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it_user289656 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
We were able to consolidate disparate storage environments into a single chassis with multiple connection types.

What is most valuable?

Disk-utilization tier-ing (3PAR Adaptive Optimization)

How has it helped my organization?

The organization was able to consolidate disparate storage environments into a single chassis with multiple connection types, utilize the different disk tiers across all software/hardware connected platforms, all the time providing the fastest disk to the most utilized portions of storage as determined by the controllers.

What needs improvement?

While there is direct module integration with different Hyper Visors on the market, the actual software of those integrations do leave some feature integration off requiring both management interfaces. The greater this integration becomes the easier to manage the environment it will be.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used it for three years.

Buyer's Guide
HPE 3PAR StoreServ
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about HPE 3PAR StoreServ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

All the issues we encountered were due to human error.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

All the issues we encountered were due to human error.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

All the issues we encountered were due to human error.

How are customer service and support?

HP technical support for 3PAR is excellent once you have navigated the call tree.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I utilized HP Lefthand devices and EVA SAN’s (Models 5000 and 4400)

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was complex in that requirements were not communicated well through the VAR and some parts needed to be sent back (PDU’s were of the wrong type) and the VAR assumed a Virtual Storage manager would be used, but a physical manager was both requested and required, which created an installation delay while the correct equipment was shipped.

What about the implementation team?

It was implemented through a vendor team, originally out-sourced by HP, then followed up by HP in-house technicians.

What was our ROI?

The implementation did not have an ROI to calculate as the products being migrated off of were end of life.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

  • Dell Compellant
  • EMC VMX
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user178500 - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Systems Manager with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
Flash storage is worth it for performance advantage and simplicity.

We were running HP servers and an HP storage area network (SAN), but with the business’s growth we were coming to a point where we either needed to upgrade the CPU and buy additional disks for the SAN, or replace everything – we considered both possibilities.

The application provider did have a version running on Windows, but we wanted the proven stability of UNIX, and in particular of HP’s HP-UX. MomentumPro is business-critical, and runs all our inventory and financial systems. We considered systems based on other UNIX platforms, but that would have involved bringing in a completely new operating system, which would add additional risk. If we had a year for the project we might have looked at other UNIX versions, but our business’s rapid expansion meant we had tight timescales– so we stayed on HP-UX to simplify the migration.

Once we had decided on HP-UX, we looked at the blades, storage and chassis available from HP. The blade system had the benefit that, as well as handling the expansion of the ERP, we could consolidate Windows environments and other servers onto the new infrastructure.

We chose an infrastructure housed in an HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure, and it selected an HP Integrity BL870c i4 Server Blade featuring HP-UX 11i v3. For storage, we selected HP 3PAR StoreServ 7450 Storage system with thirty-two 480GB solid state disks (SSDs). The system includes HP FlexFabric interconnects.

Had we upgraded, we would have had perhaps just a year before we had to upgrade again. Also, with an upgrade, maintenance costs are increasing each year – but the replacement system included support, so we are ahead on operating expenditure.When we did a comparison, the replacement was lower in cost than the upgrade, with a fifteen month payback period on the hardware. By replacing the system, we could build everything and get it up and running without interfering with the current operation. If we had done an upgrade, there would have been significant downtime, even if there were no problems – but with a replacement we could build it all in parallel, do comprehensive testing and make sure everything was working. 

The implementation went extremely well, and the engineering support people at HP were excellent – everything was here on time or early, and it all went smoothly. We built the new system and got the operating system loaded, the disks up and database restored, and were able to run tests till satisfied to give us a comfort factor. Then we took the users off the system and started the migration of data at 6pm, and had everything up and running by 11pm that night.

With the new infrastructure, the biggest single benefit is improved performance, not least due to the system’s solid state storage.The 3PAR storage was worth it for the performance advantage. We knew we had to speed up the processing, if we expand into Western Australia we would lose three hours from the overnight window, due to the time difference. We had to do the same tasks in a smaller timeframe.

The old system would already have been unable to cope – we would have been on about 99 per cent CPU, but at the moment we’re sitting at 15 per cent CPU. It’s a massive change – we would have been happy with a 50 per cent improvement, but we’ve got almost an 80 per cent increase. While the store rollout is the priority, we’re also going to look at adding extra functionality in the ERP application. In the past we were constrained by hardware performance, but the new system is giving us the opportunity to add more modules.

By moving from a rack-based server system to blades, we will be able to shrink infrastructure from eight cabinets to only two. HP’s de-duplication features will also save us money, as we will need to buy fewer disks to migrate our existing external servers onto Hyper-V virtual machines on the blades. We were at full storage capacity on the old system, but now with the 3PAR we will be at around 70 per cent after we have migrated Exchange onto the infrastructure – and that’s even before we add in the benefits of de-duplication.

This was a deliberate choice – we wanted a system with the flexibility to grow, without having to buy hardware now that we wouldn’t use for six or twelve months. The project has gone very well and exceeded my expectations, and I was surprised at the ease of deployment– all the different components integrated well together.

Overall, the biggest benefits for us were performance, simplicity of implementation and cost. Due to this positive experience with HP, we’re now looking at working with them in other areas of our business, and we’re already rolling out HP thin clients at some of our stores.

Disclosure: PeerSpot has made contact with the reviewer to validate that the person is a real user. The information in the posting is based upon a vendor-supplied case study, but the reviewer has confirmed the content's accuracy.
PeerSpot user

Love hearing these kinds of stories. I think you made a great choice but so do others. HP 3PAR All-Flash won the All-Flash Array Product of the Year Award from TechTarget. I have a blog that talks about it. hpstorage.me There's been lots of other "best of" for the HP 3PAR family - if you're interested in those, drop me an email at hpstorageguy at hp dot com.

Buyer's Guide
HPE 3PAR StoreServ
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about HPE 3PAR StoreServ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
Technical Manager / Administrator at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Consultant
When comparing the cost with the features and performance, this solution is a good choice.

What is most valuable?

  • Separated multilayer and specific SAN Storage operating system (Informos)
  • ASIC based operation
  • High end feature in mid-range scale
  • Wizard based configuration console
  • Scale in scale out forward
  • Storage virtualization technology like chunklet

How has it helped my organization?

Increase provisioning time and reduce configuration complexity based on chunklet technology. It supports advanced virtualization services on storage operations and virtual computing infrastructure.

What needs improvement?

Common data center standards for temperature, humidity, firefighting etc.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the Inserv 7000 series for two years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Many points were needed for the initial system on first time setup. We had some non-predictable random issues during initialization like non-probable Inserv serial numbers etc. Time was needed for the chunklets restructure to take effect.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Very dependable system structure to each node on healthy clusters.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Based on our experience and the documentation it looks easy.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

9 out of 10

Technical Support:

9 out of 10

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used to use the EVA 8000 series but they have just two nodes in that series and it is unsupported for active clustering, HA for controllers and nodes. 3PAR is also more cost effective on hardware, and has less performance issues and more scalability.

How was the initial setup?

Complex in initial pre-requirement and finding the serial numbers and the necessary information for setting up the system.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation myself.

What was our ROI?

When comparing the cost with the features and performance, this solution is a good choice.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes, we compared this series to the EMC VNX series based on feature/performance/technology and cost.

What other advice do I have?

It has a large basket of advanced features to integrate storage system into the service layer, good performance on provisioning and SAN service.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user

A quick follow-up to the DCIG "best-in-class" I mentioned: HP 3PAR All-Flash won the All-Flash Product of the Year Award from TechTarget. I have a blog that talks about it. hpstorage.me

See all 2 comments
reviewer1505493 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
Real User
Data storage, LANs and virtual volumes are very well managed
Pros and Cons
  • "The intelligence around the solution is good."
  • "Scalability and management could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for multiple business applications, with SharePoint, our internal management system and Exchange 2016. We are customers of HPE 3PAR and I'm a system engineer.

What is most valuable?

I think the main thing of value to me is the intelligence around the solution and how data is taken care of on the storage side of things, with your LANs and your virtual volumes and how it sort of manages everything else.

What needs improvement?

The scalability could be improved plus management. Currently, you can only identify what's connected to it through the system names and the like and it would be helpful to have an overview of everything that comes to it. It's easy to upsize but you can't downsize.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using this solution for about seven years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product used to be very scalable but its end of life will be in about a year so there's no point to upgrade or enhance it. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The support is quite good and we'll continue to use this product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex, it requires you to do your volumes, fibre channel volume from the switch and the same connection from the storage. You also need to make sure you've created warning profiles. I don't recall how long the primary setup took, but the secondary one took us four to six hours to get it going. We used a consultant and we have 1,200 users.
We have about six people involved in maintenance, they are admins.

What other advice do I have?

The product is at end of life so although we'll continue to use it, I wouldn't recommend it. 

I rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Luciano Batalha - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer at EVONICEVONIC
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Good speed, stable, and easy to scale
Pros and Cons
  • "The speed is very good."
  • "This solution only provides active-passive replication, as opposed to active-active."

What is our primary use case?

I want to build a MetroCluester in VMware.

What is most valuable?

The speed is very good.

What needs improvement?

This solution only provides active-passive replication, as opposed to active-active. Competing products also provide active-active replication.

Adding support for Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) would be an improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using HPE 3PAR StoreServ for more than seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

3PAR is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is easy to scale. It is done online.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been in contact with technical support and I would rate them an eight or nine out of ten. They are very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I am also using HPE Nimble.

I also have experience with HPE Primera, which is a better product. It's a merge of 3PAR and Nimble and it's a more stable storage solution.

If I were comparing a group of products then I would rate StorageWorks MSA a five, Nimble a seven, 3PAR an eight, Primera a nine, and StorageWorks XP a ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple.

The installation and configuration are quick. You can complete them in one or two hours, which is fast.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment and maintenance are done in-house.

We are always using the latest version because I upgrade every year.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
SeniorSycb53 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Systems Administrator at a consultancy with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
You can't beat its scalability. Just add more storage space when you need it.
Pros and Cons
  • "I do not have to worry about cross systems talking to each other or multiple systems trying to interact with each other. Our entire vCenter infrastructure is one large stack, which is nice."
  • "The performance has been fantastic. It has not had many issues whatsoever, and what issues they do have, the support picks up on it quickly. They send us tickets saying that they are doing work without us even having to engage them."
  • "I would like to see a little better integration with OneView and provisioning ESX Hosts."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for virtualization, vCenter, and infrastructure. 

We have simple needs. We are a very small shop and are not a technology company, but we do have mobile apps and websites that we provide to our customers.

I am new with the company. I have only been there about a year now, but I understand that they have had this system for at least three to five years.

The performance has been fantastic. It has not had many issues whatsoever, and what issues they do have, the support picks up on it quickly. They send us tickets saying that they are doing work without us even having to engage them. So, that is very nice.

What is most valuable?

All-in-one containment: I do not have to worry about cross systems talking to each other or multiple systems trying to interact with each other. Our entire vCenter infrastructure is one large stack, which is nice.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see a little better integration with OneView and provisioning ESX Hosts, but other than that it meets our needs.

Possibly because of the version that we are running, but we do not have not enough features.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I am very impressed with the stability. We have had a stable environment for at least the year that I have been at the organization.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

You can't beat its scalability. Just add more storage space when you need it, which is very simple.

How is customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very responsive. Most of the time, they are engaged before we even know about problems that are there. However, for things like disk outages, you have to arrange for somebody to come out and do something. 

They have been very helpful, and worked within our schedules and our maintenance windows. We are very pleased with them.

What was our ROI?

We absolutely see the ROI. Sometimes when you purchase large pieces of equipment like this, uptiming is a huge thing that we need. Also, the stability of the system along with the fact that we have had to put very little time into the product once it was up, established, and running has reduced our costs. It allows us to focus on other important projects, rather than having to constantly restructure the infrastructure.

What other advice do I have?

Support is great. The hardware is great. Unfortunately, we are running on an older version.

I would recommend taking a look at it. I have been looking at the newer options and technology. Not much has changed with it, so the expectations are still there that it would be a solid choice for somebody else.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
TechDire6cb5 - PeerSpot reviewer
Tech Director Data Centers with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
It is flexible, and they have a convenient capacity model that works well for us
Pros and Cons
  • "The tech support is great. If we have a problem, we literally will have boots on the ground with senior sales people, as well as the people to fix the problem, to help make sure we are taken care of."
  • "I need flexibility for interoperability across multiple platforms, not just HPE."

How has it helped my organization?

It is status quo from what we came from. We came from ViON and Hitachi. Part of that is our own problem. It is not as much HPE, as to how we are using it. We lifted and shifted, identically from one system to another.

What is most valuable?

It is flexible. We receive a lot of flexibility. We do at capacity on demand (COD), so we do not buy it upfront. They have a convenient capacity model that works well for us. HPE are a sub to the ones we buy it from, but they are the best sub that you could ask for. Whenever we have a problem, they come right onsite.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more openness with other platforms. InfoSight synergy as a whole is great, if I own all HPE products. 

It is whoever gets me the best price and value. They win the contract. I need that flexibility to work with, for example, if Dell were to win my server contract or ViON were to run the storage, and I still had HPE servers. I need flexibility for interoperability across multiple platforms, not just HPE.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We had major issues in years one and two. 

Now, it is stable. In the beginning, we had some stability and reliability issues. Over the last three years, it has been very stable and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is definitely scalable. We do not have any issues.

How is customer service and technical support?

The tech support is great. If we have a problem, we literally will have boots on the ground with senior sales people, as well as the people to fix the problem, to help make sure we are taken care of.

How was the initial setup?

It was complex for us, but we were literally migrating nine data centers across the globe, from product A to product B. We got in our way more than anyone else did. I can't judge how the product would be in a typical environment, since we are talking about 75 petabytes over nine data centers. It was a big project. 

The product is straightforward enough. If we were to do it as a new implementation, it would not be an issue.

What other advice do I have?

We are happy with it. However, there is always room for improvement.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Assistant Technology Director at a tech services company
Real User
The optimization features move chunklets or hot spots to faster drives, but the management interface is not intuitive
Pros and Cons
  • "The optimization features move chunklets or hot spots to faster drives."
  • "The 3PAR tool is cheaper to maintain with more storage available."
  • "The management interface is not intuitive."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is SAN for VMware hosts for hosted VMs for a K-12 education environment. Also, some space that we provisioned for security camera storage and backup targets.

How has it helped my organization?

We upgraded from HPE EVA and it was much easier to manage and provision LUNs, when necessary. Our EVA was maxed and was end of life. 

The 3PAR tool is cheaper to maintain with more storage available. 

What is most valuable?

The optimization features move chunklets or hot spots to faster drives. This way data which was getting hit most frequently was always on drives that could best handle the data, whether it was SQL data on SSD or rarely accessed file shares on the 7200 RPM drives.

What needs improvement?

The management interface is not intuitive. It is much better than EVA, but took some time to learn.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free HPE 3PAR StoreServ Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free HPE 3PAR StoreServ Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.