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Overview
The Dell EMC PowerVault ME5012 is a 2U block storage array optimized for SAN and DAS deployments. It is part of the PowerVault ME5 series, designed for simplicity, performance, and affordability—targeting small and medium businesses as well as edge environments. It supports mixed workloads (virtualization, databases, backup, archival), and allows flexible configurations with SSD, SAS, and NL-SAS drives. The system is scalable through expansion enclosures (ME412, ME424, ME484) up to multi-petabyte raw capacity.
The ME5012 base array includes dual-active controllers, built-in data services, and a 12-bay drive chassis (3.5" form factor) with support for 2.5" in carrier mode.
All required software (management, data protection, replication, etc.) is included with the platform.Features
- Dual-active controller design for high availability and performance
- All-inclusive software package: management, protection, snapshots, replication, etc.
- Adaptive data protection (ADAPT RAID) offering efficient parity and protection levels
- Auto-tiering, thin provisioning, SSD caching, and dynamic migration between drive tiers
- Replication support (asynchronous) for DR between ME systems
- RESTful APIs (Redfish / Swordfish), CLI, and HTML5 GUI (PowerVault Manager)
- Integration with virtualization platforms (VMware vSphere, vCenter, SRM; Microsoft Hyper-V)
- LDAP authentication support
- IPv6 and IPv4 support on management interfaces
- Intelligent alerting, performance monitoring, and firmware update notifications
- Flexible host connectivity options: iSCSI, Fibre Channel, SAS
- Scale-out capability via external expansion enclosures (ME412, ME424, ME484)
- Self-encrypting drive (SED) support, FIPS-certified encryption support
- SupportAssist and analytics integration for proactive monitoring
Specifications
Category
Specification
Chassis / Form Factor
2U rackmount base with 12 drive bays (3.5″ LFF) — 2.5″ carriers supported
Controllers / Memory
Dual-active controllers, 16 GB memory per controller
Processor
Intel® Xeon based controller architecture
Drive Support
SSD, 10K SAS, NL-SAS (7.2K), and SED / FIPS versions
Scalability / Expansion
Up to 264 drives (with ME412, ME424, and ME484 enclosures)
Maximum Raw Capacity
Up to several petabytes (depending on expansion and drive choices)
Host Interfaces / Connectivity
iSCSI (10 Gb, 25 Gb), Fibre Channel (16 Gb / 32 Gb), SAS (12 Gb), plus management ports
RAID & Data Protection
RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10; ADAPT RAID for dynamic protection
Replication & Copy
Asynchronous block-level replication, volume copy, one-to-many or many-to-one
Management Interfaces
GUI (HTML5), CLI, REST (Redfish/Swordfish), APIs, VMware plugin
Supported OS / Hypervisors
Windows Server 2016 / 2019 / 2022, RHEL, SLES, VMware ESXi / vCenter, Citrix XenServer
Physical Dimensions (Base Unit)
Height: 87.9 mm (3.46 in) • Width: 483 mm (19.01 in) • Depth: 618.7 mm (24.36 in)
Weight
Empty (no drives): ~4.8 kg; Fully populated: up to ~32.0 kg
Power & Cooling
Dual redundant 580 W PSU; ~1,980 BTU heat dissipation
Environmental
Operating: 5 °C to 35 °C, 20–80% non-condensing humidity; Altitude: up to 3,000 m
Warranty & Service
Base warranty (e.g. 3 years) with options for extended support and on-site services
