ECONOMICS

3ware(R), Inc., a leading provider of high capacity, switched Serial ATA (SATA) RAID storage solutions, today introduced its fastest RAID controllers to date. The groundbreaking Escalade(R) 9000 Series of hardware RAID controllers enable a completely new class of SATA RAID storage solutions for high performance computing applications. Shipping to OEMs, VARs, and system integrators worldwide, the new controllers will be available in 12, 8, and 4-port configurations in early Q2, 2004. The new Escalade controllers, based on the company's innovative StorSwitch(TM) switched RAID architecture, provide up to 3.6 TB of fault tolerant storage per controller and deliver in excess of 400 Mbytes per second sequential RAID 5 reads(1) and over 110 Mbytes per second RAID 5 sequential writes. 3ware's advanced hardware RAID architecture features an on-board processor and an integrated RAID ASIC that offloads RAID controller functions from the host CPU, dedicating the server processing to its core applications and enhancing overall system performance. 3ware is the only company that combines the affordability of SATA drives with best-of-breed technology addressing the entire RAID spectrum of capacity, feature-set, and performance. "The Escalade 9000 Series offers the industry's most compelling SATA RAID solution for high performance computing environments where performance and fault tolerance cannot be compromised," said Barbara Murphy, Vice President of Marketing at 3ware. "3ware was the first company to ship high capacity Serial ATA RAID controllers and continues to be the leader in developing cost-effective, high performance SATA RAID solutions. With support for an advanced RAID management feature set, this revolutionary family of Escalade controllers is enabling Serial ATA to become a true enterprise-class solution." 3ware's hardware RAID controllers now deliver advanced RAID features for greater data protection and ease of system configuration and management. Designed to support the next generation of 64 bit computing applications, the new controllers support single arrays of up to 3.6 TB via 64 bit LBA adressability on one controller and greater than 12 TB on a single server(2). The Escalade 9000 Series platform is designed from the ground up to protect the customer's investment in RAID by offering field upgradeable added value such as On-line capacity expansion (OCE)(3), RAID level Migration(3), Battery Backup and enclosure management services via an integrated I2C bus. 3ware's remote management software, 3ware Disk Manager 2 (3DM(R) 2) and 3ware's Command Line Interface tool simplify storage configuration and management securely and remotely. "SATA RAID-based solutions are gaining considerable momentum in all applications where high capacity, low cost storage is paramount," said Roger Cox, Research Vice President, Storage at Gartner Dataquest. "System integrators, OEMs and VARs are actively seeking enabling SATA technologies to build enterprise-class, multi-terabyte network storage systems that combine performance, capacity, reliability, and value." 3ware also offers the Escalade 9000 Series controllers with Multi-lane Internal (MI) connectors for high capacity industrial environments. This innovative design increases reliability, and simplifies installation and routing via an innovative cabling solution for large-scale configurations. The Escalade 9500 Multi-lane controllers include a highly reliable, locking cable/connector system that combines 4 SATA ports into one on the controller side. 12-port configurations feature 3 integrated connectors and an 8-port configuration offers 2 integrated connectors. "Our customers expect the highest level of performance and reliability for very demanding data processing environments," said Michel Ricciato, Elonex COO, a leading system integrator. "We have had the opportunity to test 3ware's Escalade 9000 product line and are enthusiastic at the excellent results we have been able to achieve. All new installations that feature the 9000-series SATA controllers will provide an unparalleled level of data protection, capacity, and performance for the most demanding supercomputing applications." Applications that benefit most from Escalade 9000 Series of high performance controllers include NAS storage, Web servers, cluster servers, supercomputing, near-line backup and archival, security systems as well as streaming applications for audio and video servers.