Adaptec doubles SCSI speeds
Adaptec doubles SCSI speeds
Adaptec has launched four Ultra160 SCSI cards, that double the speed of the current worldwide SCSI standard Ultra2.
The cards have been designed for transaction-heavy environments that exist within e-business applications, as well as for more traditional storage requirements.
The Ultra160 has a data transfer rate of 160Mbps, and is backwards compatible with previous SCSI devices. The new cards also use the same accessories as Ultra2 SCSI, so users will not need LVD SCSI cables or terminators to introduce them to their existing storage setup.
Ultra160 SCSI's includes three core features. Double-edge clocking doubles the data transfer rate without additional internal clocking, to reduce the chances or incompatibility with legacy devices. With the second feature, cyclical redundancy checking, each data block contains extra bytes which allow the receiving device to validate the contents in each data block and ensure the integrity of the transferred data.
The third main feature, domain validation, negotiates the data transfer rate between the host and the devices to ensure each device on the SCSI channel interacts at its highest possible rate.
The four cards that comprise Adaptec's Ultra160 release have been developed to meet the needs of specific users. Card 39160 provides dual-channel performance and scalability for enterprise server configurations with internal and external hard drives, and offers maximum throughout by using a 64-bit interface and connecting up to 30 devices. This allows old and new SCSI devices to operate concurrently at maximum speed.
Card 29160 is targeted at the mainstream server market, and operates on a single 64-bit PCI card with internal and external connections to Ultra160 SCSI hard disk (HD) drives. It also enables Ultra160 and legacy SCSI device connectivity in any combination.
The Card 29160N product services workstations and entry-level servers, and features a 32-bit PCI interface, internal connection to Ultra160 SCSI HD drives, and internal and external connection to narrow SCSI devices such as tape, CD-RW drives, scanners and removable drives.
These three drives support all major platforms, including Linux.
Card 19160 provides desktop connectivity to internal SCSI hard drives and external narrow SCSI devices. It supports Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0.
The cards are available in all-in-one SCSI solution kits which include cables, manuals and software, or in bulk packs for VARs and system integrators that are assembling multiple systems.
The Ultra160 range is available through distributors Agate Technology and Tech Pacific.