Lenovo 18 TB NL-SAS 3.5" Internal Hard Drive — 12Gb/s SAS, 7200 RPM, Hot-Swappable

The Lenovo 18 TB Hard Drive is engineered for enterprise storage environments that demand massive capacity, dependable performance, and straightforward maintenance. This 3.5-inch NL-SAS drive delivers an impressive 18 terabytes of raw storage in a single mechanical unit, making it a powerful building block for data centers, backups, archives, and virtualization platforms. Built to work with Lenovo storage controllers and backplanes, it leverages Nearline SAS technology to balance capacity, throughput, and reliability, enabling you to scale your storage infrastructure without sacrificing performance. Whether you’re expanding a NAS, a DAS enclosure, or a high-density storage array, this NL-SAS drive is designed to deliver consistent, long-term service in 24/7 operation.

• Massive 18 TB capacity in a single 3.5" drive — Ideal for dense storage pools, large-scale backups, archival repositories, and media libraries. The 18 TB footprint reduces the number of drives required for a given dataset, helping lower rack space, power, and cooling costs while maintaining accessible performance for sequential workloads.
• 12Gb/s SAS interface for rapid data movement — With a high-speed SAS interface, you benefit from improved bandwidth and streamlined data transfers between the drive and your storage controller. This is especially advantageous for sequential reads and writes, large-file transfers, and data migration tasks within enterprise environments.
• 7200 RPM spindle speed for better performance — The 7200 RPM design enhances throughput and responsiveness compared with slower NL-SAS alternatives, helping to shorten backup windows, accelerate file recovery, and improve overall storage performance for mixed workloads common in data centers.
• Nearline (NL-SAS) technology with hot-swappable capability — Nearline drives offer a favorable balance of capacity, performance, and efficiency for continuous operation. The hot-swappable design enables quick replacement or expansion in live systems, minimizing downtime and keeping critical services online during maintenance or drive failures.
• Built for reliability in enterprise storage systems — Crafted for demanding, always-on environments, this Lenovo NL-SAS drive provides steady, long-term endurance, robust error recovery, and compatibility with enterprise-grade backplanes and controllers for dependable data access and integrity.

Technical Details of Lenovo 18 TB Hard Drive - 3.5" Internal - Near Line SAS (NL-SAS) (12Gb/s SAS)

• Capacity: 18 TB
• Form factor: 3.5-inch
• Drive type: Nearline SAS (NL-SAS)
• Interface: 12Gb/s SAS
• Spindle speed: 7200 RPM
• Hot-swappable: Yes
• Device supported: Storage System

How to Install Lenovo 18 TB Hard Drive

• Power down the system or place it into a maintenance window if you’re working with a hot-swap backplane. Ground yourself to prevent static discharge before handling the drive.
• Open the drive bay or remove the empty hot-swap tray, aligning the Lenovo 18 TB NL-SAS drive with the backplane’s connector and the chassis guides. Slide the drive into the bay until it seats securely with a click.
• Connect the SAS backplane interface and secure the drive in place with the appropriate screws or latching mechanism according to your chassis design. Ensure the drive is firmly connected and the tray is locked in position.
• Power up the system and verify that the drive is detected by the storage controller or BIOS. Check for healthy indicators in your management utility or server operating system.
• Initialize the drive within your storage pool, RAID configuration, or JBOD setup, and format as required by your application. After initialization, monitor SMART data and performance to ensure continued reliability.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What does NL-SAS mean?

  Nearline SAS (NL-SAS) is a design philosophy for high-capacity SAS drives optimized for large, sequential workloads. It provides a cost-effective balance of capacity and performance, making it well-suited for backups, archives, and large storage arrays in enterprise environments.

• Q: Is this drive compatible with Lenovo storage systems?

  Yes. The 18 TB NL-SAS drive is designed to integrate with Lenovo storage controllers and backplanes that support 12Gb/s SAS, enabling seamless deployment in Lenovo-based storage solutions and compatible third-party arrays.

• Q: What performance can I expect with 18 TB NL-SAS?

  The drive delivers solid throughput for large-file transfers and streaming workloads, with improved sequential performance over lower-capacity NL-SAS models due to the higher data density. It’s ideal for backup pipelines, archiving, and media-intensive workloads in enterprise environments.

• Q: How many drives are needed for a RAID array or storage pool?

  That depends on your infrastructure and redundancy requirements. The 18 TB NL-SAS drive is designed to operate within RAID configurations and storage pools supported by your Lenovo controller or compatible storage system. Always follow your vendor’s guidance for RAID level and rebuild times.

• Q: Can I hot-swap this drive while the system is running?

  Yes. The hot-swappable design lets you replace a failed or decommissioned drive without powering down the system, minimizing downtime in data center environments.