HPE Primera Reviews

We use HP Primera to store all data related to machine learning applications. Our machine learning team's critical research-related data is saved on the tool.

The most valuable feature of HP Primera is that you don't have to buy an additional product for application replication. This tool offers a feature for replication from the area, allowing you to configure the application with two data centers directly from the software.

Unlike Dell, where you would need to buy a separate RPA for the replication from IT tools ID, with HP Primera, there's no need to invest in new hardware for this purpose. 

We face challenges with false alarms, particularly daily alerts related to replication link breaks, indicating link code downtimes. However, upon checking, the link is consistently up. We have even carried out load testing. Despite escalating the issue to the highest level at HP, the response is attributed to a bug. We have also upgraded to the next version, yet the problem remains unresolved. These daily false alarms about application link breaks generate around five to six tickets. 

The other aspect is that the alerts occur at different times throughout the day. It becomes challenging to justify to senior management, who may lack the technical understanding to grasp the reasons behind the high ticket count.

We have been using the solution since 2020. 

It's a stable product. We haven't experienced any production downtime. The only challenges have been with bugs and additional software. Besides that, I haven't faced any latency issues or related concerns.

The tool is scalable. Our current capacity is now full. We have approximately 5000 users for the solution.

I'm not happy with the customer service and support. 

I installed the device from scratch, and the process was straightforward. We just did the hardware racking and stacking, and I placed HPE Primera on the network. On switching on the network, it conducted self-monitoring. Soon, I assigned IPs to the controllers and configured them. The process was simple.

I implemented the solution independently.

The solution is cost-effective. I rate it an eight out of ten, with ten being excellent.

I recommend HPE Primera because it's one of HP's most stable product. 

HPE Primera was in use by our company for one of our customers when we were using only the SAN environment.

The most valuable features of the solution depend on the users' infrastructures. If the people use only the SAN environment and there are no replication, TR-069, or NAS requirements, then HPE will try to fit in for such requirements.

The features I like in HPE Primera are similar to the ones offered by NetApp. I prefer to use the features I like and want in NetApp and not in HPE 3PAR or Primera. If people use only the SAN environment in their company, they can go with the NetApp HPE 3PAR or Primera.

HPE Primera needs to improve its command-line interface so that all its users or administrators can work on CLI Command Modes. HPE needs to improve its NAS solutions because it doesn't offer any NAS products.

There are certain shortcomings in the technical support offered by HPE where improvements are required. There is a lot of lag or delay from the end of technical support. In general, HPE's support team should improve on response time as it can be better.

HPE Primera needs to offer NAS solutions because it doesn't offer them currently. The CLI Command Modes need to be improved.

I have been using HPE Primera for two to three years. My company has a partnership with HPE.

It is a stable solution, and I haven't seen any hardware failure in it.

It is a scalable solution as it allows its users to use its scalability options.

I rate the technical support a six out of ten.

Neutral

The product's initial setup phase was easy. If you speak about device management, it's a bit difficult, though not extremely complex. I rate the area concerning device management a six or seven out of ten. The device management is difficult because the CLI is a bit complicated, especially when compared to NetApp.

The product's installation and deployment may take three to five hours.

One person is enough to take care of the solution's deployment phase.

Multiple vendors are available in the market, so choosing a product depends on a user's requirements. Compared to HPE Primera, there are products under Dell EMC. The final decision to choose a product depends on the commercial perspective of the potential buyers in the market.

The solution's maintenance is not difficult.

Those who operate in a SAN environment can go with HPE Primera, especially if they don't have any requirements related to DR or NAS tools.

Considering the lack of features in the product, I rate the overall tool a six out of ten.

Primera is a storage system that lets you mix and match All-Flash drives plus NVM drives. Most of the servers are hosted on Primera, so about 100 users are using this.

Primera's main advantage is its support for NVM drives and normal flash drives. It has some sort of AI analysis that automatically tells us how to optimize the performance.

The IOPS and throughput could be better. That's the only drawback compared to other vendors.

I've been using Primera for about six months.

Primera has been highly reliable so far, and HPE is offering a 100 percent availability.

You can add enclosures to Primera, so it's really scalable to any extent.

We used EMC Unity and HPE 3PAR in the past. 

Setting up Primera was straightforward and took about two days. Once it's set up, you need only one storage specialist to manage the solution. 

You need support from a vendor or at least an HP reseller.

I rate HPE Primera eight out of 10. I would recommend Primera if price is an issue. However, if you have the budget, you might consider a new HPE storage product called Alletra. That has better IOPS, and it's entirely NVM, which performs better, especially for database loads.

We are using HPE Primera for the transactional DB and our data replication to DR

HP has delivered performance, which helped in reduced downtime and increase efficiency

The most valuable feature of HPE Primera is its performance and simple replication.

The solution could improve by having seamless migration from other storage systems. The process should be made easier.

I have been using HPE Primera for approximately 48 months.

I rate the stability of HPE Primera a nine out of ten.

I am allocating approximately one petabyte of storage from HPE Primera, and we are sharing it with approximately 1,000 users.

I rate the scalability of HPE Primera an eight out of ten.

The support from HPE Primera is good.

I rate the support from HPE Primera a nine out of ten.

Positive

I have used Hitachi previously. When I compare Hitachi and HPE Primera, and the HPE Primera version I am using is better than Hitachi.

The installation was straightforward.

We used a system integrator for the installation.

The price of the solution should be cheaper.

I rate the price of HPE Primera a seven out of ten.

For 1,000 users we use one person for the maintenance of the solution.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate HPE Primera an eight out of ten.

It serves as both the primary production area and the backup location. We have one at the primary site and another at the secondary site for applications. This involves a form of remote copying between the two arrays, allowing us to switch between them seamlessly during working hours.

The greatest advantage is the support when we encounter incidents, as HPE's support is highly responsive. Furthermore, it's worth reiterating that we've observed its exceptional speed compared to other solutions we've used in the past.

The distinction between Primera and Freeport becomes more apparent for us when we implement rollbacks, particularly on-site. In such situations, we've observed that the transition from one side to the other is significantly faster and simpler, whether it's done automatically or manually.

I would like to highlight the aspect of security, especially when compared to certain other vendors. We've encountered issues in the past where maintaining a read-only state is essential to prevent data encryption when VPN access is impacted.

Some vendors have showcased the functionality of their arrays automatically transitioning to a read-only mode when they detect ransomware or suspicious activity, safeguarding data from corruption. Regrettably, we haven't seen both of these features in the HP ARAs we primarily use.

However, I can't state this with absolute certainty, but it's what we've observed so far. It would be beneficial if your organization could demonstrate any additional functionalities we may not be aware of.

I have been using this solution since 2019.

It is very stable.

It offers scalability. We have ample room for expansion through disk upgrades and the addition of new storage areas.

The process has been smooth for us, thanks to our local HPE partner's assistance. Their involvement has made the initialization process trouble-free, and we haven't encountered any difficulties.

We collaborated together as partners in the installation process.

We handle maintenance tasks ourselves when they're straightforward. However, if we ever have uncertainties or questions about certain actions, we reach out to our partners for assistance. Additionally, we benefit from online support provided by HP, which is readily available when required.

It’s a reasonable choice. When compared to other options, we've found it to be accessible and within our means.

Before we adopted HP, we lacked options, but various vendors visited our office to showcase their different solutions and the functionalities they offer.

For me, the primary concern today is ensuring data security in the face of ransomware and potential incidents. As I mentioned earlier, with the tenant's array, in the event of certain incident scenarios, it automatically switches to a read-only mode to protect the data. We find this feature highly advantageous given the prevalent threat landscape in today's IT environment. It's crucial to have self-controlled arrays that can prevent ransomware from spreading across the network.

This is the key benefit we've identified with the mechanics area, but the question that remains unanswered is whether HPE offers such a functionality on its own.

I can state that it's important to explore and enhance other security functionalities. If there are any available, we should be informed about them and consider implementing them to bolster our security further.

I would rate it a seven out of ten. 

We are using the solution for critical applications. It's used for multiple telecom services. 

The data protection is great.

The compression capabilities are quite useful. 

It is pretty easy to set up the product.

It is stable and reliable.

The support and warranty on the hardware is very good.

It is scalable.

Everything is up to par. We are happy with the product and do not need extra features. 

The pricing is very high. There are other products at much lower pricing.

I've used the solution for the past two years.

The solution is stable. I'd rate it nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

The solution is scalable. It's up to 2 petabytes. Right now, we are using 300 to 400 terabytes. We have a lot of room. We also use a variety of other storage devices. We're able to handle all of the storage and what we use depends on the storage needs.

We have a few customers using the solution and how many users they have under them varies widely according to what is stored.  

The solution is under a good warranty. If we have any issues, we can contact them and get warranty support. If we have issues with the hardware, it would be covered under the warranty.

We only contact support if there is a hardware issue. They have been very good overall. 

We use various HP solutions as well. 

The initial setup is simple and straightforward. It is not complex.

The deployment process only takes an hour or two. The new servers came to the organization and we have a chain of management procedures in place and followed the policies to get everything up and running. 

We have 20 to 30 staff members handling any necessary maintenance. 

The OEM also provided support during setup. We had a standard engineer and the engineer came for setup. 

The solution is paid for at the time of procurement. There is no ongoing licensing. I can't speak to the exact pricing as I don't deal with that aspect.

I'd recommend the solution to other companies.

I'd rate it nine out of ten. We are happy with its capabilities. 

The primary use case of this solution is for backend storage that provides instant access to client data.

The most valuable feature is the ability to provide the IOPS ratio which is required by a lot of our customers.

HPE offers a lot of storage solution options but they don't offer matrix storage which is available with some of their competitors like Dell and because of this, they can't meet some customer requirements.

I have been using the solution for one year.

The solution is stable most of the time but there are some cache issues at times.

The solution has limited scalability.

The initial response from technical support is quick within two to three hours but it can take some time between the initial call and the time the engineers align. Once the engineers are aligned they are very knowledgeable and resolve the issue quickly.

The initial setup is not straightforward. The deployment takes around two and a half to three days. On a scale of one to five for deployment, I give this solution a one.

We implement the solution for our clients.

The cost is $75,000 for a three-year contract. The cost is worth it to our clients as long as their requirements are met.

I give the solution a seven out of ten.

HPE Primera is great for rendering purposes and image processing. The solution provides high-performance computing.

20% of our clients use HPE Primera.

The solution has a good IOPS ratio for the cost but if you require a very high IOPS ratio I would recommend a commercial solution.

The next level up from HPE Primera is the HPE Alletra 5000 series.

We deploy all our application services on the Primera Storages. In addition, we consolidate all of our environment on Primera Storage, a full flash system.

The interface is simplified and easy to integrate with other solutions.

The most important thing for us is the IOPS. It's produced because a full flash system is a requirement for us. Last year we used a three-part hybrid solution in our environment and needed some IOPS on our site. HPE Primera met this requirement for us entirely.

It seems sufficient for our environment, but if our requirement increases in two years, then we can plan. So there's no need to make any improvements right now.

Some application solutions can be more acceptable on the HPE Primera site because the size is important and costly.

We have been using this solution for approximately one year, deployed on private cloud. Our cloud provider is Turkcell in Turkey.

It is a stable solution.

It is a scalable solution. I do not know the exact number of people using the solution, and only the Active Directory team has those details.

HPE Primera's support is right because we've worked with HPE for years. So, there's no problem with the support.

I don't have details about the initial setup.

The pricing is reasonable. It is GreenLake Services, and we pay monthly. Unfortunately, I cannot share details of our licensing costs.

I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I suggest full flash solutions in the environment to speed up the application process. Before Primera Storage, we also used some hyperconverged systems, but in the hyperconverged systems, we had to tackle IOPS requirements. Due to this, HPE Primera is the right solution for the IOPS requirement environment.

I used it purely from an OEM perspective. I used it as a solutions architect working on behalf of our customers. They've got several different versions of Primera. Specifically, it was a Primera 650. They've also got Nimble Storage, GreenLake.

The use case was basically application data that was made available for OLTP online transactions. It was designed to have quick access to typical legacy data for online systems and to have high availability.

They standardized on the HPE Primera so that they weren't running multiple different storage vendors' products. Because of the higher availability, they could set up the environment so that it could work with pretty much whatever data they had. HPE offers pay-as-you-go pricing that allowed them to put a sizable footprint in.

The high availability was most valuable because they come with what's called 100% data availability. With special terms, they license and guarantee 100% data availability. That was probably one of the key features or components that HPE was offering with that model.

Like most storage, we want to see flash become more and more stable. Like any flash that uses MLC or TLC techniques, over time, the more writes you have, the less usable the storage becomes. They try to plan for this and have a lot of extra space in the arrays, but over time, their performance does degrade. This is true for any flash storage.

It probably would be advantageous to make the storage solutions from HPE more inclusive with the add-on software. A lot of people say, "Well, we don't really need that extra software to do this or that." In most of the cases, if it's done right and they use it right, there is a value-add in these additional software tools that are optional.

Their support should be improved. Currently, it depends on who you get on the phone.

I have been using this solution for about a year and a half. I last used it about six months ago in my previous company.

It is very stable and rock solid. It has got the clause for 100% availability in it.

Its scalability is outstanding. You can add more chassis with more drives pretty easily. It scales out pretty large. I don't remember exactly how much it scales out to, but it's quite large.

With the online transaction system, they potentially had more than 1,000 users using the system. So, there were a lot of transactions. They've purchased it based on their project and sized it for three years. At the end of those three years, based upon the functionality, how well it is, and the technology, they might just simply purchase more storage for it to increase its size. Depending upon the dated growth of those applications, they might turn around and double its size in three years.

It is hit or miss. It depends on who you get on the phone. One day they're great on the phone, and the next day, you get somebody who is just not capable. I don't want to be too rough on them, but I'd give them a six out of 10.

They were using Dell, and they were just tired of the cost and the maintenance cost as well. The initial cost was good from Dell, but to re-up on maintenance after three years was not worth it. It was cheaper to buy new storage, and that was the main reason why they replaced it with HPE.

It was very simple and straightforward. It was very easy. We could configure it in an hour.

The implementation strategy was really about having a landing zone for new data. So, we just set it up and configured it for the appropriate block type data, and then they just started writing new data to it. It was pretty easy.

We sold it to them and then installed it for them as a service. It was basically a project that the customer was working on, and we basically won their favor as a value-added reseller (VAR), and then we basically deployed it for them.

The staff required for maintenance purposes was minimal. They were able to use their existing team to manage it.

Based upon what they were doing, a return on investment is hard to calculate when you're basing it on an OpEx model because it's an operating expense. It's a cost center. Because of the way it's being used, you're not making money with it. To get into true return on investment, you'd have to understand what exactly the data is providing, what the value is of that data, and how does it compare to what you were doing before? You would need more of a data scientist to do the analysis and understand what the return on investment really is.

Because it has high availability, the cost is above average. The cost depends upon the sizing, and every customer has a different size.

It is slightly above average in terms of cost compared to its competitors, but the value add was that they could know what their maintenance cost was going to be going forward. They knew what their renewal or expansion costs would be.

There are no additional costs for this model. There are additional software components that provide additional analytics that HPE offers. It really comes down to whether or not the customer decides to purchase those or not. You can use it out of the box with the base pricing, but if you want advanced analytics and insights, you'll need to purchase additional software.

It's an excellent solution. HPE definitely stands behind it. I would put it up against most of the storage arrays that are out there because it is enterprise-class.

I'd give it high marks. I would rate it an eight out of 10. I don't give anybody a perfect score. Eight is very good in my opinion. My rating is because of the high availability of the storage and the fact that it's based on very solid technology. It has been around for a long time, and it's backed by an excellent company. In other words, they're not going anywhere.

We are using HPE Primera as a storage solution.

There has been a lot of changes in HPE Primera OS, and most of the time any package related to it is simple to upgrade. It does not require any support for the operation. The customer can easily deploy any code directly from the GUI which is very good. Additionally, we have individual storage we can allocate and easily manage.

We used to receive hardware errors a lot of times. The ambient temperatures rise rate was approximately 35 to 55 degrees, but when it was approximately 27 or 28, we used to get errors a lot.

I have been using HPE Primera for approximately one year.

The solution is stable. However, in the older versions, we used to see a lot of hardware failures and any indications we have a node battery to be replaced. We have almost 18 storage for the last three months, we are not receiving LSA messages, whereas before we were receiving one per month. We used to receive storage or hardware issues from the HPE Primera side. Things have been better.

The scalable of the solution is good. Recently, we have upgraded one of the storage from 50TB to 100TB. It's very easy to mount and connect. There is be no issue with expansion. We can easily upgrade the endpoint and does not take much time. It all can be done without downtime for that. Adding in an SD card is similar to how we have mounted the expansion.

We have around 20 storage HPE Primera's, and we have approximately 30 applications that are using HPE Primera storage. We have a dedicated mobile application used for banking purposes and a database dedicated to working on HPE Primera.

I would rate the technical support of HPE Primera a three out of five.

The support could improve because it would take a lot of time to get an expert to analyze oh problem. We would be connected to the L1 support and then L2, it can take a long time. If the issue is a P1 case, they are taking a lot of time to get back to us with a solution. P1 is the highest priority and the support we receive from the P2 level is the same.

High availability of primera storage .

The initial installation can take almost one hour. You only need to install the hardware to the rack and application. Once we powered it on, there is no need to create any write groups. Everything is automatically created by the HPE Primera OS.

The deployment was done by HPE.

Other than the support for HPE Primera it is a good solution.

I rate HPE Primera an eight out of ten.