PMC-Sierra delivers SAS architectural solution for network attached and server attached storage.

PMC-Sierra, Inc. (Nasdaq:PMCS) has announced an end-to-end Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) architectural solution for network attached and server attached tiered storage applications. PMC-Sierra unveiled its max-SAS product family with the latest additions including the highest density 36 and 24 port SAS expanders, the PM8387 SXP 36x3G and PM8388 SXP 24x3G, and an innovative storage enclosure management processor, the PM8389 SMC-L. The PMC-Sierra maxSAS product family, combined with either the Adaptec AIC-9410 SAS controller or ASC-48300 SAS host bus adapter, provides storage equipment manufacturers with a complete end-to-end storage systems solution using either SAS or SATA hard disk drives. This fully interoperable and standards-compliant architecture offers system integrators a time-to-market advantage with reduced hardware and software development and a lower bill of material cost.

"High-port count SAS expanders will provide the necessary performance and spindle densities required for next-generation server attached storage arrays and SATA storage systems," said Jeremey Donovan, vice president and chief analyst at Gartner Dataquest. "A complete end-to-end solution will enable system vendors to accelerate their time-to-market in this rapid technology transition."

"Adaptec has validated its Serial Attached SCSI controllers for compatibility with PMC-Sierra's maxSAS expander product family," said Paul Vogt, director of Internal Storage Business Line for Adaptec. "Through this relationship, Adaptec offers customers interoperability and robust solutions throughout their storage systems design."

The standards-compliant PMC-Sierra maxSAS product family enables a wide range of next-generation RAID, JBOD and server tiered storage systems based on SAS and SATA hard disk drives.

Tiered storage solutions allow IT managers to tailor system cost, density and data retention to their target application. For example, applications such as near-line backup, email archive, imaging and financial data retention, require large and manageable tiered storage at the lowest possible cost. The SXP 36x3G and SXP 24x3G devices enable OEMs and ODMs to capitalize on the rapid growth in the tiered storage market by providing highly integrated, scalable and reliable storage solutions that leverage the cost and design benefits offered by SAS and SATA hard disk drives (see Figure 3).

"PMC-Sierra and Adaptec have addressed customers' needs with a low cost, proven turnkey Serial Attached SCSI architectural solution for the growing tiered storage systems market," said Mark Stibitz, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Storage Division at PMC-Sierra. "Both companies have worked closely together, along with the storage industry and standards community, to deliver a robust end-to-end solution for the SAS and SATA systems market."

The SXP 36x3G and SXP 24x3G SAS expanders offer increased system performance, higher capacity, scalability and lower bill of material costs with an embedded MIPS-Powered storage enclosure processor, complete with a SCSI Enclosure Services (SES) software development kit (SDK). Both devices have the industry's highest density port count, on-chip I/ O termination and a low-latency, fully non-blocking switching architecture. In addition, the SXP 36x3G and SXP 24x3G devices provide high density table routing, with 1024 entries, enabling storage system architectures to scale to hundreds of SAS and SATA hard disk drives with a low latency, high performance connection.

The SXP 12x3G is targeted at server storage applications and integrates table, direct and subtractive routing along with a SSP virtual port and IPMB interface to external storage enclosure processors. The SXP 6x3G is targeted specifically at low cost, space constrained, server motherboard applications. The QuadSMX 3G supports the extension of internal server storage connections by providing a robust, reliable SAS and SATA JBOD connectivity over long cable lengths.

For applications requiring a low cost, discrete enclosure management processor, the SMC-L provides a comprehensive set of integrated storage system peripherals including 4 TWI, 53 GPIO, 2 UARTs and 4 Fan/Tachometer ports. To significantly reduce software development time and costs, a SES SDK design system is provided for the SXP 36x3G, SXP 24x3G and SMC-L devices.

The Adaptec SAS controller is a member of the Adaptec end-to-end SAS product family, which includes the highest performance SAS ASIC with integrated RAID data protection, Adaptec Zero Channel RAID cards, 8-port RAID controllers and the industry's first SAS subsystem. The Adaptec AIC-9410 SAS controller, which will power SAS workstations and servers, is the industry's fastest to date, delivering unprecedented 4.8 gigabyte/second performance with advanced RAID capabilities through eight ports--the highest port count available--to deliver maximum data speed and industry-leading configuration flexibility for internal and external storage.