Broadcom RAID Solution Shines
Typically, prior to installation, a solution provider must consider what the customer's data requirements are, the applications in use, and how many employees are accessing the servers.
Broadcom's new SATA RAID card solution gives system builders an option that can make their jobs easier.
The next set of questions to be considered involves the actual RAID setup; for example, are performance and speed of accessing data the No. 1 concern, or is cost the top priority? Another critical question is how many IO-intensive applications must be supported?
If speed and performance are top priorities, a solution provider will recommend either a SCSI or a Fibre Channel or SCSI/Fibre Channel setup. If the efficiency of accessing and moving data is not as important to a customer's environment, solution providers may recommend the more cost-effective SATA setup.
Broadcom's SATA RAID card solution is both cost-effective and loaded with options. The 8-Channel RAIDCore SATA RAID Host Bus Adapter (BC4852) is priced at $365 and features 8-channel controllers, which can be included in a system for a maximum of 32 SATA drives. It also features 64-bit addressing support, flexible memory and caching policies, and support for all popular RAID levels. The 64-bit, PCI-X low-profile compliant controller card provides increased speed and bandwidth.
One characteristic that stood out is how quickly the card could be configured. It integrates easily into any chassis or server. Installing drivers and the XelCore software, which contains the RAIDConsole, was effortless.
The card supports Windows 2000, 2003 and XP, Red Hat Linux 9, Enterprise 3.0 and Fedora Core 1.
PRODUCT SNAPSHOT
> Name: BC4852 (8-Channel RAIDCore SATA RAID Host Bus Adapter, Advanced RAID)
> Price: $365
> Warranty: 3 years
> Distributors/Integrators: Bell Micro, D&H, Future Tech, Partners In Europe, Wintec
> Company: Broadcom
Irvine, Calif.
(949) 450-8700
www.broadcom.com
