Solution to Replace the Discontinued HPE StoreEasy Storage family

[asakun]

Hi everyone,

I'm a technical architect exploring a solution to replace the discontinued HPE StoreEasy Storage family. Based on HPE’s official Reference Guide, they now provide configuration guidelines to build an equivalent file storage server using HPE ProLiant Gen11 or HPE Apollo 4200 Gen10 Plus, combined with Windows Server 2022.

This solution supports both SMB and NFS protocols, and it allows for flexible configurations depending on storage needs and hardware availability. The configurations are detailed and tailored to match previous StoreEasy models — including RAID setup, OS installation, and best practices.

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My Questions and Discussion Points:

1. Hardware Compatibility
   While the reference guide focuses only on specific Gen11 ProLiant and Apollo servers, could this NAS solution technically be implemented on other HPE server types (e.g., Gen10 or other ProLiant models) as long as they meet the hardware and OS requirements?

2. HPE Support Scope
   Is HPE’s support tied strictly to the hardware configurations mentioned in the document (i.e., those that go through HPE’s Factory Express with a customer-intent document), or can we expect basic support even when using similar setups outside of those specs?

3. Commercial Viability
   From a cost-benefit and simplicity perspective, this build-your-own NAS approach might not be as attractive as HPE GreenLake Alletra MP File Storage — especially if you need enterprise features with long-term support. What’s your experience with GreenLake File as a service vs. traditional on-prem NAS?

4. Small-Scale File Storage Use Cases
   For SMB (Server Message Block) workloads that require moderate capacity (let’s say up to 64 TB), is this custom-built solution overkill? Or do you think it’s still better than most off-the-shelf NAS appliances in terms of flexibility and performance?

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Would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you've implemented this solution or are also transitioning away from StoreEasy. Thanks in advance!