Adaptec Goes Ultra With Three RAID Controllers.

Adaptec strengthened its position in the RAID market by unveiling three new microprocessor-based Ultra160 SCSI RAID controllers for entry and mid-range servers. The offerings include two 64-bit RAID controllers, the Adaptec SCSI RAID 3200S and 3400S, that feature a three-quarter size form factor and come in two and four-channel versions, respectively, and the Adaptec SCSI RAID 2100S, a single channel Ultra160 RAID controller. All three products are based on Adaptec's Ultra160 SCSI technology. With these additions to its product portfolio, Adaptec now delivers a complete line of RAID products in the industry, from low to high-end server offerings, and a choice of interfaces, including ATA/UDMA, SCSI, and Fibre Channel.

"The Internet and e-commerce are driving an increase in data requirements and overloading entry and mid-range servers," said Jeff Loebbaka, vice president of channel marketing at Adaptec. "With single or multi-channel controllers from [the company] on their servers, companies and organizations now have high-performance data protection solutions that support business applications."

IDC is projecting the server segment to provide the growth opportunity for RAID with market penetration expected to increase from 15 to 35 percent within two years. Adaptec's new products are based on Adaptec's Trident II Ultra160 SCSI chip, known for its reliability and performance. RAID features offered by the controllers include online capacity expansion, background initialization, and predictive caching. These controllers also support major server operating systems, including Windows 95/98, NT/2000, Linux, NetWare, Unix, and more.