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HPE Smart Array E208i-a SR Gen10 controller card, green PCB with silver connectors

HPE

HPE Smart Array E208i-a SR Gen10 Controller 804326-B21

SKU CH-DZVK-640EF MPN 804326-B21

Supports 12Gb/s SAS and PCIe 3.0 with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 and Mixed Mode for simultaneous RAID and HBA operations

  • TypeOthers
  • Cost-effective RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support
  • Mixed Mode combines RAID and HBA operations
  • Eight internal SAS lanes connect SAS or SATA drives
  • Data-at-rest encryption with HPE Smart Array SR Secure Encryption
  • Dedicated storage slot preserves PCIe expansion capacity

Controller overview

The HPE Smart Array E208i-a SR Gen10 Controller is a type-a modular RAID controller that plugs into a dedicated storage slot, leaving PCIe expansion slots free. It supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 plus mixed-mode operation for simultaneous RAID and HBA functions. Eight internal SAS lanes connect SAS or SATA drives for flexible storage configurations.

Thermals and power

The controller draws power from the server slot and relies on the system airflow for cooling during normal operation. No auxiliary power connectors are required, keeping cabling simple inside the chassis. Enterprise-class components are rated for continuous duty in dense server environments.

Upgrade context

This controller replaces an older internal RAID adapter or basic onboard SATA controller when hardware RAID and mixed-mode support are needed. The jump is worth it when you need encryption for data-at-rest on any drive or want to move RAID off the PCIe bus to free expansion slots.

Highlights

  • Cost-effective RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support
  • Mixed Mode combines RAID and HBA operations
  • Eight internal SAS lanes connect SAS or SATA drives
  • Data-at-rest encryption with HPE Smart Array SR Secure Encryption
  • Dedicated storage slot preserves PCIe expansion capacity

Specifications

BrandHPE
TypeOthers
Shipping weight0.30 kg
Package size244 × 211 × 51 mm

Questions about this item

How is the E208i-a SR Gen10 controller installed and which step is often missed?

The controller fits into the server's dedicated type-a modular storage slot so it does not use a PCIe expansion slot. The step people miss is enabling Mixed Mode in the BIOS to run RAID and HBA functions together.

What maintenance or replacement will the 804326-B21 need later?

Keep the controller firmware current through HPE Smart Storage Administrator and monitor the BBWC or flash-backed write cache module; replace that cache unit if its health status degrades.

What limit appears first on the 12Gb/s SAS interface under sustained heavy I/O?

The eight internal SAS lanes and PCIe 3.0 x8 host link set the maximum aggregate throughput; sustained workloads will saturate that bandwidth before the controller's RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 engine becomes the bottleneck.

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