No SAS for Networked Storage - Storage Technology Magazine

No SAS for Networked Storage

As serial-attached SCSI (SAS) technology inches its way toward general availability later this year, it's becoming clear that SAS is a server drive technology, and not--repeat not--a replacement for the Fibre Channel (FC) drives currently used in networked disk storage subsystems.

In other words, the same market segmentation that exists between parallel SCSI and FC drives will persist, if the industry has its way.

Storage subsystems based on "an existing class of technology--those connections will remain Fibre Channel for quite a while," says Harry Mason, president of the SCSI Trade Association.

For large array manufacturers, FC has the advantage of being a fabric, and can supply greater network addressability, says Gary Gentry, Seagate vice president, strategic marketing and planning.

But in other respects, forthcoming SAS drives are nearly identical to FC drives, and are based on the same high availability platform, Gentry says.

Recent SAS milestones include the approval of the SAS 1.0 specification by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the announcement of Seagate's 2.5-inch SAS drive, the Savvio.

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

    When you register for SearchStorage.com, you’ll also receive targeted emails from my team of award-winning editorial writers. Our goal is to keep you informed on the hottest topics, the latest news and the biggest challenges you face as a storage professional today.

    Rich Castagna, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchStorage.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchStorage.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.

This was first published in March 2004