact 4U chassis: With the ability to house up to sixty drives, the Data60 consolidates vast storage capacity into a single 4U footprint. This density is ideal for data centers seeking to maximize rack space while maintaining streamlined cable management and straightforward scalability.
• Hot-swappable drives, cooling, and power for maximum uptime: The enclosure is designed for nonstop operation in enterprise settings. Hot-swappable drive trays, redundant cooling fans, and redundant power options help minimize maintenance windows and improve serviceability in production environments.
• Enterprise-class reliability and scalability: Built to support 24x7 workloads, the Data60 is engineered for long-term reliability with components selected for durability, consistent performance, and easy expansion as your storage needs grow—without disruptive migrations.

Technical Details of HGST Ultrastar Data60 SE4U60-60 Drive Enclosure

• Chassis: 4U rack-mountable enclosure designed for data center deployment and dense storage strategies
• Drive bays: up to sixty hot-swappable drives, enabling large-scale capacity within a single enclosure
• Backplane: 12Gb/s SAS backplane to support high-bandwidth data transfers and low-latency I/O
• Host interface: Mini-SAS HD interface for reliable internal connections to storage controllers
• Cooling: redundant cooling architecture with hot-swappable fans to maintain consistent performance
• Power: redundant hot-swappable power options to minimize downtime and simplify maintenance
• Construction: enterprise-grade enclosure with sturdy chassis designed for rugged data-center use
• Compatibility: supports a mixed tray environment (HDDs and SSDs) for flexible tiered storage strategies

How to install HGST Ultrastar Data60 SE4U60-60 Drive Enclosure

Installing the Data60 enclosure in your data center is a straightforward process designed to fit seamlessly into standard 19-inch racks. For best results, plan for proper ventilation and cable management to sustain performance and reliability in high-demand environments.

• Prepare the rack space: Ensure the rack is rated for the enclosure’s weight and depth, and confirm the availability of adequate cooling and power resources in the room.
• Mount the chassis: Slide the enclosure into the selected rack position and secure it with the included rack screws to prevent movement during operation.
• Connect power and cooling: Attach the redundant power supplies and ensure fans are operational. Verify that hot-swappable components are accessible for maintenance without powering down the entire rack.
• Configure cabling: Wire the Mini-SAS HD host interface to the storage controller or adapter, and route data and power cables for clean airflow and easy future upgrades.
• Populate drives: Insert drives into hot-swappable trays following the chassis guidelines, ensuring each tray is seated firmly and locked in place for reliable contact.
• Power on and verify: Restore power, monitor initial POST messages, and use your preferred management tools to verify drive detection, health status, and overall enclosure respiration (fans, temps, and alerts).
• Integrate with storage management: Add the Data60 to your storage pool or virtualization layer, configure hot-spare policies if applicable, and tune performance settings according to workloads.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: How many drives can the Data60 enclosure hold?

  A: The Data60 SE4U60-60 is designed to accommodate up to sixty drives, providing high-density storage within a single 4U enclosure.

• Q: What interfaces does it use to connect to a host or controller?

  A: It uses a Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643) internal interface to connect to storage controllers, delivering 12Gb/s SAS performance for demanding workloads.

• Q: Can I mix HDDs and SSDs in the same enclosure?

  A: Yes. The enclosure is designed to support a mixed tray environment, allowing you to combine high-capacity HDDs for cost-effective storage with SSDs for high-speed data access and caching.

• Q: Is the power supply redundant?

  A: The Data60 enclosure supports redundant, hot-swappable power options to minimize downtime and simplify maintenance in mission-critical environments.

• Q: What kind of environments is this enclosure best suited for?

  A: It is ideal for enterprise data centers, cloud service providers, backups and archives, analytics platforms, and other workloads requiring scalable, high-density storage with robust reliability.

• Q: How do I maintain and monitor the enclosure?

  A: Use enterprise storage management tools compatible with SAS backplanes to monitor drive health, fan speeds, temperatures, and enclosure alerts. Regular firmware updates and periodic health checks help ensure peak performance.