Dell PowerScale A3000
The Dell PowerScale A3000 is an enterprise 4U 4-node dense active archive system architected for long-term data retention, regulatory file repositories, and cost-effective disaster recovery tiers. Containing 80 enterprise 3.5-inch SATA drives across four modular nodes, the A3000 delivers massive petabyte-scale density, automated OneFS SmartPools lifecycle archiving, and low power per terabyte.
Also written as: PowerScale A3000, Dell PowerScale A3000, Deep Archive OneFS Chassis
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | PowerScale |
| Form factor | 4U 4-node chassis |
| Released | Jun 2021 |
| Cpu platform | 4x Intel Xeon Silver processors (8 cores per node, 32 cores per 4U chassis) |
| Memory max (GB) | 384 |
| Drive bays | 80x 3.5-inch SATA hard drives (up to 1.6PB raw per chassis) with optional cache SSDs |
| Raw capacity | 960TB to 1.6PB raw capacity per 4U chassis |
| Network onboard | Front-end: Dual 25GbE / 10GbE per node; Back-end: Dual 25GbE per node |
| Power supply | Quad redundant hot-plug 1450W power supplies |
Generations
- Previous generation: Dell Isilon A2000
Compatible parts
HBAs
540-BCMT Dell QLogic 2772 Dual Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter
540-BCMU Dell Emulex LPe35002 Dual Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter
Transceivers
407-BCBI Dell 32Gb Short Wave SFP28 Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
Rail kits
770-BCKW Dell ReadyRails II Sliding Rails for 2U PowerEdge Servers (B6)
Drive caddies
DXD9H Dell 2.5-inch Gen14/Gen15/Gen16 Hot-Plug Drive Caddy Tray (SFF)
SSDs
400-AZPZ Dell 1.92TB SAS Read Intensive 12Gb/s 2.5-inch Hot-Plug SSD
400-BDSD Dell 3.84TB SAS Read Intensive 12Gb/s 2.5-inch Hot-Plug SSD
Works together
How the Dell PowerScale A3000 connects to servers, storage and the network: 1 way, with the parts and products on each path.
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Servers
Dell PowerEdge R250 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R350 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R450 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R550 2U rack
Dell PowerEdge R650 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R650xs 1U rack
Adapters for the server
540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Switches
Dell PowerSwitch N3248TE-ON 1U switch
Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B 9U director chassis
Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON 1U switch
Dell PowerSwitch N3224F-ON 1U switch
Optics
407-BBOU Dell 10GbE SFP+ SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 300m MMF)- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
SFP-10G-LR-AR Arista 10GBASE-LR SFP+ Optical Transceiver Module
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- NFS explained mrplanb.com
- Block vs object storage mrplanb.com
- Object storage Ledger mrplanb.com
- Dell E-Lab Navigator (Dell interoperability) dell.com
Check compatibility with Dell
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Dell has tested with the Dell PowerScale A3000.
- Compatibility Dell E-Lab Navigator (storage and SAN interoperability) (free vendor sign-in)
- Support Dell Support: drivers, manuals and service tag lookup
Equivalent models from other brands
Buying a used PowerScale A3000: what to check
Verify deep-chassis rack rail compatibility (requires heavy-duty server rack), test all four rear compute nodes, inspect drive bays for SATA interposers if applicable, and verify cluster licenses.
FAQ
How does the A3000 differ from the A300?
The A3000 uses a deep-chassis architecture holding 80 drives per 4U, offering higher density than the 60-drive A300.
Can the A3000 protect data using erasure coding?
Yes, Dell OneFS provides automated FlexProtect erasure coding (e.g. +2n, +3n, +4n) across all cluster nodes.
Buying or selling PowerScale A3000?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Dell PowerScale A3000 Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27