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InformationX-bit Labs for mobile users! Do not forget that we are running a special version of X-bit Labs web-site for users of mobile and handheld devices: http://pda.xbitlabs.com. Check out our news and articles from smartphones and PDAs to be always updated on the latest computer and technology news. <%BANNER[right_130x600]%>
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Articles: Storage
Promise FastTRAK S150 SX4 SATA-RAID Controller ReviewCategory: Storage by Alexander Yuriev , Nikita Nikolaichev [ 06/17/2004 | 02:07 PM ] Today we would like to introduce to you one more multi-channel (4 and up) controller from Promise. It proved to be an excellent solution, especially efficient in the benchmarks imitating real-life applications. Anyway, find out the details now in our new article! Table of contents:
Continuing with our study of currently available multi-channel (four and more) Serial ATA RAID controllers, we came across the FastTRAK S150 SX4 card from Promise Technology. The name of this controller suggests its cognation to the FastTRAK S150 TX4 (see our Promise FastTRAK S150 TX4 Controller Review). Well, they do have something in common – they both support four SerialATA-150 devices and this fact explains the similar-sounding model names. As for the difference, the FastTRAK S150 SX4 seems to be a more advanced version because of the RAID5 support it provides, but we will also see some deeper differences on a closer inspection.
So, again, this controller supports up to four SerialATA-150 devices (and arrays of up to 1 terabyte capacity). The types of arrays supported are standard, including 0, 1, 10, 5 and JBOD. The controller’s ability to work in a 32-bit/66MHz PCI 2.2 slot provides a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 266MB/s. The FastTRAK S150 SX4 allows using up to 256MB of cache memory (64MB being the necessary minimum). Moreover, the controller’s PCB carries chips of Ferroelectric RAM for keeping a transactions log and integrated General-Purpose I/O ports for controlling the device. FastTRAK S150 SX4 also allows expanding the array’s capacity and changing its level while online. It supports two caching modes (write-back and write-through) and anticipatory reading based on application and data types. Then, it uses batch commands and merges interrupts to minimize their number and optimize their execution. It also supports load balancing (for mirrored RAID arrays only) and elevator seek (for streamlining commands based on the data location on the disk). Closer LookThe controller is not small, but nevertheless all electronic components are very compactly arranged on its entire PCB surface. A PDC 20621, a XOR processor, resides in the center. To the left, there is a 168-pin DIMM slot – the memory module is situated in parallel to the controller PCB. Four SerialATA connectors are located along the upper edge of the card. Judging from the outward appearance, the FastTRAK S150 SX4 has much more in common with the FastTRAK SX4000 card than with the FastTRAK S150 TX4. Well, it is true: the FastTRAK S150 SX4 is actually a FastTRAK SX4000, which has been trained to talk to SATA drives via Marvell converters. The basic parameters of the controller are listed below:
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Category NewsCategory: Storage Wednesday, July 23, 20089:58 pm Western Digital Releases VelociRaptor for Enterprises. WD Launches Enterprise Version of VelociRaptor 12:29 pm SanDisk Blames Windows Vista for Low Performance of Solid State Drives. SanDisk: Vista Is Not Optimized for Flash Memory Solid State Disk Friday, July 18, 20086:03 am Micron and Seagate to Lead Solid State Drive Standardization Efforts at JEDEC. JEDEC Announces Dedicated Subcommittee to Set Standards for SSDs Friday, July 11, 20089:50 pm Seagate Unleashes World's First 1.5TB Hard Disk Drives. Seagate Increases Hard Drive Capacity to 1500GB Thursday, July 10, 20082:03 pm Samsung Starts Volume Production of 128GB Solid State Drives. Samsung Initiates Mass Production of Relatively Affordable 128GB SSDs All Latest News <%BANNER[right_130x130_1]%>
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