Adaptec heeft in een press release aangekondigd dat zij met server chipset fabrikant ServerWorks samenwerken om hun dual channel Ultra320 SCSI controller te integreren met de next generation PCI-X chipset van ServerWorks. Adaptec vind dit noodzakelijk omdat dual channel UItra320 in theorie een 64-bit 66MHz PCI bus (528MB/s) vol kan fietsen. Bij de nieuwe PCI-X standaard hoeft hier voorlopig geen sprake van te zijn, deze kan een dikke 1Gig per sec rondpompen:
Adaptec, Inc. the global leader in innovative storage solutions, and ServerWorks Corp., the leading independent supplier of high-performance core logic for Intel-based servers, today announced the two companies are collaborating to provide optimum performance and compatibility between the upcoming new versions of SCSI and PCI. Early efforts to integrate Adaptec Ultra320 SCSI adapters and ServerWorks' next generation PCI-X chipsets will ensure that OEMs are able to migrate smoothly to the next generation storage solutions.
Adaptec is also providing ServerWorks with its new dual channel Ultra160 SCSI controller, the AIC-7899W, code-named Crossbow, that incorporates the same signal pin-out as its forthcoming PCI-X-based Ultra320 SCSI controllers. OEMs that incorporate this controller in new server designs will avoid the expensive and time-consuming process of redesigning their boards to accommodate the upcoming next generation PCI-X-based Ultra320 SCSI controllers.
"PCI-X and Ultra320 SCSI play key roles in meeting our customers' demands for storage capacity and bandwidth," said David Pulling, ServerWorks' senior vice president of marketing and sales. "By working with Adaptec well in advance of the introduction of the new technologies, our mutual OEM customers will be able to leapfrog current throughput and migrate smoothly to the new PCI-X-based Ultra320 SCSI products. This in turn, brings the benefits of these technologies to end-users sooner, and drives the future growth of the Intel-based server market."
"Ultra160 SCSI has rapidly gained a dominant position in today's Intel architecture server market," said Lee Caswell, vice president of marketing for the OEM Solutions Group at Adaptec. "We are now meeting the Internet-driven performance demands of server customers by migrating to the new PCI-X standard. Working with ServerWorks is a key aspect of our ability to address market demand and reduce design risk for our customers."
The current PCI bus has enough bandwidth for today's dual channel Ultra160 SCSI controllers. However, the forthcoming dual channel Ultra320 SCSI controller will saturate the PCI bus. PCI-X will be needed for the increased bandwidth requirements, and will double the bus throughput to a full one Gigabyte per second. Adaptec and ServerWorks are working together to ensure that Ultra320 SCSI technology from Adaptec and PCI-X core logic from ServerWorks work seamlessly together.
Een opvolger voor de PCI-X standaard heeft zich inmiddels ook al aangediend: vorige maand maakten Intel & kameraden bekend dat zij de Infiniband specs hebben voltooid. Infiniband trekt maximaal 6GB/s, vergelijkbaar met de Lightning Data Transport bus van AMD.