WD Ultrastar DC HC550 18TB Data Center Hard Drive (0F38353) – SAS 12Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 512MB Cache, CMR

The WD Ultrastar DC HC550 18TB (0F38353) is a 3.5-inch enterprise data center hard drive for servers, cloud storage and high-capacity arrays. With 7200 RPM operation, SAS 12Gb/s connectivity and a 550TB/year workload rating, it suits IT teams, integrators and resellers deploying always-on capacity.

Enterprise-grade capacity for servers that run nonstop.

Why Data Centers Standardise on Enterprise-Rated Drives

Data center drives run nonstop in dense racks, sharing vibration, heat and constant I/O with dozens of neighbours. Consumer and NAS-class drives are not rated for that environment, and failures there cost rebuild time, performance and service levels.

The WD Ultrastar DC HC550 18TB is engineered for enterprise duty with a 550TB/year workload rating and HelioSeal helium technology for lower power and heat. At 18TB per drive, it cuts the number of bays needed for the same usable capacity, which lowers power draw and simplifies data center expansion. The SAS 12Gb/s interface provides dual-port connectivity and full-duplex transfers on SAS HBAs and RAID controllers.

Capacity and Efficiency per Rack Unit

At 18TB, the drive helps consolidate storage into fewer bays, reducing power, cooling and chassis count for the same usable capacity.

Enterprise Reliability for Continuous Operation

Rated for 24/7 workloads with enterprise MTBF figures and RAID-tuned error recovery, it gives IT teams predictable lifecycle planning.

Setup Instructions

How to Deploy the WD Ultrastar DC HC550 18TB

1. Confirm your server, JBOD or array supports 3.5-inch SAS 12Gb/s drives at this capacity.
2. Install the drive in the correct OEM carrier or tray.
3. Hot-insert into the bay (if supported) and verify detection in the controller or HBA.
4. Add it to a RAID set, ZFS pool or storage cluster and enable S.M.A.R.T. monitoring.