New LSI Software for MegaRAID 6Gb SATA+SAS Controllers

LSI Corporation announced four advanced software options for LSI MegaRAID 6Gb/s SATA+SAS controller cards. The new software offerings are designed to provide white box channel partners with enhanced performance and data protection capabilities, enabling end users to address key business challenges while helping to deliver a higher return on their IT investments.

"LSI is committed to delivering the industry’s broadest portfolio of solutions that allow white box channel partners and their customers to take full advantage of the performance and power benefits of solid-state drives," said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. "With these new software options, including advanced data protection capabilities, we’re helping to provide our partners with the tools they need to gain a competitive edge."

Performance acceleration
for solid-state drive configurations
The LSI MegaRAID CacheCade software pack is designed to significantly accelerate the performance of hard disk drive (HDD) arrays by enabling solid-state drives (SSDs) to be configured as a secondary tier of cache. CacheCade software helps to maximize transactional I/O performance for read-intensive applications, delivering up to a 50X performance improvement with only an incremental investment in SSD technology.

The software is best suited for highly random I/O block-oriented applications that frequently read and re-read data from a small working set such as web, file, SQL and other transactional server applications.

The CacheCade software pack includes MegaRAID FastPath software and is delivered to customers as a bundled solution consisting of both products.

LSI MegaRAID FastPath software provides performance acceleration for SSD arrays connected to an LSI MegaRAID 6Gb/s SATA+SAS controller. The software is designed to substantially boost storage subsystem and overall application performance, particularly for workloads requiring high levels of random read/write operation such as transactional database applications.

With MegaRAID FastPath software enabled, SSD configurations can sustain over 150,000 read I/Os per second (IOPS) in RAID 0 environments. The software supports full optimization of SSD and HDD virtual disk groups to deliver a 2X improvement in read and write IOPS compared to MegaRAID controllers not utilizing FastPath software.

Advanced data recovery and security
LSI MegaRAID Recovery software is designed to enhance data protection through rapid file and volume-level data recovery capabilities using snapshot functionality. Users can capture snapshots of source volume data at designated points in time and restore data from those points should accidental or malicious data loss or corruption occur.

The software is designed to allow lost data from disks to be recovered in minutes, minimizing downtime and helping to eliminate the lengthy process of restoring data from tape. The software helps to satisfy the growing need for more frequent restore points and reduced recovery times, providing IT organizations with new levels of data protection and business continuity.

To avoid the high costs associated with data loss or theft, LSI MegaRAID SafeStore software, together with self-encrypting drives (SEDs), helps to secure a drive’s data from unauthorized access or modification resulting from theft, loss or repurposing of drives. SafeStore software combines local key management with drive-level encryption to provide businesses with cost-effective security of data at rest, while preserving system performance and ease-of-use.

Pricing and availability

• MegaRAID CacheCade Software Pack: $270
• MegaRAID FastPath Software: $165
• MegaRAID Recovery Software: $150
• MegaRAID SafeStore Software: $90

Advanced software options are currently supported on the MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i, 9260-8i and 9280-4i4e controllers, and requires installation of a physical key on the controller. Users will be able to download and install advanced software options on the full line of MegaRAID 6Gb/s SATA+SAS controllers using electronic licenses in the second half of this year.