Description
HP P18426-B21 1.96TB SATA 2.5" SSD
The P18426-B21 is an HP Read Intensive drive in the 2.5-inch SFF size, running SATA at 6Gb/s with 1.96 TB of capacity. A drive this size rarely goes into a server by itself. It joins a group, and groups have rules about capacity that catch people out far more often than anything printed on the specification sheet ever does. HP codes it P18426-B21 for ordering and spares lists.
Key Features
- 1.96TB of capacity in a single 2.5-inch SFF body
- SATA interface running at 6Gb/s
- Read Intensive endurance rating, suited to data read far more than written
- SFF form factor, built for server drive bays rather than desktop cages
- Coded for ProLiant server duty
- HP part number P18426-B21
Performance and Applications
A RAID group works to its smallest member. Drop this drive into a group of 960GB disks and the controller claims 960GB of it, stranding the remainder until every other member grows to match. It runs the other way too, where one smaller drive added to a group of larger ones drags the whole set down to its size. Plan capacity across the group rather than one drive at a time, and expand in complete sets wherever the budget stretches to it. That habit saves a great deal of wasted flash.
Compatibility and Installation
You'll need a free 2.5 inch SFF bay, a SATA connection on the backplane or controller, and the carrier tray matched to your chassis generation. Before ordering, check what the existing members of the group actually report rather than what the labels claim, since the controller works from formatted capacity rather than the marketing figure.
HP P18426-B21 1.96TB SSD for Matched-Capacity RAID Groups
For a group that needs another matched member rather than simply another drive, this answers the brief. Read-intensive endurance over SATA, in the SFF bay your chassis already provides.
