Last week Dell EqualLogic debuted 4.2.1 firmware for the PS Series arrays, which you can download from the support site . Take a look at the release notes and you'll find there's some pretty amazing additions --and you didn't even have to
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Last week Dell EqualLogic debuted 4.2.1 firmware for the PS Series arrays, which you can download from the support site. Take a look at the release notes and you'll find there's some pretty amazing additions --and you didn't even have to buy a new array to take advantage of them. Well, unless you want to pick up a PS6500X or two (which I talked about here.)
Here's a few highlights of what's new in the 4.2.1 release:
- Preemptive drive replacement
- Support for new PS6500X
- Support for 16-member groups
Take note: ALL GENERATIONS of EqualLogic arrays are eligible for the latest firmware upgrade. They too benefit from the expansion of up to 16 members/arrays in a single group. One of the best selling points, beyond the widely accepted ridiculous ease of use, is the investment protection through backwards compatibility that Dell EqualLogic continues to deliver.
Growing the group size by 33% (from 12 to 16 members) provides several benefits. It allows a storage admin to manage more arrays in a single pool. It load balances data more efficiently across more arrays and more drives. The larger spindle count and group capacity also reduces sprawl of applications. You can manage more of those applications in a single group.
Upgrading is a cinch, especially if you are at a 4.1.3 or later versions of the firmware. Here's a short video of me upgrading one of our arrays through the GUI to 4.2.1:
I recommend you read the "Updating Storage Array Firmware" document found on the support site before giving it a go.
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