LSI has launched in the channel new high port count 6Gb/s SATA+SAS MegaRAID and 3ware RAID controller cards and host bus adapters (HBAs). The new storage adapters support both internal storage and external JBOD expansion to provide customers with a scalable and reliable solution to address the growing storage requirements in application environments ranging from cloud computing and video streaming to high-performance computing and general-purpose servers.

"By offering the industry's broadest portfolio of 6Gb/s SATA+SAS storage solutions with end-to-end interoperability and single vendor support, LSI has established itself as a comprehensive storage building block supplier to the channel," said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. "The new lineup of high port count adapters enable our channel partners to deliver scalable, high-density storage solutions that allow end customers to start small and grow storage capacity with minimal added cost and complexity."

The new storage adapters range from 4 to 28 ports in a variety of internal and external connector configurations. With models offering up to 24 internal ports, the adapters allow a single card to support up to 24 drives inside a server via direct connections. The cards are designed to enable system integrators to deliver high-density server storage solutions offering new levels of performance, reliability and availability. Deployment of a single card within a server chassis also helps to lower hardware costs and reduce power consumption through fewer components. Server I/O slots are also conserved, providing users with greater system configuration flexibility.

Using the external SAS ports, the adapters also support external connectivity for cost-effective storage expansion beyond the server. The adapters are fully validated with LSI 600 series JBODs for external expansion up to 240 devices, enabling growing businesses to address storage capacity requirements of up to 480 terabytes.  

The entire LSI portfolio of high port count RAID controllers features the LSISAS2108 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (ROC) and 36-port LSISAS2x36 6Gb/s SAS expander IC and supports 512MB DDR2 cache and optional battery backup for maximum performance and reliability.

High port count MegaRAID controllers

LSI MegaRAID 6Gb/s SATA+SAS controllers are designed to deliver high performance for random I/O and transactional read and write applications such as web servers, file servers and OLTP servers. The new high port count controllers include the MegaRAID SAS 9260-16i, featuring sixteen internal ports; the 9280-16i4e, with sixteen internal and four external ports; and the MegaRAID SAS 9280-24i4e with twenty-four internal and four external ports.

The MegaRAID high port count controllers support advanced software options designed to provide enhanced performance and data protection capabilities. The new software options include MegaRAID CacheCade software and MegaRAID FastPath software, which help to optimize transactional I/O performance in direct-attached storage environments configured with solid-state drives; MegaRAID Recovery software, which provides enhanced data protection through snapshot functionality; and MegaRAID SafeStore software, designed to secure a drive's data from unauthorized access or modification resulting from theft, loss or repurposing of drives.

High port count 3ware RAID controllers

LSI 3ware 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID controllers are designed for sequential I/O and multi-stream read and write applications such as video on demand, video creation and editing, and video surveillance. The new 3ware high port count controllers include the 3ware SAS 9750-24i4e, with twenty-four internal and four external ports, and the 3ware SAS 9750-16i4e, featuring sixteen internal and four external ports. Rounding out the LSI 3ware 9750 series are the 3ware 9750-8e, with eight external ports, and the 3ware SAS 9750-4i4e, with four internal and four external ports.

Based on the recently released version 10.2 firmware, the new high port count controllers deliver enhanced performance through an optimized I/O path well suited for high-end RAID 5 or RAID 6 multi-stream applications as well as high-bandwidth RAID 0 applications. Customers of the existing family of 3ware 9750 series controllers can also benefit from the new firmware to achieve up to 25 percent performance improvement compared to the previous firmware release.

High port count HBAs

LSI has also expanded its family of 6Gb/s SAS-based HBAs with the new LSI SAS 9201-16i. The HBA provides superior throughput to internal server storage with support for up to 16 drives via direct connections or up to 512 SATA or SAS physical devices using SAS expanders. With data transfer rates of up to 6Gb/s per port, the LSI SAS 9201-16i delivers significant performance improvements in both read and write applications compared to its 3Gb/s predecessors.

Pricing and availability

MegaRAID controllers:

• MegaRAID SAS 9260-16i:         $939

• MegaRAID SAS 9280-16i4e:     $1015

• MegaRAID SAS 9280-24i4e:     $1485

3ware RAID controllers:

• 3ware SAS 9750-4i4e:               $785

• 3ware SAS 9750-8e:                  $865

• 3ware SAS 9750-16i4e:             $1015

• 3ware SAS 9750-24i4e:             $1485

Host bus adapters:

• LSI SAS 9201-16i                       $475

The LSI portfolio of 6Gb/s SATA+SAS storage solutions are supplied through a worldwide network of distributors, system integrators and VARs. The new high port count HBA and 3ware cards featuring 4 and 8 external ports are immediately available. Expected availability for the new high port count MegaRAID and 3ware RAID controllers is August 20, 2010.