Adaptec Rolling Out SATA And iSCSI Bundles For System Builders

The Milpitas, Calif.-based maker of storage host bus adapters and controller chips plans to start shipping a SATA kit to system builders consisting of an adapter, the cable and an enclosure for four hot-swap SATA hard drives, said Doug Richardson, channel marketing manager for host bus adapter and array products.

The kit, named "Jag 'N a Box" after the code name for its SATA adapter, Jaguar, is unique in that it allows hot-swapping of SATA hard drives, said Richardson. "The SATA specification was originally slated to have hot-swap capability when it was finalized, but it didn't," he said. "SATA-2 will have it."

The enclosure's four drive carriers each has an LED to show drive activity as well as indicate a drive failure. Those LEDs are important, Richardson said, because while a storage management software console might indicate a drive failure, with RAID-5 the specific drive cannot be pinpointed. Instead of accidentally pulling out a good drive to replace a failed one, a move which could destroy the data, the LED shows which drive to pull, he said.

The entire kit is packed in an oversize box with room for a distributor or solution provider to either pack up to four raw hard drives for local integration at the customer site, or to integrate the drives in the carriers and pack them securely next to the enclosure, said Richardson.

The kit, suitable for workstations or entry-level servers, is expected to ship late November via several major distributors with a list price of about $600, Richardson said.

The other storage bundle from Adaptec features two of the company's iSCSI controllers and a FAS250 NAS subsystem from Network Appliance, said Glenn Clowney, director of strategic marketing for the company's Storage Networking Group.

The bundle, which was put together specifically for distribution through Arrow, started shipping this week. With 250 Gbytes of capacity, the bundle has a street price of under $12,000.

The initial version is aimed at the Windows and Linux space, and a version for Solaris is planned to ship early next year, Clowney said.

The parts that make up the bundle are certified to work together, and solution providers will have a single telephone number to contact in case technical help is needed, said Clowney.