Microsemi Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microchip Technology Inc. (Nasdaq:†MCHP), announced two additions to its recently announced lineup of†Adaptec Smart Storage 12Gbps SAS/SATA adapters: the SmartRAID 3162-8i and SmartRAID 3162-8i /e. The SmartRAID 3162-8i offers an industry-leading level of integration by offering an integrated supercapacitor directly on the adapter to support write cache data protection. The SmartRAID 3162-8i /e introduces the industry’s first general market 12 Gbps SAS/SATA redundant array of independent disk (RAID) adapter with maxCrypto, a line rate controller-based encryption (CBE) solution offering superior security and flexibility compared to disk-based encryption solutions.
“Flexibility, ease-of-use, and security continue to be top priorities for our customers. Our new SmartRAID 3162-8i ensures enterprise-level data availability in a highly integrated standard adapter form factor, providing all the required cache protection hardware directly on-board,” said†Andrew Dieckmann, vice president of marketing for Microsemi’s data center solutions. “Our turnkey maxCrypto encryption solution provides superior flexibility and security compared to the most common alternative solution, self-encrypting drives (SEDs), all within the easy-to-use Adaptec management tool suite.”
About the SmartRAID 3162-8i†
With the SmartRAID 3162-8i data centers can now deploy a generally available RAID adapter with a complete cache backup solution entirely within one low profile MD2 PCI Express (PCIe) Gen 3 server slot.
RAID caching is frequently used in enterprise storage to improve input/output (I/O) performance by writing data to a controller’s cache before it is written to disk. However, in the case of a power loss, the write cache may be lost. Microsemi’s Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection (ZMCP) leverages a supercapacitor (versus a battery) to power critical components long enough to transfer cached data to NAND flash. When power is restored, the data is restored to the cache as well and normal operation resumes. The use of a supercapacitor versus a lithium-ion battery eliminates hardware maintenance associated with battery-based adapter cache backup solutions.
The SmartRAID 3162-8i introduces Microsemi’s sixth generation of ZMCP. This new generation of ZMCP integrates the cache backup circuitry, NAND flash memory and the field-replaceable super capacitor all onto the adapter itself, with no need to tether an external supercapacitor to the adapter. This ultimately saves space in the server, a critical ingredient to deploying high-density data centers. Numerous studies have been conducted on high-density data centers, with some showing as much as 50 percent savings in capital expenditures and 20 percent in operating expenditures versus less dense data center rack deployments.†
About the SmartRAID 3162-8i /e
Encryption for data-at-rest is a requirement for multiple markets, with government legislation in place mandating data security and privacy. Microsemi’s SmartRAID 3162-8i /e with the maxCrypto CBE solution enables data center customers to select 256-bit XTS – Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption for any logical volume managed by the SmartRAID 3162-8i /e at full line rate performance. Microsemi’s maxCrypto CBE solution achieves provides a higher level of security and improved deployment flexibility compared to the most common alternative solution, self-encrypting drives (SEDs).
The SmartRAID 3162-8i and SmartRAID 3162-8i /e are optimized for enterprise storage applications which require the highest level of data availability in an optimized footprint. Features include:
- Eight lanes of PCIe Gen 3 connectivity to the host
- Eight internal ports of connectivity to 12 Gbps SAS or 6 Gbps SATA drives, either direct or through an SAS expander, via SFF-8643 miniSAS high-definition connectors
- 2 GB of DDR4 2100 MHz
- Up to 1.45 million RAID0 4 KB random read input/output operations per second (IOPs)
- Hardware RAID support for levels 0/1/5/6/10/50/60/1 ADM/10 ADM
- maxCache 4.0 with up to ~2 TB solid state drive (SSD) cache
- Integration with the Microsemi Adaptec toolchain, including maxView Storage Manager graphical user interface (GUI), ARCCONF, uEFI BIOS configuration utilities and the maxView Event Monitor
Microsemi’s unified Smart Storage Stack, SmartRAID and SmartHBA, HBA product families and†the SXP family of SAS expanders†provide a complete server solution for storage management and connectivity.
Availability
Microsemi’s Unified Smart Storage Stack, as well as the fourth generation SmartRAID 3100, SmartHBA 2100 and HBA 1100 series board level product families, are available in volume production quantities now.
