LSI 3ware RAID Controller Selected by Blue Box Group

LSI Corporation announced that Blue Box Group, LLC, a Ruby on Rails web hosting company, has upgraded their existing 3Gb/s infrastructure with LSI 3ware 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID controllers to meet the increasing I/O demands of cloud-based customers in its data center. The improved data transfer rates and ease of management of 3ware 6Gb/s controllers, combined with Pogo Linux’s Intel-based Iris servers, provide Blue Box Group with a scalable, high-performance infrastructure from which to build its cloud-based application and database solution.

"We needed to increase the I/O performance of our web and database servers to keep pace with our hosting customers’ growing I/O demands," said Jesse Proudman, CEO of Blue Box Group. "Together, the LSI and Pogo Linux 6Gb/s solution addressed the need for higher throughput while maintaining the simplified RAID management that 3ware controllers provide for monitoring our network."

A longtime customer of LSI 3ware RAID controllers, Blue Box Group upgraded its existing 3ware 3Gb/s infrastructure with next-generation LSI 3ware 9750 series 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID controllers running on Intel(R)-based Iris rack mount servers from Pogo Linux. The controllers are compatible with Blue Box Group’s existing 3Gb/s SATA and SAS infrastructure, protecting current investments while simplifying integration and reducing deployment time.

"The LSI implementation at Blue Box Group underscores our commitment to enhancing the 3ware product line and our continued service of the loyal 3ware customer base," said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. "The 3ware 9750 series controllers based on 6Gb/s SAS technology enable customers to implement a next-generation storage infrastructure without sacrificing their existing SAS and SATA investments or the simplified RAID management they’re accustomed to from the 3ware line."

LSI 3ware 9750 series controllers, which feature the LSISAS2108 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (ROC), deliver up to 2.5GB/s in sequential read and 1.7GB/s in sequential write performance using 6Gb/s SAS drives, more than doubling the data transfer rates of the previous-generation products.

Blue Box Group also was able to maintain uniformity with its RAID management software, eliminating the need to add a new software management layer and retrain IT staff. The 3ware 3DM2 management utility and advanced command line interface provide Blue Box Group with simplified configuration, management and remote monitoring of 3ware storage arrays. These benefits, along with self-monitoring and automatic service notifications, help minimize Blue Box Group’s administration of storage arrays, and the associated costs.

"The decision to upgrade to the 6Gb/s SATA+SAS family of LSI 3ware RAID controllers was simple, as performance gains greatly outweighed the investment," continued Proudman. "The move to 3ware 6Gb/s controllers also provides us with a head start on a full-scale migration to a 6Gb/s SAS ecosystem, allowing us to address future business growth needs in our data center for an even greater long-term ROI."

LSI 3ware 9750 series controllers are supplied through a worldwide network of distributors, system integrators and VARs.