Date: 04/11/2009

IBM's x servers employ LSI 6Gb/s SAS technology

LSI's LSISAS2108 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (ROC) and MegaRAID software are integrated into IBM ServeRAID controllers found in IBM Systems x3650 M2 and x3550 model servers. The ServeRAID controllers, which are designed for inside-the-box connectivity, feature eight internal 6Gb/s SAS ports and support both SAS and SATA hard disk drives. An additional level of data security is available by using LSI SafeStore encryption services with self-encrypting drives (SED).

The ServeRAID controllers provide RAID 6 support to protect from data loss in the event of dual-drive failures. The controllers also feature LSI MegaRAID Storage Manager software, for quick and easy access to disk encryption and RAID setup and management, and an intelligent battery backup unit that provides accurate battery capacity monitoring.

LSI claims, the LSI 6Gb/s SAS MegaRAID products demonstrated a 190 percent throughput improvement for RAID 5 writes and a 240 percent throughput improvement for RAID 6 writes compared to products based on 3Gb/s SAS technology, translating to system performance gains.

"Our collaboration with LSI allows us to deliver robust, first-to-market storage solutions that improve performance, IT efficiency and data protection for our customers," said Bob Galush, vice president, IBM Systems & Technology Group. "IBM selected LSI as our 6Gb RAID supplier based on their market segment leadership."