Flash RAID family

June 26, 2009:Adaptec has announced the availability of a RAID controller family that integrates a flash-based Cache Protection module to provide a single controller solution for data protection in the event of both power loss and drive failure.

Designed to replace a current generation of Lithium Ion battery-based cache back-up devices, the Adaptec RAID Series 5Z is an integrated solid state solution that eliminates the need to monitor battery charge levels or shut down servers for battery replacement.

Since the quickest way for a RAID controller to fulfil a read or write request is to serve data out of its cache, enabling and protecting the RAID controller cache offers significant performance benefits while also safeguarding against the loss of cached data during a power or system failure.

Unlike Lithium Ion batteries, Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection protects cached data immediately, instead of hours after battery conditioning, providing instant protection and immediate optimised RAID performance.

The Series 5Z family consists of three products: Adaptec RAID 5445Z (A$1,649) with 8 ports (4 internal and 4 external), Adaptec RAID 5805Z (A$1,409)(8 internal ports) and Adaptec RAID 5405Z (A$1,159) (4 internal ports). They feature a dual core RAID on Chip (ROC), DDR2 533MHz write cache and an x8 PCI Express host interface bus connection.