HPE-StoreEver MSL3040

Description

The HPE StoreEver MSL3040 is a highly scalable tape library designed to provide secure, cost-effective, and long-term data protection. Its modular architecture allows organizations to start with a compact base configuration and expand storage capacity as data requirements grow.

The MSL3040 is particularly suitable for backup, disaster recovery, long-term archiving, compliance retention, and air-gapped data protection.

Scalable Modular Architecture

The MSL3040 begins with a 3U base library module providing 40 cartridge slots and support for up to three half-height (HH) tape drives. Expansion modules can subsequently be added without requiring a complete replacement of the library.

A fully expanded configuration can provide:

• Up to 640 cartridge slots
• Up to 48 half-height LTO drives
• Up to 16 modules in the maximum configuration
• Up to 48U rack height

This pay-as-you-grow architecture allows businesses to increase capacity and performance as backup requirements expand.

LTO Tape Technology

The MSL3040 supports multiple generations of HPE LTO Ultrium technology, including:

• LTO-9 Ultrium 45000
• LTO-8 Ultrium 30750
• LTO-7 Ultrium 15000
• LTO-6 Ultrium 6250

The exact supported generation depends on the installed tape drive.

Massive Backup Capacity

With LTO-9 technology, the MSL3040 can provide up to:

• 720TB native capacity per 40-slot base module
• 11.52PB native capacity in a fully expanded 640-slot library
• Up to 1.8PB compressed capacity per module
• Up to 28.8PB compressed capacity across a fully expanded library using the stated 2.5:1 compression assumption

This makes the MSL3040 suitable for organizations managing very large backup and archive datasets.

High-Speed Data Transfer

The MSL3040 can scale performance by adding additional tape drives.

With 48 LTO-9 drives, HPE specifies a maximum native transfer rate of approximately 51.5TB per hour for the fully populated library. A three-drive module can achieve up to approximately 3.24TB per hour natively with LTO-9 drives.

Actual backup performance depends on the tape-drive configuration, backup software, source storage, network infrastructure, data type, and compression.

SAS and Fibre Channel Connectivity

The MSL3040 supports different host connectivity options depending on the installed tape drives.

Supported interfaces include:

• 8Gb Fibre Channel
• 12Gb/s SAS for LTO-9
• 6Gb/s SAS for LTO-8 and earlier supported generations

This allows the library to integrate with a variety of enterprise backup servers and storage infrastructures.

Enterprise Data Protection

Tape provides an important layer of protection for organizations seeking long-term retention and offline backup.

The MSL3040 supports features designed for secure data protection, including:

• Data encryption
• WORM media support
• Secure tape storage
• Remote library management
• Data verification
• Logical library partitioning
• Optional encryption-key management
• Air-gapped backup capability

HPE also offers MSL Vault Partition for creating an isolated secure storage area within the library and Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for enhanced access security.

Logical Library Partitioning

The MSL3040 can support up to 21 logical library partitions, allowing one physical tape library to function as multiple logical libraries.

This can be useful when:

• Multiple backup environments share one library
• Different departments require isolated resources
• Separate applications require dedicated tape resources
• Service providers need multi-tenant configurations

Remote Management

The library includes an Ethernet-based management interface for remote administration.

Management connectivity includes:

• RJ-45 remote management port
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet
• Web-based management capability
• USB ports for supported encryption and maintenance functions

Reliability and Serviceability

The MSL3040 is designed for enterprise backup environments and provides a rated MTBF of 125,000 hours and 1,000,000 mean swaps before failure (MSBF). HPE specifies an average cartridge swap time of approximately 26 seconds for the base unit.

Its modular design also allows expansion modules and supported components to be installed and serviced as the environment grows.

Compact Storage Density

The MSL3040 provides high storage density relative to rack space. HPE states that the library can provide approximately 13 cartridge slots per 1U of rack space, helping organizations reduce the physical footprint associated with large-scale tape storage.

Ideal Applications

The HPE StoreEver MSL3040 is ideal for:

• Enterprise backup
• Disaster recovery
• Long-term data archiving
• Compliance retention
• Large-scale data protection
• Air-gapped backup
• Ransomware-resilient backup strategies
• Data-center archival storage
• Virtualized environments
• SMB and mid-sized enterprise backup
• Multi-department backup environments

Key Specifications

Configuration Note

The MSL3040 is a modular platform rather than a single fixed configuration. The number of tape drives, LTO generation, cartridge slots, SAS/FC connectivity, power supplies, encryption options, and expansion modules depend on the specific SKU.