DELL PowerVault ME5024 storage Overview

May 20, 2025 OLEKSANDR SYZOV

DELL PowerVault ME5024 storage Overview

The Dell PowerVault ME5024 is an entry-level storage array designed for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and optimized for SAN (Storage Area Network) and DAS (Direct Attached Storage) workloads. It's part of the PowerVault ME5 series, which focuses on simplicity, speed, and affordability.

Here's a breakdown of its technical specifications and intended tasks:

Technical Specifications of the Dell PowerVault ME5024:

Chassis Format: All-in-one (single/dual controllers, internal drive bays, networking) with expansion options.
Rack Size: 2U
Controllers: 2 hot-swappable per chassis (dual active). Supports single or dual controller configurations.
Processor: Intel Xeon Processor
System Memory: 16GB per controller (32GB total)
Internal Storage: 24 x 2.5" drive bays.
Supported Drives:

SAS and NL-SAS (Near-Line SAS) drives.
Can mix different drive types, transfer rates, and rotational speeds in the same system.
Includes NLSAS 7.2K (up to 20TB), SAS 10K (up to 2.4TB), and various SSD capacities (e.g., 960GB, 1.6TB, 1.92TB, 3.84TB, 7.68TB).
FIPS-certified SEDs (Self-Encrypting Drives) are supported.

Expansion Capacity:

Min/Max drive count: 2/276 (with expansion).
Max raw capacity: Up to 5.22PB with 3xME484 expansion enclosures or 2.34PB with 9xME412 expansion enclosures.
Compatible with ME412 (12 x 3.5" drive bays), ME424 (24 x 2.5" drive bays), and ME484 (84 x 3.5" drive bays) expansion enclosures.

Host Interface:

Fibre Channel (FC): Max 8 ports per array (16Gb or 32Gb, auto-negotiate).
iSCSI: Max 8 BaseT ports (10GbE or 25GbE) or SFP+ ports per array.
SAS: Max 8 12Gb SAS ports.

Disk Expansion Protocol: 12Gb SAS
Management Ports: 2 per array (1Gb BASE-T).
Power Supply: 2 x 580W (redundant).
Heat Dissipation: 1980 BTU.
Dimensions (Base Array):

Height: 8.79 cm (3.46 inches)
Width: 48.30 cm (19.01 inches)
Depth: 54.78 cm (21.56 inches)

Weight (Max Configuration): 30.00 kg (66.00 lbs)
All-Inclusive Software Features:

ADAPT (Distributed RAID): For improved data protection and faster drive rebuild times.
Snapshots
Volume copy
IP/FC replication
SSD read cache
Thin provisioning
Three-level tiering
Controller-based encryption (SEDs) with internal key management.
VMware vCenter Server and VMware Site Recovery Manager integration.

Management: Intuitive HTML5-based web management UI (PowerVault Manager), and supported scripting with Redfish/Swordfish REST or CLI APIs. Also supported within Dell's Open Management Enterprise (OME).

Intended Tasks and Use Cases:

The Dell PowerVault ME5024 is designed to handle a variety of mixed workload applications for small to medium-sized businesses, offering a balance of performance, scalability, and affordability. Key use cases include:

Virtualization: Optimized for virtualized environments, supporting platforms like VMware (ESXi, vCenter, Site Recovery Manager), Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer. It's well-suited for virtual servers and small-scale Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployments, providing high performance and availability for up to 500 virtual desktops.
Databases: With support for high-speed SSDs, it's capable of hosting databases that require fast access to large volumes of data.
High-Performance Computing (HPC): Can be used for applications involving sophisticated data modeling, analytics, and simulation, particularly when paired with Dell PowerEdge servers for affordable compute and dense data storage.
Backup and Recovery: Supports snapshot and replication features, making it suitable for data backup and disaster recovery strategies.
Big Data Processing: Can be used for storing and processing large datasets in environments demanding high performance and reliability.
Edge Applications & Security Workloads: Its design and features make it suitable for various edge deployments, including CCTV/surveillance systems.
Direct-Attach Storage (DAS): Can be directly attached to Dell PowerEdge servers to expand storage capacity.
SAN Consolidation: Provides a solution for consolidating block storage in small to medium-sized SAN environments.
General Purpose Storage: Ideal for businesses looking for a productive, scalable, and reliable solution for managing their data, especially those needing to consolidate storage, support applications without strict low-latency requirements of all-flash NVMe arrays, and scale capacity as data grows.