
NetApp AFF A400: A System for All Workloads
Moving to the latest technology doesn't have to be expensive. The NetApp AFF A400, a mid-range NVMe flash system from the AFF A-Series, offers the versatility you need regardless of the workloads you are running. Whether on-premises or in the cloud, vertical or horizontal scaling, SAN or NAS - implement it according to your preferences. Simple, flexible, fast, and resilient.AFF A400: Fast, Efficient, and Flexible
The AFF A400 is designed for businesses that run all types of workloads in both SAN and NAS environments. It exceeds all requirements - whether for online transaction processing, virtualization, or file sharing. It runs just as fast as a high-end system that fits into a mid-range budget and features the characteristic NetApp cloud integration, which enables easy cloud backup, tiering, caching, and more - thanks to the integration of the ONTAP data management software.Data Acceleration Technology and Comprehensive Data Management
The AFF A400 is based on state-of-the-art end-to-end NVMe technology and sets new standards for performance and efficiency with unique hardware acceleration technology. With the ONTAP data management software, it has all the functions for data backup and data security that you need for the hybrid cloud. To meet the demand for rapid, secure, and uninterrupted data access, agile and efficient IT infrastructure is essential for organizations that rely on data-driven decision-making.. To undertake an effective IT transformation, it is crucial to modernize your infrastructure by implementing all-flash storage, which can enhance the speed and responsiveness of critical business applications. However, first-generation flash systems may not be able to deliver the extreme performance required by new workloads such as data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning (DL). Furthermore, as more organizations adopt a "cloud-first" strategy, they need enterprise-grade data services that can function across both on-premises data centers and the cloud. Therefore, modern all-flash arrays should provide robust data services, integrated data protection, seamless scalability, and elevated levels of performance, as well as comprehensive application and cloud integration. NetApp® AFF A-Series systems, powered by ONTAP, offer cloud-connected flash storage solutions that enable IT departments to leverage modern cloud technologies to transform their infrastructure quickly and support data-driven strategies. These systems deliver industry-leading performance, superior flexibility, and best-in-class data services and cloud integration to help organizations accelerate, manage, and protect their business-critical data in the hybrid cloud. • AFF is relied upon by a diverse customer base, spanning from midsize businesses to large enterprises. • Streamline operations with effortless data management, both on-premises and in the cloud. • Enhance the performance of existing and emerging applications. • Ensure the continuous availability, protection, and security of business-critical data. The AFF A-Series systems, whether they are entry-level or high-end, are designed to support end-to-end NVMe technologies. This includes NVMe-attached SSDs, as well as front-end host connectivity for both NVMe over Fibre Channel (NVMe/FC) and NVMe over TCP (NVMe/TCP). As a result, these systems offer the lowest latency available for an enterprise all-flash array, making them an excellent option for running the most demanding workloads and AI/DL applications. By performing a straightforward software upgrade to the modern NVMe/FC or NVMe/TCP SAN infrastructure, you can run more workloads with faster response times, without any disruption or data migration. Key benefits Accelerate applications • Accelerate your critical applications using a lightning-fast, end-to-end NVMe enterprise all-flash array. • Run artificial intelligence and machine learning applications with the industry's lowest latency. • Support twice as many workloads and reduce application response times by half using a modern, NVMe-based SAN infrastructure. Lower your data center expenses. • Reduce your data center's physical footprint by storing up to 2PB of data in a compact 4U system. • Save up to 5 to 10 times on SSD storage with inline data reduction technologies. • Significantly reduce power and cooling requirements, rack space, and support costs. Simplify IT operations • Streamline data services across SAN and NAS environments, on-premises and in the cloud. • Set up and configure a complete system and start serving data within 10 minutes. • Protect your data with industry-leading integrated data protection and seamless cloud backup and recovery.AFF technical specifications
AFF A900 | AFF A800 | AFF A400 | AFF A250 | AFF A150 | |
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Maximum scale-out | 2–24 nodes (12 HA pairs) | 2–24 nodes (12 HA pairs) | 2–24 nodes (12 HA pairs) | 2–24 nodes (12 HA pairs) | 2–24 nodes (12 HA pairs) |
Maximum SSDs | 5,760 | 2,880 | 5,760 | 576 | 864 |
Maximum effective capacity1 | 702.7PB | 316.3PB | 702.7PB | 35PB | 26PB |
Per-system specifications (active-active dual controller) | |||||
Controller form factor | 8U | 4U with 48 SSD slots | 4U | 2U with 24 SSD slots | 2U with 24 SSD slots |
PCIe expansion slots | 20 | 8 | 10 | 4 | n/a |
FC target ports (32Gb autoranging) | 64 | 32 | 24 | 16 | n/a |
FC target ports (16Gb autoranging) | 64 | 32 | 32 (with FC mezzanine card) | n/a | n/a |
FCoE target ports, UTA2 | 64 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 |
100GbE ports (40GbE autoranging) | 32 | 20 | 16 | 4 | n/a |
40GbE ports (can be 4x 10GbE) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
25GbE ports (10GbE autoranging) | 64 | 16 | 16 | 16 | n/a |
10GbE ports | 64 | 32 | 32 | n/a | 4 |
10Gbase-T (1GbE autoranging) | 64 | n/a | 16 | 4 | 4 |
12Gb/6Gb SAS ports | 64 | n/a | 32 | 4 | 4 |
Storage networking | NVMe/TCP, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI, NFS, pNFS, CIFS/ SMB, Amazon S3 | NFSv4/RDMA, NVMe/ TCP, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI, NFS, pNFS, CIFS/SMB, Amazon S3 | NFSv4/RDMA, NVMe/ TCP, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI, NFS, pNFS, CIFS/SMB, Amazon S3 | NVMe/TCP, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI, NFS, pNFS, CIFS/ SMB, Amazon S3 | NVMe/TCP, FC, iSCSI, NFS, pNFS, CIFS/SMB, Amazon S3 |
OS version | ONTAP 9.10.1 RC2 or later | ONTAP 9.7 RC1 or later | ONTAP 9.7 RC1 or later | ONTAP 9.8 RC1 or later | ONTAP 9.12.1P1 or later |
Shelves and media | NS224 (2U, 24 drives, SFF NVMe); DS224C (2U, 24 drives, 2.5" SFF); DS2246 (2U, 24 drives, 2.5", SFF) | NS224 (2U, 24 drives, SFF NVMe); DS224C (2U, 24 drives, 2.5" SFF); DS2246 (2U, 24 drives, 2.5", SFF) | NS224 (2U, 24 drives, SFF NVMe); DS224C (2U, 24 drives, 2.5" SFF); DS2246 (2U, 24 drives, 2.5", SFF) | NS224 (2U, 24 drives, SFF NVMe); DS224C (2U, 24 drives, 2.5" SFF) | DS224C (2U, 24 drives, 2.5" SFF) |
Host/client OS supported | Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, Linux, Oracle Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, macOS, VMware, ESX |
1. Effective capacity is based on 5:1 storage efficiency ratios with the maximum number of SSDs installed. The actual ratio can be higher depending on workloads and use cases. 2. The AFF A250 only supports 100GbE ports on external NVMe storage.
AFF A Series software
Data access protocols | |
High availability |
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Storage efficiency |
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Data management |
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Scalable NAS |
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Data protection |
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Security and compliance |
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Cloud integration |
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