Computerworld - Network semiconductor maker PMC-Sierra today announced its first 6Gbit/sec RAID controller for both serial ATA (SATA) and serial SCSI (SAS) systems.
The Adaptec Series 6E controllers double the I/O throughput over the previous 3Gbit/sec SAS and SATA controllers and included on-board DRAM cache. The controllers are aimed at use in the entry-level market.
The two Series 6E RAID cards are aimed at use in both storage network adapter cards, known as host bus adapters (HBAs), and for storage array RAID functions.
The Series 6 cards include four-port 6405E and eight-port 6805E controllers that leverage compatible GUI and management utility tools featured with all Adaptec RAID controllers.
The 640E controller uses a single-port PCIe host interface that fits into any workstation, industrial PC or entry server platform.
The 6805E controller uses four-port PCIe connectivity for higher throughput. Both products use PMC's 128MB DDR2-800 memory.
"The Series 6E outperforms software-based HBAs and SATA controllers and is the first true hardware 6Gbit/sec SATA/SAS RAID controller with on-board DRAM cache for the entry-level market segment with this capability," said Jared Peters, general manager of PMC's Channel Storage Division, in a statement.
The Series 6E controllers use the same RAID stack, drivers and tools as other members of the Adaptec Series 6 family of controllers and allow customers to deploy an entry-level solution with the same enterprise-class management features and full operating system support with minimal additional effort for integration, training and validation.
Series 6E RAID controllers are available now at authorized Adaptec by PMC distributors and channel partners in singles and kits. The suggested retail pricing for the Adaptec RAID 6405E and Adaptec RAID 6805E ranges from $200 to $275.
Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at 
@lucasmearian, or subscribe to Lucas's RSS feed 
. His e-mail address is lmearian@computerworld.com.
Read more about Storage in Computerworld's Storage Topic Center.
Free Insider GuideCopyright © 1994 - 2012 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
