NetApp E-Series and EF-Series: bandwidth-first SAN
E-Series and EF-Series are NetApp’s dedicated high-bandwidth SAN arrays, built for high-performance computing, analytics and video rather than for general enterprise consolidation. They do not run ONTAP; they run SANtricity, which is a deliberately narrow operating system focused on throughput. The current specification table covers EF600, EF600C, EF300 and EF300C.
Technical specification
| Model | Type | Maximum capacity | Controller | Protocols | Drive type | Rack U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF600 | High-bandwidth SAN for HPC and analytics | 367 TB raw in base system; 9.6 PB hybrid or 1.8 PB all-SSD with expansion | Dual controller, 32 GB or 128 GB memory; up to 2,000,000 IOPS | NVMe/IB, iSER/IB, SRP/IB, NVMe/RoCE, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI | NVMe SSD (up to 24 internal) | 2U |
| EF600C | High-bandwidth SAN for HPC and analytics | 1.5 PB raw in base system | Dual controller, 32 GB or 128 GB memory; up to 1,000,000 IOPS | NVMe/IB, iSER/IB, SRP/IB, NVMe/RoCE, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI | NVMe SSD (up to 24 internal) | 2U |
| EF300 | High-bandwidth SAN for HPC and analytics | 367 TB raw in base system; 5.7 PB hybrid or 1.8 PB all-SSD with expansion | Dual controller, 16 GB memory; up to 670,000 IOPS | NVMe/IB, iSER/IB, SRP/IB, NVMe/RoCE, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI | NVMe SSD (up to 24 internal) | 2U |
| EF300C | High-bandwidth SAN for HPC and analytics | 1.5 PB raw in base system | Dual controller, 16 GB memory; up to 350,000 IOPS | NVMe/IB, iSER/IB, SRP/IB, NVMe/RoCE, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI | NVMe SSD (up to 24 internal) | 2U |
| E2800 | High-bandwidth SAN for HPC and analytics | – | Dual controller | NVMe/IB, iSER/IB, SRP/IB, NVMe/RoCE, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI | NVMe SSD (up to 24 internal) | 2U |
| E4000 | High-bandwidth SAN for HPC and analytics | – | Dual controller | NVMe/IB, iSER/IB, SRP/IB, NVMe/RoCE, NVMe/FC, FC, iSCSI | NVMe SSD (up to 24 internal) | 2U |
Source of the values: NetApp E-Series / EF-Series technical specifications (2025). E2800 and E4000 are not covered by the technical specification table we hold, so their cells are left blank. An en dash means the manufacturer does not publish that value; we do not fill it in with an estimate. Confirm every figure against the current manufacturer document before it is written into a contract.
The references we quote in this family are EF600, EF600C, EF300, EF300C, E2800 and E4000. Send us the reference if you already have one, or the usable capacity and the protocol you need if you do not, and we will confirm availability and lead time.
Which one should you choose?
Bandwidth is the specification that matters
EF600 publishes 44 GBps read and 13 GBps write; EF300 publishes 20 GBps and 9 GBps. For a rendering farm or a research cluster those numbers decide the platform, and IOPS is a secondary figure. For a transactional database the priority is reversed and a different family is the answer.
The C models trade IOPS for capacity
EF600C and EF300C carry 1.5 PB raw in the base system against 367 TB on the non-C models, and their IOPS ceilings are roughly half. That is a deliberate design point for capacity-heavy sequential workloads. Choosing between them is a question about the access pattern, not about budget.
Expansion changes the ceiling substantially
With expansion shelves EF600 reaches 9.6 PB hybrid or 1.8 PB all-SSD, and EF300 reaches 5.7 PB hybrid or 1.8 PB all-SSD. The hybrid figures use SAS shelves. Decide early whether the design is all-flash or hybrid, because it changes the ceiling by a factor of five.
InfiniBand is a first-class option here
The published connectivity includes NVMe over InfiniBand and RoCE alongside NVMe/FC, FC and iSCSI. In HPC environments the array often joins the same fabric as the compute nodes. Tell us what the compute side speaks, because it narrows the controller choice immediately.
Two references have no published table
E2800 and E4000 appear in our product list but are not covered by the technical specification table we hold, so their cells are blank. We do not fill them with figures from a neighbouring model. Ask us and we will obtain the current specification from the manufacturer before quoting.
Where it fits, and where it does not
Fits high-performance computing, media rendering, seismic processing and analytics where sustained throughput decides the outcome. Does not fit general enterprise consolidation, where the ONTAP families give more data services for the same money.
What we need in order to quote it
- Sustained read and write bandwidth required
- Access pattern: sequential or random
- Fabric available: InfiniBand, RoCE, Fibre Channel or Ethernet
- All-flash or hybrid, and the raw capacity target
- Rack units and power available
Request a Quote
Tell us the usable capacity, the protocol and the delivery country. A priced quote comes back within 48 hours, usually with a second option so the trade-off is visible.
