LSI 3ware RAID 6Gb SAS Controller Cards

LSI Corporation announced a new family of high-performance LSI 3ware SATA+SAS RAID controller cards based on 6Gb/s SAS technology. The new 3ware 9750 series cards, which are immediately available to indirect channel partners, provide performance, usability and reliability for small- to mid-sized enterprises, particularly in sequential I/O and multi-stream application environments such as video streaming and data archival.

Designed for inside-the-box connectivity, the low-profile 3ware RAID controllers feature the LSISAS2108 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (ROC) and are available in four- and eight-port configurations. The new controllers deliver up to 2.5 GB/s in sequential read and 1.1 GB/s in sequential write performance, more than doubling the data transfer rates of the previous generation products. The controllers are designed to easily integrate with existing 3Gb/s SATA and SAS infrastructure, allowing customers to protect current investments while significantly improving read and write performance.

"Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the 3ware product line with the first controllers based on 6Gb/s SAS technology," said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. "The new family builds upon the heritage, levels of performance and usability that channel customers have come to expect from the 3ware lineup."

New features and 6Gb/s SAS advantages
The 9750 series controllers utilize enhanced StreamFusion+ firmware to deliver higher levels of data protection and boost performance by allowing the controller to simultaneously sustain multiple streams for optimized reads and writes even as data loads increase.

Usability is enhanced with 3DM2, a powerful software suite with a highly intuitive interface that allows users to remotely create, manage and monitor 3ware RAID arrays and individual drives.

New 6Gb/s SAS features include support for self-discovery/self-configuring expanders and longer cables, simplifying the deployment of larger and more sophisticated storage topologies, and additional safeguards to enhance data protection.

Compatibility with the storage ecosystem
The new 3ware controllers provide interoperability with an extensive ecosystem of storage system building blocks, allowing system integrators, system builders and resellers to extend customer choice through a broader portfolio of next-generation SATA and SAS solutions.

"Pogo Linux customers rely on the advanced usability, high performance and extensive Linux support provided by 3ware RAID controllers," said Erik Logan, president of Pogo Linux. "The new 3ware 9750 series based on LSI 6Gb/s SAS technology will enable customers to implement a next-generation storage infrastructure without sacrificing their existing SAS and SATA investments or the rich product attributes they’re accustomed to from the 3ware product line."

"The 3ware brand is well established in the channel, and the expansion of the product line by LSI coupled with continued service of the 3ware customer base is positive news for the market segment," said Ken Hostetler, director of product management, Silicon Mechanics. "Silicon Mechanics customers now have the option to integrate next-generation 3ware RAID controllers into their server and storage solutions to significantly expand capacity and deliver higher performance on both 3Gb/s and 6Gb/s systems."

Pricing and availability

• 4 internal ports: 3ware SAS 9750-4i at $389; 3ware SAS 9750-4i Kit at $439
• 8 internal ports: 3ware SAS 9750-8i at $599; 3ware SAS 9750-8i Kit at  $645

The controllers feature 512MB, 800MHz DDRII cache memory, an x8 PCI Express 2.0 host interface and support for up to 96 SATA or SAS hard drives or solid-state drives. Channel partners can configure highly reliable storage system environments with RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and single disk.

The new LSI 3ware 9750 series controllers are immediately available through a worldwide network of distributors, integrators and VARs.