1.4 The HPE Storage Portfolio: Current Systems, Legacy Platforms & Positioning
Key Takeaways
Current HPE primary storage spans MSA Gen7 (entry block SAN), Alletra Storage MP B10000 (mission-critical block and unified file) and Alletra Storage MP X10000 (object and file).
HPE's data protection portfolio includes StoreOnce backup systems, LTO tape libraries, HPE Zerto Software and the GreenLake Backup and Disaster Recovery services.
HPE announced end of life for the Alletra 6000 and 9000 in June 2025 and for the Alletra 5000 in May 2026; B10000 is the stated refresh target.
The B10000 carries HPE's 100% data availability guarantee, while the Nimble-based Alletra 5000 and 6000 carried a six-nines (99.9999%) guarantee.
HPE Peer Motion migrates data online from 3PAR, Primera and Alletra 9000 arrays to the B10000.
The HPE Storage Portfolio
Quick Answer: For new designs, position HPE MSA Gen7 for entry-level block SAN, the HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000 for mission-critical block (and unified file) storage with a 100% data availability guarantee, and the HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 for object and file data such as AI data lakes and fast backup targets. Protect data with HPE StoreOnce, HPE LTO tape libraries, HPE Zerto Software and HPE GreenLake for Backup and Recovery. Treat 3PAR, Primera, Nimble and the Alletra 5000, 6000 and 9000 as installed systems to support or migrate.
The current portfolio by role
| Role | Product | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Entry block SAN | HPE MSA Gen7 (MSA 2070, 2070 Flash Bundles, 2072 Hybrid-Flash) | Dual controllers, FC, iSCSI or SAS host ports, up to 240 SFF drives and 7.37 PB raw, managed with the Storage Management Utility (SMU) v4 |
| Mission-critical block and unified file | HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000 | Disaggregated scale-out on Alletra Storage MP hardware, 2 to 6 controller nodes, up to 5.9 PB raw, 100% data availability guarantee, managed from DSCC |
| Object and file | HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 | HPE-developed, Kubernetes-orchestrated software with native S3, NFSv4.1 and data intelligence, 3 to 16 nodes |
| Scale-out file service | HPE GreenLake for File Storage | VAST Data file software running on Alletra Storage MP hardware, for high-throughput file workloads |
| Disk backup target | HPE StoreOnce (Gen5 3720, 3760, 5720, 7700; Gen4 Plus 3660, 5260, 5660; StoreOnce VSA) | Deduplication, Catalyst, Cloud Bank Storage, encryption and immutability |
| Tape | HPE MSL tape libraries (MSL3040, MSL6480) and LTO drives and media | LTO-9 and LTO-8, offline air gap, WORM, hardware encryption |
| Continuous data protection and DR | HPE Zerto Software | Journal-based CDP with RPOs of seconds, DR orchestration and workload mobility |
| SaaS data protection | HPE GreenLake for Backup and Recovery and GreenLake for Disaster Recovery | Managed from the GreenLake cloud console |
| Storage networking | HPE B-series (Brocade) and C-series (Cisco MDS) Fibre Channel switches, HPE host bus adapters | Validate every combination in SPOCK |
HPE also offers HPE XP8 storage for the most demanding high-end environments, including mainframe connectivity, but XP8 is not an HPE0-J81 objective.
Entry storage: HPE MSA Gen7
The MSA is a 2U, dual-controller block array for small and midsize businesses, remote sites and small virtualization clusters. Gen7 shipped in December 2024. HPE states it delivers up to twice the random IOPS and 30% more sequential bandwidth than Gen6. Each array has 8 host ports (4 per controller) and supports 16Gb or 32Gb Fibre Channel, 10/25GbE or 10GBASE-T iSCSI, or 12Gb SAS, depending on the model. Chapter 5 covers the hardware, software and licensing.
Mission-critical block: HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000
The B10000 was previously sold as HPE GreenLake for Block Storage built on HPE Alletra Storage MP. HPE calls it the industry's first disaggregated, scale-out block storage with a 100% data availability guarantee. Controller nodes and NVMe drive shelves scale independently. Recent software releases added unified file services (ArcusOS 10.5.0 and later) and real-time ransomware detection. It is positioned to bring mission-critical resiliency to a midrange price point.
Unstructured data: HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000
The X10000 runs HPE's own object software on the same Alletra Storage MP hardware family. Its foundation is a log-structured, key-value store optimized for flash, with native S3 and S3a APIs, a native NFSv4.1 file namespace, inline data reduction and triple-parity erasure coding. Data intelligence nodes can add metadata and vector embeddings for AI pipelines, and optional data protection accelerator nodes, based on StoreOnce Gen5, target very fast backup and restore. Do not confuse the X10000 with HPE GreenLake for File Storage, a separate scale-out file service that runs VAST Data software on Alletra Storage MP hardware.
Legacy platforms you will still meet
| Platform | Heritage | Lifecycle status (HPE announcements) | Typical path forward |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPE 3PAR StoreServ and HPE Primera | 3PAR | Older generations in end-of-support phases | B10000, migrated with Peer Motion |
| HPE Alletra 9000 | Primera | End-of-life announced June 1, 2025; discontinued November 30, 2025 | B10000, migrated with Peer Motion |
| HPE Alletra 6000 | Nimble Storage (all-flash) | End-of-life announced June 1, 2025; discontinued November 30, 2025 | B10000 |
| HPE Alletra 5000 | Nimble Storage (hybrid) | End of life from May 1, 2026; obsolete October 31, 2026 | B10000 or other current systems |
| HPE Nimble Storage | Nimble | Older generations in end-of-support phases | B10000 |
The availability guarantees also differ. HPE offered a six-nines (99.9999%) guarantee on the Nimble-based Alletra 5000 and 6000, and a 100% data availability guarantee on the Alletra 9000 and now on the B10000. Support for discontinued systems continues for years after the sale ends, so you still need to recognize them.
Migration options
- HPE Peer Motion moves data online and non-disruptively from 3PAR, Primera and Alletra 9000 arrays to the B10000.
- HPE Zerto migrates large virtualized environments regardless of the source storage platform.
- HPE Data Migration Services provide experts when the customer lacks staff or tools.
Positioning by requirement
| Customer requirement | Recommend | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small budget, three or four hosts, shared FC or iSCSI block storage | MSA 2070 or 2072 | Entry price, dual controllers, simple local management |
| Mission-critical databases, 100% availability guarantee, independent scaling | B10000 | Disaggregated scale-out, all-active nodes, guarantee |
| Block and file on one platform with cloud management | B10000 with unified file | Single platform and console |
| S3 data lake, AI pipelines, or a very fast backup target | X10000 | Native object and file, data intelligence, accelerator nodes |
| Deduplicated disk backup with long retention | StoreOnce with Cloud Bank Storage | Catalyst, dedupe, cloud tier |
| Offline copy for ransomware resilience or long-term archive | LTO tape library | Physical air gap, WORM, low cost per TB |
| RPO of seconds for virtual machines | HPE Zerto | Continuous replication with a journal |
Common exam traps
- Recommending a high-end platform for a small customer: the MSA is the entry answer.
- Calling the X10000 a VAST-based file system: it is HPE-developed object and file software.
- Recommending an Alletra 6000 or 9000 for a new purchase: both are discontinued; refresh to the B10000.
- Assuming every HPE array has the same guarantee: 100% applies to the B10000 (and applied to the Alletra 9000); six nines applied to the Alletra 5000 and 6000.
A retail company has three VMware hosts at its headquarters, a limited budget and a requirement for shared Fibre Channel block storage with automated tiering across SSDs and HDDs. Which current HPE product fits best?
HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000
HPE MSA 2070 or 2072 (Gen7)
HPE Alletra 9000
HPE StoreOnce 3720
A bank needs block storage for core databases with a contractual 100% data availability guarantee and the ability to add controller performance without buying more drives. What should the architect recommend for a new purchase?
HPE Alletra 6000 all-flash array (Nimble lineage)
HPE MSA 2072 Hybrid-Flash
HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000
HPE Alletra 5000 hybrid array
Which statement about the HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 is accurate?
It runs VAST Data software and is the same product as HPE GreenLake for File Storage
It is an LTO tape library that exposes S3 as its management and data API
It is a dual-controller block array designed for entry-level SANs
It runs HPE-developed object software with native S3 and NFSv4.1 access
A customer runs an HPE Alletra 9000 that it wants to replace without an application outage. Which approach does HPE document for this refresh?
Migrate online to a B10000 with HPE Peer Motion, which supports 3PAR, Primera and Alletra 9000 sources
Buy another Alletra 9000, because it is HPE's current mission-critical platform
Export all volumes to an MSA Gen7 array using Remote Snap replication
Back the data up to LTO-9 tape and restore it onto an X10000 cluster
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.