LSI Logic Corp announced yesterday that Compaq Computer Corp will use its system-on-a-chip technology in some Compaq ProLiant servers, coming to market later this year. LSI Logic claims its PCI RAID chip ensures data availability and reliability in standard high volume servers.
LSI Logic claims its chip improves CPU utilization, I/O efficiency, data integrity and recovery. The company said that the system’s reliability is enhanced by combining seven to eight discrete components and connections onto a single chip using a single memory system. This level of integration enables OEMs to reduce their costs by integrating RAID directly onto the motherboard, it said.
The development of a single-chip PCI RAID is ideal for data center servers where internal storage is optimized for operating systems, while more powerful array controllers or large subsystems are used for the data store,” said Paul Santeler, vice president of Compaq’s enterprise server division.
Compaq’s integration of LSI Logic’s PCI RAID controller directly onto the motherboard represents a step forward in RAID solutions,” said Robert Gray, a research analyst with IDC. LSI Logic is ranked one of the top three suppliers of PCI RAID components, with over 75% of the world’s market, according to a recent RAID report. IDC estimates that more than 84% of server disk-based storage sales will be RAID-based technology by the year 2000. Pricing, model details and availability for Compaq’s new server models are expected to be available by the middle of the year.
