EVA6000: HP StorageWorks EVA Disk Array

The EVA6000 is the middle model of HP's EVA4000, EVA6000 and EVA8000 StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array range. HP's family table lists it with the same HSV200 controller pair, 4GB of cache per controller pair, four 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel host ports and four 2 Gb/s device ports as the EVA4000. What changes is capacity: two device FC-AL loop switches instead of none, and a maximum of 112 drives per model against 56 on the EVA4000.

With 14-bay M5314A or M5314B drive enclosures, 112 drives is eight shelves. Supported drives are dual-ported 2 Gb/s FC in 72GB, 146GB and 300GB 10K rpm, 72GB and 146GB 15K rpm, plus 250GB FATA. Controller software in the 2005 QuickSpecs is XCS v5.030, and RAID types are Vraid0, Vraid1 and Vraid5.

How an EVA4000 becomes an EVA6000: HP sells the EVA Dual FC Loop Switch Option (AD557A) as a field-installable upgrade. If the array you have is described as 4000 or 6000, the controller type is HSV200; the later EVA4100 and EVA6100 use the HSV200-A controller and the M5314C shelf, and HP's compatibility reference shows data-in-place upgrades from the HSV200 pair to those newer controllers.

Before ordering parts, read the array model and controller label, and match the shelf type to the generation: M5314A/B for this EVA6000, M5314C for the EVA6100. The nearest siblings are the EVA4000, the EVA8000 and the newer EVA6100. Related parts are on the storage systems hub.