Controller gives SCSI speed to ATA drives
Allowing users and OEMs to maximize the performance of IDE drives, 3ware`s DiskSwitch controller uses switched networking concepts and dedicates channel bandwidth to individual drives. The controller, which is available with four or eight interfaces, aggregates drive performance via packet-switching technology. This approach eliminates the bus-arbitration delays associated with shared-bus architectures.
In the DiskSwitch approach, a dedicated "AccelerATA" data channel is connected to each UltraATA drive. All channels are in turn connected into a packet-switching controller that transmits data to the host via 3ware`s high-speed bus. The four-port version is shipping now, priced at $349 in quantities of 1,000 or more. Eight-port versions are due in the third quarter at prices ranging from $595 to $895 in similar quantities.
www.3ware.com.