Dell PowerVault MD3200i iSCSI SAN Storage Array

Dell PowerVault MD3200i

The Dell PowerVault MD3200i is an iSCSI SAN (Storage Area Network) storage array for South African businesses that need shared, high-availability storage for multiple servers. This base configuration includes dual 4-port iSCSI controllers, redundant 600W AC power supplies, and rack rails, but no hard drives. Drives must be purchased separately to suit your capacity requirements.

Shared iSCSI SAN Storage

The Dell PowerVault MD3200i connects to South African server environments via standard Gigabit or 10GbE iSCSI over existing Ethernet infrastructure. This eliminates the need for dedicated Fibre Channel SAN hardware and cabling, making it a cost-effective shared storage solution for mid-range deployments. Multiple Dell PowerEdge servers can access the same storage volumes simultaneously. This enables shared datastores for VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other virtualisation platforms. The dual controller architecture provides path redundancy and load balancing across storage traffic.

Dual Controller High Availability

The Dell PowerVault MD3200i ships with two 4-port iSCSI controllers installed. Each controller provides four iSCSI initiator ports, giving up to eight physical iSCSI connections for high-availability multi-path configurations. If one controller fails, the other continues serving storage traffic to connected servers without interruption. This active-active controller design ensures business continuity for South African organisations that cannot afford storage-related downtime. Redundant hot-plug power supplies provide an additional layer of hardware resilience.

Scalable Capacity

The MD3200i chassis supports up to 12 x 3.5-inch SAS or SATA hard drives in the base enclosure. It can be expanded further with the addition of MD1200 expansion enclosures. This scalability allows South African businesses to start with the base chassis and add drives and enclosures as their storage requirements grow. For full specifications and drive compatibility lists, visit the Dell official website. Browse all storage components at Briggi Tech.